David Baldacci - Hour Game

"I've heard your brother was a really wonderful person, even with all the pain and hardship he suffered."

Eddie's features brightened. "You should've seen him, Sean. The sweetest guy. He was everything I wasn't. Before his brain started going, he was smart, man, I mean really smart. He taught me shit, helped me, took care of me. He was my big brother. There wasn't anything we wouldn't do for each other. The times we had together." King watched as salty tears started to slide down Eddie's cheeks to mix with the rain. "And then he just started getting sicker and sicker. Mom finally took him to a specialist; she never told me what the person said, but Bobby just kept getting worse. He died four days after our eighteenth birthday. Dad was gone on some business thing. Mom wouldn't come in the room. I held my brother, held him until he passed, and then I just kept right on holding him till they made me let go." He paused and added, "Bobby was the only real friend I ever had. He's the only person I know who ever really loved me."

"You said your father's reaction didn't surprise you. Did something else?" King asked curiously.

"You really want to know what surprised me? You really want to know?"

To King, Battle seemed like a little boy desperately eager to share a long-held secret.

"Yes, I really do."

"That my mother, my steel-backboned dear mama, didn't raise one finger to save her own son. Her own damn son. Now, explain that one to me, will you?"

"I can't, Eddie. I don't know why."

Eddie took a deep, replenishing breath. "Join the club." He throttled back even more. "Okay, we're here." As the boat slowed, King looked around to see if he could tell where they were. It was very dark and his bearings were off-kilter, but something looked very familiar about their location.

Eddie pulled a knife out of his watertight pouch and pointed it at King, who flinched back in panic.

"Eddie, you don't want to do this. We can get you help."

"I'm beyond help, Sean, but thanks for the offer."

Sylvia cried out from the back. "Please, Eddie, don't do it."

Eddie stared at her, suddenly grinned and motioned her toward him. When she didn't budge, he pulled his gun. "Next one goes right into your brain, Doc. Get your ass up here."

She hobbled forward trembling with fear. He sliced through the fishing line binding her and pushed her down the stairs and into the forward cabin and shut the door behind her. He then slipped the knife blade under the line binding King's feet and cut through it cleanly.

"Move to the back of the boat, Sean." He shoved his pistol into the man's back for emphasis.

"What are you doing, Eddie?"

"Just coming full circle, man, full circle. Now step up on the gunwale and turn around."

"Are you going to shoot me here or while I'm in the water?"

In answer Eddie took his knife and sliced cleanly through the bindings around King's wrists, freeing him. King looked at him warily.

"I'm not getting this, Eddie."

"No, you're not getting it, at least from me." With a sudden thrust Eddie hit King hard in the chest with one of his massive forearms. King shot backward out over the water and went under headfirst.

Eddie raced back to the cockpit, slammed the throttle forward, and the FasTech shot off before King even had a chance to break the surface.

When he did come up, he saw the FasTech circle around and head back toward him.

King turned and started swimming away. Why hadn't the bastard shot him and left it at that? Why run him over with the boat? As the FasTech bore down on him, King could almost feel the massive props eating into his flesh, turning the lake water red with his blood.

At the last instant the boat veered away and passed him. Eddie called out, "Thanks for asking about my brother, Sean. It just saved your life. Have a good one."

The boat roared away, quickly turning into a speck before completely disappearing into the darkness.

King screamed, "Sylvia! Sylvia!" but it was useless. He turned, looked around, and it finally struck him why his surroundings looked so familiar. The dock he was now staring at was his dock. They were in his cove! And there sat his jet boat in its slip.

And yet the FasTech was already out of sight. How could he possibly find them in time?

And then it hit him, what Eddie had said. Full circle. He's coming full circle.

King swam toward the dock with all his might.

MICHELLE WAS FLYING THROUGH the darkness on the Sea Ray heading toward Sylvia's home when Williams came up beside her.

"The connection was lost on your phone," he said glumly.

"It's probably the storm."

"Yeah, probably," he said.

She looked to the sky. "I don't see a chopper."

"Damn, Michelle, in this weather? What'd you expect? You can't risk a bunch of people's lives like that."

"Why the hell not? I spent nine years of my life doing that at the Secret Service!"

"Come on, we're doing all we can-"

"What's that?" she said suddenly.

"What's what?"

"It's the phone!" she screamed. "My phone, where is it?"

"Back on the seat."

"Take the wheel."

She snatched up the phone and hit the answer button. Her heart leaped when she heard his voice.

"Michelle, could you hear anything on the phone?"

"Yes, Todd and I are in a boat heading to Sylvia's right now. We called out everybody."

"Listen, Eddie's still got Sylvia. He's headed to the cove below where the first body was found. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes."

"I'm heading there in my boat right now."

Michelle raced to the cockpit with the phone pressed to her ear, grabbed the wheel and plowed the Sea Ray into a thunderous turn, pitching its deck almost perpendicular with the water. Williams fell down again.

"I'm on my way. Ten minutes. We'll send everybody there. Oh, and Sean?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being alive."

Eddie aimed the bow right at the ring of red clay that stuck out from the cove he was in, cut power and ran the FasTech right up onto it. He started to open the door to the cabin.

"Okay, Doc, let's go."

The stream of fire extinguisher fluid hit him flush in the face. He staggered back and was hit on the head with the canister. Blinded, he grabbed at his face and dropped to his knees. But he sensed Sylvia racing past him, and reached out and tripped her with one of his big arms.

"Get away from me, you bastard, get away from me," she screamed.

Eddie wiped his face off with his hand, his eyes stinging like crazy. He grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt, lifted her completely up in the air and threw her onto the hard clay shore, where she landed with a thud and lay still.

He opened a storage bin and lifted out the short-handled ax, jumped off the bow, and his feet hit dirt. He waded out into the water and dipped his head below the surface to clean off the crap she had shot him with. He stood, gazed out at the lake and the lightning crackling in the distance, took a deep breath, turned and walked over to her.

"Get up."

Sylvia said nothing.

"I said get up." He emphasized this point with a foot in her ribs.

"I think my arm's broken," she whimpered.

"Which one?"

"My left."

He reached down, grabbed her left arm and pulled her up as she shrieked in pain.

"Damn it, you're killing me, you bastard!"

"That's right. I am." He dragged her along into the woods.

King's boat flew through the water. He glanced behind him and saw the wink of lights about five hundred yards behind. He clicked on his phone, which had somehow survived its dunking in the water.

"Is that you behind me?" he asked.

Michelle answered, "And coming up fast."

King slowed the boat as he maneuvered into the narrow inlet. As soon as he saw the beached FasTech, he cut his running lights.