The Combative Read online

  “Playing it close to the vest, huh?”

  “Don’t I always?”

  “Now you do. You weren’t always like that.”

  Jacobs looked over at the graves. “Yeah. Things change. So do people.”

  Buchanan nodded. “Don’t I know it? So what’s up? You got a new girl or something?”

  Jacobs moved his lips to smile, but it wasn’t much of one. He made an attempt though. “No.” He looked at the graves again. “I’m not sure if that’s ever in the cards for me again.”

  “It should be.” Buchanan tapped him on the shoulder with the back of his hand. “Don’t ever be afraid to let your guard down and have your heart go pitter-patter again. Trust me. Love can do a lot for a person. Don’t ever reject it if it’s there.”

  “Who said anything about love?”

  “Well, I’m just saying. If you ever get a chance to love someone again, or have someone love you the way Val did, you jump on that. You’d be a fool to pass it up. And if there’s one thing I know you’re not… it’s a fool.”

  “That’s for the advice, Dr. Phil.”

  Buchanan laughed. “Hey, maybe I should start my own TV show, what do you think?”

  Jacobs finally let out a smile. “I think the ratings would be terrible.”

  Buchanan continued laughing. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I probably give terrible advice, anyway.”

  “Not always.”

  “So you do listen sometimes.”

  “Sometimes.” Jacobs took the envelope out of his pocket. “This wasn’t you, was it?”

  Buchanan looked down at it. “No, what’s that?”

  Jacobs took the paper out of the envelope and showed it to him. “I dunno. Found it here, taped to Val’s grave. Thought maybe it was you wanting to get in touch or something.”

  “You know that’s not my number. And I have yours anyway. I wouldn’t need to resort to these kinds of games.”

  “Yeah, I thought not.” Jacobs put it back in his pocket. “Thought I’d check anyway, just to be sure.”

  Now it was Buchanan’s turn to look around. “You need to be careful with that. Other people know you’re here too.”

  “Yeah, I know. This is where they’re buried though. Can’t change that. And I won’t stop visiting.”

  “Well, you could move them.”

  “What would be the point? Moving graves isn’t exactly a clandestine operation. If they found them here, they can find them somewhere else too.”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  “So you got a man stationed here or something?” Jacobs asked.

  “You really think the department could afford putting a car here indefinitely just in the hopes that you show up at some point? I told you, just happened to be passing through. Besides, even if there was a car here, we both know you’d lose them within five minutes of leaving here anyway, so what would be the point?”

  Jacobs smiled. Buchanan was right on the money. But it still didn’t tell him why the sergeant was there. “So what are you doing here?”

  “Just wanted to talk to you about something.”

  “Thought we already were.”

  “I mean something else. It’s about that schoolteacher you were seeing.”

  “I wasn’t seeing her.”

  “Well, you asked me to keep tabs on if I heard anything out there, especially after that apartment incident.”

  “Thanks for keeping that on the down-low, by the way.”

  “Don’t mention it. There were enough bodies there, not to mention half the place collapsing, that nobody even gave it much thought other than a gang fight between two groups. Nobody even suspected you being there.”

  “I still appreciate it. Anyway, what about her?”

  “Word on the street is that Ames still has it out for her.”

  Jacobs sighed. He knew she wasn’t safe yet. “Why?”

  “Don’t know. Can’t even say a hundred percent it’s her, either. No names were thrown about. It was just that Ames was looking for some girl that was connected to you. That’s all there was. Doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together, though. Who else would they be talking about?”

  “No, it’s her.” Jacobs sighed again. “It’s…” He shook his head. “It’s just never gonna be over.”

  “It can be. You don’t have to engage. You can walk away, you know.”

  “Can I?”

  “Yes. You can. If you want to.”

  Jacobs was already starting to get tired of hearing that. It seemed that everyone kept telling him the same thing. The voices changed, sometimes the words were different, but it was the same message. Every time.

  “I don’t think I can. Maybe I’ve never really gotten the cop out of me. I see bad people out there, and I just wanna do everything in my power to get rid of them, you know?”

  “Yeah. I know. That’s what drove you to become a great cop. But, Brett, you’re not a cop anymore. Let us handle it.”

  “I think it’s too late for that now, isn’t it?”

  “No, it’s not. It’s never too late. Remember how we got rid of Alexander? We can do the same thing for Ames.”

  “Alexander was different. He wasn’t connected the same way. He didn’t wield the same power. Ames… he’s more like Mallette. More than we know. And his power’s growing, and it’s gonna continue to grow if we don’t put a stop to him soon.”

  “So let’s do that.”

  Jacobs shook his head. “I think he’s a guy that needs to be stopped permanently. You guys won’t do that.”

  “Remember what I told you before, about climbing out of that hole? You can climb out of it now.”

  “If I’m out there, and Ames is out there, you really think he’s gonna stop looking for me? Or Tiffany?”

  “Depends on how close you are.”

  Jacobs looked away and shook his head again. “I’m not really interested in leaving anytime soon. I’m not gonna be run out of this city.”

  “No one’s talking about running you out.”

