BRAINRUSH 02 - The Enemy of My Enemy (38 page)

“Took you long enough to get here,” she said in a thick New York accent.

“I was kinda busy.”

“You’re always busy.”

“I heard you went down fighting.”

She grinned. “Never mess with a Brooklyn mom when she has a frying pan handy.”

“It was cool, Pops,” Tyler said. He didn’t look up from his PSP console. “Smacked him right upside the head.”

“It wasn’t cool, you idiot!” His sister, Andrea, elbowed him in the side. Her eyes were red and puffy.

“Hey! I’m playing a game here!”

“Cut the crap. Both of you,” Melissa said.

Andrea crossed her arms with a sniffle. Tyler was lost in his game. “Boom. Headshot!” he muttered.

The truck pulled to a stop and Lacey called out from the driver’s seat. “We’re at the helipad. Chopper’s coming in.”

Tony rose, anxious to talk to Jake about what happened between him and the Feds.

Chapter 68

Redondo Beach, California

 
“T
his is discreet?” Francesca asked as Jake pulled the high-backed barstool out for her.

“As good a place as any,” Jake said. Another set of emergency sirens faded in the distance. “We’ve taken care of Battista’s local crew. The cops and fire department are cleaning up the mess.”

“You’re sure?” Marshall said. A waitress placed a bag of chips and salsa on the table.

Jake considered his answer. He still hadn’t told his friends everything that had happened at Area 52.
So many dead…
and more were killed today at the warehouse and golf course. Death followed him. The faceless man with the sickle was angry that he’d been cheated by Jake’s unexpected recovery. In the meantime, he lurked in the shadows with growing impatience, snatching life from those around Jake. Who would be next? Marshall?
Francesca…

Sensing his concern, Francesca took his hand in hers and placed her head on his shoulder. It felt good.

 “Yeah, I’m sure,” Jake replied. Battista had gone to a lot of trouble to steal the artifact from the top-secret government installation, he thought. And he kicked up a massive hornet’s nest in the process. He wouldn’t stick around and get stung.

“I seriously doubt that the authorities are cruising the Redondo Beach Pier on the off chance of finding us,” Jake added.  “And what the hell—after everything that’s happened in the last few days, I think we’ve earned a Sunday afternoon at Naja’s.”

“Cheers to that, mate,” Becker said, holding up a half-finished beer.

Tony, Marshall, and Lacey raised their mugs and chimed in. “Hear, hear!” 

Francesca lifted her water glass and gave a soft-spoken “
Salute
.”

Tony’s wife scowled at her husband from a nearby table. She had one of those just-wait-’til-we-get-home
expressions that made Tony twitch and Jake smile. Her mug was empty but her hands were full. She sat with Andrea, Tyler, Josh, and Sarafina amidst an assortment of appetizers and sodas. Max sat attentively at Josh’s side, tail wagging as he sniffed the air in anticipation of the next handout. Bradley had just returned from the bathroom to join their table. The teacher had found his rhythm through all that had happened. Like everyone else, he seemed at ease for the first time in days. He slid his untouched beer over and traded it for Melissa’s empty glass. It brought a rare smile to her face.

She’d almost lost her life,
Jake thought. Her children, too, if it hadn’t been for Papa and Street and his boys. The gang was probably sharing shots of tequila at its hangout in South Central. They wanted nothing to do with the cops, so it was back to business as usual for them. But their participation had taught Jake a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget. Turf and family trumped historical divides.

Could the human race do the same thing?

The rest of them were gathered around bistro tables at Naja’s Place, one of the most popular hangouts at the pier. The hole in the wall featured simple food, live music, and over eighty taps with one of the best selections of beer in the South Bay. A row of fishing boats was moored twenty feet from the open-air entrance. The boats swayed in the gentle ocean breeze. The aroma of fish and steamed crabs drifted in from a nearby restaurant, mingling with the scent of fries and onion rings from the kids’ table. A dozen wall-mounted monitors streamed various sporting events.

“It’s time to spill it, pal,” Tony said. “I wanna hear about
A
rea
52
.”

Jake hiked an eyebrow and motioned toward the kids’ table. Though the other children remained intent on their food, Josh had tilted his sensitive ears in Jake’s direction.

Tony understood. “Yeah…okay. At least give us the highlights reel.”

Now was as good a time as any, Jake thought. “Here’s the short version—there was another artifact. Battista took it.”

“Holy sh—!”

Lacy elbowed Marshall in the ribs. Getting the point, he leaned forward and whispered, “You’re kidding!”

“Wish I was.”

“
Bastardo
,” Francesca said, pushing her glass away.

“We gotta find him,” Tony said.

“Bloody right,” Becker added.

Marshall’s stunned expression said it all. “Are you guys nuts? By now he’s probably halfway around the world. And good riddance, too. We don’t want to be anywhere near that sucker!”

“
Somebody
’s got to stop him,” Lacey said.

“You, too?” Marshall said.

“Marshall’s right…” Jake said.

“Finally,” Marshall said. “Someone with some sense. You dudes better listen to Jake. He seems to be the only one with brains in this outfit.”

“…about Battista being long gone,” Jake continued. “We can’t find him on our own. We’re going to need help.”

“Oh, crap.”

“That’s why we’re turning ourselves in tomorrow.”

“Double crap!”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, boss?” Becker said. “The authorities aren’t going to take kindly to everything we’ve done. And besides, I’m not one for tight spaces, if you know what I mean.”

Jake knew exactly what he meant. The thought of being confined in a prison cell made his nerves twitch.

