Father Adriak had arranged the meeting to keep the peace and save lives. Ben reluctantly agreed, but the priest assured Ben of his safety, if he went unarmed, and the priest also assured Ben they would check him. “You will be safe, I have been reassured. We must trust in God’s plan, that all happens for Him, and if Saint Paul and worse could be saved, anyone can be saved.” said Father Adraik.
Father Adriak drove the car up to the warehouse with just he, Father Ortega, Ben and Kara in the car. Terrible men watched them. When they stopped, Father Ortega stayed in the car. Ben, Father Adriak and Kara were physically checked for weapons and wanded with a metal detector when they left the car. Several of the men escorted them into the warehouse. The building was mostly empty, dark, and damp. The warehouse smelled rotten. The group walked forward, and met one of the men who had obvious authority to the others.
“First, Ben, we are sorry for your sister Jessica, we sell drugs, it’s what we all do, but we just do it for the money. We didn’t do anything to her, but we are sorry your sister was lost to them. Please, tell your dad we had nothing to do with any of that.” The ranking man said. They were bad and evil people, but protocol dictated politeness. Ben nodded, he appreciated the empathy, and it also cleared his mind of mandatory vengeance. If the men wanted him dead, he’d be dead now, so he was relieved in a way his sister had simply overdosed.
The drugs she had, the drugs Feliks had, out of respect for you and your family, we’ll write off. I want you to know, whether you believe me or not, we did not send anyone after Feliks, because well, we found out who Jessica took the drugs to and we finished that a long time ago, but you did a good job hiding him, we never knew.” said the man who sighed, he wished Ben worked for him, that kind of help would always be useful.
“I’d rather pay you for what is owed, being even with the house is a lot better than goodwill.” said Ben.
“Twenty thousand dollars should cover everything. The dope, the recovery, recovery, and disposal of this dead idiot.” The man said as easily as if he asked change for a five.
“May I?” asked Ben, pointing at his shirt pocket. The man nodded approval and Ben reached in and pulled out a wad of cash, and counted the money in $100 bills, leaving them on the table. The other man let them set there as easily as if they were a $5 tip on the table.
The leader stood up and walked over to a sheet covering something in the office. “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.” said the man as he lifted the sheet and pulled it. A tortured dead man covered in wounds sat in the chair, his mouth gaping open. Kara screamed, but Ben and Father Adriak stood silently.
“Sorry.” said Kara, covering her mouth. The terrible men smiled.
“He is the last of the men who attacked you, he was the driver you are looking for. He told us he was hired by someone named Macarthur, they were told there were drugs and if they killed everyone they could have the drugs. He thought Macarthur worked for the government and might be a doctor. He didn’t last long after that, to say why.” said the man.
Ben thanked the man for his time and they turned and left. Everyone walked silently out of the warehouse and were relieved only once they were far away on the road. “That never happened.” Ben told Kara, who eagerly nodded her head in agreement. Kara hugged Ben, she was relieved to be on the way home at last but felt the talk of Ben’s sister had both relieved and saddened him.
“That’s a lot of money.” Kara told Ben once they were in a car.
“Being a brother ain’t always cheap.” said Ben.
“Who are you doing this for?” asked Kara.
“Ana.” said Ben.
“Just her?” Kara asked.
“Therese too, she was never meant for the consequences of our actions, she’s good people.” said Ben. Kara knew Ben cared about Peter but refused to admit it.
“You’re good people too, just sometimes good people do bad things.” Kara told him. The priests nodded in agreement. Ben drove to the priest’s car and let them out.
“Keep us in your prayers.” said Ben.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Always.” Father Adriak said, shutting the door and walking to the other priest's car, both men relieved to be free of participation for now.
“Ben, I love you.” said Kara, looking at Ben, who grinned.
“Do I have to say it?” Ben asked.
“Yes.” Kara told him.
“I love you.” Ben told Kara, who grinned boldly back.
“Is it that hard to say?” Kara asked him.
“No, it’s just hard to make myself vulnerable.” Ben told her, not wanting to ever get hurt again.
“I think vulnerability is necessary for love. If you don’t risk getting hurt, you can’t be in love.” Kara told him, revealing her own maturity that she liked to conceal, even now. Kara looked at Ben, he was doing his best to be focused on the road, but she could see he was just focused on the road ahead.
