Retribution (Secrets & Lies #3)(11)
“I mean that Peter DeLaCoeur wants you dead. All of you. Specifically, the names listed were you, Katrina Grammercy, Jackson DeLaCoeur, Andrea DeLaCoeur, Carson and Melissa Sands, and someone named Andrea Hart, although that may have been a screwup on an alias.”
Fear grips my stomach as I shake my head. “Not a screwup, sir.”
“Who is she?”
“A precious little girl who is just past nine months old,” I whisper, looking back toward the main house. I can't see it from here, but I can see the top of the barn, peaceful against the afternoon sky. “Anyone else?”
“The open contract said 'and others', with a price on each head. Congratulations, Sergeant. You're part of one of the top ten richest contracts in America right now.”
“Shit,” I mutter, thoughts swirling through my head. “Any word if anyone other than Isis has taken it up?”
“Haven't heard, but with the amount of money being floated, Peter's going to get someone who's going to bite. Maybe not as good as Isis, but good enough to cause you headaches. Then again, if word gets out Isis is taking the contracts, a lot of people will peel off. Nobody really likes working with that untrustworthy bitch. Like I said Sergeant, it might be time to disappear.”
I shake my head, standing tall. “Can't do that, sir. Not this time.”
“The baby?”
“Among others,” I answer. “It's not my group anymore. Maybe I’m just being a fool, but to me... they’re my family.”
“Roger that, Sergeant. Okay. Well, I'll keep my ear to the ground, I'm not interested in taking this sort of contract, especially within the United States. Business is too good being one of the good guys. Or I guess you could say being one of the not so-bad-guys.”
“Hooah, sir. Wish I'd learned that a long time ago. Okay, I'll be in touch.”
“Take care, Sergeant Black.”
Major Munchak hangs up on his end, and I put my phone away. I know what my first panicked reaction is, to scamper back to the house like a scared rabbit. Instead, I fall back on my training, on a lifetime of habits that have allowed me to keep most of my blood in my body while those around me are losing theirs. I kneel down and pick up the burlap bag I brought, and start picking up the spent shell casings around me. I just hope that before the brass is all picked up I can get my damn head right, and I can be able to protect this family.
Chapter Five
Melissa
I can't believe how much better I feel after I leave my bedroom. After Andrea left, I used the techniques like she showed me until I felt all traces of my anxiety dissipate and I felt grounded, more centered. It's amazing, and I feel so much better.
I reach the top landing of the steps and look down, seeing Katrina and Baby Andrea napping together on the couch, both snoring lightly. I smile as I head downstairs, finding Carson and Andrea sitting in the kitchen, both of them greeting me with a smile. “Are you feeling better?”
“I am,” I tell Andrea, coming around and giving her a hug. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome, 'Lissa,” she says.
“So what are you two doing? And what about Katrina napping?” I ask.
“The movers won't be here for a while, and we can get her up then. As for us, we're figuring out how much cash we can get our hands on in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours,” Andrea says kindly. “We guess that if the threat is this serious, then we need to be able to fund some pretty extraordinary stuff quickly. Now Nathan and Katrina probably have the connections to get that done, but those people tend to be cash only. So we're trying to figure out how much we can get.”
“And?” I ask, still mellow enough from my acupressure session to not be overcome by fear. If I can feel this way every time, I'm going to be practicing on a daily basis.
“We're not sure, but it's over a million dollars for sure,” Carson says, looking at the screen. “The big thing is how much time we have to work with. For example if I had to go right now, we're limited, but in two days? We can get enough that all seven of us could disappear for a very long time.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, and Andrea takes my hand.
“Carson means we'd have to disappear, leaving this all behind and getting new identities. For Katrina, Jackson, BA and Nathan, it's probably easy. I know they've got fake identities already in place. The three of us would be more difficult, but it could be done.”
The first little spikes of worry and anxiety worm their way past my feelings but Andrea's holding my hand, and I take a deep breath, trying to get a handle on it. “Leave the farm? Like, forever?”
“Maybe,” Andrea says. “But we'd stay together, no matter what.”
I take another deep breath, nodding. Just then, I hear pistol shots from the back of the property, and I jump slightly, startled. “What was that?”
“Nathan, and maybe Jackson,” Carson says gently. “Nathan went to the barn and walked out a little while ago with the shooting targets. Jackson followed him about ten minutes ago when Nathan didn't come back, just going to check if he's okay.”
I nod and get up, going over to the kitchen where I start cutting up some collard greens. “You mind if we have collards and bacon for dinner?” I ask, thinking of one of my favorite comfort foods. It's not as good as chocolate, but bacon and collard greens is about the closest thing I have to a comfort food I can have with almost every meal. “I know we just had them three nights ago, but I could use some.”