Beyond the Past (6 page)

Chapter 12

After bacon, eggs, fruit, and more coffee, Lucas was ready for a nap. However, Garrett held true to his word and had other things in mind.

“Let’s go,” he said once the dishes were done.

They headed out the front door, and Garrett walked down the driveway, around the pond and toward the forest.

“Where are we headed?” Lucas asked, breathing hard after a few yards while trying to catch up.

“To work out.”

They hiked into the forest and up a hill where the snow gradually became deeper.

A half-hour later, Lucas needed to stop. He rested his hands on his thighs and gasped for air, his heavy breathing the only sound in the still trees.

After a few moments, he looked at Garrett, who stood at the base of a tree.

“Do some pull-ups,” the man commanded, moving out of the way.

The branch would be at perfect height for Lucas, and he inwardly groaned, but grew determined not to let Garrett see his weakness.

The bark bit into his hand as he grabbed the tree limb and heaved himself up. His chin scraped the branch, and he lowered himself. The first pull up didn’t feel too bad, so he went for ten.

By eight, his arms shook in protest and vomit burned his throat. The food, the exercise . . . it was all too much, too soon.

At the tenth one, he dropped to the ground and lay flat on his back staring up at the blue sky peeking through the treetops. His chest ached as he tried to calm his breathing.

“You never told me how you found me,” he panted.

“I didn’t. Joe did.”

“How?”

“It took a long time, man. We decided if you were alive, you’d take the bus or hitchhike out of Portland. We started with the buses. You paid with cash, which was smart, but you can’t get away from Big Brother.”

“What did he do, hack into the terminal security cameras or something?” he asked, turning to look at his friend.

“Something like that. Then we just tracked what bus you took. If I was going to disappear, I’d fall off the grid, become homeless. I figure you’re almost as smart as me, so you’d come to that conclusion, too. Then it was a lot of walking around with some luck thrown in, and then I found you.”

After a few moments of silence, Lucas asked, “How did you do it?”

He actually sent silent thanks to be lying in a bed of snow as it felt wonderful against his hot skin.

“How did I do what? I just told you how we found you. Do those visions affect your memory?” Garrett asked.

“My memory is fine. How did you keep your shit together?”

“You mean after the accident?”

“Yeah.”

Garrett looked around the forest for a moment, and then back at him. “Well, the way I saw it, the fucking government took everything that mattered to me. You guys were my family, my brothers. I haven’t had any family since my Nana died. I woke up in a hospital in Seattle, of all places. You know I hate the rain.”

Lucas nodded, remembering Garrett’s mother had abandoned him at a young age, his father had been put in prison for murder, where he met his demise, and Garrett’s grandmother had raised him.

Garrett had complained about the humidity and rain while in Guatemala. The unit had teased him relentlessly about melting, and Lucas had been almost as miserable as Garrett, but not quite. Funny, he never complained to Gabby about the weather wherever in the world he may be. He supposed he never wanted her to know just how miserable the wrong weather made him, and realized that doing so was simply another way to protect her. He never wanted her worrying about him.

“It seemed like they wanted me to shrivel up and die. They isolated me, took away my career, my brothers . . . basically, my life. The brawling street kid in me took over and I decided I wasn’t about to let them win.”

Lucas wished he could have found that strength within himself, but it hadn’t been there. The visions had slowly torn him down.

“Did you wake up in Portland or were you moved there?” Garrett asked.

“No, I woke up there.” He got to his feet. “Gabby was at my beside and told me I’d been honorably discharged and they’d set us up in an apartment.”

“Yeah, they set me up in a shithole in Seattle. Told me to live quietly and to keep my mouth shut about the accident, and under no circumstances was I to try to get in touch with the rest of the unit.”

Lucas nodded, stood, and reached for the tree branch again, using everything he had within him to bang out five more pull-ups.

“You aren’t as weak as I thought you were,” Garrett commented.

“I’m surprising myself.” He chuckled.

“When did you start having your visions?”

He put his hands on his waist and breathed in the cool air. “About a week after I got released from the hospital. I was sitting at the kitchen table wondering what happened to everyone. Did you all die, or were you discharged like me? Why was I told I shouldn’t look for you? Just question after question running through my mind. Then, suddenly, it was like someone held up a screen in front of my face and I saw a man getting gunned down in a convenience store. Like I was standing right next to him.”

