Page 56 of Shelter for Sharla

“What?What are you saying? All of this was about Taliq?” Sharla’s eyes were almost popping out and her jaw dropped.

“No. It’s about fourteen million dollars and a dead guy, Sharla. A very important dead guy, at least in the gangland world. And fourteen million dollars. A lot of people would kill for fourteen million dollars.” Carter’s hands were shaking as he tried to explain to her. He knew he was repeating himself, but it didn’t matter.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Stay here. At the hospital. As long as you stay here and we alert security, you’ll be safe.”

“What about the kids? They’re at school.”

“Not for long, they’re not,” Cruz answered before Carter could.

“Sam’s already headed that direction to check on them. He should?” Carter’s phone rang and he looked down: Sam. “Yeah?”

“They’re fine. We’re leaving a pair of plainclothes with them. When are the rest of those FBI guys coming?”

“I have no idea, but I hope it’s soon.” Carter was bouncing his heel on the floor as he spoke. He couldn’t help it. It was as though his whole life was coming unraveled and he was powerless to do anything about it.

“Okay. Well, our guys will keep an eye on them, but we need to get them out of here. This place is the worst place in the whole world that they could be.”

“I agree. Campuses are impossible to lock down. Keep in touch with me and your guys out there. And thanks, Sam.”

“Sure thing. We’re on it.” The phone went dead.

“That was Sam. The kids are fine and they’ve got guys watching them.” He thought Sharla would breathe a sigh of relief, but she didn’t.

“Agents are coming in from Louisville and Lexington as we speak,” Cruz said, looking at the screen of his phone. “Just got the text.”

“Okay. You stay here. Don’t leave for any reason, do you hear me?” He squeezed Sharla’s hand. “You’re in the middle of a hospital full of people. You’ll be fine.”

“But the kids?”

“They’ll be fine. We’re handling it. I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you in a little bit, okay?” Carter kissed her forehead before turning to the door. “We need to go. We’ve got things to do.”

“Yeah, things to do,” Cruz echoed, and Carter could tell he was wondering what those things were.Oh, buddy, if only you knew, Carter told himself as they went. “Where are we going?”

“We’re going to my office. There are some things we need to go through.”God will forgive me for lying just this once, Carter thought as they rolled that direction. As soon as they cleared the office door, he looked around and knew it had worked out just as he wanted it to?Edwards was the only other deputy there. “Cruz, can you go to the conference room and find that evidence list? From the robberies?”

“Uh, sure. No problem. Hang on.”

As soon as he disappeared, Carter wheeled on Edwards. “Do you remember those coordinates?”

“No, sir.”

“Good.” Carter pulled the journal from his desk drawer and ripped the page with the markings out of the back. Then he dug through the trash can until he found the strips of paper and Edwards’ work. Lastly, he went to his computer and deleted his cookies and history. That left them unable to trace the proxy server. If they wanted that information, they’d have to work for it.

Stepping outside the front door, Carter stared at the paper. He’d always had an uncanny ability to remember numbers, and these were no exception, especially since lives depended on it. Then he pulled a book of matches he’d found in his desk drawer out of his pocket, struck one, and stood there on the sidewalk, burning the papers.I hope you motherfuckers see me doing this!Carter wanted to yell.I hope you know I’m your only hope, and you’ll have to come through me to get to them!There was a sound behind him and he heard Cruz yell, “What the hell are you doing?”

Carter spun on him. “Me. I’m the only one who has the coordinates now. They want them, they’ll have to come to me. They can leave Sharla and the kids alone, because they can’t do anything for those bastards. It’s me and only me.”

“Carter, what have you done? You might as well have a bull’s eye on your back!” Cruz barked.

“Let them come. They hurt those kids, Sharla, or me, and they’ll NEVER get those coordinates. Never. And I have no intention of giving them up anyway.”

“They’ll torture you until you give them what they want.”

“Then let them come.”Let them come, Carter told himself again. He wasn’t afraid. He’d told that women he’d keep her and those kids safe, and he’d just insured it.

“JesusChrist!” Cruz yelled from behind him and threw the office door open so hard that it banged against the brick. Oddly, Carter felt a strange measure of peace. He’d done what he had to do. When he stepped inside, Cruz was on the phone. “This idiot just set himself up to get killed! What’s the ETA on those agents? Dear god. Okay then. We’ll be waiting like fish in a barrel.”

---