Devlin's Defiance: Book Two of the Devlin Quatrology (19 page)

“
I told ya, I
ain't nervous.”

“
Okay, okay.
I'll be right back, and then you'll get the ride of your life.”

Fifteen minutes later,
as the plane reached altitude at 4200 meters (about 13,800 feet),
Tori clipped onto her client's harness, and when the jumpmaster
signaled them, they walked out the door and began their freefall.

- 48 -

November
22, 2012
2:38
p.m. local time

Bonita Beach, Florida

“
That was
delicious, Gordy. Thank you.”

“
Yeah, they do a
good job there.”

“
I'm gonna save
most of this. Are you done with yours?”

“
Yup; I'm gonna
save the rest of it, too.”

“
Got a little
room for some pie? Homemade pumpkin.”

“
Maybe in an
hour or so; I'm feeling a little full.”

“
Me, too; and an
hour sounds right.”

“
Let me get
that, Ro.”

“
No, I've got
it; just gonna stick it back in the boxes and in the fridge. You
just relax, okay?”

“
Okay.”

A few minutes later,
Rosemary cuddled up to Gordy on her couch and sighed. “This is
the best Thanksgiving I've ever had.”

“
Me, too.”

“
Don't get me
wrong. I love Kevin and his wife and their daughter, but whenever we
all got together, there was always some tension, and it usually got
worse on Thanksgiving.”

“
I'm sorry –
and I mean that empathetically, not apologetically.”

“
Do you have any
family?”

“
Just one sister
and her husband, but we only talk maybe twice a year, and some emails
now and then, and that's enough for both of us.”

“
Were you ever
married?”

“
Once, but I
filed after six months.”

“
Six months?
That doesn't even count.”

“
I'm a quick
learner.”

“
Do you keep in
touch with her?”

“
Nope; no idea
where she is or what she's doing.”

“
Wow. Really?”

“
Really.”

Rosemary snuggled even
closer to Gordy and whispered, “So what are you grateful for?”

Gordy returned the
snuggle and said, “Well, first of all, I'm glad that you're in
my life.”

“
Me, too.”

“
You're glad”
–

“
I mean, I'm
glad you're in my life, too. No gotcha there, kid.”

“
Hey, we're only
three years apart. No kidding.”

“
No –
kidding?”

“
Right.”

“
How about if I
call you 'sonny'?”

“
Nope; too
close.”

“
So what else?”

“
What else
what?”

“
What else are
you grateful for?”

“
Well, I'm
grateful that I can live here in Bonita.”

“
Even though
it's pouring out there today?”

“
Yup; I didn't
move here for the weather.”

“
No?”

“
Nope; moved
here for the climate.”

“
Ah-ha.”
She chuckled and snuggled closer.

“
How about you?
What else are you grateful for?”

“
Mmmm; let's
see. I'm grateful that my baby is still acting on that TV show.
Seven years now, and she's happy, gonna have a great future.”

“
Your baby?”

“
My
granddaughter.”

“
And you call
her your baby?”

“
I do.”

“
Oh, that one's
way too easy, Rosemary.”

“
What is?”

“
Oh, come on,
Rosemary. Rosemary?”

“
Wha- –
oh, oh – oh! Got it.” She started to chuckle, then a
laugh, then a full guffaw.

“
Never heard
that before?”

“
No, never,”
she was able to get out before succumbing to more laughter, now with
some snorting on the inhale.

“
Wow.”
Gordy joined in the laughter, and even made a few snorts himself.

Rosemary buried her
face in Gordy's shoulder and finally managed to control her laughter.
Gordy rubbed her back as he got his laughter under control, too.

“
Oh, Gordy, that
feels good.”

“
I'm glad.”

“
So let's get
more comfortable.”

“
Time for some
life-extension?”

“
Yes, yes.”

A few minutes later,
as they snuggled on the king bed, Gordy said, “Good for you?”

“
So far. Now
take out your teeth and let's get naked.”

- 49 -

November
22,
2012
11:57
a.m. local time

13,000
feet over Prien am Chiemsee

“
Good so far?”
Tori shouted in her client's ear as they dropped thru the 3000-meter
mark on her altimeter at nearly 120 miles per hour. She got no
answer. “Guess you can't hear me, what with the wind. Well,
now you can check this off your bucket list – oh, wait, this is
the last one you'll get to.”

