A skinny boy, with wavy, dark brown hair, dressed in pajamas was running our way. There was no doubt in my mind who he was.

  “Daddies!” the boy said, running toward Alex with his arms open. He hugged Alex’s legs. “Hi, Daddy!” then he turned his attention to me and I picked him up and hugged him tightly. “Hi, Daddy,” he said in my ear.

  Holding him close I replied softly in his ear. “Hi, Chip. Look—angels.”

  “I know,” Chip said. The noise coming from the angels grew louder and Chip smiled. “They’re singing, Daddy.”

  Instantly I went down on my knees, placed Chip beside me and helped him to his knees. I took Alex’s hand in mine and pulled him down next to me.

  “Praise you, Father God,” I said, while still clasping Alex’s hand. “They’re praising God,” I said to everyone. “They’re angels and they’re praising Jehovah God.”

  Everyone knelt in reverence and awe. I pulled Chip close to me and put my arm around his shoulders.

  “It’s beautiful,” Chip said.

  “It really is,” Leticia, who was to Chip’s right, said.

  The angels began to fade until they’d completely disappeared.

  “Thank you, Jesus,” Barry said, as Forrest and Jake got off their knees and helped him up. “I’ll tell you everything I know officer Jake.”

  “I don’t doubt you, man,” Jake said.

  Picking up Chip, I hugged him, then handed him to Alex so I could help Leticia up.

  “I’ve never, ever in my life experienced anything like this,” Leticia said, holding onto my arm. “It was—”

  “I know,” I said, then reached for Alex and hugged him and Chip, who Alex was still holding.

  “That was cool!” Chip said, causing the rest of us to laugh loudly.

  “I’d better check on the people inside the house,” Leticia said, then looked at Chip. “I think there are two other little boys in the house, if you’d like to meet them.” She looked at Forrest then continued, “if it’s OK with your daddy.”

  “I think he’ll be safe in a house that was guarded by angels,” Forrest said. “Behave, Chipper, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Yay!” Chip said, and practically jumped to the ground from Alex’s arms.

  “Where you going without giving me another hug?” I said, then picked Chip up and gave him a hug while swinging him from side to side. He giggled and I kissed his cheek before putting him on the ground.

  Chip gave Alex a big hug and kiss on the cheek then grabbed Leticia’s hand and the two walked to Natasha’s house.

  “I was putting Chip to bed when he insisted he wanted to come see his two other daddies and that they needed me,” Forrest said. “Looks like it was no lie.”

  “Smart kid,” Jake said.

  “Smart Dad to listen to his kid,” Alex said.

  They looked at me for a comment and I smiled. “He’s a cute kid, but not quite the hunk his daddy is—at least not yet,” I winked at Forrest who smiled at me. “So we’re Chip’s daddies now, huh.”

  “It’s a long story,” Forrest said. “Someone in my family doesn’t believe in taking things slow apparently. We can discuss it later, if you offer me and mine a place to stay the night.”

  “You don’t even need to ask,” Alex said.

  My cell phone back in the truck rang and I ran to it. There was a simple text message on it—trouble at the inn, come quick, Chef B.

  Chapter 31

  Jack’s Move

  “I CALLED IN A cleanup crew.” I heard Jake say to Forrest when I got back to the group.

  “More problems, Layton? Forrest said.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I need to get to the inn. Looking around me and not finding who I was looking for, I spoke loudly. “Ronnie if you’re here I can use some backup.

  “Right here!” Ronnie said as he walked out from behind some tall bushes in front of the house belonging to Natasha’s next door neighbor.

  “Layton, do you mind if I stay here and take more pictures?” Alex said.

  “Not at all. Come back with Forrest when everything’s done here.”

  RONNIE AND I had rushed back to my truck, and were on the way to The Mt. Ore Inn. Since he knew a shortcut, Ronnie was driving, while I tried calling Chef Brogna’s cell phone.

  “Still nothing,” I said. “I’m calling Callum.” He answered on the first ring. “Where are you?”

  “Heading to check on Dewey,” Callum said. “I’m only a short way in front of you.”

