Our motherfucking drugs.
“Agent Rebecca Pierce is not missing as was previously rumored, but is currently on leave due to an injury she sustained, and unfortunately, she will not be open for questioning for another few weeks—”
“Now.” Mel said with a grin.
“Breaking news,” a news anchor reported, as the screen away from Avian. “During the hour we’ve received video footage from a group called Rsamas; the Republic Soldiers Against More American Savagism, with missing FBI agent, Rebecca Pierce. We warn our viewers, the video contains material not suitable for children.”
The feed switched to our little home video, and I allowed a grin to spread across my face. Rebecca Pierce sat up on her knees in front of the red Rsamas flag; her dark hair was matted together, and she was dressed in nothing but old rags. As the camera focused on her face, we could see that it was streaked with dirt and tears. Suddenly a pair of hands held up a recent newspaper up to the lens. Two men, whose feet were the only visible evidence to their presence, were seen holding AR-15’s to her head.
“My name…is Rebecca Pierce, I was born in Quantico, Virginia…and have spent…the last ten years working…with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s cyber-crime unit. A few weeks ago…I was taken by terrorists—”
The moment she said the word, one of the men hit her with the butt of his rifle. She let out a small cry as she fell forward, and the other man reached down with a gloved arm and pulled her back to her knees.
“I was taken…by the revolutionary group; Rsamas…They are tired…of the hypocritical nature of our…government in this country. They are tired of the lies…and the cover-ups. They’ve tried to…get in contact with Dir…ector…Avian Doers and other agents, but their legiti…mate requests have all been… ignored, mocked, and pushed aside…They know now that they cannot fight evil with good, but only with more evil, …and they will not stop until not only the director…of the FBI stands…down, but the President as well,” she stammered.
I looked to Mel at that, but she just grinned in reply. I was not aware that we wanted the President gone, especially after we’d spent millions to get him into office.
An altered voice recording spoke out. “It’s time for the people to step up. It’s time for the people to fight back. It’s time for the people to become Republic Soldiers Against More American Savagism. If not, we will do as our forefathers have done and declare war. If you hear a rumble close by, or see a smoke cloud over the horizon, take that as proof of our intent. We’re requesting that you, Mr. President and Mr. Director, step down, or the blood of many innocent victims will be on your hands.” And with that, the video feed was cut, and Avian’s broadcast was once more being shown as the reporter commented
He stood at the podium with a stony expression on his face as his agents filled him in on the latest developments. As they stepped back, he turned and glared into the camera with such intensity that it would have made even me flinch if I were a weaker man. Then he left without answering any of the questions that the reporters were hurling at him.
“I think he’s angry,” Mel smirked, as her phone rang. Pulling it out, she paused as she turned and showed me the caller ID.
“Mr. Director, I’d like to think that there are more pressing situations for you to be handling at this moment than calling to have a chat with your dear, old granddaughter,” Mel mocked as she placed him on speaker.
“Do you know what you’ve just done?” he snapped.
My grin widened. We’d struck a nerve. “Why don't you inform us, Avian?”
“I’ve protected your imprudent, truculent, ungrateful, dirty family for decades. I know where all the bodies are buried. I know all the motherfucking codes to your bank accounts, any and everything you have is because I have allowed it. I am the hand of God, and you have bitten me. If you believe, even for a moment, that I was concerned with you or the insufficiency that is your family, then you were mistaken. But now, you have my full attention…and trust me, it’s something you never wanted to have.”
“Are you threatening us?” I hissed, as I took the phone into my hand. “You and I both know that you cannot expose us without exposing your-fucking-self. Self-preservation is in our blood. Come at us and I will drag you to hell with me, grandfather-in-law. We will expose secrets that will destroy all faith in the government that you care so deeply about. We will bring down your entire world. Our reign of terror will pale in comparison to what will happen here. So, I’m not buying what you’re fucking selling. You’re threatening the wrong motherfucking person.”
“This day will haunt you for the rest of your pathetic life, Callahan. When I strike, I plan on destroying you, all of you…sooner than you think. I can guarantee that,” he sneered before hanging up.
“I’d say he’s pretty fucking angry,” Mel muttered, as she leaned against the desk.
I handed her the phone as it once more began to ring.
With a sigh, she answered. “Mr. President.”
“Did you do this?!”
“Do what, exactly?” she asked him before sitting in the chair.
“These terrorists? Rsamas? You’ve crossed the fucking line, Callahan. You’ve all lost your minds. I have congressmen, governors, the FBI, CIA, and Interpol turning to me for a plan! I have to give a response in the next five minutes. You have no idea what you’ve done. You’re dealing with things that are greater than you. I want this to end, now.”
“Puppet—”
“Don’t you dare! I am the President of the goddamn United States, and I will not allow you to fuck with people like this! I—”
Mel hung up, waved the phone in the air for a moment and even checked her nails before hitting redial.
“Did you hang up on me?” Colemen yelled so loudly that I was sure he’d popped something vital.
