Chapter 2
Colby sank to the floor of the dining room. "Where's your father?"
Charlie lowered himself to the floor as well, so that he could maintain eye contact. "He's out of town. For another 10 days."
Colby visibly relaxed. "That's good. I wasn't sure how we could keep him safe."
Charlie's heart, just recently having returned to its normal rate, started pounding again. "From what? What are you doing here?"
Colby suddenly smiled. "Hey. I was watching you for a while on campus, today. You don't need the cane, anymore. That's great, Charlie."
Charlie felt himself smile in return, as his joy at being cane-less outweighed the creepiness of being watched; although just barely. "Not for several months, now. I still limp…"
Colby nodded. "Yeah, I saw that. Right leg drags a little — but I think you can only see it if you're looking for it…"
Charlie tilted his head at Colby. "It's a little more pronounced this week. I didn't get much rest this weekend." He shook the curls slightly. "Stop distracting me. You haven't told me why you're here." He remembered the surprise attack in the kitchen. "Clandestinely."
Colby frowned. "Charlie … Addison escaped military prison."
Charlie literally felt the blood freeze in his veins, and he shivered. "Escaped? Escaped a military prison? How is that possible?"
"It was during a transfer. Turns out a former member of the unit was on the transfer team. I don't know how he got on it, how the connection slipped by those guys. I do know that he was a last-minute replacement for a team member who never showed up. They found him dead in his quarters, later."
"I can't believe Addison trusted somebody else, after both Jamison and you helped take him down."
"Me, neither, at first. It looks now like this guy may have been in on the killings from the start. Albert Michaels. He was a gigantic kiss-ass when we were in Afghanistan, we all wrote him off as next to useless. Figured he was only there because his uncle was second-in-command."
"Of the unit?"
Colby grinned a little. "Of the Army, Charlie."
Charlie raised his eyebrows while Colby continued. "Anyway, before I left … my office, I did some research, and I can place him in the same general area with three of the dead guys, at the same time. No other connection…not even consecutive victims. And when Addison agreed to work with Jamison, and then me, we thought he had been working alone."
Now Charlie was frowning. "I still don't get it. Why are you here?"
Colby's voice grew angry. "Our pals at DOD are keeping a lid on this, Charlie. Outside one lousy CIA operative they sent after him, they haven't told anybody. Addison's going to go after the guys he missed the first time. Even if you weren't already on that list, he believes you willingly helped me trap him, last year. He's coming after you. I know he's in L.A. already. We've got to get you out of here."
Charlie tried to push down his rising fear. "I can't…wait. How do you know about the CIA operative? And if he's the only one after Addison, how did you find out about the escape? And that he's already here?"
Colby just looked at him for a second.
"Come on, Whiz Kid. Two plus two. You can do it."
Charlie's eyes widened again, and his breath caught in his throat. Colby was the CIA operative. He was straying from his directive, in order to protect Charlie.
Holy, freakin', shit.
Charlie couldn't speak, and he involuntarily scooted back a little. His brain screamed at him to wake up. It was not possible that he was huddled in the corner of his dark dining room with a CIA operative. It defied belief that said operative was trying to protect him from a madman who wanted him dead because over five years ago, he had been part of an encryption team. Applied mathematics. He taught applied mathematics. He had coffee with students, he didn't attract military madmen.
Colby reached a hand out to tug on his sleeve. "Don't go too far. Keep away from the line of sight from the windows."
Charlie's stomach churned. "We … We've got to call Don."
"NO!" Colby's objection was immediate. "What we've got to do is wait until dark, and then get you out of here. I know a place, in the mountains. That's why I'm glad we don't have to worry about your Dad — I wasn't sure he could make it over the terrain." His eyes wandered to Charlie's legs. "You been hiking since the accident?"
Charlie shook his head.
"I think you'll be okay. Anyway, once I've got you stashed, I can concentrate on neutralizing Addison, once and for all."
Neutralizing? The word sat at the bottom of Charlie's churning stomach.
"Why can't we call Don? He … He can help …"
Colby sighed. "Charlie, I don't think he'd even believe me. I told you, it's not released information, at any level. When he checks it out, he won't find anything. He'll think I came back to hurt you again, or worse. Last time I saw Don, he broke my nose, my jaw and cracked three ribs. What do you think he'd do this time?"
He waited for Charlie to say something, and when he didn't, Colby continued. "I'm it, Charlie. I. Am. It. If Don takes me out before I get Addison, you won't be safe until you're dead too."
Charlie considered.
He was surprised when he realized that Don was one of the only people in the world he completely trusted. Then he was terrified.
"But … it's finals week. I can't just disappear."
Colby pulled out a cell phone. "No GPS chip. Special op phone. Untraceable. Call Larry. Tell him something, anything — except the truth. Don't call Don, you can't hide anything from Don. Ask Larry to call him tomorrow."
Charlie accepted the phone and tried to think of something. Finally he called Larry, but succeeded only in reaching his voice mail. "Larry this is Charlie. I have to go … My Dad is still in New York and my Aunt Ida just called; Uncle Morrie has had a heart attack. She's hysterical at the hospital in San Diego, she needs help. I've only got three more finals, and they're all written. Please arrange for a Proctor for me? I should be back in just a few days, and I'll grade them over the weekend … first of next week at the latest. Also, let Don know; he must be on a case, I can't reach him. Tell him … tell him about Uncle Morrie. Thanks. See you in a few days."
He handed the phone back to Colby, who was frowning.
"Was that a good idea? Can't Don check on your Uncle Morrie?"
"Don's not exactly the doting nephew," Charlie said truthfully. "He'll be more than happy that I'm taking care of it. I'll be surprised if he even asks about it after I get back."
"Even if you're not back by the weekend?"
Charlie started to panic. "How long are you going to leave me?"
Colby touched his sleeve again. "I hope not long. We should be where we need to start hiking by morning, at the cabin by noon…it'll be tomorrow night before I get back here. Addison's trail will be cold." He sighed again in frustration.
"I can't stay holed up in some cabin in the mountains until you decide to come back for me. What if something goes wrong? What if Addison gets you first?"
"Dammit Charlie, you will stay there until I come back for you. You can spend the time thinking of a way to talk yourself out of trouble if you're … delayed."
Charlie didn't answer. He was too busy hoping that Don listened to Larry closely enough, and remembered enough family history to know that Charlie was sending him a message. Aunt Ida was in New York, with Dad. Uncle Morrie had been dead for years. Neither of them had ever lived in San Diego. He shook his head against his thoughts. What good would it do for Don to figure that out, anyway? He might know that Charlie was in trouble, but he would never guess that Colby was back, and spiriting him into the mountains.
Colby shifted on the floor. "Listen, Charlie, is there a gun in the house? A handgun, maybe? You should be armed. I know you know how they work, I remember Don taking you to the range last year."
Whoa. If Colby was going to let Charlie carry a loaded weapon, he must really not be here to kill him. He must be telling the truth about Addison.
If Colby was going to let Charlie carry a loaded weapon, he must be crazy.
"That was my one-and-only trip to a firing range," he started. "I was shaking so hard I don't think I even hit the target once. Didn't Don …" He stopped speaking abruptly when Colby slapped a hand over his mouth, rising into a crouch and drawing a Sig Sauer out of nowhere.
"Shut-up!", he hissed. "Get over to the wall, take cover around the corner of the hutch." Colby shoved him roughly toward the hutch, and began to creep forward, still in a crouch. "I hear something."
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A/N: Ha! Live with that cliffie for a while, why don't ya?
