Episode 10: On Edge

Episode 10: On Edge

by Toni Walker

Rafe Martinez shook off the haze that rippled across his brain.

“Dammit,” he murmured. “Anybody get the number of the Mac truck that hit me?”

He had yet to open his eyes but Rafe could tell he needed a little more shut eye. He must have had one hell of a night last night if he was passed out in his car. It was only in that split-second he heard the creaking. It was an annoying teetering sound. Rafe could swear the car was also swaying, but cars didn’t sway.

“What in the hell is wrong with me?” he mumbled. “I couldn’t possibly still be *that* hung over.”

His eyes popped open as he flashed back to a scene replaying in his mind. A car coming out of nowhere and ramming them. His intake of breath was audible.

“Holy hell!”

He quickly surveyed the scene, his eyes jumping from one thing to another until they landed on the girl in the driver’s seat. He leaned toward her and the car shifted slightly causing the teetering to increase.

Rafe muttered a curse under his breath.

“Sweetness,” he said, nudging Alicia Scott’s shoulder. “I don’t want to alarm you, but --”

“Wha -- What? What’s wrong?,” she asked groggily, her voice sounding like molasses.

“Well,” He paused as he attempted to steady the tilting machine using only his weight. “We’re in a bit of a sticky situation and it would probably be best if we exited the vehicle as quickly and gently as possible.”

“Why do we --” Her face contorted into a silent scream when she saw the empty air beneath the front wheels of her car. Rafe placed a calming hand over her mouth.

“Sweetness, please don’t scream. Now is not the time to panic. If you want to panic when this is over and we’re out of here, now, I’m fine with that.” His eyes bore into hers intently. “Now, I’m going to take my hand away from your mouth and you’re not going to scream, are you?”

She shook her head back and forth but the fear never left her jeweled eyes.

“If you do, it could cause the vehicle to tilt and us to plummet over a hundred fear to our possible deaths. Now, we might live or we might not, but I’m not willing to pose a quick theory on which is the most likely scenario.”

She was trying to be strong, but Rafe could tell she was freaked out.

“How are we going to get out of here?”

“Out the back,” he said. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”

Rafe flipped the release on the chair and the seat fell backward. He did the same with his.

“We’ll have to do this together. Inch ourselves backward until we’re in the back seat. Then out the back window.” Rafe took a quick steadying breath. “Ready? On three. One. Two --”

The car behind them tried to dislodge their interlocked bumpers and their car lurched forward. Alicia screamed and the driver’s door flew open. Gravity pulled her toward the opening.

“Alicia!”

***

Teryl Ellison ran a hand through Nigel’s hair. “It’s too bad this is only a game to draw out your partner, Mackenzie. I’m quite enjoying myself.”

Nigel Bennett inched backward and hit his head against the headboard. He winced at the pain. “I noticed.”

“The only thing that would have made this scenario all the better is Nikki.” Teryl eagerly sat up and snuggled next to Nigel as if she wanted to delve into all her deep dark secrets and he was the only one she could trust to tell them to.

“Nikki?” Nigel’s voice squeaked. “What would you want with her?”

“Oh, come on, Nige,” Teryl purred. “You saw the way Mac galloped to her rescue when her plane went down. He would go nuts if I could get her in this position.”

“Nikki is a little more, shall we say, aggressive than I am. I doubt she would let herself get into this position.”

Teryl pouted. “True. Bummer. But at least I have you.”

Nigel held a pillow between himself and Teryl. “I’m sure Mac has gotten the message by. Is this entirely necessary?”

A door to their right slithered open. “Excellent question, Teryl” It was her brother, John supporting a scowl and a new stylish outfit. “Show’s over. He’s taken the bait.”

John left the door open and they could hear his patent leather shoes clipping down the hardwood of the hallway.

“Spoil sport,” Tery frowned. She straddled Nigel and ran her hands up his chest. She nuzzled his neck and made her way to his ear where she whispered, “To be continued.”

***

Mackenzie Gray had only been on the road twenty minutes when he received an odd phone call from Harry.

“Hey there, Bud,” Harry said cryptically.

“What’s wrong?” Mac asked.

“Nothing’s wrong. Why do you automatically jump to the worst case scenario every time I call?”

“Maybe because you don’t call just to talk.’ You call only when you have something to tell me to want to know something. So -- what’s up?”

“I mean, it could have been my imagination, but I thought I saw your girl the other day. You know, the dead one.”

Harry wasn’t exactly the most subtle man in the world, but Mac knew that if he saw Theresa there might be some truth to it. After all, he did live in a spy world.

“How do you know it was her? I don’t think I ever introduced the two of you face to face.”

