Ever Hayes - Redemption

Eddie motioned for Silas to collect my arrows. “He’ll get them, don’t worry.”

Eddie led Flynn and me down the hill south of the reservoir. I understood the purpose of the booties now—they didn’t leave much of a print. We moved quickly for about ten minutes and then came upon a burnt-down farmhouse. A large—and surprisingly intact—propane tank sat next to a storm cellar, between the farmhouse and an old barn. Eddie knocked on the cellar door. I heard a lock slide, and Eddie lifted up the door. I found myself staring face-to-face with a beautiful African woman. “Hayley, this is—”

A loud explosion thundered through the valley, shaking our knees and sending a billion birds scattering—chattering—across the sky.

“Quick, in,” Eddie ordered, and I stepped into the cellar with Flynn right behind me. Eddie followed us in and locked the door.

We sat quietly in the darkness for a minute as our eyes adjusted to the dim light of a single kerosene lamp. The woman was staring at me, and I felt like I should know her from somewhere. And then it hit me. The picture Lazzo had been holding on the boat. She extended her hand to me. “I am pleased to meet you. I am Cera.”

I took her hand and nodded. Yep. I knew it . “Cera, I’m Hayley, and this is Flynn.”

Flynn shook Cera’s hand.

“Cera is Lazzo’s wife,” I explained.

Eddie looked at me in surprise. “You know this?”

I smiled. “I know a lot of things now.” I looked back and forth between the two of them. They seemed to be waiting for me to continue, but I wasn’t going to say anything until they specifically asked. I had questions of my own. “How did you find me—or us? How did you find us Eddie?”

“Truth is, I wasn’t looking for you. I wasn’t looking for Danny. I was trying to save Lazzo. I thought if I could blow up the building I would have time to find him. But when the helicopter landed, I knew General Roja is probably here. I know I can’t get close enough to him. And I no have uniform. But Silas, he has a uniform, and I have a bomb for him. I was going to kill the guards on that hill, but you killed them first. That was Silas’s way in.”

Makes sense . “But where have you been?”

“I’ve been prisoner. We both were prisoners in Puerto Rico. The other man—Silas—he helped us escape, and we flied a plane in here last night. He got the coordinates from Libyan commander, and when we figure out what they were, we know it was where Lazzo would be coming.”

“Eddie…”

“He’s not coming, is he?” The giant African’s sad face communicated he knew the answer.

I looked at Cera and could see her lower lip quivering. Tears had pooled in her eyes. I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

“They killed him?” Eddie asked.

I shook my head again. “Not exactly.” Before Eddie could take that any other way, I completed my answer. “I’m pretty sure Lazzo gave himself…”

“He—” Eddie stopped short. He understood. So did Cera.

“No.” She buried her head into Eddie’s shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her as her sobs transferred into his chest.

I could see the hurt in Eddie’s eyes as well. He was disappointed. “Can you explain this, Hayley?”

“This?” But I knew what he meant.

“Lazzo came here to give information to Commander Boli, but why are you here? You shouldn’t be here? Boli told me Lazzo kidnapped you, but that can’t be true. It’s not true.”

“Lazzo couldn’t get the information he needed. Danny had it. So Lazzo…” Cera was looking at me again, in confusion. I didn’t want to say it and didn’t know how to.

So Flynn said it. “Lazzo kidnapped her.”

“No.” Eddie stood, and his voice boomed in the cellar. “He didn’t! He would not have done this.”

I nodded. “Yes. I’m afraid he did. He killed my boyfriend and kidnapped me, and three others. He needed me as bait so that he could be sure Danny would come here, and bring the book.”

“Hayley.” Cera was shocked. “No…”

I kept nodding. Eddie knew I was telling the truth. It was evident in his eyes. He was angry but not at me. He’d already been told I was kidnapped but had refused to believe it from Boli. From me…he definitely believed it.

“You knew this?” All he could do was shake his head.

“Lazzo told me on the carrier.” I couldn’t believe I was about to defend his actions, but this had to be really hard for Cera to swallow as well. This was how her husband had died. “He didn’t feel like he had a choice.” I took Cera’s hand. “I understand.”

“That is no excuse. Hayley, that is no excuse.” Eddie was riled up.

“Eddie, it’s done. He thought he had to do it to save you, Cera…and Isabelle. Is Isabelle…”

“Hayley.” Eddie put his hand on my shoulder. “Commander Boli has Isabelle.”

Panic filled my face. “Here?”

“No. He would not trust anyone else with her. She is probably in Denver or around there—wherever Boli is. Hayley, there is no excuse for what Lazzo did. I am truly—”

“Eddie, you don’t need to apologize for Lazzo. No one does. I understand.” It was clearly not in his nature to excuse this in any way. “Trust me, Eddie, I would do anything for my brother if I thought it would save him.” I let that sink in. “Anything—right or wrong.”

He was silent. Now he was the one nodding. He understood what I was saying. I wasn’t defending Lazzo, but I knew why he’d done what he’d done. “You’d have done the same thing?”

“Pretty much.” I nodded, staring back into his half-sad, half-angry eyes.

“So when did he die?”

“If he did, it happened last night.” My eyes moved back to Cera.

“And you still went to the Knight mountain?”

“Knights Peak? Yes. There are three girls still being held prisoner back in Hawaii by the men Lazzo was working with. If Boli gives the order, they will be killed. I thought the only way to save them was to kill Boli. Besides, I knew my brother was coming, and I knew where he was going—generally anyway. Lazzo gave me the meeting site. It was my only chance. I had to be here.”

“Danny would not be expecting the explosion.” Eddie’s voice had regained its typical commanding tone. “And when Boli hears about the explosion, he will send more soldiers to try to find who did it and capture them. If he knows Danny is in the area, he will send everyone to find him. If he cannot, then—at that point—he will certainly give the order to kill the hostages. We do not have much time.”

“You think Danny is close enough to have heard the explosion? Or seen it?”

“General Roja was here. He would only have come for Danny. He knows what Danny looks like.”

“So you think they know Danny is near?” I couldn’t keep the hope out of my voice.

“Yes. You said Lazzo was killed last night?” Eddie’s mind was apparently still on his own brother. “There was gunfire?”

“Of course.” I gave him a puzzled look.

“Lots of gunfire? Loud?”

“Yes. Loud gunfire.” What is he getting at? “Why?”

“I think if Danny is here, Danny would have heard it.”

I hadn’t thought of that. Gunfire out here—if Danny was anywhere nearby, he would definitely have heard it. And we were far from the rescue plane. Danny would assume Qi Jia was fighting with someone. He’d be trying to figure out who. He’d be trying to figure out if it was Lazzo and me.

Eddie continued. “I think, if your brother heard the gunshots last night, then yes, I think your brother was here and saw the explosion.”

“Then we need to go find him.” I stepped in front of Eddie, looking up at him.

“No.” He blocked my access to the steps. “We stay here in this tunnel.”