  “Delay that visit,” I said. “Brogna left me a text message, there’s some sort of problem at the inn. Ronnie’s with me. Meet us at the inn, but stay in the shadows until we find out what’s going on. I need you to keep your cool, soldier.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Callum said, then hung up.

  “He knows you’re a good leader and trusts you,” Ronnie said. “That’ll help him stay in control of his emotions. He was a good Marine.”

  “Damn it,” I said. “I wish Brogna would call back.”

  “I’ve never seen real angels until tonight,” Ronnie said. “Have you? I’ve heard tales of soldiers seeing miracles and stuff on the front.”

  “I saw some stuff when I was fighting—miracles, people appearing out of nowhere to help then disappearing as quickly as they came,” I said. “It sort of felt like how things here did. But I’d never actually seen a recognizable angel until tonight or heard music or praise songs that touched my soul like what we heard earlier.”

  “I’ll never forget any of it,” Ronnie said. “There’s no way I could ever deny what I felt. Let me tell ya, I dropped to my knees where I was, just like the rest of you. I’m sure Callum did too.”

  “I’m glad he was there to see it,” I said. “Thanks for taking care of that one guy for me. I’m guessing you’re the one who took Jack’s guy out before he got me.”

  “That was me,” Ronnie said. “Thanks for the trust. You walked out there with complete faith in Callum and me.”

  “I learned who I could trust and count on when I was a soldier. I knew you guys had my back, and it allowed me to concentrate on getting the girl away from Gregory safely.”

  “We all made for a good team.”

  Ronnie was driving fast but it still felt like it was taking forever to get back to the inn.

  “Your guys are good-looking—both of them,” Ronnie said.

  “”I’m a lucky man,” I said. “You’re a good catch Ronnie, someone will reel you in one day.”

  We were almost on top of the inn when a car cut us off and raced into the parking lot.

  It stopped in the middle of street in front of the main office and a frantic Michael Rodriguez Brogna jumped out of his car and stated running around.

  “Stop here, Ronnie,” I said. “That’s chef’s partner Michael.”

  Ronnie pulled to the side of the street and I got out while he put the brake on.

  “Thank God!” Michael said as he ran toward me talking quickly. “Chef called. He’s in trouble, Jack’s gone crazy looking for Melinda.”

  My cell phone rang and I took it out of my pocket.

  “Layton, it’s Callum. I just called Lacey and we got cut off, I heard Jack with her.”

  “Where were they?” I said.

  “I don’t know,” Callum said.

  Ronnie was by our side now.

  “OK, Callum, I think I know where she’ll be and I’m headed there now,” I said. “Stay close but out of sight.” I hung up.

  “No, no, I got it wrong,” Michael said. “Chef said Jack had looked for Melinda but couldn’t find her, so went to look for Brandon instead.”

  I heard a loud bang, followed by another.

  “Gunshots,” Ronnie said.

  “Those came from the pool area,” I said, then ran that way.

  When we got close we heard the sounds of two people screaming—a man and a woman. I was first in the pool area and saw Chef Brogna and Lacey on the ground covered in blood and screaming. Michael screamed, I grabbed him by the shoulders tightly, and looked him in the eyes.

  “Call an ambulance, and tell them we have two gunshot victims,” I said.

  Michael nodded his head and I walked over to Chef Brogna, while Ronnie was with Lacey who was next to him. Chef was breathing heavily.

  “My arm, hee… ee… he shot my arm.”

  I ripped chef’s sleeve and looked at the wound in his upper arm. It had been a clean shot, but the bleeding needed to be stopped. Michael walked over to us crying.

  “Take your shirt off, Michael,” I said. “I need something to stop Chef’s bleeding.”

  Michael ripped open his button-down shirt and handed it to me. I tore it in half lengthwise and used one half of it to tie around Chef’s arm tightly to stop the bleeding.

  “How’s the girl, Ronnie?”

  “The bastard shot her in the leg, she’s fading in and out but she’s hanging in there,” Ronnie said.

  I gave the other half of the shirt to Ronnie then spoke to Michael who was trembling. “Chef will be fine.”