  “Why should I be the one to leave? This guy’s doing all this stuff, and yet people keep telling me I should go? What about him?”

  “He’ll get dealt with.”

  “Yeah, he will. By me.”

  “Now don’t go talking like that,” Buchanan said. “Talking like that will get you in a heap of trouble.”

  “We both know the law only works with what you can prove.”

  “Brett…”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “I know what you’re saying. And I’m saying to knock off that kind of talk.”

  Jacobs glared at him and nodded, though his mind wasn’t changed. They continued talking for a few more minutes before Buchanan finally left. Jacobs watched as his friend walked back to his car. The words of warning had appeared to fall on deaf ears, though.

  “He’ll get dealt with.”

  4

  Jacobs was still sitting in his car. He looked out at the graves again, not yet ready to leave. He then took out the envelope again and opened it. He pulled the piece of paper out and looked at the number. He debated for a few seconds what he wanted to do. Part of him wanted to just throw the thing out the window, but the other part of him was curious about who this was and what they wanted.

  Before deciding to call, though, Jacobs had to run through the list of possibilities in his mind. The likeliest person was Ames. The least likely was someone he’d never even heard of. He actually was hoping it was Ames. He wanted to talk to him again and let him know he was coming for him.

  Jacobs pulled his phone out of his pocket and put his fingers on the screen, ready to dial. He punched in the numbers, then sat there and stared at it before he hit the call button. After a few seconds, he finally hit the green button. The phone rang three times before someone answered.

  “I was wondering when this call would happen. I put that note there over a week ago.”

  It was the voice of a man Jacobs already knew. And his wis
h had been granted. “What do you want?”

  “Not visiting the family as much as you used to?”

  “I assume you have something you want to say?”

  “You are perceptive, aren’t you?”

  “Get on with it, Ames, or else I can end this call just as fast as I started it.”

  “It’s been a couple of months since our last encounter.”

  “I don’t need a history lesson.”

  “Since I haven’t seen your name pop up in any obituaries, I knew you were still alive.”

  “Hope that didn’t disappoint you too much.”

  Ames laughed. “You and I have some unfinished business.”

  “We sure do. Only the next time we meet, I’ll make sure it’s finished.”

  “Always confident, aren’t you?”

  “I know what I can do. And I know what you can do. And I know you’re not good enough to take me out. If you were, I wouldn’t still be here.”

  “How’s the schoolteacher holding up these days?”

  “Just fine.”

  “How long do you think you can protect her?”

  “Listen, jerk off, leave her out of this. This is now between us. Why do you need to bring her into it?”

  “You’re the one who brought her into it. Not me.”

  Jacobs sighed. He was getting angry at this pointless conversation. “Listen, if you wanna settle this once and for all, just give me a time and a place. I’ll be there. Then we’ll see which one of us comes out.”

  Ames laughed. “Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Anyway, how long do you think you can play bodyguard?”

  “As long as I need to. Or whenever I kill you.”

  “One day, you won’t be there.”

  “I’ll be there every day if I have to. You’re not stupid enough to try to do something at her school with the cameras they have around. That’d bring down more heat from the police than you’re prepared to handle.”

  “You think you have it all figured out, but you’ll slip-up one day.”

  “Not likely. But besides having this delightful conversation, is there anything you actually wanted, besides giving me more reason to blow your head off?”

  “Actually, there is.”

  “Then get on with it.”

  “Don’t ask me why, but I’m offering you a lifeline.”

  “Generous of you.”

  “Yes, and though you’re not deserving of one, I feel… I don’t know, well, generous. I will give you an out.”

  “What?”

  “Yes, I will let you and your girlfriend off the hook. Leave this city within the next two weeks, and I’ll take the kill order off of you. And her.”

  “First of all, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s just someone unlucky enough to stumble into this thing. Second of all, I’m not going anywhere. So you’ll forgive me if I reject your offer. The only thing I really wish is that you were here to give it to me in person, that way I could shove it right up your ass.”

  “And what makes you think I’m not?”

  “Because you’re not stupid. Everyone knows I come here. You also wouldn’t be the first person to try something here. You’re also not dumb enough to think I come here without some kind of backup.”

  “If you’re referring to Franks, that’s not much of a backup.”

  “I’m not. And by the way, you can tell whatever team you got here trying to tail me to back off now and save us both the time it’ll take me to lose them.”

  “I don’t have anyone there.”

  Jacobs laughed. “Yeah, OK. And you think I’m just gonna go straight home and then wind up with a knock on my door in an hour?”

  “I am trying to be hospitable and save your life, though I don’t know why I should. If you get out of town, we both can get on with our other business.”

  “Right now, the only business I got is you. I didn’t get a chance to kill Mallette, and Alexander I helped send to jail, but you… you’re a different story. I’m anxiously looking forward to getting rid of you.”

  “And yet I haven’t heard a thing from you in the last two months, other than seeing you take Ms. Teacher to work every day.”

  “I’ve got my own reasons for that. But don’t worry, you’ll be seeing me soon.”

