* * *
The news coverage continued for another thirty seconds without providing much information. A good thing, I figured. It meant they know much, or someone hadn’t fed them much. Yet.
Bear turned to me. “Christ, Jack. We’re done for.”
“We need to get a hold of Abbot. He can stick his neck out for us.”
“The mountains are right there,” he said pointing over his shoulder. “We can hide out for a few weeks.”
I shrugged and said nothing while waiting for the commercial break to end and the news to return.
Jessie returned a moment later, holding the phone out. “It’s for you, Jack.”
I grabbed the phone from her hand.
She continued. “Who would know you’re here?”
I shook my head and held the phone to my ear. “This is Jack.”
There was nothing but silence.
“Hello?” I said.
“Yeah, Jack?”
“Who’s this?”
“This is Jack Noble, right?”
“Yeah, who the hell is this?”
There was another pause. I looked around the room, stopping at the two faces staring back at me. Bear sat back in his chair, he looked relieved that he didn’t have to hold his shoulder anymore. His clothes were covered in blood. His red cheeks stood out against the rest of his pale face. He held the bottle of whiskey in his hand, brought it up to his lips, took a pull and exhaled loudly.
Jessie forced a smile while tapping with her fingers at the edge of the seat cushion. She crossed, uncrossed, then re-crossed her legs.
“What kind of game are you playing?” I said.
“This is what’s going down, Jack.” He paused a few seconds, and then continued. “We got you for the murder.”
“You know that wasn’t me.”
“Yeah, well, we got you for it. It’s all on you. Pinned on you, Jack.” Another pause filled with the sound of the man taking a drink from a bottle. “You can’t escape us, Jack. We’re everywhere. We know everyone you know. We’ll know every move you make a second after you make it. Half the people you know are on our side and the rest can be persuaded by us through one means or another.”
I looked between Bear and Jessie, who now stood and paced along the far wall.
“We control everything, Jack.”
“Maybe you and I should meet,” I said. “Settle this like men. Frankly, I’m tired of the cloak and dagger crap. Know what I mean?”
The man laughed. “You think this is a joke? Listen up. You’re going down, Jack. And anyone that helps you is dead. Got that? Even the nurse. Dead as a doornail, Jack.”
The line went dead and clicked to dial tone. I looked down at the phone, turned it off. Placed it on the coffee table and walked toward the window. I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger and slid them down.
“What’s going on, Jack?” Bear said.
“We need to go.”
The sound of a car racing down the street filled the room. Tires squealed. Car doors opened then slammed shut. The voices of two men drifted in through the open windows.
“Get down.”