Part 19 (2/2)
Who are you to decide?a voice in his head whispered. It had been there from the beginning, since he'd first come up with the plan. He wasn't sure if thevoice was his conscience or perhaps even the faint echo of Jeanne's ghost. Sometimes he was willing to admit to himself she wouldn't have wanted him to do this. She would have counseled him to let the wheels of justice slowly grind Kray to dust.
But Jeff wasn't willing to wait. He wasn't willing to listen to the voice in his head. Kray had to be stopped and no one else was willing to take a stand.
He walked off the pool deck and onto the beach. The tide was out. Damp sand stretched toward the waves. Small bubbles and pockets indicated life beneath the surface. There was a small outcropping of rocks near the sh.o.r.e. He sat on the largest one and stared at the sea.
Andie was right about one thing. He had always been on the side of the good guys. Even though he knew he was right, it pained him to cross the line. He didn't think he would like living on the other side.
But did he have a choice? Once Kray was dead, he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone again. His reign of terror would end. Was that so bad? Did the end justify the means? Did it really matter if he, Jeff, crossed the line or not? It was unlikely he would live long enough to suffer from guilt. Kray's men would shoot him on sight. If they didn't get him, then the local law-enforcement officers would take him into custody and he would live out his days in some small prison cell.
He thought about the price he would pay, he weighed the consequences. He had no other choice. He'd sworn to see Kray pay, and he would risk everything to see that through. It didn't matter about crossing the line or what Andie thought of him. All that mattered was Kray's death. But before he could take care of that, he had to get her and Bobby off the island.
He walked to the house and entered the living room. He could hear Andie and Bobby fixing breakfast in the kitchen. Quietly he moved down the hall to his bedroom. After closing the door behind him, he went to the small closet. When he'd first taken up residence in the house, he'd pried up several floorboards to create a hiding s.p.a.ce. Now he popped up the boards and pulled out a small black box.
He carried it over to the bed,then lifted up the cover. Inside was a sleek phone attached to a computer keyboard. He punched in several numbers. When the red lights on the console began to flash green, he picked up the receiver.
Modern electronics would scramble his signal before sending it skyward to bounce off a satellite. The call was coded and untraceable. Unfortunately, it also put him back in touch with the agency.
Jeff waited a few seconds, then heard a sleepy ”'Lo?”
”Aren't you up yet?” he asked, grinning.
CortHollenbeck cleared his throat. ”It's not even six in the morning. The kittens don't expect breakfast much before seven.”
”Sorry, buddy. I had to be sure I got a hold of you.”
”No problem.” He heard the sound of rustling covers. ”Hold on and let me change phones.”
The receiver clicked as it was placed on the nightstand. It was picked up immediately. ”How's my second favorite spy?” a female voice asked.
”I'm fine, Faith. How are you?”
She chuckled. ”We're doing great. Everyone is either pregnant or giving birth. Sparky is beside himself acting as a surrogate father to all the cats.”
Jeff could picture the stocky black leopard showing off for all the new arrivals.Cort worked for the agency, while Faith ran a breeding center for endangered snow leopards. ”What about your baby?”
”Sara's perfect.” He heard the smile in her voice. ”She misses her favorite uncle.”
”I miss her, too.”
”Will we see you soon?” Faith asked.
There was a click on the line. ”I've got it,”Cort said. ”You can hang up now, Faith.”
”How did you know I was on the line?”
”Because I know you. Now say goodbye.”
”Bye, Jeff.” She hung up the phone.
For a moment Jeff fought the pain in his gut. He enviedCort and Faith their happiness. Not only because he missed his own family but because he and Jeanne had somehow lost their feelings for each other. They'd been unable to hang on to the love. In the end their marriage had been more about habit and duty than real affection. Andie didn't understand that. She thought it had been a perfect relations.h.i.+p. He didn't think he could explain that the flaws made it worse. The flaws were his fault. He'd been the one who'd cared more about his job than anything else. Jeanne had come toLebanonto compete with his job. In the end, his job was the reason she and J.J. had died.
”Jeff? You still there?”
”Yeah,Cort . Sorry.”
”So what's up?”
”I need a favor.”
”Name it.”
Jeff clutched the phone. That was the reason he'd calledCort . Because his friend wouldn't hesitate to help.
”There's this woman,” he began.
Cortlaughed. ”A woman? About time. I knew this vacation would be good for you. You haven't taken any time off since-”Cort hesitated. ”I'm glad you've met somebody.”
”It's not what you think. I'm on St. Lucas.” Jeff heard Andie's footsteps in the hallway. She tapped softly. He ignored her.
”Are you crazy?”Cort asked. ”Do you have a death wish? If Kray finds out you're there, he'll hunt you down and kill you.”
”He already knows, but that's not the point.”
”The h.e.l.l it isn't. What are you doing there?”
Jeff didn't answer.
Cortwas one of his best agents. It didn't take him long to figure it out. ”You're going to take him out.” It wasn't a question.
”This woman-”
”I don't care about the woman. Jeff, have you lost it completely? You can't do this. It's wrong.”
”I don't have a choice. Look, I don't want to talk about that. I don't want you involved. When I do it, there's going to be an investigation and the less you know the better.”
”I could report you,”Cort said quietly.
”But you won't.” Jeff waited. When his friend didn't say anything, he continued. ”I have a woman here. Andie Cochran.”
”Why is that name familiar?”
”She's Kray's ex-wife.”
Cortwhistled. ”What's she doing there?”
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