“I’m not a senile old man,” Harry said. “You showed me her picture right after she died. I was far away, across the street, when I saw her but I would swear ---.”

“Get me some proof. Something I can take to Paul.”

“What if she is alive, Bud?”

“I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

“How are you doing on your investigation? Find out who’s trying to crack the code?”

“Not yet. It’s frustrating. I’m spending more time putting out fires then tracking the suspect. Right now I’m on my way to get Nigel out of a jam. Teryl’s back.”

Harry gave a long, low whistle.

“I knew that gal wouldn’t give up on you so easily.”

“Harry, she’s psycho. I don’t need that right now,” Mac saw the turn off to the hotel Nikki had mentioned before passing out in the passenger seat.

“Have you ever thought about what you really need, Mackenzie? Your dad was the same way. Stubborn fool. You get that from him, I figure.” Harry chuckled. He knew Mac didn’t like talking about personal things. “Paul still trying to push Nikki off on you?”

“Yeah. But we’re like fire and oil. We don’t make a good combination. I just can’t get Paul to see that. And Jack -- he’s over the moon for the woman and she cringes at the sight of him.”

“They’ll probably end up together then. Women don’t always know what’s good for them.”

Mac approached the hotel and pulled into a parking space that was easy to exit from.

“Gotta go, Harry. Duty calls.”

“Sure thing, Bud. See ya.”

Mackenzie disconnected the call and Harry continued to look at the receiver. He put a small pair of binoculars up to his face and peered out the front window of the coffee shop into a restaurant across the street. Theresa Shea was sitting at a table waiting for her companion. Her hair was a different color. A wig, most likely. It was a red-headed pageboy style stick straight. It was a style that wouldn’t draw attention to herself. Which he was sure was key since she was obviously undercover. Harry was curious who this companion was and why a woman would fake her own death moments before getting engaged to his grandson.

“What are you up to, girlie?” Harry whispered to himself. He sipped at the hot cup of java the waitress brought to him. He was patient. He could wait for the bombshell he knew was awaiting him.

A man hobbled up to Theresa and sat across from her.

Harry pulled the binoculars away from his face and wiped his eyes.

“It can’t be.”

The man sitting with Theresa Shea was none other than Mac’s best friend Jack Darcy!

***

“Paul, listen to me. We’re going to need Harry’s help.”

Mac glanced over at Nikki who was still passed out in the passenger seat. He couldn’t figure out why she had gotten smashed in the hotel bar in the middle of an investigation. But that was of no concern to him. He didn’t want her here and being drunk kept her out of his hair for the time being.

“I mean, what other choice do we have? Do you have a spare computer expert hanging around the office?”

Paul hedged. That wasn’t a good sign and Mac immediately got a bad feeling about his good friend.

“Come on, man. This has to be one of highest priority cases we have.”

“Actually,” Paul said slowly. “The breach hasn’t been spotted by other sectors. I had hoped we could get this under control before my superiors overseas got wind of it.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Mac audibly sighed. “I am so screwed.”

***

Rafe reached out and grabbed her wrist as her feel slipped out the door. She dangled from his left hand. He used his other hand to grip the opposite window as the shattered glass fragments ripped into his skin. The blood seeping from the wound loosened his grip.

“Hey, buddy!” Rafe yelled at the injured driver of the other car. “A little help?”

The mystery driver didn’t assist. He seemed intent on saving his own ass. He pulled his car backward trying once again to dislodge his bumper from Alicia’s car.

“Are you insane, you idiot?” Rafe screamed at the driver.

Alicia grasped wildly for a better grip. “Help me! I’m slipping!”

Rafe knew he didn’t have much time to waste. He leaned backward trying to balance his weight toward the back of the car while pulling Alicia with him. He inched back until he was in the back seat and Alicia was in the front seat again. She didn’t wait for instruction and climbed quickly into the backseat. Her breath was heavy and fast, and her eyes wild.

The hatchback was jammed, locked against the bumper of the other car. That was the only thing holding them on solid ground.

“I’m going to have to punch out the shattered back window.”

“I don’t care what you have to do,” Alicia snapped. “Just do it!”

It took three attempts before the shattered glass loosened the molding enough to bend back half the window section.

Rafe shimmied through the opening. Before Alicia could follow, the bumper disengaged and the car slipped over the edge with her still inside.

“No!” Rafe’s guttural shout echoed in the canyon.

---

Next Time....

Harry follows Theresa to a known Black Council hangout.
Evie is captured by the Black Council operative who was driving their taxi.
Tony awakens alone in the taxi.
Rafe and Alicia awaken to grave danger.
Angel escapes but finds himself in more danger.