“What about Cal and Kenny?” Tony added. “They’re holed up in Mexico with federal warrants waiting for ’em. Stealing that plane was no prank. If the government calls it treason…” 

Jake had already gone over and over it in his mind. He was worried about their friends, too, including Papa and his boys. But the proverbial cat was out of the bag. And when Doc regained consciousness at the underground complex, he’d call upon the full resources of the United States government to find the men responsible for the attack. If Jake didn’t turn himself in, he would be on the top of their list. However, he couldn’t force his friends to accept the same fate.

“I can keep you guys out of it,” Jake said. “But—”

There was a collective gasp from patrons seated at the bar.

“My God!” someone shouted, pointing to one of the video screens.

Every one of the television monitors had shifted to a breaking news broadcast. After a few startled shouts, the crowd in the bar quieted. Everyone focused on the streaming video. The grainy, smoke-filled scene jerked and shifted as if it had been recorded with a cell phone camera. At first Jake thought it was a scene from the warehouse district. But when the camera panned to one side, his throat closed tight. He rose to his feet in shock. There wasn’t a child in the country who didn’t recognize that landmark. It was Matterhorn Mountain.
Disneyland
.

A woman screamed. A mug shattered on the concrete floor. Sarafina shouted, “Daddy!”

A man wearing a Tequila Jack baseball cap pointed a remote at one of the screens. The volume kicked up.

“…the suicide attack occurred just minutes ago during the Dreams Come True parade. Many were killed, dozens injured.” The announcer’s voice broke. “Dear God, the children.”

Jake had heard enough. He turned from the screen to face the shocked expressions of his friends and loved ones. One of the terrorists had slipped away. How many more were there? He lifted Sarafina to his chest. She shivered under his grasp. Francesca joined their embrace, biting back sobs.

Bradley had sprung to his feet and stood transfixed under one of the monitors. His face reddened with a fury that Jake hadn’t seen before from him. “Not the children,” Bradley muttered. Josh leaned against him, his face filled with fear. Max whimpered at the sudden tension in the room. He scuttled closer to his young charge.

Tony’s family had gathered within his protective arms. “You’re right, Jake. We need help.”

“It’s time,” Becker agreed.

Marshall and Lacey nodded in unison. They had white-knuckled grips on each other’s hands. They stood as if to lead everyone out. “We’re ready,” Marshall said.

“Not yet,” Bradley said.

The group turned his way.

“We can’t just waltz into a police department with the children in tow,” the teaching assistant said. Noticing that he’d drawn the attention of a couple at a nearby table, he lowered his voice. “What are you thinking?”

Jake hesitated. Everyone turned to him for direction. But he was all out of answers. He shook his head, “I don’t—”

“I have a plan,” Bradley interrupted.

**

Twenty minutes later, Jake, Tony, Marshall, Lacey, Becker, and Bradley were seated around a table in a private room behind Naja’s kitchen.

“Good thinking,” Jake said.

There were nods around the table.

“The kids have no business being a part of this,” Bradley said. “They’re scared enough as it is.”

“Mel and Francesca will watch over ’em good,” Tony said. “My mom will help.”

There’d been more than a few tears when Francesca and Mel had driven away with the children. They were on their way to a friend’s house in nearby Palos Verdes. Francesca had resisted at first. So had Melissa, who’d thrown more than a few colorful words around at the prospect of leaving Tony again. But in the end they knew it was the only way.

“I wish you’d gone with them,” Marshall said to Lacey.

“Right,” she said. “Like that was going to happen.”

“So how’re we going to do this, boss?” Becker asked. The toe of his boot did a woodpecker tap on the floor. It was the first time Jake had ever sensed nervousness in the Aussie.

“I’ll get to that in a minute,” Jake said, turning to face Bradley. “Are you sure you want to be here? The rest of us don’t have much choice in the matter, but you’ve been an innocent bystander. It’d be easy for us to keep your name out of it.”

Bradley appeared as if he was trying to stave off a sneeze. He held up a finger, as if asking for a moment. He pulled an inhaler from his pocket and sucked a blast through his mouth. Jake hadn’t realized the man was asthmatic.

“Whew, I needed that,” Bradley said. He glanced at his watch and smiled. “Anyway, thanks for the offer. But believe it or not, there isn’t a place in the world I’d rather be than right here.”  He leaned forward on the table and whispered, “Let me show you why.”

Curious, the group edged closer. Bradley removed a pen from his pocket and held it between his outstretched hands.

Becker sensed the threat first and sprang forward.

Bradley dodged his grasp. With a twist of his fingers, he snapped the pen in half. There was a hiss of compressed air. Jake felt a sudden wave of dizziness. The table rushed up to meet his forehead, and the last thing he saw was Bradley’s satisfied smile.

Part IV

Chapter 69

M
uddled dreams. Eyes crusted. Limbs heavy.

Jake sensed Sarafina’s presence beside him and sighed. Her breath was like an ocean breeze on his cheek. He draped an arm around her.

“How touching.”

The voice sliced through his fog and Jake’s heart rate tripled. He opened his eyes and sat up.

Luciano Battista stared at him from outside the thick shafts of bamboo that formed the perimeter of his prison cell. He wore a lab coat over pressed trousers. Abbas stood beside the terrorist leader, dressed in military fatigues. He held a four-foot aluminum pole that had a rubberized handle and trigger on one end, and a gripping clamp on the other. It reminded Jake of the tool used by janitors to pick up debris from the floor.