  Chef grabbed my arm and spoke with a shaky voice. “Jack took Brandon. We tried to fight him, but he and his thug had guns. Lacey tried to help Brandon get away and I tried to… tried… I tried to block… but Lacey got shot. How’s Lacey?”

  “She’ll be OK. Chef, where did Jack take Brandon?”

  “The… the lighthouse to wait for Melinda.”

  “Lacey, you alright!” I said.

  “Yes,” Lacey said. “Get Bran… don.”

  “Callum!” I said as loud as I could. “I need a ride! Ronnie stay with them and wait for the ambulance.”

  I heard a motorcycle and ran out of the pool area. Callum was waiting.

  “They’re at the lighthouse,” I said, then jumped on back of the bike.

  We were at the park entrance in mere minutes. I patted Callum’s shoulder and he stopped.

  “Let me go in first,” I said, then got off the bike. “Come in on foot and stay hidden.”

  I made my way down the hilly entrance, trying to stick close to trees or behind shrubs. From a distance I could hear Melinda arguing with Jack. But because they were in the open field part of the park, there was no way to reach them without being seen. Melinda slapped Jack hard across the face, but his goon grabbed her arm and twisted it hard behind her back.

  “This stupid cow didn’t think I’d be smart enough to figure out she had the inn put in Brandon’s name,” Jack said. “That’s OK because it means I don’t need her any more, Tanner. Feel free to have your way with the bitch before you kill her.”

  “No!” an angry-sounding Brandon said. “Leave my mommy alone!”

  “What are you going to do with Brandon, you monster?” Melinda said.

  “I’ll raise him as the kind-hearted uncle I am. What else can I do with both his parents dead? First you then…well…it’s only a matter of time before we find Callum. With you out of the way Callum won’t be able to think straight. He’s bound to become more sloppy. His anger will take over like it used to do. Enjoy yourself, Tanner, then throw her in the swamp like we did with Mandy.”

  “This is gonna be fun,” Tanner said, as he started to put his hand up the slit in front of Melinda’s skirt.

  That was a wrong move on Tanner’s part. Melinda jabbed him hard in the stomach with her elbow, then crouched down. Callum was an excellent shot—he managed to place a single bullet in the middle of Tanner’s forehead.

  “Shit!” Jack said, upset. He held a crying Brandon close to him and his gun right against Brandon’s head. His hand was shaking. This was not an ideal situation. “Come out, Callum, you—you fuck!” Come out or I’ll blow your kid’s brains out. Toss your gun out here and come out with your hands on your head.”

  I saw a gun fly in the air and land on the ground in front of Melinda and one thought filled my mind: please, don’t go for the gun, Melinda—Jack’s too unsteady. I saw her look at the gun then at Jack, but she didn’t move an inch from where she stood in front of Tanner’s dead body. Callum came out from the bushes with his hands on top of his head. His black, long-sleeved T-shirt, black jeans, and black boots had kept him hidden well. He was bound to have other weapons on him, but there was no way he could use them without putting Brandon’s life at risk.

  “Daddy!” Brandon said, and struggled with his hands held out to get to Callum

  “Take the fucking inn and leave my family alone,” Callum said. “We won’t fight you—take it all.”

  Callum knew Jack wouldn’t go for the offer. He was stalling—giving me time to get in position for when Jack tried to run with the kid, which was his only choice.

  “I’ll kill the two of you myself,” Jack said.

  Flashing blue lights could be seen headed our way. There was going to be a standoff—it was Jack’s move now.

  “Stay where you are, big brother,” Jack said.

  “You’re no brother of mine,” Callum said.

  The way he phrased what he’d said let me know Callum was asking me to handle things—his hands were tied.

  “Whatever,” Jack said. “I can still kill Brandon faster than the cops can get here, so I would suggest you don’t try anything.” He walked backward with his gun still on Brandon.

  Any sudden move and that gun could go off. Callum couldn’t do anything, so I quickly and quietly ran to the right. I stayed hidden in the ring of trees surrounding the lighthouse and grassy area. Jack must’ve parked next to the lighthouse. The cops were heading toward the parking space where Jack was headed. He only had one place to go—that was up, and I had to be fast enough to beat him there.