“I got in love twice, bad, it broke me. It tore me in half. This one girl was everything to me, you know that sound the waves make when they hit the pier and thunder that shakes the house? That is how she made my heart feel when we were together, and just like that she yanked it out from under me, and left a great gap in which only pain lived.” explained Ben. Kara rubbed his shoulder, she had never heard him really talk deep about his feelings.
“I saw her, years later, smiling with pictures of her new husband, and she was looking at him just like she looked at me, and you know what really hurt? It was then I realized I never meant much at all to her, that’s what really hurt, that I had all this pain inside me for nothing, I was just the guy in front of her.” Ben finished, doing his best to watch the road.
“I can’t promise I’ll never make mistakes, but I’m here now, and I’ve been through all this stuff non-stop with you now. I just want you to know I am not her.” said Kara.
“I know, and I love you.” Ben told Kara, who grinned, smiling at those few words. Ben was as bad as she was when it came to putting up a front over the depth of her feelings.
Ben picked up his phone and dialed a number. “Hey, I’m coming up behind you now, let’s grab lunch at the next exit in about ten miles, there is a diner there that is off the radar.” Ben said, ending the call and passing a car. Kara looked over and saw two older men, she recognized.
“Is that?” asked Kara, surprised.
“Ed and Buck. They were our overwatch, never go into somewhere you don’t have a way out of. Remember that parking garage a half-mile away?” Ben asked.
“No, I didn’t see it.” said Kara.
“Well they saw us, good optics, good rifles, remind me to never piss those two sailors off.” Ben said. Kara looked back at them in her mirror, she reminded herself to never judge a book by its cover.
Ben exited at the next exit like he said and pulled into a small diner, parking where the car was visible, and Ed Shank did likewise. The other men climbed out of their car, they stood slower and stretched a little longer than Ben did, but Kara recognized the same seriousness in their eyes.
“How’d it go.” asked Ed shank.
“I’m out several grand and I got a good lead, but the kids are free from that problem. Turns out, it was the government, I don’t know why, but some government doctor mislead some punks into thinking there was a stash of drugs at the shop.” said Ben.
“Ain’t that some shit, I hope this place has apple pie.” said Buck, walking to the door. The other men and Kara followed. Buck was pragmatic, they had accomplished their mission and now it was time for pie. Ben liked apple pie too, and the thought made him hungry.
Ben, Kara, Buck and Ed looked over surprised that Therese was sitting there with them at the diner and then remembered at the same time she had texted all of them told them she would meet them at the diner after Tony from Lou’s dropped her off on his way out of town.
Tony had wanted to stay to protect Therese, but Therese reassured him she would be ok, although she did laugh a little when he smacked his gum. The group wondered individually why they had forgotten that, but no one wanted to mention that and each took it as an effect of a long day.
“Everything that has needed to happen, has happened, I remember where to find McArthur, I just need everyone to trust me, I’m asking for a leap of faith. Ben, Kara and I need to drive me to Yucca Valley, California, I promise this will all make sense too soon.” said Therese, looking up at the table.
“You are going to get everyone killed, because you suck” said the voices in Therese’s head.
“Okay.” said Ben.
“I’m in.” said Kara.
“Kid, I’d follow you anywhere, do you need us to go with you?” Asked Ed Shank. Buck nodded in agreement. The old men liked the kid, and when life didn’t make sense, it made them feel young.
“I have another mission for you, and please don’t ask why, but I need you to watch as much Space-Girl Michelle as possible.” Therese told the two older men.
“That show is terrible, can’t I just go get shot?” asked Buck.
“Just promise me. I can’t tell how, but I know this needs to happen. Nothing has to make sense anymore.” said Therese.
“Your TV is bigger, we’re doing it at your house.” Buck told Ed. Buck had had his own and old reason to think something was happening and he knew Therese was worth following.
“Okay. If this is what we need to do.” agreed Ed, having known for a long time it was his duty to protect Therese too, a duty he felt he failed when she was shot.
“It is what we need to do. I love you both.” said Therese, grabbing each of their hands and giving them a squeeze.
The group finished the meal in relative silence, then said their goodbyes, and one car went to Yucca Valley and the other back home. Neither party argued, Therese was right, at this point, nothing had to make sense anymore.
“You’re all going to die unless you kill yourself.” Yelled all the voices in Therese’s head.