The Fey (48 page)

“
Oh. I just realized that
you don’t know who I am,” Zack said to Eleazar. Holding his right
hand out as if he was going to shake Eleazar’s hand, he said. “Hi.
I’m Captain Zack Jakkman. They call me the Jakker.”

Eleazar jerked with surprise, “That is
impossible.”

“
You’re the one who thinks
that friends are such a big deal.” Zack shrugged.

“
You’re not going to kill
me, Alexandra. You can let me go now.” Eleazar continued to work on
Alex’s mind.

“
No she won’t kill you.”
Max stepped into the clearing with a compound bow. “But, I’d be
happy to.”

“
You’re dead,” Eleazar
said.

“
As dead as I am,” Joseph
Walter said walking to Sumit. He placed his foot on Sumit’s chest.
“Just stay there, asshole.”

“
John Drayson or, sorry, I
mean John Kelly would be here,” Troy melted from the trees with a
compound bow in his hands, “but he’s with his PIRA family in
Scotland. The people on the phone would be very happy to know that.
Go ahead.”

Eleazar raised the cell phone to his ear
then held the phone out to Max.

“
This is Max Hargreaves,”
Max said in Irish Gaelic. “Yes, thank you. We have him. Thank you
for your help.” Max laughed then looked up at Eleazar, “Did you
decide whether they should kill your oldest son or the
baby?”

Eleazar let out a stream of curses.

“
Yes, that’s correct. John
Kelly is in Scotland. Yes, she will phone you as soon as she’s
free,” Max said continuing in Gaelic. Max closed the phone. Looking
at Eleazar, he said, “You must have realized that the PIRA takes
care of their own. They will turn your family over to the UN
Security forces.”

Trece and the White Boy appeared from the
pine grove to stand beside Alex.

“
You can let him go,”
Trece said.

Alex turned her head to whisper in Eleazar’s
ear, “You’d have to have friends to be able to control me with the
idea of friends.”

As if he was a snake ready to strike,
Eleazar wound back.

“
Patrick Hargreaves is not
your father.”

Alex laughed, kissed his cheek then let go
of him. Turning away from him, she beamed and held her arms out to
Max.

In one fluid movement, Eleazar pulled a
small handgun from the pocket of his pants. He fired at Alex.

Trece’s hands went around Eleazar’s chin and
broke his neck. He tossed Eleazar’s body to the ground.

Alex coughed, working for breath, then fell
onto her back to the pine needles carpet.

Everyone moved at once.

Max dropped to the ground to hold Alex’s
head. Seeing his face, she reached her hand out for him. Matthew
moved her robes to find the injury. Finding her naked under the
robes, Matthew slipped off his jacket to cover her hips.

“
I’m a doctor,” Sumit
said.

“
Shut the fuck up,” Joseph
said.

“
He’s… a… doctor.” Alex
pushed one word out at a time.

The White Boy lifted Sumit to standing and
pushed him over to Alex.

“
She has a punctured
lung,” he said. “There is plastic wrap in the kitchen of the cabin.
It will help. I assume the helicopter is near? We heard a
helicopter a half hour ago.”

“
I’ll get it,” Zack said.
“Raz is entertaining your handler at the helicopter. He wanted to
be here, but we wanted to kill you.”

Matthew ran from the cabin with a roll of
plastic wrap. Tearing a strip, he placed the wrap over the bullet
wound. Max helped her sit up and Matthew placed a piece of saran
wrap at her back.

“
You have to leave a space
for the air to get out,” Sumit said pointing to Alex’s ribs.
Matthew shifted the piece of saran wrap.

Alex worked to catch her breath. When she
was able to breathe, she began to laugh.

“
How did you…?” she
asked.

“
We saw the signal, the
sign of the cross, but Max fired before you made the sign,” Trece
said.

Alex shook her head and looked at Max.

“
Tom Drayson called Ben.
You were right. They know each other. John had a dream that you
were shot by that guy in this clearing. John was so adamant that
you were going to die that Tom thought he should call.”

