Nowhere to Run - Chapter 6

Abruptly, Michael stood up. “We should get going.”     

     “Now?”

     “Yeah, we’ve been here too long.” He began collecting the trash. “Let’s go.”

Evie could see he wasn’t going to finish his tale, but couldn’t protest given this incredible story. She needed time to think, time to assimilate what he had told her. She knew there was more to it, but she didn't want to push him.  Behind his dark, indigo gaze, there were ghosts. She could only imagine the things he had seen back then. The horrors, the grave reality she had only seen bits and pieces of on the TV news. Impossible, yet when Michael told it, it sounded like he was telling the truth.  Evie was beginning to think she believed him, but she kept telling herself to keep an open mind, he could still be lying. One thing she learned from living with Scott; always keep your guard up.

Watching Michael tidy up the room Evie reminded herself he could be an escaped psycho or something. And he still hadn’t answered all her questions.

“That still doesn’t explain why that man was shooting at you.”

Michael didn’t pause his efforts to erase their presence. “I’ll explain. Later.”

“I know there’s more. What aren’t you telling me?”  

“I said later. Let’s get out of here.”

There was a flash of pain in his eyes and that stopped her. Okay, Evie thought. I’ll give him a little time, but I will get answers.

“Go up stairs.” Michael ordered. “Get your clothes and don’t leave anything behind.” Then he added, “And stay away from the windows.”

“I know, I know.” Evie headed upstairs. She gathered her uniform and shredded stockings, along with the pillow and blanket and took them back down stairs. Michael walked through the house wiping down every surface they could have touched. He even took a vacuum from the closet and returned the rug to how it had originally looked when they walked in. He removed the bag from the vacuum and wiped it down before he put it back in the hall closet. By the time he was done, even Evie had trouble believing they had been there. His thoroughness unnerved her a bit as it drove home the seriousness of their situation.

     Outside Michael directed her to a Mini van parked two houses down. 

“Where did you get this?” Evie asked.

“It’s the least conspicuous vehicle to come from a residential area.”

“But—“

“Don’t ask.”

It was stolen, Evie thought, and felt a pang of guilt as she climbed into the passenger’s seat.

     Michael drove about a mile, and then pulled into a parking lot. He cruised up and down the aisles until he finally pulled into a space.

     “Why are we here?”

     “Stay in the car.” He ordered as he jumped out. Evie watched him weave between the cars. Then he ducked down and   quickly, efficiently removed the license plates off a van of the same make and color. Bringing them back, he took the plates off their van and attached the new plates. He went back and put their plates on the other minivan. They were on the road again in under ten minutes.

     “Is that legal?” Evie asked nervously.

     A thin smile creased Michael’s lips, “Kind of. These plates won’t be reported stolen.”

     “But the other minivan has the plates from this car.”

     “And that’s probably a soccer mom so no one will have a reason to run her plates.” Michael looked at Evie, “Unless she does something wrong.”

     “What if she realizes you switched them?” Evie looked back to see if anyone was following them.

     “Evie, when was the last time you looked at the license plates on your car?”

     Okay, Evie decided, next time, better not to ask about these things.

“So, finish what you were telling me.” Evie turned in her seat to face him. “I have a right to know. This is my life you’ve messed up.”

Michael hesitated, “Why did I ever think you were a shrinking violet?”

“You owe me an explanation. Are these terrorists stalking us?”

“No, definitely not terrorists. If only it were that easy.”

“I need answers, Mr. Connors. Either that or drop me at the nearest police station.”

     Sighing, Michael said, “We were on what was to be my last mission. I was already hiding cash and planning to go AWOL. Not something I really wanted to do, but we had been told in the beginning that death was the only way off the Team."

     "Death? You couldn't resign?" Evie asked, aghast at the rules of the Team.

     "No, we knew too much. They wanted us where they could keep an eye on us.  Our tactics weren't exactly legal. Some of the things the Team was doing were so far outside the law it would never have been sanctioned. Even for a group such as ours. If anyone of us ever got to the press, it would bring a lot of big men down."

     Evie shook her head in disbelief, this was crazy. “I can’t believe you’re talking about our government.”  She looked at him now with something akin to admiration. It must have taken a lot of guts to decide to quit and face their wrath. "So, is that what happened? You just left?"

     "I never got the chance.  What I saw on the next mission was to seal my fate." He looked grim again and Evie could see the ghosts were back in his eyes.

"John Drake, my captain and mentor was with us. He was the reason I had stayed with the Team so long.  We had been in the Seals together and he was like a father to me. I knew he was disillusioned with the Team, too.  Only he tried to take them on. Threatened to go over the director's head with enough evidence to bring them all down unless they cleaned up their act and made restitution to a few people.

