Mr. CEO(146)

Nathan nods, and offers Andrea his hand, and they shake.

Andrea nods, and they share an unspoken appreciation. Nathan starts his ATV again, twists the throttle, then stops before he can put the vehicle in motion. Reaching into his suit pocket, he takes out a small envelope, like the kind you'd find a kid's Valentine's card in. “I promised someone that I'd give this to you after you spoke with Peter. I hope it brings you happiness, Jackson.”

I take the envelope, and see that inside there's a slip of paper. “Where will you go, Nathan?”

He considers for a moment, then gives me a half-smile that's slightly sad. “To go see Aisha. I've got some more debts to balance before then though. Take care of yourself, Jackson DeLaCoeur.”

He offers his hand and we shake, and I'm left wondering as the old warrior puts his ATV in gear and rides off toward the bayou. Andrea and I watch him for a minute, then I turn to her, and I see she's already pulled her backpack onto her shoulders. “You ready?”

“Just a minute,” I say, tearing open the envelope and looking inside. There's a single piece of paper, an address in Federal City written on it. “Federal City. What's there?”

“Only way to find out is to go,” Andrea says, cinching the straps on her backpack tight. I put the paper back in the envelope and tuck the whole thing in my pocket. “Come on. Walk with me one more time?”

I take her hand, and we start down the trail. I've got a hundred dollars in my wallet, and as we walk, I toss one of the handguns into a nearby pond, where it barely makes a plop as it sinks below the murky, greenish water. So as the golf course comes into view, I've got a hundred dollars, one handgun, and the clothes on my back. The rest of it is useless junk, now probably frozen or soon to be frozen credit cards, a driver's license, and other assorted crap, but I've never felt freer, or richer, in my entire life.

Katrina was right. Without the money, or I guess the strings that come with the DeLaCoeur money, I've got a lot more freedom. It's more valuable than anything else.





Chapter 28





Kat





The local news is buzzing as the sun sets, and I sit on the floor of my hideout, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Darcy surprised me about forty-five minutes ago, showing up with a chocolate cake. “Happy Birthday,” she says, handing it over. “It's only from the supermarket, but I thought you'd like it anyway.”

“Thanks, but it isn't my birthday,” I say, confused. “You know that isn't until October.”

“No, today's your real birthday. You're born again today,” Darcy says. “I left Henry with Jeff. He understands, and he's just grateful that he's not on-duty today. Tomorrow, though, he's not looking forward to work for the short-term. It's gonna hit the fan.”

“I bet. Thanks for coming by. Have you heard from Andrea or Jackson?”

“Nope. You heard from Nathan, I take it?”

I nod, taking the cake and leading her into the loft. It's small, but for the past three weeks, it's been a good enough place to crash. I sit down on the couch, and Darcy pauses before sitting down, looking at the small box on the table. She does a double take and points once she recognizes the name that's upside down on the box. “Is that?”

“Yep. I'm late, and wanted to be sure.”

Darcy picks it up, and sees that it's empty. “You took the test.”

I nod. “I did.”

She gives me a sideways glance, and half a smile. “I've known you for six years, Katrina. You wouldn't be playing coy with me unless the results were something I'd like. Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” I say, still not sure how I feel about it. This was certainly not in my plans, but I have to admit I feel a little thrill about it. “Maybe now I'll get some decent-sized boobs.”

“Either that or you're going to get really good at making formula,” Darcy chuckles. “So you're going to keep it, no matter what?”

I nod, and look at the cake. Hey, I'm hungry, and stress makes chocolate look damn good. “I am. Even if he never comes, I want to keep it.”

“You sound like he may not come.”

I sit back, and turn on the television, where the local news should be starting soon. “Nathan gave him the address, but there's no promise he'll come.”

Darcy gets up and goes to the kitchen area, getting two forks. We've been friends for a very long time, we don't need to worry about plates between us. I start on the right, she starts on the left, and we'll work our way toward the middle. “So are you going to take a chance with him?”

I think about what Nathan told me, about how Jackson had told off Peter, kicking him down when he tried to grab him, and more importantly, how Jackson passed up the money and jewels, taking with him only the handguns to protect his sister while they made their getaway. That's not the Jackson from the limo... hell it's not even the same Jackson who flew with me to Miami and thought that a seventy-five dollar a night hotel was slumming it.