“Yes, I did, you were speaking nonsense again. So to spare you our rage, we thought we would start this conversation again. Are you ready to act like a grown up? Or should I call back later?” Mel asked calmly.
Silence.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she stated. “You will not answer a fucking question from the press. You will not fire Avian Doers, you will send him to Ukraine, Turkey, Greece, wherever fucking suits your fancy. In his place, you will set up a special team to find Rsamas. Don’t worry, the dream team list is with Mina. Remember, President Colemen, the United States does not negotiate with a terrorist.
“And finally, you will stand before the seal, with that shiny American flag pinned to your suit, and you will look strong. You will lead your people, and all of America will love you for it. If you in any way try to undercut us—I shouldn’t even need to threaten you because you know what the end result will be. We promised you eight years, we never said they would be easy, but we promised there would be eight. So do as we say. Your five minutes are up and we’re watching.”
She hung up and turned on the television, waiting for him to speak. I smiled at her back. She had a way with words that was beyond me. She could disarm and cut people down with them alone. It was a talent of hers. She had no need for guns, she just liked them.
“I can feel you staring a hole into my head,” she said, without looking at me.
“Get over it.” I smiled.
I heard her chuckle as the President came on the screen. He looked both calm and collected, and even from a distance I could see the American flag pin on his suit jacket, just as Mel directed. But I couldn’t pay attention to his words because my phone beeped and as I looked down, I saw a photo message from Avian.
My breath caught in my throat as the image registered in my mind.
“What is it?” Mel asked me.
Adrenaline rushed through my veins, and I was up and out the door as my fingers frantically dialed.
For the love of God, pick up.
SEDRIC
“I’ve never been a fan of this sport,” Evelyn said with a laugh as Ethan rested in her arms.
We’d just le
ft the Arena and we were outside with both Monte and Kain. Mel and Liam were beginning to get paranoid, or at the very least, they seemed to have forgotten who I was. But that tended to happen to people who got old and retired. People started to treat you as if you’ve somehow forgotten things that you’d been doing for decades.
“Sedric? Sedric?” Evelyn snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“What? Sorry.” Shaking my head clear, I turned to find her smiling at me.
“Just like old times,” she replied. “I swear, you’re always worrying. I think it was after a game when you first found out that you were taking over the family. I couldn’t get you to speak to save your life.”
“I’ve gotten better.” I laughed as I kissed her temple and then signaled to Kain who went off to get the car. “You know I’ve always lived inside of my head.”
“Yeah, yeah, but with all this free time you have, you’d think you can still buy a lady a pretzel!” She nodded to the food stand in the corner, and I frowned at the thought of it. “Hey, princess, don’t knock food carts, there was a time well before all this when we lived off of instant noodles.”
I remembered that time well. My father had cut me off the year before my brother died and I had to take over. Too say it was hard was an understatement. Evelyn had taken care of most of our bills that year.
“Evelyn, I’ve come to expect a certain lifestyle,” I said with as much faux dignity as I could muster.
She laughed outright and Ethan stirred in her arms. “Well, I haven’t, princess. So hurry up before the car comes around.” She pouted. And for a few moments it felt as if we were teenagers again.
I kissed her and walked over to the stands, where I found find a young girl and her father working it together.
“What would you like?” the girl asked with a large smile on her face.
“One pretzel, please.”
“Are you sure you don't want two? They’re really tasty.” She was playing up on her cuteness factor. I looked to her father who I had to give props to. He sure knew what he was doing.
“Two it is then,” I said, as I reached into my pocket for my wallet, but instead my phone rang.
At that same moment, I saw a glint reflecting off a nearby building out of my peripheral. The hairs on the back of my neck and arms stood up as my mind immediately identified it for what it was. I looked over at Evelyn, who was standing in the corner with Monte, oblivious to anything out of the ordinary.
As she kissed Ethan’s head and fixed his hat, time itself slowed down as I dropped everything in my hands and ran towards my family. My throat burned. I must have been yelling, but I couldn’t hear anything. My mind was focused on them, and only them. What felt like a lifetime passed before my hands landed on her, and I pushed her to he ground as hard as I could…
BANG.
LIAM
I was on fire. My skin, my nose, my eyes, everything. It felt as if my heart was pumping lava when Mel and I reached the hospital. The entire place was chaotic as we searched through the crowd, pushing and fighting our way to find our son.
“Boss!” Kain called to us from the corner.
“Thank God!” Mel gasped out, as she rushed up to Ethan who was in my mother’s arms.
She held on to him tightly and refused to let go even though he was crying.
“Mom.” She didn’t respond. “Mom, it’s Liam.” Silence. “Can I hold Ethan?”
She still didn’t respond, but she slowly released Ethan and Mel took him into her arms. I looked him over carefully, and only found a few scrapes on his arm. Forcing myself beside her, I took her hands and softly rubbed them, just like I used to when I was younger. She looked dazed, and she was covered in blood…
“Mom, whose blood is that?” I whispered, staring at her dress before looking back to Ethan.
He was alive. He was fine. So whose blood was that?