We were sent to a farm up in Montana.  It was suppose to be the camp of a well-known terrorist organization known as The Liberty Quest.  We were to storm the place and take no prisoners.”

“Take no prisoners?” Evie shivered.

Michael glanced her way and nodded grimly. “Captain Drake ordered us to stake the place out for four hours and delay the strike.  He was going against orders, but I think he had a feeling that this mission was not like the others. Something felt wrong from the get-go. Captain Drake had been at odds with the Director of the Operation for months. I think he felt that the Director was a loose cannon. Our missions had been getting increasingly dangerous. He was taking too many chances and, for the first time in years, we were beginning to loose too many men. 

I think Drake knew this was some kind of set-up. As we approached the farm, too many things seemed out of whack.  There were children’s toys in the yard and baby clothes on the line.  The surveillance report we had been given said the place was occupied by twelve, heavily armed men. No children or women were mentioned.  Drake wanted to call it off and check the information we were given. If we held off for one or two days, it wouldn’t have changed anything. We had no inclination that they had any terroristic activity planned for the immediate future. But the Director over ruled Drake’s authority and we went in. It was horrible. There had to be about six kids in the house. Half of them were mere babies.  Drake ordered us to gather them up and take them outside.  I carried two outside and was on my way back in when it happened. There were several men in the house and a couple of women. Drake had them in the living room, questioning them.  I was on my way down the hallway when the first shot rang out. I could see Captain Drake falling backwards. Then more shots. I cleared the door of the living room just as the last man fell. The commander was pressing a gun into his hand. Planting a weapon.”

“Why did he do that?”

“To shift the guilt. The commander had shot Captain Drake.  It had to be, no one else in the house had any weapons.”

     Evie was silent as Michael paused. She didn’t know what to say. The pain was evident in his voice and his expression. He was watching the road, but it seemed as if his mind was a million miles away. She waited and a few minutes later Michael began again.

     “I backed out of the room before he turned around. I wanted to shoot him. Those women had children out on the lawn.  The men had no weapons that I could see. Even after it was all over...no weapons were found except the one the Director planted. I believe he set up the raid to get rid of Captain Drake.”

     “Your friend.” Evie said, her heart aching for him.

     He nodded. “Now, you know.”

     “I’m so sorry.”

     Michael watched the road signs.  The freeway was right up ahead. It was the quickest way out of the area, but it wasn’t a road that offered a lot of options.  He kept checking the rearview mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed.  It was early Monday morning and the roads were getting congested.  Opting for the back roads, he wanted to switch vehicles soon anyway.  He was pretty sure they hadn’t been spotted, but he knew these guys too well to take anything for granted.

     “Do you have any family?” Evie asked unexpectantly.

     “Family?” he glanced at her. “Why do you ask?”

     “Curious.”

     “What about your family?” he countered.

     Evie laughed. “Answer a question with a question?”

     Michael smiled, “Interrogation tactic. Forgive me, old habits die hard.”

     “Are you married?”

     “Why are you asking?”

     “Well, you didn’t answer my last question so I thought I’d try another one.”

     “Last one?”

     “Are you married?”

     “No.”

     “Why does that not surprise me?”

     Michael frowned, “What's that suppose to mean?”

     Evie ignored that and asked about his family again.

     “No, no family.”

     “No?”

     “No”

     “None?”

     “None at all.”

     “You're lying.” Evie declared.

     Michael looked at her and faltered, “What? Lying? I’m not.”

     Evie raised one delicate eyebrow. The look said she didn’t believe him.

     “Why would I lie?”

     Evie faced front again and stared out the window. “Suit yourself.”

     “Wait a minute,” Michael tapped the steering wheel impatiently. “What about your family? I recall I asked you the very same question and you didn’t even grace me with an answer.”

     Now, it was Evie’s turn to frown. He had asked her this before.  And after he had poured out his story to her she almost felt like she understood him better. Like she almost trusted him. So, maybe she should be a little honest with him, but just a little. It wouldn’t do to give him too much information, there were still too many questions he hadn’t answered.

     “Well?” he prompted her.

     “My father disappeared along time ago. I don’t even remember him.  My mother died a few years ago and I’ve been on my own ever since.” It wasn’t the exact truth. She only omitted one small detail; the six years of her life spent with crazy Scott.

     “That’s it?” Michael asked

     “My life in a nutshell.”

     Lost in their own thoughts, they drove on in the bright morning sunshine in silence.