Safe House
1608 Words
The car pulled into an underground garage. Kane killed the engine. The silence was loud after the gunfire.
Cole's ears were still ringing. He checked his pistol. One bullet left. Clark's weapon was empty. Kane had two rounds.
“We need supplies,” Cole said.
“I have a contact in the city. Former MI6. She owes me a favor.” Kane pulled out his phone. Typed. “She'll meet us in an hour. New safe house.”
“What about Webb?”
“He's on his own. We can't protect him and ourselves.”
Cole shook his head. “We made a promise.”
“Promises get people killed.”
“So does running.”
Kane was quiet. Then he nodded. “I'll send someone for Webb. A different team. He'll be in the US by morning.”
“Do it.”
Kane made another call. Spoke in low tones. Hung up.
“Done. Now we move.”
They walked to a stairwell. Climbed to street level. The city was waking up. Buses. Taxis. People on their way to work.
Kane led them through back streets. Alleys. Markets. They stopped at a small café. Sat in the corner.
A woman walked in. Mid-thirties. Short hair. Athletic. She sat at their table without asking.
“Kane. You look like hell.”
“Good to see you too, Shiloh.”
Shiloh. Not the same Shiloh from the sanatorium. Different woman. Same name.
“I have a place. East London. Safe. No questions.”
“We need weapons. Ammo. Phones.”
“I have all of that. But it costs.”
Kane slid an envelope across the table. Shiloh opened it. Counted.
“This is half.”
“The rest when we're done.”
She stood. “Follow me. One block behind. Don't get too close.”
She walked out. Kane waited. Then followed.
The safe house was a warehouse. Same as every other warehouse. But this one had security cameras. Steel doors. A room in the back with beds and supplies.
Shiloh handed them duffel bags. Guns. Ammo. Tactical vests. Burner phones.
“You have twenty-four hours. Then I need the space back.”
“That's all we need,” Kane said.
She left.
Cole opened a bag. Pulled out a rifle. Checked the action. Clean.
“Who was she?”
“Someone who hates the same people we do. That's all you need to know.”
Clark sat on a cot. His face was pale.
“You okay?” Cole asked.
“I've never been shot at before. Not like that. Not on a city street.”
“Welcome to my life.”
“How do you handle it?”
“I don't. I just keep moving.”
Cole sat on the cot next to his brother. The warehouse was cold. The lights were dim.
“We need to talk about what happens next,” Cole said.
“We go back to the US. We testify. We put the partners in prison.”
“And then?”
Clark looked at him. “And then we try to be normal. Whatever that means.”
Cole nodded. “I'd like that.”
“So would I.”
They sat in silence. The warehouse was quiet.
Kane walked over. “Webb is in the air. FBI escort. He'll be in New York by morning.”
“Good.”
“Now we need to get ourselves back. The partners know we're in London. They'll be watching the airports.”
“Then we don't fly commercial.”
Kane smiled. “I have a plane. Private. Leaves at midnight.”
“Where?”
“A small airfield outside the city. We take back roads. Stay off the main highways.”
Cole stood. “Then we leave now.”
---
The drive took three hours. Back roads. Farms. Villages. The airfield was a grass strip. A hangar. A plane.
The pilot was waiting. “Mr. Kane. We're ready.”
They boarded. The plane was small. Six seats. A table.
Cole sat by the window. The plane took off. London disappeared below.
Clark fell asleep. Kane was on his phone.
Cole stared out the window. The clouds were white. The sky was blue.
His phone buzzed. A text from his mother.
“Are you safe?”
He replied. “Yes. Coming home.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He turned off the phone. Closed his eyes.
The plane landed in Maine. Small airport. Customs. Kane had papers.
A car was waiting. They drove south. Toward Virginia.
The safe house was different this time. A farmhouse. Remote. No neighbors.
Evelyn was waiting on the porch. She ran to Cole when he got out of the car. Hugged him.
“I was so worried.”
“I'm fine, Mom.”
