Unfinished Business
1622 Words
The sedan pulled into the garage. Cole killed the engine. The house was dark. No lights. No movement.
Kane put his hand on his pistol. “Something's wrong.”
Cole nodded. He stepped out. The air was cold. The street was silent.
They walked to the back door. It was unlocked. Cole pushed it open. The kitchen was empty. Dishes in the sink. Coffee cold in the pot.
“Mom?” Cole called.
No answer.
He walked through the kitchen. The living room. Empty. The bedroom. Empty.
Evelyn was gone. Frankie was gone. Ava was gone.
Cole's heart stopped. He turned to Kane. “Find them.”
Kane pulled out his phone. Made a call. Listened. His face went pale.
“They were taken. Twenty minutes ago. Three SUVs. Armed men.”
“Who?”
“The Board. They left a message.”
Kane handed Cole the phone. A text on the screen.
“We have your family. The evidence for their lives. One hour. The warehouse on Pier 17. Come alone. —The Board”
Cole read the text twice. His hands shook.
“It's a trap.”
“Of course it's a trap. But if you don't go, they die.”
Cole walked to the closet. Pulled out a rifle. Checked the magazine.
“Then I go.”
“You'll need backup.”
“They said alone.”
“They're lying. They'll kill you either way.”
Cole loaded the rifle. Put extra magazines in his pockets.
“Then I'll make sure they die first.”
Kane grabbed his arm. “Cole. Listen to me. This is what they want. You angry. You reckless. You make mistakes.”
“I don't have a choice.”
“There's always a choice. We call the FBI. The police. We storm the warehouse with a team.”
“And my mother dies in the crossfire.”
“She dies if you go alone.”
Cole pulled his arm free. “Then I die trying to save her.”
He walked to the door. Kane followed.
“At least let me drive.”
Cole stopped. Looked at Kane.
“You'll stay in the car.”
“I'll stay in the car.”
They got in the sedan. Kane drove. The streets were empty. The clock on the dashboard read 11:47 PM.
Pier 17 was abandoned. Rusted warehouses. Broken pavement. The smell of the river.
Kane parked two blocks away. Cole got out.
“If I'm not back in thirty minutes, call everyone. The FBI. The press. Anyone who will listen.”
“You'll be back.”
Cole didn't answer. He walked toward the warehouse.
The door was open. Light spilled out. He stepped inside.
The warehouse was empty. Concrete floor. Steel beams. In the center, three chairs.
Evelyn sat in the first. Frankie in the second. Ava in the third.
They were gagged. Tied. But alive.
A man stepped out of the shadows. Mid-fifties. Gray suit. Cold eyes.
“Mr. Mathers. I'm Harrison Cole. No relation. I'm the chairman of the board.”
“Where are the others?”
“Watching. From a safe distance. If you try anything, they'll kill your family.”
Cole raised his rifle. “Let them go.”
“Put the rifle down first.”
“No.”
Harrison smiled. “You're stubborn. Like your father.”
“I'm nothing like my father.”
“You're exactly like him. That's why we recruited him. That's why we killed him when he became a liability.”
Cole's finger tightened on the trigger.
“You killed my father?”
“He was going to expose us. We couldn't allow that. So we had Zane eliminate him. The same way we eliminated your wife.”
Cole's vision went red. He raised the rifle. Fired.
The bullet hit Harrison in the shoulder. He stumbled. Crashed to the floor.
Gunfire erupted from the shadows. Bullets pinged off the steel beams.
Cole dove behind a stack of crates. Returned fire. Two men fell.
He crawled toward the chairs. His mother was screaming through her gag.
He reached her. Cut her ropes with a knife.
“Stay down,” he said.
More gunfire. Frankie was hit. He slumped in his chair.
Cole cut Frankie's ropes. Pulled him to the floor.
“Frankie. Stay with me.”
Frankie's eyes were open. Blood bubbled from his mouth.
“Go... save... Ava...”
Frankie's eyes closed.
Cole cut Ava's ropes. Pushed her toward the door.
“Run. Don't look back.”
She ran.
Cole turned. Fired at the shadows. Another man fell.
Then his rifle clicked. Empty.
He pulled his pistol. Fired. Empty.
He pulled his knife. Stood up.