  Chapter 32

  In a Child’s Eyes

  THINGS WERE WORKING against me. I didn’t know the lay of the land and that put me at a distinct disadvantage. When Alex and I had been at the park the other night, we never walked up close to the lighthouse. We didn’t know that the stairs leading to the top were open and ran along the side of the building. I headed up, grabbing the top iron rail as I went. There were three railings on the side—to keep kids from falling over, I guessed. Thank God the stairs weren’t visible from the side Jack would be coming from.

  He would definitely be coming this way, and he’d go up these stairs with Brandon. There would be no other choice since the police would have him cornered. I took the steps two at a time, not stopping for breath till I got to the circular balcony on top.

  Jack’s steps were heavy as he came up the stairs, and Brandon was crying. Damn! Which way would he turn when he got to the top—left or right. Crouching down low I decided to go as far to my left as I could go. I stopped where I’d be hidden, yet still be able to see Jack when he reached the balcony. The glassed in center space the light was in was small and decorative, not an actual room. Glare from the light would blind Jack momentarily, so he wouldn’t see me right away. Police cars arriving below, would soon ruin any chance that I had of surprising Jack. Hopefully Callum and Melinda were with the cops telling them to watch out for me.

  Jack made it to the balcony, sweat was pouring down his face—he was nervous. The hand he was using to hold his gun was down by his side, and he was still carrying Brandon. To get the advantage in this type of situation a person had to remain calm and wait for a lucky break… or a miracle. It helped you get the upper hand if you had skills and training to deal with violent men, but so often things boiled down to pure, dumb luck. This was one of those moments. Brandon just happened to spot me and look straight in my eyes… and I was quick to use this lucky or miraculous moment. I pointed to my ear then opened my mouth wide and did an exaggerated biting motion, hoping that Brandon would understand. He did, and seconds later his uncle yelled and grabbed his ear. That’s when I attacked. Leaping forward from where I’d been crouched I jumped on Jack from behind, grasping his arm that held the gun. He dropped Brandon and focused on me instead. As we fought for the gun, the police below, shone a light on us.

  “Run, Brandon,” I said.

  Brandon tried to, but his uncle grabbed his little leg. I was surprised at how strong Jack was and he realized it because he grinned down at me.

  “Nobody ever expects me to be as strong as I am,” Jack said, then punched me in the stomach so hard it knocked the wind out of me.

  Jack scrambled away from me, dragging Brandon by the foot. I was on his heels, but stopped when I saw him holding Brandon over the edge of the railing.

  “I wonder which one of us is going to die first, brother!” Jack said to his brother below.

  I was right next to him now, but moving slowly. The guy was talking dying—he knew it was all over, and it was now about exacting his revenge. Brandon’s death was written in his uncle’s eyes. I inched closer and closer. If the timing wasn’t right on this, there would be no survivors.

  “Put your hands up, Detective Shayne,” Jack said. “Maybe you’ll be the first to go. This lighthouse isn’t very high, you might survive a fall from here, but you’d be a vegetable at best. Imprisoned in that finely honed body of yours until the end of your life. A life you’d be begging someone to end for you. Get on top of that railing, right here.” He pointed to a spot next to him. “Sit on the top rail, or I drop the kid.”

  Slowly I got up on the rails. When I sat on the rail I securely held on with my left leg. Jack had stupidly put me right where I wanted to be… within a comfortable arm’s reach of Brandon. Now I had to play my part.

  “Jack, dude, please,” I said. “Let’s make some sort of deal here. I survived being in battle, I don’t wanna die here.”

  “We can’t always choose where we die,” Jack said. “I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to die on this fucking lighthouse. But there’s no way out for me.”

  “Maybe there is,” I said. “Let me try.”

  Jack laughed, and I checked to make sure he still had a firm grip on Brandon, who he had resting on the top rail in front of him.

  “Give it your best try, Detective, but remember if you make a move for me I might end up dropping my nephew.”

  Brandon looked at me, he was scared, but there was hope behind his eyes.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27