Fractured State: Rogue State Part 33

"Let's circle back to my friend," he said, drawing a pistol from a concealed hip holster under his jacket.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know," she said, raising her hands in front of her. "I don't give a s.h.i.t about Flagg or whatever Cerberus is. I do the work because it pays."

He turned to Blake. "Try not to damage any equipment."

"I won't," he said.

Blake lowered his weapon to a concealed position along his right side and walked toward the room she had recently left.

"Where's he going?"

"Nissie . . . may I call you Nissie?"

She nodded.

"Are you emotionally attached to anyone in that room?"

"What?" she said, looking past him nervously.

"Do you hang out with any of them on weekends? Visit one another's families? Have a physical relationship with any of them?"

She shook her head, frustrated. "No. This is a f.u.c.king side job. I don't know any of them outside of this kind of work. Why do you care?"

As soon as she asked the question, her face changed. She understood.

"I have a job you might be interested in, unless you think someone in those rooms could do a better job."

She shook her head. "I was thinking of going solo after this job, anyway."

"I can't guarantee the pay is better."

"Pay isn't everything," she said.

Stuart glanced over his shoulder and nodded at Blake, who was waiting outside the door.

"I think I'm going to throw up," she said.

"Just keep your hands in sight. I don't have the time to find a new hacker."

When the key-card reader beeped behind him, she started to breathe through her mouth. He watched her wince every time Blake's gun fired a suppressed bullet inside the room. Three times in rapid succession.

"You've never been this close to the end result of your handiwork, have you?" said Stuart.

She shook her head, still breathing rapidly.

"Let's take a look. You can grab whatever gear you need," he said, motioning for her to walk.

Blake walked out of the room, without the backpack he had brought with him, when they got to the door. "I'll take care of the motel office and get the car."

"Drag whoever's in the office into the gra.s.s across the parking lot. Just in case the fire gets out of control," said Stuart, examining Nissie's reaction.

She looked distressed by his order.

"He's just going to knock them out and move them where they won't catch fire," said Stuart, gesturing toward the room. "Shall we?"

She hesitated, taking increasingly reluctant steps toward door. When it became obvious that she'd gotten as close to the unpleasant reality of her work as her own resolve would allow, he pushed her into the room. She'd thank him for it later. He expected her to emerge from the room with a fresh perspective on her line of work, and a desire to make some amends. At the very least, he wanted to show her where she was headed-if she didn't cooperate.

CHAPTER 53.

Stuart paced the soggy ground in front of the two dirt graves, his thumb frozen above the "Send" b.u.t.ton on his satphone. He didn't want to make this call, but he didn't have a choice. He owed it to Jon. Blake stood behind the dirt mounds, guarding Nissie. Stuart walked away from the graves, his fingers pressing the b.u.t.ton after several paces. Leah answered almost immediately.

"Stuart?"

He'd sent Scott and his friend back to their secret compound two hours ago, after killing Riggs. Scott had called him as they'd pulled up to his house, asking Stuart to call back in five minutes. He'd get the phone to Leah.

"Leah. I have some bad news," said Stuart, his fist clenched. He walked away from the graves toward the edge of the green clearing.

"I knew something had happened when Scott took off with one of his friends this morning," she said. "He's really gone?"

"I'm afraid so. It happened late last night, before we got here. I don't know what to say, Leah."

"Have you told Nathan?"

He took a deep breath. "I haven't been able to get through to them today. When I do, I'll-"

"How long has it been since you've heard from them?"

"I know that Nathan talked with Jon last night, maybe around eleven? He got to talk with Owen, too," said Stuart, his voice cracking.

Leah didn't respond for several seconds. He could hear her sniffling. She sobbed between words when she returned to the conversation.

"That's a long time not to hear from them."

"It's longer than I'd like, but they had a solid plan. I expect to hear from them soon. You'll be the first to know."

"Thank you, Stuart," she said. "Thank you for everything you and David have done for us."

"I wish I could have done more."

"You've risked everything for us. You and David. Don't you dare blame yourself for what happened. This falls squarely on Cerberus's shoulders."

"I'm going to take care of Cerberus," said Stuart. "I'll expend my last breath making sure they pay for this."

"Just get our boys and their families back safely," she said. "That's the number-one priority right now."

Families, plural, she'd said. Jon hadn't told her about Alison's death. Stuart didn't blame him. The news would only have added to her anxiety. There was certainly no reason for him to reveal Alison's death now.