“
Nothing that an arrow
can’t fix?” she laughed.

“
Nothing that a friend
can’t fix,” Trece said. “Homeland’s on the way to clean up this
mess. We’ll leave that kid here, you know the G.I. Joe kid? He’s in
the chopper.”

Alex made a face.

“
Don’t ask,” Troy said,
“or you’ll find out that he’s assigned to us.”

“
Does she need a
stretcher, prick?” Trece asked

“
I do.” Sumit dropped to
the ground.

With Max at her head and Matthew holding her
hand, Alex knew for the first time in a very long time, that
everything was going to be all right.

F

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

October 22 – 2:45 P.M.

Northern Scotland

“
Yes Father. We will be
there right away,” Rita Kelly Drayson said into the telephone.
“Thank you, Father.”

Setting the phone down, she turned to her
sons.

“
Get ready for church.
Tomás?”

“
Yes Rita, I’m going,” he
said from the other room.

John sat in the living area reading a novel.
He had been in a foul temper all day. Today, he was supposed to get
married again. Today was his thirteenth wedding anniversary. Today,
he was sitting on this couch reading some moronic adventure novel.
Alone.

Why wasn’t he with Alex?

“
It’s not safe.” Alex said
that twice a day when they spoke on the phone. “Wait until we can
come and get you.”

Protected like a Goddamn child. He tried to
leave twice but was blocked at every turn. Tom just shook his head
at him.

“
John, you know that we
are needed at church this afternoon. Father Callum called to say
that we are needed earlier than he thought.”

“
Have a great time,” John
said.

“
John Kelly, you get up
and get ready for church.” Rita’s face was bright red and her
finger pointed like a dagger at his chest. “I don’t know where you
have been or who you think you are, but our priest called and asked
specifically for our help. You get your arse up and into the
shower. Johnny, you smell like a tramp.”

“
But Rita! God damn it. I
can’t do it… Not today.”

“
You will not take the
Lord’s name in vain in this house.”

“
Get ready, boy,” Tom said
coming out in his Sunday best.

“
If Johnny doesn’t have to
go,” Will, the youngest boy, whined, “why do I have to
go?”

“
John has to go,” Tom
said. He pushed Will back to his bedroom. “John, get off that couch
and into the shower. NOW.”

With a sideways smile, Fionn, the second
son, scooted into the bathroom.

“
It’s occupied,” John
said.

“
Use our bathroom,” Rita
said. “GO NOW! You are worse than a four year old.”

John stomped to the bathroom. While they
went to Mass every week in Denver at the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception, they weren’t connected to the parish. If he
was in Denver, no priest would call their house and disrupt their
day. If he was in Denver, he would be with Alex. He sulked through
a quick shower.

He had let himself go since coming to
Scotland. His hair was a long curly mess and he had grown a beard.
Wiping the steam off the mirror, he made some effort to comb his
hair finally giving up. Who cared? He didn’t need to look like
anything for anyone. He certainly wasn’t going to be kissing
anyone. They should be glad he didn’t smell. He pulled clean
clothing over his wet body then followed the family out of the
house.

“
Will you get in the car?”
Rita yelled from the front door.

“
What are we doing?” John
asked.

John slammed the door shut and stalked to
the Range Rover.

“
Does it matter, John?”
Rita said. She was still angry with him. “I’m glad our mother died
before seeing what an elitist jerk you’ve become.”

John watching the Scottish highlands pass
outside his window.

“
I’m sorry Rita. You are
absolutely right. I’ve been a complete arse,” John said.

Danny, the oldest son, looked at John then
at his mother. He had to look away to keep from laughing.

“
Yes, you have,” Tom
said.

They drove in silence to the church. There
were no vehicles in the parking lot. The family fell out of the
Range Rover and walked toward the small chapel. The building was
quiet.

Tom pulled the door open, then by plan, John
walked first into the chapel. In the dim light, he saw a familiar
figure standing near the door.

“
It’s about time,” Max
said. “I thought you’d never get here. And you look like crap. Come
on, we have a lot to do.”