“You're not fine. You're thin. You're tired. You need rest.”
“I need to finish this.”
She pulled back. Looked at his face.
“When will it be over?”
“Soon. I promise.”
They walked inside. The farmhouse was warm. A fire in the fireplace. Ava was on the couch. Reading.
She looked up when Cole walked in. “You came back.”
“I always come back.”
She smiled. It was the first time Cole had seen her smile.
Kane walked to the kitchen. Made coffee. Brought cups to the table.
“The grand jury is scheduled for Monday. Three days. Webb will testify. Then the partners will be indicted.”
“And if they run?”
“They can't. Their assets are frozen. Their passports are flagged. They're trapped.”
Cole sat at the table. The coffee was hot. Bitter.
“What about us?”
“What about you?”
“After the testimony. After the trial. What happens to me?”
Kane sat across from him. “You go free. Your record is expunged. You can go back to your life.”
“My life is gone. Lauren is dead. My job is gone. My house is gone.”
“Then you build a new life.”
Cole looked at his mother. At Ava. At Clark.
“Maybe I already have.”
---
The next three days were quiet. Cole slept. Ate. Walked in the fields. Talked to his mother.
On Sunday night, Kane got a call.
“Webb is ready. He'll testify tomorrow at 10 AM. The grand jury is in Washington.”
“We'll be there.”
“Cole. There's something else. The partners know about Webb. They've put a price on his head. A million dollars. Dead or alive.”
“Then we protect him.”
“We can't protect him and ourselves.”
“Then we protect him. That's the priority.”
Kane nodded. “I'll make arrangements.”
---
The courthouse was in Washington. Federal building. Security everywhere.
Cole walked through the metal detector. His name was on the list. Kane had made sure.
The grand jury room was on the third floor. Cole sat in the hallway. Waiting.
Webb arrived at 9:45. Flanked by FBI agents. He looked older than before. Scared.
“Mr. Mathers.”
“Mr. Webb.”
“I'm doing this because of you.”
“I know.”
“I hope you're happy.”
“I'll be happy when they're in prison.”
Webb walked into the grand jury room. The door closed.
Cole waited.
An hour passed. Two.
The door opened. Webb walked out. His face was pale.
“It's done.”
“What did they ask?”
“Everything. Every name. Every payment. Every crime.”
“And the partners?”
“They've been indicted. Arrests are happening now.”
Cole stood. Shook Webb's hand.
“Thank you.”
“Don't thank me. Just make sure they never get out.”
Webb walked away. The FBI agents followed.
Cole's phone buzzed. A text from Kane.
“All seven partners are in custody. It's over.”
Cole read the text three times.
It was over.
He walked out of the courthouse. The sun was bright. The sky was blue.
Clark was waiting by the car.
“Well?”
“It's done.”
Clark hugged him. “We did it.”
“We did it.”
They drove back to the farmhouse. Evelyn was on the porch. Ava was beside her.
Cole got out of the car. Walked to his mother.
“It's over.”
She hugged him. Cried.
“I'm so proud of you.”
“I learned from the best.”
They walked inside. The fire was warm. The house was full.
For the first time in months, Cole felt something he had forgotten.
Peace.
---
That night, Cole sat on the porch. The stars were bright. The air was cold.
Kane sat beside him.
“What now?” Kane asked.
“I don't know. I've been running for so long, I forgot how to stand still.”
“You'll learn.”
“Will I?”
Kane stood. “I'm leaving tomorrow. There's other work. Other battles.”
“Will I see you again?”
“If you need me. You know how to find me.”
Kane walked inside.
Cole sat alone. The stars watched over him.
His phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.
“You've won this battle. But the war is just beginning. There are always more enemies. More secrets. More lies. Sleep well, Mr. Mathers. Tomorrow, the real fight starts. —The Consortium”
Cole read the text. Then he deleted it.
He walked inside. Locked the door.
Tomorrow could wait.
Tonight, he would rest.
- Writer