“Man, that’s harsh.”

“Yeah, I know. I tried to ignore them after that, but the visions came without warning. I’d be in the middle of a conversation with Gabby, and bam! There it was.”

“What did she say about it?”

“I tried to hide it from her, but she thought I was suffering from some PTSD stuff because I’d just all of sudden stare into space. I just knew in my gut it had to do with that damn explosion, and since they came to visit me every month to remind me that I wasn’t to discuss what happened with anyone, I knew what took place in that goddamn jungle was bad. I wanted to keep Gabby as far away from it as I could.”

“Can you bang out five more?”

He groaned, but reached for the branch. “I’m going to need a nap after this.”

“Naps are for babies and old people. You are neither, my friend.”

“I feel like both.”

“So how did things end with Gabby?” Garrett asked.

After completing his five pull-ups, Lucas dropped to the ground. “I started drinking, trying to make the visions go away. When that didn’t work, I started recording them in a notebook. Then, while watching the news one night, they flashed a picture of some guy who was shot dead in front of a liquor store in downtown Portland, Oregon. Imagine my surprise when I recognized him from a prior vision.”

Garrett let out a low whistle. “So these people you see dying, it’s for real? They’re really being killed?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Once I realized that, I went back through my notes on the visions and picked out landmarks—addresses, street names, store names—and I did research. I could locate the stories on some of the people. It became kind of an obsession with me.”

“And what did Gabby say?”

“She thought I was looking for a job.”

“Did she kick you out?”

“Nope. I just left. I realized that what I was going through was putting a huge toll on our marriage, and that I was a fundamentally changed man. Those bastards who came to monitor me on a monthly basis said that if I told her what was happening, they’d kill her. By that point, I was such a mess, I figured she’d be better off without me. So, she went to work one day, and I caught a bus out of town.”

“Man, that’s so cold!”

“I know. I didn’t know how else to do it, though.”

“Did you at least leave a note?”

“Yeah, I did. I told her the marriage wasn’t working out for me, and I wasn’t happy. Gave her the old, ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ line.”

“You’re probably right,” Garrett said, shaking his head. “Gabby may be better off without you, especially after that bullshit stunt.”

Lucas nodded, awed by the beauty of his surroundings and trying not to think about Gabby’s face, hair, and smile. He’d been on the streets for six months and hadn’t seen anything pretty. It felt good to be in the fresh air working his body and talking to his friend. “I miss her, and it kills me to think she’s moved on, but she needs . . . “

He couldn’t think of the right word.

“Normal,” Garrett said. “She needs someone normal. Not some guy who sees people getting offed.”

“Yeah, that’s the word I was looking for.” He paused. “Normal.”

Garrett checked his watch. “We should probably head back.”

Lucas groaned as he thought about the trek back to the cabin. He didn’t know how far they’d walked, but getting back just might do him in. Put him in the baby or old person category and call it good, because he was going to need a nap.

They walked a few yards and Garrett broke in to a jog. “Pick it up, Lucas,” he called over his shoulder.

“Nah. I’m done. You go ahead.”

Garrett stopped and waited for him to pass, and Lucas continued down the hill. After a few moments, he turned around and gasped. A large black bear walked a few paces behind him. He looked around and didn’t see Garrett. Then, he smiled. “You scared the ever-loving crap out of me, Honey! But damn, that’s some cool shit you have going on there.”

The bear stopped and looked at him, its honey-colored gaze on Lucas. A knot of worry curled in Lucas’s stomach as he realized he didn’t know how his friend would act in his bear form. Did he turn into a bear mentally as well as physically, or was Garrett still in there, almost like he wore a costume?

After a brief stare down, the bear stood up on his hind legs and roared, its dagger-like claws pawing the air in front of Lucas’s face. It had to be at least seven feet tall.

“Jesus!” he yelled and turned to run as best he could through the knee-high snow. The bear lumbered a few feet behind him. Lucas looked back again, and the black behemoth snarled and snapped at him.

