The Portal

Chapter 14

     It has been a more than few days since David and Gail drove Ricky back to the house, and David had left his Hummer in the hospital parking lot. Since he had a spare set of keys at the office, the director took it upon himself to retrieve the massive vehicle from the hospital lot. While his true motive was to take the beast for a joyride, he also wanted it park it at the Marshal's office, where it would stop accruing parking fees like it was currently generating at that moment. It was a nice gesture; one the director didn't think that David would have any issue with considering he was burning money away keeping it at the hospital like that. The director took his spare key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, and just as he was opening it, someone walked over and slammed it shut. The director looked back and was surprised to see who had arrived.

     "David?" the director said, surprised to see him. "I thought you were at the house with your brother."

     "I was," David said, taking the spare keys away from his boss. "You're not taking this thing anywhere."

     "Sorry," the director said, "I was just trying to help."

     "No, I appreciate the gesture," David replied, "I really do."

     "Then what the hell are you doing here?" his boss asked.

     "I'm saving your life," David snapped back, "There's a bomb under the truck. You almost went up like it was the fourth of July."

     "How do you know there's a bomb?" the director asked.

     "I just do," David said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I already called for backup and the bomb squad. They'll be here shortly."

     "This is crazy," the director said, "What the hell is going on?"

     "Jerry," David said, the first time used his boss' first name in a very long time. "I will explain everything when there's time, but right now you're going to have to trust me."

     "I do trust you," Jerry replied, "But where did this bomb come from?"

     As his boss made that statement, several men in suits similar to what the men in the past were wearing emerged from the hospital doors and one of the cars in the parking lot. David responded to their presence by pulling out a glock and taking a defensive position behind the hummer.

     "It came from them," David said to Jerry, gesturing to their new arrivals.

     "What the hell do they want?" Jerry asked.

     "Me, probably." David answered, "I suspect they're also the same people who shot my brother."

     "Damn it, I knew you hiding something!" The director replied, as Jerry wasn't the kind of man who liked surprises.

     "This is nothing compared to what I'm really hiding," David confessed, "Just the tip of a very big fucking iceberg."

     "Are you serious?" Jerry said, shocked. "What else is there?"

     "Not now, boss." David said, "I think we should take care of the shit storm that's about to come at us."

     "Marshal Jones," one of the men called out, "Funny how you knew there was a bomb in your vehicle."

     "You know how I knew," David called back.

     "That seems to confirm my boss' suspicions," the man replied, "Now come with us. You're outnumbered!"

     "Not for long," David corrected him. "I called for backup long before I got here, so your advantage is going to disappear very soon."

     "We don't need that much time," the man called out.