"Gee, so touchy," Frank said with a smile, as he got up and steadied himself. "I'm gonna watch the water go by, I guess," he said to Ira as he walked away. He moved slowly up to where Gary stood, and stared out over the water. The waves were choppy and Frank could feel the boat skipping over them. They were hugging the coast line, about a mile out, he figured, and from here the world looked beautiful, he thought, it looked like nothing at all had happened. The vast expanse of water was entirely empty though, and that shattered the illusion. "Worried, Gary?" he asked.
"Nope, I ain't," he replied. "I'm ready as I can be, and I ain't a bit afraid," he added. "You?"
"We talked about it..." Frank said.
"Heard most of it," Gary returned.
"What do you think, Gary?"
"Same as you, Frank, it's a big comfort to know."
Frank nodded his head, and the two men fell into a comfortable silence as the boat skimmed over the water toward Fort Drum.
~ 2 ~
In Rochester, Annie sat in the small studio, staring intently at the television. Beside her John was silent, watching the recording that Frank and the others had viewed earlier.
She had never promised Frank she wouldn't, and she wanted to see for herself what kind of a monster they were sent to deal with. They watched it all, and as they did the paleness that had crept into Annie's face turned red, and her eyes reflected the anger that was building within her. John reacted similarly, and Hank who was also with them refused to watch after the first few minutes, preferring instead to stare idly at the ceiling, as if inspecting it for damage, until the recording finished.
~ 3 ~
In a small run-down apartment on Hudson Avenue, on the north side of the city of Rochester, Willie LeFray sat talking to Alfred Harding.
Al had been with Willie since the day he had arrived in Rochester. Al was devoted. Totally devoted, and Willie knew he would balk at nothing he asked him to do. He stared at the slight red-haired pimple-splattered young man that was Alfred Harding, thoughtfully, before he spoke.
"Today, Al, today. Take three or four of your guys with you. Do you think you can handle it, Al?" Willie asked.
"Oh yeah, Willie, sure, sure I can," he responded.
He's like a fuckin' puppy dog, Willie thought, before he spoke. "Okay wonder-bread, it's on you. You get that bitch, and you get her alive, understand?"
"Sure, sure I understand, Willie, what're you gonna do to her, huh? Gonna kill her or something, Willie?" his eyes shone with adoration as he spoke.
"Don't worry, Al. Tell you what, you want to do her first, Al? Before I do what I have to?"
"Oh sure, Willie, that would, you know, that would be cool, I think," Alfred answered fairly drooling with anticipation.
"Okay, Al, calm down. Now tell me what you're gonna do," Willie asked.
"Sure, Willie," he answered. "We're gonna sneak in, and we ain't gonna kill nobody unless we hav'to. We're gonna get this Annie and we're gonna bring her back to you... Not hurt," he added hastily.
Willie took a long swig from the bottle between his legs. "Good, Al, very good, now get the fuck out of here and get ready, 'cause in just a few, you're going," Willie said.
"Sure, I'm gone already, Willie," Alfred said as he got up and beat a hasty retreat out of the living room, and through the front door.
Willie listened as the door slammed shut behind him, and took another long pull on the bottle.
He had run out of the white powder. He could settle for cocaine, he supposed, there was a virtual glut of it just laying around waiting to be picked up, but after the magic white powder that Luther had given him, cocaine was nothing.
He had fully expected to be dead by now, and it baffled him that he wasn't. He hadn't eaten in ten days or better, and he'd had nothing to drink that didn't contain alcohol in at least as many days. He sighed. "Fuck it," he said aloud, as he took another swig from the bottle.
The phone on the coffee table suddenly burred, and Willie nearly choked before he managed to swallow, and then quickly snatch the phone from the table.
"Yes," he said into the phone, in a small voice. "Yes, today, Luther," he set the phone back down and got serious about killing off the half empty bottle, "No place to hide, nowhere to go," he muttered as he drank.
~ 4 ~
Annie was angry...No, she corrected herself, pissed off big-time, not just, or only mad, pissed off big-time, in big capital letters. She envisioned it in her mind, PISSED OFF BIG-TIME, that's what she was she told herself, as she sat at the small table and stared at the blank screen of the television monitor.
John spoke. "You okay, Annie?"
"No, I'm not," she said, "I'm Pissed off... Big-time," she said vocalizing the thought. "What a rotten piece of shit he is," she said, referring of course to Luther.
"Yeah, he's a piece of work all right," John agreed with a sigh, "you've got to let it go though, Annie, we have things to do, and you can't allow your anger to get in the way of it."
"I know that, John," she said, still angry, "I'm trying to get a handle on it, okay?"
"Okay," John said soothingly, as he got up. "Want some coffee?"
"Yes," she replied, a little bit calmer, "that might help."
"Be back," John said, as he walked off.
Hank