After what seemed like a small eternity, the cabin came into sight, and Lucas put it into high gear. He scrambled up the steps and went inside, slamming the front door. Gasping for breath, he looked out the large picture window to see Garrett walking toward the house, naked as the day he was born.

Lucas opened the door. “What the fuck was that about?” he screamed.

Garrett chuckled. “I told you to pick up the pace.” He pushed his way past Lucas into the living room. “Maybe next time, you’ll listen to me.”

Chapter 13

“Rise and shine, you big fucking baby.”

Lucas moaned and turned over, doing his best to ignore Garrett and return to the place of blissful rest where his body didn’t feel as if it had been run over by a bulldozer a few dozen times.

“Come on, man,” Garrett said. “Joe’s here, and Thomas cooked up some grub. You need to get up.”

Sitting up, Lucas rubbed his face. It felt like he just lay down, but glancing at the clock, he saw he’d been sleeping for five hours.

Garrett kicked the bed, making it shake. “Let’s go.”

“All right, Garrett! I’m awake! Just give me a minute.”

Garrett left the room grumbling something about not being appreciated, shutting the door behind him.

Lucas stood and went to the bathroom. After using the toilet, he met his reflection in the mirror. Decision time. “Do I stay or do I go?” he whispered.

The thought of going back to the streets didn’t sit well. He gazed over at the big bed, then ran his fingers through his clean hair. His stomach growled, and it felt nice to know a meal waited just a few minutes away.

Joe had assured him he’d be safe from the government, because once they knew he’d gone, they had to have started hunting him. How Joe would guarantee that, he didn’t know, but he’d definitely ask.

It really seemed like a no-brainer, but there still lingered a niggling of doubt. “You’re just going to have to listen to what he has to say, and then make the final decision,” he whispered to his reflection.

His cheeks had caught more sun today, a red glow emanating from them. Despite his small frame, he looked healthier than he’d felt in months. His stomach growled again, and he decided the time had come to see what the very strange Joe Smith had to say.

He greeted Joe as he entered the kitchen, the man’s sharp gaze raking over his frame.

“How are you feeling today, Mr. Tate?” Joe asked.

“Better. I feel like I could outrun a black bear,” he quipped as Garrett snickered.

“I’m sure that’s quite an amusing tale, but I don’t have a lot of time this evening to swap stories, so I’ll get right to the point. Have you thought any more about my offer?”

Lucas slid into the bench seat, craving rum for the first time since he’d arrived. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Yeah, I have, but I do have some questions.”

Joe smiled. “And what would those be?”

He sat forward and rested his elbows on the table, interlacing his hands. “Well, first, I’d like to know where I’d be stationed.”

“I can’t answer this right now, Mr. Tate, simply because I don’t know yet. I can, however, promise you that it will be somewhere safe, and a place where you would like to be.”

Lucas nodded, figuring as much. “And how do I go about doing this disappearing act you talked about?”

“You leave that to me,” Joe said. “I prefer not to divulge my way of doing things as sometimes it’s not entirely legal. However, I can assure you that you will no longer exist as far as any database or government entity is concerned.”

That sounded good. He liked the idea of being completely dead, yet living on his own terms. That’s what he’d been trying to do while homeless, but obviously, he’d done an awful job. He’d only succeeded in slowly killing himself.

“And I do have one request,” he said.

“I don’t usually take requests, but please, go ahead.” Joe smirked.

“I’d like you to watch over my wife.”

Joe sat back in his chair, his gaze never leaving Lucas. “Thomas, Garrett, can you please give us a moment?”

Thomas removed a pan from the stove, and Garrett slid out of the chair. Neither said anything as they slipped out the back door and firmly shut it.

“Mr. Tate, shouldn’t you refer to the very pretty Gabrielle, Gabby for short, Tate as your ex-wife since you walked out on her, without ever intending to see her again?”

Lucas’s cheeks burned with embarrassment and anger, but what he’d done at the time had seemed like the right thing to do, and he’d done it to protect the woman he loved. He wondered if she’d filed divorce papers and he didn’t know about it, but he reminded himself he couldn’t think about it. She was better off without him.

“Okay, then, my ex-wife. Can you watch over her and make sure the government doesn’t come looking for her?”