The shooting stopped.
Harrison stood across the warehouse. His arm hung limp. Blood soaked his suit.
“You're out of bullets, Mr. Mathers.”
“I still have this.” Cole held up the knife.
Harrison laughed. “A knife against a gun. Brave. But stupid.”
He raised his pistol. Aimed at Cole's chest.
A gunshot cracked.
Harrison stumbled. Dropped his pistol. Clutched his chest.
Kane stepped out of the shadows. His pistol was smoking.
“I said I'd stay in the car. I lied.”
Harrison fell. His eyes stayed open.
Kane walked to Cole. “Your mother is safe. Ava is safe. Frankie...”
“Frankie is dead.”
Kane looked at the body. Closed his eyes.
“He was a good man.”
“He was an i***t. And a hero. Same thing.”
They walked out of the warehouse. The night air was cold. The river was dark.
Evelyn was sitting on the curb. Ava was beside her. Both were shaking.
Cole knelt in front of his mother. “I'm sorry.”
“For what?”
“For not protecting you.”
“You did protect me. You saved my life.”
“Frankie died.”
“Frankie chose to die. To save us. That's not your fault.”
Cole sat on the curb. His body was shaking.
Kane pulled out his phone. Made a call.
“The warehouse on Pier 17. Multiple casualties. Send ambulances. And the FBI. The board is dead.”
He hung up. Sat next to Cole.
“It's over.”
“Is it?”
“The board is dead. Cross is dead. Zane is dead. Your father is dead. There's no one left.”
Cole looked at the sky. Stars were appearing.
“There's always someone left.”
“Then we find them. Together.”
Cole stood. Helped his mother to her feet.
“Let's go home.”
“Where's home?” Evelyn asked.
Cole didn't have an answer.
They walked to the sedan. Drove away from the warehouse.
Behind them, the city slept.
Ahead, an uncertain future.
But for the first time in months, Cole felt something he had forgotten.
Peace.
---
The next morning, Cole woke in a hotel room. Sunlight through the curtains. His mother was in the next bed. Sleeping.
He walked to the window. The city was awake. Cars. People. Life.
His phone buzzed. A text from Dean.
“The FBI has the evidence. Arrests are being made. You're no longer a fugitive. Charges dropped.”
Cole read the text three times.
He was free.
He walked to the bathroom. Looked at himself in the mirror.
The face that looked back was different. Thinner. Older. The eyes were hollow.
But they were free.
He splashed water on his face. Dressed. Walked outside.
Kane was waiting in the lobby. Coffee in his hand.
“You look like hell.”
“I feel like hell.”
“That's normal. Give it time.”
Cole took the coffee. Drank it. The bitterness woke him up.
“What now?” Cole asked.
“Now you live. You find a job. A place to live. You take care of your mother.”
“And the board?”
“The board is dead. All of them. Harrison was the last.”
“And the people who worked for them?”
“The FBI is rounding them up. It'll take years to prosecute everyone. But the organization is gone.”
Cole nodded. Walked to the window.
“I need to see Clark.”
“He's being released today. His lawyer got the charges dropped. Self-defense.”
“Where is he?”
“A hotel. Across town. I'll take you.”
They drove. The streets were bright. The sun was warm.
Clark was in a small room. A bed. A chair. A window.
He stood when Cole walked in.
“You look like hell,” Clark said.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
They hugged. Held on tight.
“I'm sorry,” Clark said.
“For what?”
“For everything. For believing Father. For helping him. For hurting you.”
“You saved my life. More than once.”
“I also tried to kill you.”
“Water under the bridge.”
Clark pulled back. Looked at Cole.
“What do we do now?”
“We live. We try to be better than him.”
“That's a low bar.”
“Then we aim higher.”
They walked out of the hotel. The sun was high. The sky was blue.
Kane was waiting by the sedan.
“Where to?” he asked.
Cole looked at Clark. Clark looked at Cole.
“Home,” Cole said.
“Where's that?”
“I don't know yet. But we'll find it.”
They drove.
The city faded behind them.
Ahead, the road stretched.
And for the first time in years, Cole Mathers was free.
But freedom came with a price.
And somewhere in the shadows, a new enemy was already watching.
Waiting.
- Writer
