Highway to Vengeance: A Thomas Highway Thriller
Read Highway to Vengeance: A Thomas Highway Thriller Online
Authors: Brian Springer
Tags: #thriller, #action, #covert, #mexico, #vigilante, #revenge, #terrorist, #conspiracy, #covert ops, #vengeance, #navy seals, #hardboiled, #san diego, #drug cartel, #seal
HIGHWAY TO VENGEANCE
By Brian Springer
Copyright 2011 Brian Springer
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
BUD/S TRAINING:THE HOME STRETCH
Tuesday started off like any other
Tuesday.
After a three-mile run along the beach and a
forty-five minute strength workout, I met my wife of four years,
Josie, for our weekly lunch at Kansas City Barbeque, without
question the best rib joint in San Diego. We were sitting on the
outside patio, enjoying yet another in a seemingly endless series
of sunny, 70 degree days in America’s Finest City. Nothing was left
on either of our plates but scraps of meat and BBQ sauce.
On the surface, Josie and I were as opposite
as a couple could get. She was drinking a beer. I was drinking
water. She was dressed in a business suit that accentuated every
curve of her body. I was dressed in jeans and a baggy black
sweatshirt that revealed nothing of mine. She was a book-smart
lawyer from a well-to-do family who had graduated from law school
fourth in her class. I was a street-smart ex-Navy Seal from a
working-class family who had barely graduated from college.
You know when you see a smoking hot chick
with some random guy and wonder how the hell he’d ended up with
her? I was that guy. My friends constantly always asked how I had
scored Josie, and I always gave some smart-ass response meant to
simply garner a laugh. Truth was, I often asked myself the same
exact thing.
Asked, but didn’t question. At least not too
hard. Some things you didn’t think about too deeply for fear that
you might learn the answer.
“Almost as good as sex,” Josie said as she
leaned back in her chair and drank from her bottle of beer.
“Almost? Hell, I thought it was better.”
She cocked her head, gave me the evil
eye.
“Better than sex with myself, at least,” I
said, stifling a smile.
“Keep it up and that’s all you’ll be getting
for the next month.”
My smile broke wide open and I started with
another quip when I saw our regular waitress, Carrie, on her way
over. I decided, for once, to hold my tongue before it got me into
more trouble.
“Anything else I can get for you?” Carrie
asked.
“Just the check,” I said.
She ripped the top page off her pad and
dropped it on the table in front of me. I immediately picked it up
and handed it to Josie. Carrie started walking away.
“Hang on a sec, Carrie.”
She stopped, turned towards me. “Yeah?”
“You mind if I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“We eat here all the time, right?”
Carrie nodded. “Every Tuesday at noon, like
clockwork.”
“Hell, you bring us our drinks before we
even order them,” I said.
“That’s right. So what?”
“So, surely you’ve noticed that every time
you give me the check I just give it to my wife, right?”
“Of course I noticed.”
“So why keep on giving it to me? Does it
really look like I wear the pants in this family?”
“Of course not, hon,” Carrie said. “I just
didn’t want to trample on your ego by handing it straight to your
wife. I know how frail you men can be.”
“Very funny,” I said. “But do me a favor and
next Tuesday, just skip worrying about my feelings and hand it to
her. Can you do that?”
Carrie thought about it for a second then
shook her head. “Nah, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because that wouldn’t be any fun.”
I sighed and shook my head. Josie barked out
a laugh. Carrie flashed her a smile and headed towards one of her
other tables.
“Now that was funny,” Josie said after
Carrie was out of earshot.
“Hilarious,” I said, my tone flat. “I tell
you what, Josie, sometimes I just don’t get women.”
She gave me a curious look. “Sometimes?”
“Hey, that’s not fair. I get you, don’t
I?”
“Yeah, but I’m not a typical woman.”
“That’s true,” I said. “Good thing too,
otherwise I never would have married you.”
“You married me? I always thought it was the
other way around.”
I couldn’t help but smile. She was right of
course. Not only was she the one that instigated our relationship,
she was the one that decided to take it to the next level, and she
was the one that had broached this whole idea of marriage. I had
just been along for the ride. If it had been up to me I could have
never pulled the trigger; the mere thought of popping the question
gave me buck fever.
Sometimes things just worked out
perfectly.
“So what’s this good news you told me about
on the phone?” I said.
Josie’s face brightened. “You remember that
case I was telling you about last night? The kid I’m defending on
that possession with intent to sell indictment?”
I remembered; it had been a point of
contention with us for a couple weeks now. I hated when she took on
drug cases, but I knew as a young lawyer trying to make a go of it
on her own, she had to take whatever cases she could get, and this
close to the so-called border, nearly two out of every three cases
were drug-related. So yeah, I remembered. But that didn’t mean I
liked it.