“Oh, they already have, Mr. Tate,” Joe said. “They’ve spoken to her a few times.”

His gut clenched. “And what happened?” His throat closed up.

“She told them the truth. If I remember correctly, the exact terminology she used to describe you was, ‘the no-good, rat bastard asshole’ who walked out on her. That’s what the report stated, anyway.”

The words both hurt and caused pride to swell within him. That was Gabby—never at a loss for words. When she became angry, she had the mouth of a well-traveled sailor.

“Has . . . has she filed for divorce?” he asked, bracing for a blow.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Joe answered. “However, I can monitor that for you.”

He nodded and looked out the window. Gabby would love a place like this, nestled in the middle of nature. She’d enjoyed hiking in the forests of North Carolina during the summer and spring, always up for a good snowball fight during the winter. If he accepted this job, he would never see her again. However, that had been his plan to begin with, and Joe would simply be making sure that both he and Gabby were safe.

He didn’t see a way that he could lose on this one.

“Okay, I’m in.”

Joe smiled. “I’m very happy to hear that, Mr. Tate. Of course, I won’t give you your first assignment until you are more physically capable, so I suggest you work hard and bring back your military physique and sharpen your mind.” Joe rolled back from the table. “Thomas!” he called, and Thomas walked in through the back door with Garrett on his heels. “We need to take our leave now. Mr. Tate, and Garrett will be joining us. He has some business to attend to for me. Please pack your bags, Garrett.”

Garrett walked down the hallway without another word and Lucas heard the rustling of him throwing his belongings into a duffel bag.

“You’re leaving me here all on my lonesome?” Lucas asked, actually hoping for it. He longed for the solitude he’d become accustomed while living on the streets.

“Yes, I am,” Joe said. “We brought groceries for you and Thomas put them away while you slept. We will return in a week, but I’ve left a satellite phone in case of emergency. I expect to see results in you when I return, Mr. Tate.”

Joe wheeled himself over to the door, and Thomas walked out in front of him.

Lucas felt as if he were being reborn, his life beginning anew. It struck him as exhilarating, yet, depression tugged at him as he knew this represented his final break from Gabby. The last string had been cut, and from now on, she would have to be nothing but a distant memory.

He followed them out the door, and Garrett came out shortly afterward. He stopped in front of Lucas and stuck out his hand.

“Goodbye, my friend,” he said.

“Later, but not too much later.” Lucas took Garrett’s hand and pulled him in close for a brotherly hug. “Thanks for everything, man. I owe you.”

Garrett wrapped his big arms around Lucas and squeezed. “You keep running like you’re being chased by a bear, and you’ll be in shape in no time.”

Gasping for breath, Lucas whispered, “And you give a whole new damn meaning to ‘bear hug,’ dude.”

Garrett let him go and let out a huge laugh. Lucas stared into his honey-colored gaze.

“Take care of yourself, my brother,” Garrett whispered. “I’ll see you soon.”

He nodded as Garrett moved down the deck to the van. He climbed in and shut the door, and the vehicle took off.

Lucas stared into the darkness for a while, the faint moonlight shining off the now trodden snow, the stars above twinkling in the clear sky. The nighttime air bit into his skin, and his nose began to run as goose bumps traveled up his arms and down his spine. The silence comforted him and unnerved him all at the same time. In the distance, a coyote howled, and another answered back.

Shaking off the stillness, he went back inside and glanced at the fireplace. He could have sworn he’d cut enough wood for a couple of days, but apparently not. Kneeling down, he tossed the last log into the flames, and under it sat a white piece of paper.

I tossed the wood. You need the upper-body strength. Love you, my brother.

He sat back on his heels and laughed. Yes, he was pissed Garrett had thrown away his hard work, but at the same time, he understood why he had. Lucas needed to get into shape, and there was no better way for this than fending for himself, his very life depending on how hard he worked his body.

He gazed at the fire; the flames wouldn’t last more than a few hours. As darkness fully descended, he decided it best to get the wood chopping done sooner rather than later.

“Being chased by a bear is one thing, but a pack of coyotes is playing on a whole different ball field,” he mumbled as he slipped on his coat and headed around the back of the cabin.