She reached around his
head, grasped his chin and snapped his neck. Then she opened her
wingsuit and flew them out over the Chiemsee. When they were still
nearly 2000 meters above the lake, she unsnapped the clips from the
client's harness and watched his lifeless body plummet toward the
cold water, but she turned back toward land before she saw the
splash.

When she passed the
shoreline, still maintaining altitude at about 1500 meters, she saw
her landing zone about a kilometer south and headed directly for it,
pulled her ripcord and glided in on her chute to a perfect landing in
the middle of the zone. Quickly gathering her chute, she dashed to
one of three matching gray sedans parked under the nearby trees,
threw the chute, wingsuit, helmet, wig and harness into the open
trunk, slammed it shut and climbed into the driver's seat. She waved
to the drivers of the other two cars, and they all drove off, one
going south, one west, and Tori heading east toward Salzburg.

- 50 -

November
23, 2012
9:38
a.m. local time

Bonita
Beach, Florida

“
Well, that added
a few years to my life span. Whew!”

“
Well, maybe a
few months, Ro.”

“
Or multiples of
a few months.”

“
Really? Hmm.”

“
Yeah, really.”

“
Well, that's
good, I guess.”

“
Wonder if it
works that way for men, too.”

“
If it does, I'm
right up there with you.”

“
But you'll
always be three years behind.”

“
Does it matter?”

“
Not to me.”

“
Nor to me.”

“
Hmm. Maybe I
can help you catch up.”

“
Yeah? How?”

“
I've got an
idea.”

“
What?”

“
No, no, no; I'll
show you a little later.”

“
Hint?”

“
Nope,” she
whispered, smiling.

“
Okay, okay. But
you've got me curious.”

“
Hungry?”

“
Oh, yeah.”

“
Me, too. How
about some turkey and dressing?”

“
For breakfast?”

“
Sure. Why not?
Or are you some kind of traditionalist?”

“
Me? Ah, Ro,
you're getting to know me too well.”

“
Maybe. But
today we can get to know each other even better,” she
whispered, nuzzling his neck.

“
Oh, yeah,”
he said, gently caressing her shoulder blades.

“
Y'know, Gordy, I
think I'll start catching you up now.”

“
Before
breakfast?”

“
I'm not really
that hungry yet.”

“
Me, either.”

“
And with this
rain, we've got all day.”

“
What, you're not
rushing out for Black Friday?” he said, smiling.

“
'Me? I've got
everything I need,” she whispered, nuzzling his collarbone.

“
Me, too.”

“
Ready to start
catching up?” she asked, starting to nuzzle his chest, then his
stomach and then sliding her head even lower.

“
Ah-ha, so that's
– wohhh.”

“
Mmmm.”

“
Ohhhh.”

- 51 -

November
26, 2012
11:27
p.m. local time

Ballarat,
Victoria, Australia

The Stringer had
confirmed the target's identity inside Runners Bar and Cafe on the
corner of Webster Street where his contact had said he could find
him. Now he had spent half an hour sipping a beer at one of the
outside tables, waiting for the man to appear.

When the target finally
left the bar, the Stringer reached up to scratch his cheek and
whispered, “Target acquired, crossing Webster, heading west.”

A female voice
responded in his earbud, “Copy that. In place.”

When the target had
walked a block from the bar, he couldn't help but notice the
statuesque blonde sauntering across his path after coming out of
Parade Court.

“
Just my type,”
the target mumbled to himself, as he began following her.

When she crossed the
Wendouree Parade toward the lake, he followed, slowly closing the
distance between them.

When she reached the
Steve Moneghetti Track along the lake, the target picked up his pace
and caught up with her as she paused to light a cigarette next to a
small, low-walled brick hut between the Track and the Parade.

Seeing that the Track
and the Parade were both empty, he grabbed her around the neck with
his right forearm, squeezing as tightly as he could.

But he gasped as the
blonde deftly swung her elbow back into his gut and then continued
the swing until her fist made hard contact with his groin. She
pushed him into the hut and to the ground, turning him onto his face,
quickly securing his wrists with plastic ties, gagging him with a
deflated tennis ball and some twine, and then sitting on his legs to
keep them still.