LITMIR.BIZ

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be decided shortly after.”

      “I’ll have a working cell by noon tomorrow. Call me when you can.”

      “Yeah, I will if I’m alive.”

      “Why wouldn’t you be?”

      “If Damien figures I knew about the ambush, he won’t be pleased.”

      “Want me to vouch for you?”

      “Fuck you!” Lance chuckled.

      “Call me tomorrow.”

      Jack returned to the hospital room where Danny was sleeping. Susan was standing beside the bed while Natasha held Tiffany and sat in a chair beside Marcie. Jack put his arm around Susan’s shoulder and said, “You’re sure you’re okay?”

      Susan nodded. “The nurse said she’d put a cot in the room. I want to make sure I’m here when he wakes up and before they operate again. Appreciate you looking after Tif for me.”

      Jack looked over at Natasha and Tiffany. “She’s in good hands. Don’t worry about her. I’ve taken the booster seat out of your car.”

      “I’m not worried about her,” replied Susan. She then glanced at a heavily armed member of the Emergency Response Team who was standing outside the room. “I understand why that guy is here, but what about the one hanging around from Homicide? Why is it so important for him to be here?”

      “People died today. They need to talk to Danny and make sure he didn’t break any rules.”

      “And did he?” Susan studied his face for the truth.

      Jack paused, then said, “No. I talked to him earlier. He obeyed them completely.”

      Susan stared a moment longer, then walked across the room and gave Tiffany a kiss on her forehead before saying goodnight to Natasha and Marcie.

      “Susan … I’m sorry,” said Jack.

      “Yeah. I know. You better get going. Your sister will be waiting.”

      Jack saw that the city lights were behind them and glanced in the rear-view mirror. Marcie was leaning against the booster seat. Both she and Tiffany appeared to be sleeping.

      “There’s something I need to know,” he whispered to Natasha. “I’ll understand if you need time, but…”

      “You mean, do I still want to marry you?”

      “Yes. After today, I…” Jack let the words trail off. He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

      Natasha’s eyes brimmed with tears. “I was petrified. It was all because of you.”

      “I know. I’m sorry. I would never have put you in that position if I’d known.”

      “I’m not talking about that! I’m talking about us! I was petrified that I might never see you again! Today made me realize how fragile life is and how much the future means to me. You are my future. I’m going to cherish every day of it.”

      Jack breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I felt exactly the same way.”

      “Speakin’ of that,” said Marcie, leaning forward from the back seat, “bein’ as I’m the bridesmaid, when are you getting married?”

      “After today … soon!” said Jack and Natasha in unison.

      Natasha leaned over in the seat, wrapping her hands around Jack’s arm, and said, “Besides, I think I need to keep you around for protection.”

      “You need protection?” said Jack, rather incredulously. “I heard you took out Thumper with only a scalpel. How did you manage that? I couldn’t have beaten him if he was handcuffed and I had a gun!”

      Natasha paused, then said, “Oh, I just waited until the right moment when he wasn’t paying attention.”

      “Yeah,” said Marcie. “She sort of caught him with his pants down.”

      Jack stopped the car at a checkpoint set up at the entrance to Ben and Liz’s driveway. The officer radioed others outside the house and they were allowed to proceed. The light bulb over the porch had already been unscrewed to prevent anyone from accidentally turning it on. Light escaped from the edges of the shades and drapes that were drawn and Jack glimpsed Ben unlock the door as they made their way across the porch. Seconds later they were inside.

      The only one who wasn’t hugged and kissed and didn’t cry was Tiffany. When they finished their greetings they sat in the living room.

      “Any change with Danny?” asked Liz.

      The sound of geese honking outside brought their conversation to a stop. Ben looked at Natasha and said, “That’s Andrew and Martha, our two geese.” He looked at Jack and said, “They’ll honk all night if those officers keep moving around. I better put them in the barn.”

      “I’ll help you,” said Jack.

      Several minutes later, Jack watched as Ben herded Andrew and Martha into a pen in the barn. Ben latched the door and asked, “How long do we have to put up with this? I have a business to run. We can’t leave but we sure as hell can’t live with these guys hanging around outside. Now I know how the prime minister must feel.”

      “Sorry, Ben. I’ll straighten that out tomorrow. I promise.”

      “Tomorrow?”

      “Tomorrow afternoon.”

      “Why then?”

      “I’m going to a meeting. Don’t worry. You, Liz, Marcie … everyone will be okay.”

      “This meeting will straighten things out?”

      “I expect so.”

      “That’s a relief. Don’t get me wrong. We’re grateful. It’s just … we want it to be over. When you told us the two guys who murdered Maggie and Ben Junior were dead … Liz and I felt like our life was going to … well, it will never be normal, but at least it gave us some satisfaction. Then you said the main guy escaped … now we don’t know what to feel.”

      “I will catch him, Ben. I promise you that!”

      “Yeah, I know. That’s what I told Liz. You live up to your promises. Damn it, I haven’t even congratulated you and Natasha for getting engaged.”

      “Thanks.”

      Ben stared at Jack for a moment, then hugged him and said, “Thanks. Thanks for killing those bastards. I know you’ll get this other guy, too.”

      Jack thought about his promise to Natasha, and then he thought about tomorrow. Damien was in for a surprise.

       chapter forty-one

      “Your men had quite a day, yesterday,” said Isaac, once Louie Grazia sat down.

      “It would appear so.”

      “I read a statement that Homicide took this morning from O’Reilly. Take a look. Tell me what you think.”

      Louie read the statement, then said, “I think he should receive a medal. Both of them should.”

      “You read the part about how he killed the one they called Wizard?”

      “Yes. After being seriously injured and barely able to see, he captured him in the backyard. Made him toss the weapon and lay in the prone position. He was so weak he had to sit down to cover him. Said he started to lose consciousness and woke up in time to see Wizard with a lighter in his hand about to shove a pail of gas on him.”

      “That’s the part that really got to me. As injured as he was, he still chased this guy down and tried to arrest him. If he hadn’t had the quick reflexes to kick the pail over, it would have been him that burned to death. Says he even caught the lighter that Wizard threw. Lucky for him the gas went in the

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