Rusty Nail

CHAPTER 49

ALEX MAKES JACK open the garage door. She’s never been this excited before. She’s killed many people, and has always taken pleasure from the act, but she’s practically giddy with joy at what lies ahead.

Four victims. Plus a cat. Good for a week of entertainment. Possibly two, if she restrains herself a little bit.

“Get the cat,” she orders Jack. Her gun points at Jack’s face. She flinches. The cop doesn’t like guns being pointed at her. That will make what’s coming up very interesting.

“How about the videos?” Jack asked.

Why would Jack be so interested in the videos? Alex keeps the pistol on Jack’s head and digs her hands into the plastic Jewel bag.

There’s a very big surprise at the bottom. Underneath the VHS tapes is a plastic bag containing a hunting knife. Alex holds it up, her pupils dilating.

“Was this my brother’s knife?”

Jack doesn’t answer. But she doesn’t have to. Alex quickly tears away the plastic and grips the weapon in her left hand. There’s still some dried blood clinging to the blade. From the last time Charles used it.

Alex decides the knife will see some further use. Tonight.

She tucks it into her back pocket and yanks Latham out of the car, ordering him and Jack into the warehouse. Everything has succeeded beyond expectation. She tells Jack to close the door behind them, and then parades her and Latham over to Harry and…

Phin is gone.

There’s a puddle of blood under his chair, and some loops of wire.

Rage swallows Alex, and she rushes at McGlade and cracks him across the face with the Wolverine. His head rocks back.

“Where is he?!?”

“He went to catch a movie. Said he’d be back later.” Harry grins, his teeth streaked with blood. “Hiya, Jackie. Come to lend me a hand?”

Alex lifts the pistol to hit McGlade again, and notices Jack rushing at her from the side.

Training takes over. Alex pivots on her hips, snaps her leg out, and kicks Jack straight in the chest.

Jack makes an oomph sound and collapses onto the concrete.

Alex turns back to Harry, then looks around the warehouse. She’s only known Phin a short time, but he isn’t the fleeing type. He would have taken Harry with him.

Unless he didn’t have time to.

Which meant he’d only freed himself a few minutes before they arrived.

Alex puts herself in his shoes. He’s injured himself escaping. Probably weak. He may have a knife, or some other hand weapon. There are lots of places to hide, but he’s not thinking about hiding. He wants to get himself into a position to pounce.

Alex spent several years in the Marines. She knew about ambushes. People usually don’t think three-dimensionally. They’ll look around at eye level, but rarely look up high or down low.

Alex glances up, and sees Phin crouching on the top rack of the aluminum shelving unit, alongside the table with all of her equipment.

Had she gone to the table, he could have dropped the fifteen feet down and hurt her. Possibly killed her.

A smart place to attack from. But now that she sees him, he’s simply target practice.

“Hello, handsome.” Alex aims the Wolverine. “Let’s do this the easy way.”

Both Jack and Harry scream the word NO!

Alex fires twice, and the bullets hit home. Phin tumbles through space, spinning and bleeding. He smacks the table, hard, then bounces off and sprawls onto the floor like a dropped rag doll.

Jack begins to cry.

“You see, Jack. This is why I didn’t kill you, or Harry, earlier. Even though I had plenty of chances.”

Alex walks up to the fallen lieutenant, drinking in her misery.

“You never knew my brother. Sure, you exchanged a few words with him. But you didn’t know him. He was something you chased. Hunted. Your prey.”

She turns to Harry, tenderly touches his bruised cheek.

“I could have hunted you the same way, but what’s the satisfaction in that? You were as unknown to me as Charles was to you. So I chose to get to know you. To spend time with you. To fully understand what I intended to destroy. And you got to know me, as well. Don’t you feel betrayed, Harry? Isn’t it so much worse, being killed by someone you love?”

“Love?” Harry shakes his head. “You’re just another notch on my belt, baby. Those midgets last night were twice the woman you are. And no icky scars.”

Alex pats McGlade on his leg, the one with the rusty nail brush sticking in. He howls.

“I owed it to Charles to do it this way. To eat this dish nice and cold. I could have taken you at any time. You too, Jack.”

Alex goes to Latham, pushes him over to the shelving unit.

“Unfortunately for you, cutie, you just got in the way.”

She uses Jack’s keys to uncuff his left hand, pulling his arm through the metal scaffolding before cuffing it again.

Jack is still on the floor, huffing and crying. Pathetic.

Alex goes to the table, sets the Glock and the Wolverine next to her bullet-making equipment.

“So here’s what’s going to happen next. I’m going to give you a chance to save the day, Jack. Isn’t that generous of me? But you’ll have to prove yourself.”

As Alex talks, she loads the guns.

“You’re going to have to prove you’re better than me, Lieutenant Daniels. You think you’re woman enough?”

Alex sticks the Wolverine into the waist of her jeans, then approaches Harry. With one hand, she unbuckles his belt.

“Can’t get enough of the love stick, eh, Mrs. McGlade?”

“I couldn’t even find it half the time.”

“Maybe you would have enjoyed it more if you pretended I was a blood relative.”

Alex tugs off the belt and tosses it in front of Jack.

“Stand up and put that on.”

Jack, her face streaked with tears, slowly stands up and winds the belt around her waist.

Alex presses the gun into Jack’s neck and drags her, by the belt, over to an open area of the warehouse. Using her left hand, she removes the Glock from her jeans and shoves it into Jack’s belt.

Alex puts her lips next to Jack’s ear and whispers, “I’m going to prove, once and for all, I’m better than you are.”

Then she walks backward, slowly, keeping a bead on Jack’s chest.

When she’s forty feet away, she stops, tucking the Wolverine into her waistband.

“You think you’re faster than me, Jack?” Alex smiles. She’s never felt this alive before.

“Draw, whenever you’re ready.”