"I'm working on that. We're heading south in a few minutes," said Stuart. "If all goes well, they'll reach Las Vegas soon and give me a call. I may have them drive up to Salt Lake City. The roads in between are safe enough."

"Please call as soon as you hear anything."

"I will," he said. "Stay safe, Leah."

"I'm in good hands here."

"I'm very sorry about what happened to Jon. He was like a brother to me."

"I know he was, Stuart," she said. "I don't want to hold you up any longer. You have a long road ahead of you."

"I'll be in touch," he said, ending the call.

Stuart stood still, staring at the mountains to the west. He could see why Jon and Leah chose to live out here. You felt a sense of peace and majesty wherever you looked. Maybe when all of this had settled, he'd take a serious look at the upper Rocky Mountain states.

Blake and Nissie stood up when he walked back.

"Time to go," he said, glancing down at the freshly packed dirt. Two shovels lay on the ground next to the graves. "Wipe the shovels down again," he said. "I don't want to get anyone at the compound in trouble over a partial fingerprint."

Blake nodded and headed to the SUV for the gear. Nissie watched him leave, quickly shifting her attention to Stuart. She was terrified of them, which was exactly how he wanted to start their relationship. Fear was a powerful motivator, and more importantly, a mighty deterrent. He had big plans for Keane, but first she had to demonstrate that she was 100 percent on board with her new contract.

"You ready for a road trip?" he said.

"Do I have to wear these the entire time?" she said, turning and extending her hands to expose the black zip ties binding them together.

"Until I'm convinced that you won't try to kill one of us or make a run for it, you get to wear plastic."

"Haven't I already proven myself? You have the keys to the kingdom thanks to me," Nissie said. "Flagg would kill me if he knew what I gave you."

"Flagg was going to kill you anyway. He's in damage-control mode right now, which isn't his area of expertise. Guys like that are only comfortable running smooth operations. When things go bad, they turn to scorched-earth methods, burning everything and everyone in the process."

"Like the motel you burned down?"

"You can thank me for that whenever you're ready. Not every day you get a fresh start in life."

"I wouldn't exactly call this a fresh start."

"Better than a fresh grave," he said, nodding at the ground.

She didn't look amused by the comment. "You owe me some new metal."

"What? You mean, like, in your face?" Stuart asked. "You'd look a lot better without all of that s.h.i.t poked through it."

"And through the other parts," added Blake, who had returned from the van with a towel and spray bottle to wipe the shovels clean.

"I bet you enjoyed that," she spat. "f.u.c.king pervert."

"c.l.i.t and t.i.t rings ain't my thing, sweetie," he said, tossing the bottle and towel at her feet. "Not into tatted s.k.a.n.ks either."

"Wipe up your own fingerprints," she said, kicking the plastic bottle at him.

"This is going to be a fun trip," said Stuart.

"He started it," she said.

Blake shook his head. "Do we really need her?"

"We do, and I prefer that you wipe down the shovels. I'm not familiar with Miss Keane's work ethic yet, and I'm not willing to put more of our friends in jeopardy over a sloppy cleaning job."

"Got it," he grumbled, swiping the bottle from the gra.s.s.

"And you," he said, addressing Nissie. "Keep your nose clean during the ride to Vegas, and I'll treat you to all the metal you can poke through your face, or wherever. Deal?"

"That was the plan, anyway, but I'll take what I can get for free."

"Might be the only payment you receive for this job."

"I'm not doing this one for the money," she said quietly, with a touch of defiance.

"Good," he said. "Neither are we."

CHAPTER 54.

A hot gust of wind whipped across the two-lane road, rattling pebbles and dust against the SUV while Nathan emptied the last of the fuel from one of the red plastic containers into the gas tank. Owen stood next to him, blocking as much of the wind as his small frame could manage.

A second, stiffer blast of wind drove another sheet of rock and dust into them.

"Hey, bud. Why don't you get inside? It's getting crazy out here. I'm almost done, anyway," said Nathan, patting his shoulder. "I appreciate the company."

"Are we gonna make it before the storm hits?"

"I don't know." Nathan looked over his shoulder at the rapidly disintegrating horizon. "I think this is one of those microbursts Jose was talking about. The big storm is still a few hours away."

His son started toward the pa.s.senger door.

"Owen. Get in on the other side. The door might slam shut on you, and your mom might not be too happy getting a face full of sand."

"OK, Dad." On his way around the front of the SUV, Owen high-fived David, who carried a rucksack taken from the car ahead of them.