Tolerance Book II

Chapter Eighty-Two: Comrades In Arms

Harpers Bay

As the early hours of morning began to dissolve the dark skies and the stars stopped twinkling as dawns' light gradually gained strength Jay turned over on the bed trying to ascertain what had awoken him. He had surprised himself by instantly falling asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow, an all too rare occurrence for him. Glancing at the green digital numbers on the small bedside clock he realized there was still time for more rest before getting up. It was ten after four as his tired brain cells reminded him something had pulled him from his slumber. A noise outside caused a frown and he sat up shrugging off the warm covers reluctantly. Going over to the window he glanced through the half open slats of the wooden blinds and searched for the source of the sound. A strip of light shone off to the right, under the large shed door and shadows flickered. Deciding to satisfy his curiosity the natural born Detective quickly donned jeans from the pile of clothes Angie had handed to him as he was heading to his lodge for the night. Tiredly pulling on a thick, warm black sweater he headed for the door uncertain of what he would encounter but as ever on alert for anything untoward. Out on the wraparound porch he checked the main building to see it was in total darkness. Obviously whoever was in the shed had not woken the family. Limping slowly across the well worn ground he slowed his steps as he neared the large structure. He had noticed the building earlier in the day and had assumed it housed equipment for the upkeep of the hotel. The light beneath the door flickered as whoever was inside passed by. Debating whether or not his decision was in fact a wise one he was about to reach for the handle when the wooden door suddenly opened inward. Surprised Jay almost staggered but quickly caught a hold of the door frame to steady himself as he faced a red faced Jack who frowned at the newcomer.

"You might as well come in," the Host ordered matter of factly and ushered the younger man inside quickly closing the door after him, "did I wake you?"
"No," Jay lied as he slowly advanced into what transpired to be a fully kitted out gym.

Every exercise machine imaginable was housed within the large area with a row of lockers standing to the left of the door, an indication this gym was for Guests' use when the hotel was open for business. Glancing at the taller man and seeing the sweat dripping down his serious features he looked around until a swinging punching bag caught his attention. The gloves on the other mans' hands confirmed what he had been doing. Leaning back against the closed door the Detective gave his Host a quick perusal and found tattoos on his bare arms which attested to a military past.

"I always like this time of morning," Jack noted as he picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his brow as he too carried out a perusal of his companion and was concerned by what he saw, "you look like you didn't sleep at all."
"Don't think you can talk!"
"I slept just fine. I'm an early riser," Jack pointed out with a shrug as he sat down on a conveniently placed wooden bench and gestured for Jay to join him, "there's more to you than meets the eye."
"Isn't that true of anyone?" Jay rebutted and sat down realizing the interrogation he was expecting was about to begin earlier than anticipated.
"Maybe, maybe not. How did you really wind up on that beach?"
"That's a long story ....,"
"I have the time."
"You served?" Jay changed the topic as he tried to gather his thoughts.
"Yes. Two tours in Iraq. Not something I'm shouting from the rooftops," Jack stated honestly, it still cut deeply that himself and so many others had been fed lies about WMD, "9/11 blinded a lot of people to what was really going on. Some wrongs can never be made right."
"I hear you," Jay had always known that no matter how bad things had been in Afghanistan there was a legitimate reason to be there, the older man did not have that comfort, "that's why I didn't re-up. There's no guarantee you're going to be doing the right thing, things get blurry."
"Can't argue with you on that. Now tell me what landed you on that beach ....... or who."
"If I say the less you know the better you'll still worry about your family," Jay finally spoke after a lengthy silence in which he decided to trust his instincts, "I'm a Detective from Chicago ....,"
"Thought I recognised the accent. Served with a few guys from there."
"We're involved in an ongoing investigation which involves someone with extraordinary access to people and places ...,"
"And they threw you into the sea?" Jack asked doubtfully.
"Actually no .... the guy we're .... I'm part of an Intelligence Unit .... the guy we're after, King, he took me hostage and when I woke up I was on a small island all by myself ....,"
"King?" Jack rose to his feet suddenly,
"You know him?" Jay suddenly got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, had he made a mistake in trusting a fellow Soldier?
'Slightly taller than you? Long face, high forehead?"
"Yeah ..... what is it?" Jay stood up, mindful of his aching right leg which still had a way to go before it was healed.
"He was here! Three days ago ....,"
"What did he want?"
"Claimed he was out hiking," Jack explained but from his tone it was obvious that he hadn't bought that explanation at all, "there was something off about him. Sam and Junior wouldn't go near him even though he tried to give them sweets ....,"
"Kids know intuitively who to trust," Jay said almost to himself, "how long was he here?"
"That's the thing," Jack spoke unhappily, "Angie was alone with the boys when he showed up. Angie just assumes everyone is good so she offered him a meal. He was here about two hours before Billy and myself returned. We'd left early that morning to check a pickup we're considering buying."
"How long did he stay after you returned?" Jay frowned, deeply disturbed by the news his nemesis was in contact with this family.
"Jack you need to know something. King is a stone cold Killer. He's left a trail of bodies from New York to Chicago and he doesn't discriminate ..... he's killed women and children."
"Hell!" Jack paled as the danger his wife and son had been in suddenly became all too clear.
"I was going to leave in the morning," Jay eyed the other man gravely, "but now I think we should all leave. It's too ......,"
"Hang on we can't just up and leave .....,"
"You want to have Angie and the boys around for years to come you'll leave," Jay pointed out in rare bluntness.
"But why would he hurt us? We haven't done anything to him!"
"Neither did any of the people he's murdered," Jay sighed heavily, "he probably came here because he knew I'd wind up here if I made it off the island. You told me yourself this place is isolated."
"True," the older man conceded realizing he had to trust the other mans' instincts, "so we leave first thing ....,"
"Get everyone up now," Jay shook his head, "we can't take any chances. King could come back at any time. I don't know how long it will take for him to realize I escaped."
"Weren't you under surveillance?" Jack checked as the two men headed towards the door.
"Nope, which in itself shocked me," the younger man admitted as he stopped to face his companion, "listen I'm sorry about this ...,"
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Let's just make sure this guy doesn't do any more harm."