  “Some people are too thick-headed to know what’s good for them.”

  “I agree. You are. Is that what this thing was about? Giving me the opportunity to leave town in one piece?”

  “Yes. I had hoped we would finally be able to come to an understanding. I can see now that that’s not possible,” Ames said.

  “The only thing we’ll come to an understanding about is me blowing your head off. You can’t stop me. If you could, you wouldn’t bother having this conversation. We both know your days are numbered. And those days are coming soon.”

  Jacobs quickly ended the conversation, wanting to leave Ames with those parting words. Still a little steamed, Jacobs shook his head and looked out his window. He couldn’t believe that Ames actually thought this would work. He couldn’t have possibly believed that Jacobs would just pack up and leave. As the anger started to leave his system, and Jacobs started thinking more clearly, he knew there had to be another reason for the call. There had to be something else that Ames had in mind. Jacobs just didn’t know what it was. Yet.

  Suddenly, Jacobs heard the sound of tires squealing. Within moments, there was another car that quickly pulled up next to him on the driver’s side. Jacobs looked over and saw the barrel of a gun pointing through the open window at him. He immediately ducked and lunged himself across the passenger seat as the bullets started flying.

  As his window smashed to pieces, Jacobs crawled along the seats and put his fingers on the handle of the door, opening it as fast as he could. He slid out of the car and onto the ground as his car got sprayed with bullets. He landed hard on the pavement, and on his injured shoulder. He winced for a second, but quickly shrugged off the pain as he reached for his gun in the back of his pants.

  Jacobs raised his head up slightly, pointing his gun at the other car. He was just about to fire when the car sped off. Jacobs got to his feet and was about to start firing, but then thought better of it. The car was moving too fast, and he didn’t want to possibly hit any cars or people that might suddenly cross into his sights. He took another look around to make sure there wasn’t a second car waiting in the weeds. There was nothing that he noticed, though.

  Jacobs looked at his car and shook his head at all the bullet holes now in it. “Well, I guess I know what that was about now.”

  He thought about getting in to see if it was still in drivable condition, though he didn’t know if there was even a point to that. Having a car full of bullet holes in it stuck out like a sore thumb. All he needed was someone to drive by his place and notice a bullet-ridden car sitting there and now know where he was living. It was probably better to just ditch it altogether. Jacobs sighed and got out his phone again, this time calling Franks.

  “Hey, can you come get me?”

  “What?” Franks asked, somewhat alarmed at the question. “What’s the matter?”

  “Uh, I had a little bit of a car problem.”

  “What, it ain’t starting?”

  “Can you just come get me?”

  “What about Tiff?”

  “Just leave her there with Gunner.”

  “Uh, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, man. I mean, if I leave her here alone, I don’t know if it’s a guarantee that she’ll still be here when we get back, if you know what I mean.”

  “I thought you talked to her and she said it was good.”

  “That’s now, man. But what if she’s here by herself and gets those ideas in her head again and decides to take off, and there’s nobody here to change her mind?”

  “Uh, well, then I guess bring her. I mean, I guess ask her. We can’t force her. She’s not a prisoner.”

  “All right, fine. Where you at?”

  “
At the cemetery.”

  “OK. Everything good there?”

  Jacobs looked at his car again. “Uh, yeah, everything’s fine.”

  “All right. Be there in twenty.”

  Jacobs put his phone back in his pocket and looked around again. Everything seemed clear at the moment. But he also wasn’t going to just stand there and be a target if there was a second round coming. He opened the trunk and took out his bag, which was the only thing in the car, and walked over to the side of the property. There was a fence that separated the cemetery grounds from the business next to it.

  It was a shady spot with a bunch of trees around it, and nobody would be able to sneak up behind Jacobs, so he sat down and waited. If there was a second car that tried to finish what the other one started, he’d be able to see them coming before they got to him.

  Luckily, it was a quiet twenty minutes. Jacobs really didn’t want to engage in a gun battle there. Not only was it a cemetery, which was supposed to be a quiet place meant for reflection and remembrance, it was also where his family was. It didn’t seem right to do that type of stuff there.

  When Jacobs saw Franks’ car pulling up, he grabbed his bag and stood up. The car pulled up along the curb and Jacobs walked over to it. Franks and Tiffany both got out.

  “What the hell is this?!” Franks asked, pointing at Jacobs’ car.

  Jacobs replied calmly as if he didn’t know what Franks was talking about. “What?”

  “Uh, that!” Franks demonstratively moved his arms around, still pointing at Jacobs’ car. “There’s bullet holes in it, man.”

  “So? I told you I had car trouble.”

  Franks’ face looked stunned. “Uh, yeah, you said car trouble. You didn’t say it was car trouble!”

  “Well, what’s the difference?”

  “The difference is someone was shooting at you, man!”

  “It’s fine.”

  Franks looked at Tiffany. “I dunno. Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”

  “How can you be so calm after someone shot at you?” Tiffany asked.

  “Because getting worked up about it doesn’t do anyone any good. Besides, they missed.”

  Franks looked at the car again. “They did? Looks like they had good aim to me!”