“What about him?” I asked.
“Well, I talked to him this morning, and he
decided to cut a deal,” Josie said. “He’s going to give up the guy
that owns the warehouse where he works.”
“Wow,” I said in a voice utterly devoid of
inflection. “That’s great.”
“Damn right it is,” Josie said, deliberately
ignoring my sarcasm. “And this case is going to be huge. When it
goes public, my name will be all over the news. It’ll jumpstart my
career.”
“Or get you killed.”
She just glared at me.
“Sorry,” I said. “But hey, on the bright
side, if this case works out we’ll have scumbags from all over
Southern California begging you represent them.”
Josie patted my hand. “Aaahh, don’t be
jealous, honey. You’re the only scumbag for me.”
“Hey, thanks,” I said, flashing her a
condescending smile.
Josie picked up her beer and averted her
eyes. She didn’t say anything but she didn’t need to. I had taken
things too far; my petty grievances were starting to annoy her,
which was the last thing I wanted. So I decided to bite down on my
displeasure and make nice before it was too late.
“So when’s your meeting with the district
attorney?” I asked.
“Tomorrow at eleven.”
“Are we going to wait until this weekend to
celebrate your good fortune?”
She turned back towards me, a little smile
playing on her lips. “Hell no,” she said. “We’re going out tonight.
I’m thinking steaks at The Palm, some Cask 23, maybe even a room at
the Hyatt . . . and then if you’re lucky, the real fun will
begin.”
“Oh, you call that fun, huh?”
“It’s fun for me, at least. That’s all I’m
concerned with.”
“Is that right?”
“Of course,” she said. “I thought you’d
figured that out by now. You know, considering how you ‘get me’ and
all.”
I laughed and shook my head in mock
consternation. I started to say something but thought better of it
and again clamped down on my tongue before anything came out.
“What? No pithy comeback? That’s not like
you.”
“I’m afraid to open my mouth again,” I said.
“Especially now that I’m finally back in your good graces.”
“You’re smarter than you look,” she said.
“And who knows, if you continue to be a good boy, maybe I’ll take
care of you too tonight instead of just taking care of myself. But
right now, I’ve got to get back to the office. I have a meeting in
twenty minutes.”
“From sex to work in less than two seconds,”
I said. “That’s my wife.”
“You know you love it.”
Of course I did. How could I not?
She stood up, leaned over the table, gave me
a kiss, then walked past me towards the street.
I turned to watch her leave, mesmerized, as
always, by her every movement. Even though we’d been married for
almost four years, I still couldn’t take my eyes off her. Ever. If
Josie was in sight, I’d stare at her until she disappeared. Every
time. I just couldn’t help myself. Nor did I particularly want to.
The view was too nice.
So, due to this borderline unhealthy
obsession with my wife, I was watching her as she waited for the
WALK sign to turn green. I was watching her as she stepped off the
curb. I was watching her as she started walking across the street.
And I was watching her as a Black Hummer pulled out of a nearby
parking spot, accelerated far too quickly, and bee-lined straight
towards her.
Josie never had a chance.
She had barely turned her head towards the
oncoming vehicle when it struck her head on and sped away without
so much as slowing down.
I immediately leaped from my chair, shoved
the wrought iron table out of my way as though it was made of
plastic, jumped over the small fence separating the patio from the
sidewalk and raced across the street, heedless of any oncoming
vehicles.
A crowd had already started to gather around
Josie by the time I got there. Some were screaming, some were
pulling out their cell phones, some were sobbing, some were just
staring silently, their faces frozen in disbelief.
I pushed my way through the growing throng
and dropped to my knees beside my wife.
Josie’s twisted body was slumped against the
wheel-well of a nearby car. Her chest was barely moving, her eyes
were vacant, her mouth opened slightly. Her neck was sitting at a
jarringly crooked angle and her breath sounded like butcher paper
rustling in the wind. A reservoir of blood was growing beneath
her.
Careful not to move her torso, I took her
wrist and checked her pulse. It was virtually non-existent. I snuck
in closer and put my arms around her and began to caress her as
gently as my shaking hands would allow.
“It’s all right, baby,” I said, the words
ringing hollow in my ears even as I uttered them. “Just hold on for
a couple more minutes. Help will be here soon. Just hold on and
everything will be all right.”
Josie’s eyes lolled towards the sound of my
voice. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Just more
blood.
“Ssshhh,” I said. “Don’t talk. Save your
energy, baby. Just relax. Help will be here soon. Everything will
be fine. I promise.”
Somewhere in the distance came the urgent
wailing of a siren, but it was already too late. Despite my words
of encouragement, I knew the score. I’d seen enough death in my
time to know that every second we had left was a bonus. And I
wanted to make all of them count.