“We did this.”
I speak before I even realize it, my voice a hushed whisper.
Eli says, “What?”
“All of this. We caused it by coming here.”
He shakes his head. “We didn’t do this. They did.”
We attempt to fade into the crowd. It’s not easy. Everyone is clustered so close together we have to force our way through. Many people are on their cell phones, calling loved ones. Some are crying. Sirens can be heard off in the distance, fire and police, though some are already here, a few police cruisers blocking traffic on the street.
I follow Eli and don’t even hear the helicopter at first. But Eli does. He pauses, tilts his head, then turns and looks up at the sky. I do the same.
Taking off from the top of the hospital is indeed a helicopter. But it’s obviously not a medical helicopter-no red cross on the side, nothing to associate it with the Medford Medical Center. It’s just black. And as we and everyone else around us watch, the black helicopter takes off and zooms over the closest buildings and disappears.
Eli tugs at my jacket, prompting me to start moving again.
We fight our way through the crowd, making it to the other side, just as the fire trucks arrive. Because of the cluster of people, they don’t have much room to navigate.
When we reach the next block, I ask, “That was them?”
“I believe so.”
“Where are they taking her?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why are they taking her?”
For some reason I expect him to give the same answer. He doesn’t. He doesn’t give any answer, either verbal or physical. Not even a grunt. Not even the slightest shake of the head. He just keeps walking.
Soon we’re back in the parking garage. The fourth level is deserted. As Eli approaches the Buick, his pace begins to slow. He takes one deep breath after another. He turns and looks at me. I expect him to say something but he just stares. After several long seconds, he shakes his head and turns back to the car.
“Hey.”
He turns back to me.
“Now what?”
He shrugs. “Nothing. It’s over.”
“What about Ashley?”
“What about her?”
“They’re going to kill her.”
“No they won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
“Why?”
Eli opens the driver’s door. “We should go.”
“Where?”
“Away.”
“And just, what, run for the rest of our lives?”
“Run. Hide. It’s all the same.”
“Everyone is dead now.”
“No,” Eli says, “not everyone. You and I are still alive.”
“But for how much longer?”
Holding the car door open, he gestures for me to get inside.
I don’t move.
Smiling, he shakes his head.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s remarkable seeing it in you. You want to go back there and fight more of the bad guys, don’t you?”
I say nothing.
“And then what are you going to do if you find them?”
“Kill them.”
“Are you a killer now? You couldn’t even kill David.”
“Neither could you.”
“But I should have. He killed Marta. He deserved to die.”
“Then why did you let him live?”
“What do you want me to say, John? That it was a moment of weakness? Fine, it was a moment of weakness. The only reason I’ve survived this long is that I never show mercy to my enemies. If you show mercy, even the slightest bit, it can get you killed. That’s something you need to understand. And David-he betrayed you. He betrayed all of us. He was our enemy. We should have killed him.”
“So now what?”
“Now nothing. This was a once and done thing. We only had one shot to make this work and take out Matheson. For some reason I thought we had a chance, but fate had other ideas. Now come on, we can’t wait any longer. There are cameras everywhere. One of them may have spotted us.”
“Why is she special?”
“What?”
“Ashley. Why won’t they kill her?”
Eli takes another deep breath. He looks like he’s going to say something, but hesitates. His eyes light up.
“What is it?”
“The lighter I gave you. What happened to it?”
“I gave it to Ashley.”
Immediately he shuts the door and marches to the back of the car. He pops the trunk and starts rummaging first through one duffel bag, then the next.
“Should I even bother asking what you’re doing?”
He doesn’t answer, not at first, but when he finds a thick black device, he turns to me and says, “The lighter is more than just a lighter. It’s also a tracker.”
He opens the device. It’s like a small laptop. A screen on one side, a few buttons on the other. He powers it up and then looks around at our surroundings.
“We might not be able to get a strong reading because of the concrete.”
“How accurate is it?”
“Extremely. Assuming she still has it and that they didn’t search her and empty all her pockets.”
He presses a few of the buttons. The screen lights up. At first nothing appears on it until lines begin to waver and solidify. Soon it shows a map of the entire United States. Then, quickly, the picture shifts as it begins to zoom into the New England section of the country. It keeps zooming until it shows Milford.
“I’ll need to zoom back out.”
“This is GPS?”
“Yes. In fact … ah, here we go.”
On screen a red blinking dot has appeared.
“Where is it headed?”
“South.”
“How far away?”
“At least ten miles from our current location.” Eli steps back and slams the trunk. The device in hand, he starts for the driver’s door. “Let’s go.”
I don’t move.
He opens his door and looks at me. “What’s wrong now?”
“Ashley,” I say. “You don’t really want to save her.”
I don’t form it as a question, so it’s not surprising when he doesn’t answer.
“This is just a second chance to get to Matheson. This is just another way to continue your … mission.”
Eli blinks down at the device. He sets it inside the car and then places his arms on the hood.
“What do you want me to say, John? That I’m a bastard? That I was a shitty father? We already went through this once. If you want to hate me, hate me. At this point I don’t care. I have one purpose right now, and that’s getting to Matheson. And if tracking Ashley to wherever the hell they’re taking her gets me to Matheson, then so be it.”
“Even if it means getting her killed?”
He doesn’t answer.
“What about me?”
“What about you?”
“If I got killed, would you even give a shit?”
Again he gives no response.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. That’s why you gave me that lighter, isn’t it? Not to try to keep me safe. You gave it to me so if I got taken by these assholes you could find me. Only you didn’t care about actually saving me if that happened. I was just a means to an end. We all were.”
Eli takes a deep breath, pushing off the car. “Five minutes ago you were ready to go back to the hospital to kick some ass. Now listen to yourself.”
I say nothing.
“You want to keep making me out to be the villain, fine. Ignore the fact that if it wasn’t for me, you and your brothers and sisters would have ended up as soldiers in this nameless war. And if not soldiers, then something worse. It’s because of me you all got a different life. It’s because of me you all had the chance to make something of yourselves. And you know what? Your brothers and sisters did. They did incredible things. But you”-he shakes his head in disgust-“what did you ever do besides just skate by all your life?”