“Mom, where’s Dad?” I whispered slowly.
She rocked back and forth over and over again. Her face contorted, and as her lips parted, a wail burst forth. A keen, painful wail that brought tears to my eyes.
“Mother, where is Dad?” I held onto her arms, trying my best to control the painful stirring in my chest, and the urge to shake her.
She shook her head as she continued crying and sobbing, until she fell out of her chair and into my arms. I held her, as I tried my best to push away the reality that was forcing the facts to the forefront of my mind. I started to quiver as the lump that had formed in my throat seemed to expand to encompass my lungs, forcing out all the breath from within my body.
This can’t…I can’t…
“I tried,” she gasped out. “I didn’t see it. He saw it. I didn’t see it. He was just screaming and screaming for me to run, and I didn’t understand, all I felt was the ground when he pushed us. I didn’t see it! And he wouldn’t get up…he refused to get up. I don’t know, I don’t…there was so much blood, all over the ground. I—I…”
No.
Peeling her off of me, I stared into her eyes as I shook my head again. “No. Where is the doctor? Who is the doctor here?” I got up to look around, only to find Mel whispering to Kain.
“What the fuck are you doing? Get me the motherfucking doctor!”
Kain had his head down, but he didn’t move.
“Are you daft? Get. Me. A. Doctor. You. Fool.”
“Liam.” Mel took a deep breath and looked me in the eye. “He has no doctor. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”
She had hurt me a lot in the past, but nothing compared to that moment. She was just trying to hurt me again, I knew it. This was just a game; she’d hurt me, I’d chase her and…and at the end of the day, we’d laugh about it, everything would be fine. I knew it. It had to be.
This was just a stupid game.
Looking down, I saw my crumbled mother on the floor, and the overpowering realization was once again forcing its way forward.
“No,” I snapped, as I reached down to pick up my mother before I placed her back onto the chair, but she only cried harder. “I’m going to find the doctor, okay? Mom. Ma, stop, alright? I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”
“Liam.” Mel reached out to me, but I slapped her hands away.
“NO!” I screamed into her face. “You do not know my father. He does not die. He does not die on the street like a fucking dog. He is a Callahan. He is not fucking dead, so shut the hell up and watch my mother. I’ll find him myself.”
He wasn’t dead.
She took a step back and nodded before I stumbled through the crowd.
He wasn’t dead.
I couldn’t imagine a world where my father wasn’t in it. I couldn’t understand.
He wasn’t dead.
MELODY
He was gone. Just like that. One moment he was here and the next he wasn’t. It wasn’t like Orlando—I’d known that he was dying. I was prepared, and even though it hurt, it was different. But this, I didn’t understand it. My chest hurt and my lungs burned. There hadn’t been many times in my life when I’d felt like this. I could feel my eyes clouding over with tears, but I couldn’t let my emotions overpower me, not with Ethan here.
Neal had just arrived and they moved us to a private waiting room, but this was for Monte. He had taken three bullets protecting Evelyn and Ethan and was now in surgery. I handed Ethan to Neal, who looked up at me. His eyes were red and puffy, and the tears didn’t stop falling, he had no control over them.
He wrapped his arms around Ethan, making sure that he was secure enough when he sat up straighter. Evelyn was curled up beside him asleep. I had given her some sedatives to help her rest.
“I’m going to find Liam. I’ll be back,” I whispered.
Kain nodded, already standing guard.
Walking down the hall, I waited until I was out of both sight and hearing range. Then, I ducked into an empty room, pausing only for a moment to ensure that I was completely alone before I released everything; I screamed. I screamed and
punched the wall over and over again until my knuckles were numb, bloody, and exposed. Avian had sent us an image of Ethan and Evelyn with a message saying, “Goodbye.”
And now…now Sedric was gone.
Just like that. Not only had he killed him—but ten other bullets were found, three were in Monte, one in Sedric, the others were bystanders and a driver who ended up driving into a building. And now Sedric’s body was here in the morgue and I couldn’t…
Fuck, this hurt.
Taking a deep breath, I followed the blue arrows and rode the elevator down. It smelled like actual death as I walked down the quiet hall. And there I found him, stiffly standing over the table. Moving inside the room, I sighed in relief at the fact that he had not unzipped the bag by himself. His hand, which seemed paler than I remembered, was hovering over the top of the bag. He was afraid, but I knew that he wouldn’t believe it until he saw Sedric’s body with his own two eyes.
Stepping up, I pulled the zipper down slowly and Liam took his hand away. I didn’t want him to see this, not if he didn’t want to, so I allowed my body to block his view.
“I’m ready.”
No you aren’t.
None of us were, no matter what we said. Moving back, I allowed him to see the single bullet wound in the center of his father’s head. Liam’s body hunched forward as his legs went weak, but I held on to him and caught him as the sobs erupted from his body; not just from his mouth, his entire body was wracked with painful sobs that caused my throat to tighten and my eyes to sting. He cried openly in my arms before finally moving over to face his father. He kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry.” He wept.
I didn’t care what he said; we were going home.