In a surprisingly short period of time the Tucker family was packed and ready to go.  Angie had taken the sudden departure in her stride, her faith in her husband banishing any doubts.  If her partner said they needed to leave for their safety then that was what would happen.  Billy had more questions but his older sibling informed him seriously that the time for talking would be later on.  The younger man, although unhappy about the situation,  went along with the preparations to leave in an efficient manner.  His trust in his brother was absolute so he agreed to comply with his wishes on foot of the barest amount of information.  As Jay quickly packed a borrowed gearbag with  clothes Jack entered the lodge after a brief knock on the door.  Heading into the bedroom he found the Detective ready to go. 

"You might need this," the older man handed over a Smith & Wesson handgun and then lifted up the small black knapsack in  his other hand, "being so remote one can never be too careful so I'm always prepared.  You use these as you see fit, no questions asked."
"What's in it?" Jay accepted the weapon and the knapsack with a frown.
"Hand grenades, C4, plenty of ammunition for the handgun ...,"
"You should hold onto these," Jay went to hand the knapsack back.
"Don't worry," Jack refused, "I have plenty."
"We'd best get moving," Jay declared, unwilling to stay insitu any longer as dread filled him at the possibility of what King could do to the close knit family. 

Chicago - Bucktown

Adam, Kevin and Antonio sat in a quiet all night  diner near their offices, barely tasting the food they had ordered. The bright cheery red and white decor did nothing to disperse the sombre feeling that had fallen on the trio once the friendly Waitress departed after delivering their food.  The early morning hour was not the only cause of their collective lack of appetite.  With leads only running into dead ends and despondency taking over the Italian-American had suggested a break away from the office was in order.  The fact that they still had no credible sighting of their missing friend was weighing heavily on everyone.

"Wish we had a handle on King," Adam sighed heavily as he pushed his nearly full tray of fries away, "he's like trying to catch water."
"We will get him," Kevin said around a piece of chicken nugget, "it's only a matter of time."
"We've been saying that for what?  Months?"
"Doesn't mean it isn't true," Antonio pointed out.
"So what the hell has happened to Jay?" Adam demanded angrily.
"We all know Jay is resourceful.   He'll find a way to ditch King and then ...,"
"Sure!  If he's alive!"
"Hey!  Jay isn't dead and you giving up on him is not an option!" Kevin admonished the upset man shaking his head subtly to the Waitress as she began to head towards their table.
"He's tough," Antonio put in eyeing Adam intensely, "and damn stubborn.  You really think he's going to let King win?"
"No ..... not if he can help it," the stressed Detective deflated, his anger evaporating, "it's just .......,"
"We know man, we know," Kevin assured gently, too many months chasing King and worrying over Jay were taking their toll on them all but Adam was his best friend so for him it hurt even deeper when their friend was in danger.

Harpers Bay

An hour into the journey and no sign of any danger did nothing to appease Jays'concern.  Jack took his lead from the Detective and could tell he was not convinced they were in the clear.  The bright moon overhead cast a blue shine over the surrounding woodland as the double cab pick up made its' way over the rough terrain.  The Hotelier had never been more grateful for the oversized vehicle.  It meant they could all travel together, making them less of a target.  Jack drove as Billy sat in the middle and Jay took the front passenger seat, his gaze constantly combing the passing environs, seeking anything at all out of place. 

Angie sat tight lipped in the back seat as the two toddlers slept mercifully unaware of what was going on.  Jay had ordered all windows closed and doors locked despite the inclement weather.  That her husband went along with the younger mans' directions without question told her two things.  Firstly he trusted their Guest implicitly, despite their short acquaintance, and secondly the danger they faced was real, very real.  

tbc

WMD - Weapons of Mass Destruction

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