“
Max?” John asked. He
looked at his best friend then at Tom and Rita. Max hugged the
confused John.

Tom winked at John.

“
Love you Johnny.” Rita
kissed his forehead. They hugged.

“
Where’s your mum?” Tom
asked Max.

“
She’s in there. My
father, Patrick, is waiting for you and the boys. Rita, your dress
is in with Alex.”

Max nodded his head toward a door near the
back of the entryway.

“
Alex is here? Where is
she?”

John ran to the door Max had indicated only
to find himself nose to nose with the massive Trece. Trece held a
machine gun and wore dark glasses.

“
Get out of my way,” John
said.

“
I can’t do that, John,”
Trece said. “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before
the wedding.”

“
Groom? Bride?” John fell
back. “Wait. What? We’re getting married?”

“
I will not marry you,
John. Not now. Not ever. Stop asking.” Trece raised his dark
glasses so that John could see his intense dark eyes. “She’s been
through hell to make this happen.”

“
We all have,” Raz said
coming out the door. He hugged John.

“
Let her have this.” Trece
dropped the dark glasses over his eyes. “She deserves
it.”

“
I… but…” John
started.

“
Come on, John,” Max said.
“I have your tux. But you’re a mess. You know that Alex won’t kiss
you with that beard. If you want to marry my sister, we’ve got to
get you cleaned up.”

Raz put his hand on John’s arm. John looked
at Raz then at Max and laughed.

“
Our area is over here.”
Fionn pointed to a door on the other side of the entry. “We have
tuxes too! There’s a big guy inside called the White
Boy.”

“
Everyone knew?” John
looked at Tom.

Tom nodded. “Come on, boy, let’s get dressed
in our monkey suits.”

John shook his head. Opening the door to the
men’s dressing room, he felt like he was walking back into his
life. No, not his old life but a whole life, his whole life, a
place where Tom and Rita and Alex and Max could live together.

Matthew raised a hand to John but did not
look up from his card game with Troy and Colin. The White Boy was
flexing his biceps for an entranced Will. Cian and Eoin were
laughing at something Danny said.

Raz pushed John into a chair and trimmed two
weeks of curly hair from his head. Looking a little more like
himself, John took the clippers from Raz. Going into the small
restroom, John shaved his beard with the clippers. Fionn gave John
the razor and shaving cream he swiped from the bathroom. With
special care, John shaved off the rest of his beard.

He was going to kiss Alex today.

John smiled at himself in the mirror. He had
been such an ass.

“
Will you get dressed?”
Tom laughed. He gave John a shot of Irish Whiskey.

While the men talked or played cards, Max
passed John the tux one piece at a time. Adjusting the cummerbund,
John realized that this was the tux he had altered in Paris at
least forty years ago… three very long weeks ago. Without looking
up from his cards, Colin threw cuff links to John. Once they were
dressed, Tom Drayson made a toast and passed out cigars.

John was excited, breathless with
anticipation for the ceremony, and to simply look at Alex.
Laughing, John joined the card game.

FFFFFF

October 22 – 4 P.M.

Northern Scotland

Rebecca stood outside the bridal changing
room watching the guests arrive for the wedding. There weren’t
many, certainly not as many guests as she had invited to the
Cathedral. Only family or very close friends could be trusted to
attend this wedding since most of the wedding party was supposed to
be dead.

She nodded her head in greeting to John’s
biological father and his wife. He stopped for a moment to
introduce Rebecca to his wife. Rebecca blushed when he kissed her
hand. That is a very attractive man.

Joseph and Nancy Walter stopped for a hug.
Joseph said they were taking a second honeymoon. Nancy beamed at
Joseph and he laughed. Freedom of movement was a wonderful side
effect of being legally dead.

She never would have picked this place, this
ceremony or these people, not in a million years. After all, it
wouldn’t look right for her daughter to be married here. But this
tiny church in the middle of Northern Scotland waswhere John and
Alex should be remarried. She felt this in her soul.