"In the end" - part two- continued...
It was, indeed, a nightmare.
Joey marched through the wild, still intent on his task,
still stopping to yell Levon’s name from time to time, still getting no answer.
Still frustrated, still in pain.
Still wet.
The rain fell hard but steadily now, lightning shining
on his path, thunder keeping him on his toes. The sky had turned almost black
now, cold wind howling above his shouting. Dry leaves and debris floated around
in madness, dust fighting to get into his eyes.
It was the roar of nature, and Joey was right in the
middle of it.
“Lundy!” he yelled for the hundredth time. His throat
was getting sore now, he really hoped he wasn’t getting a cold.
He stopped for a moment, trying to stay clear of the
tallest trees. Lightning didn’t scare him much, but he wasn’t stupid.
‘So, I’m under a terrible storm, ON FOOT, walking dangerously close to
a wild river... a wild COLD river, wet to the bone, hurt, tired and exposed to
all the elements... but I’m not stupid.’
‘Okay, maybe a little…’
“Lundy!” he yelled again, he was aware of the fact that
no one would be able to hear him now with all this wind, but he wouldn’t stop
trying.
There had been blood in the hat.
After some time, he finally came across a clearing about
twenty feet wide that bordered the river. On the far side, there was a section
of higher ground beside some bushes that faced the side of a small hill, which
offered a small bit of shelter. He decided to take an equally small break and
headed there.
After climbing a few feet, he reached it, and from there
he saw the far side of the hill and an opening on his right that went down a slope
he hadn’t seen before. Apparently the hill was a lot higher on the other side.
Okay, the ground was lower. Oh, whatever! He was so tired now, but didn’t dare
sit down; it would be too hard to get up again, so he leaned on the rocks behind
him instead.
Water poured, soaking the ground, and the shower seemed
to be gaining strength with every passing minute. The Italian was really cold,
he shivered more and more but tried to control it; his shoulder was killing him
but he tried not to think about it, he thought about his partner instead and that
alone renewed his energies and resolve.
‘I’m coming Lundy! Hang on.’
He scanned the sky trying to assess the severity of the
situation. Thunder sounded closer now as well. Joey knew he had to find Levon
fast. If the storm turned into something worse they both would be in a heap of
trouble.
He took the hat off and studied the bloody stain again.
It looked like something had hit it straight on the right side (Or the left? Which
side goes in front? Rats! How does this thing GO?), and the impact had made a
hole.
‘Damn! I hope this didn’t go as I think it did... Whatever it was that
hit you, it probably knocked you down and into the damn river... Lundy... Oh man!...
You must have a concussion... Don’t fall asleep Lundy...Wherever you are, don’t
fall asleep.’
He thought about the other three times Levon had been
wounded on the head. Two of those three had turned out a lot worse because Joey
hadn’t been able to keep Levon awake. The damn Texan was so stubborn! Fear grasped
Joey’s stomach and tied it in knots. He sighed.
‘Don’t fall asleep, you idiot!’
Glancing ahead at the river, he could appreciate the
strength of the current a lot better from this point; it wasn’t encouraging. Lundy
could be many miles away by now, Joey had no way of knowing.
‘Shit!’ He thought, ‘If only I’d joined the boy scouts like my mother wanted!’
He had no more time to think as the ground suddenly gave
in under his feet.
He didn’t have time to scream either.
oooo0000oooo
Reisner
Police Department Building
Late
It
was late. The Major Crimes bullpen was supposed to be deserted by now, but Joanne
Beaumont hadn’t gone to sleep yet. She was tired, she was frustrated and, most
of all, she was furious.
Joe
Bill McCandless entered Joanne’s office with a stack of folders under his arm
and a cup of coffee in each hand. He handed one to Joanne.
“Here,
Lieutenant. Black, two sugars.” He nodded at his partner, put the other cup on
the table and opened a folder. “And I finally got the official papers. Ferguson
won’t go nowhere again now, he’s all ours. He still ain’t talkin’ though.”
“Thanks,
Joe Bill.” Joanne took a sip of coffee and rubbed her tired eyes.
Joanne
Beaumont stood outside her office and swore loudly. How could this have happened?
She
didn’t know how late it was, but she didn’t intend to go home until this mess
was solved, and the way this was going, it wasn’t going to be solved soon.
She
swore loudly again.
Esteban
Gutierrez sat in the chair in front of her desk, headphones on his head, listening
to one of the FBI tapes. He suddenly swore in Spanish. Up until now he’d been
silent, listening to the recording.
“What?”
asked Joe Bill.
“Ferguson
even had recordings of our private meetings. I just heard what happened between
Lundy and La Fiamma yesterday.”
“Oh,
man!” Joe Bill exclaimed, “God, I can’t believe those people did this! Joanne
we need to file a lawsuit or somethin’ they just can’t get away with this!”
“No,
they can’t,” Joanne said, “and we are gonna do somethin’ about it, but I’m concerned
about Conti now. He’s out and I don’t know if he knows where La Fiamma went.”
“I
think we should be concerned about Ferguson too. If the FBI cut him loose and
we can’t hold him, he may want to go find Lundy and La Fiamma later. I reckon
he ain’t so pleased for what happened… and for losin’ his job!”
“Yeah,”
Joanne agreed. “We gotta be on the lookout for both of them, that’s our first
priority.”
“But
what about Joe and Levon right now?” Esteban interjected. “Shouldn’t we be letting
them know?”
“I’ve
been callin’ La Fiamma on the cell phone the whole night. I guess he’s got no
signal,” Joanne said. “There’s a town near the place where the cabin is, my father
knows the sheriff and I asked him to call him. He’ll get the boys to call home
as soon as the storm’s over. They’ll be okay, you’ll see.”
“Besides,
if they’re out of town they’re safer, right?” Joe Bill added.
“They
would, if no one knew where they were… and Conti had no way of knowing,” Esteban
took the tape recorder and shook it. “However, these things... They ain’t reassuring.”
“Oh,
shit!” Joe Bill slapped his thigh in frustration. “That FBI son of a bitch knew
all about the fishing trip!”
“It’s
all right!” Joanne repeated. “He’s in lockup.”
“No,
you don’t understand! He must have told Conti! I bet that’s why he was at the
hotel!”
“Shit!”
Joanne swore. “You’re right!”
Esteban
and Joe Bill stared at each other, silent communication between them came easy
after the four and a half years they’d been partners. Esteban shook his head and
Joe Bill nodded, they turned to their boss in expectation. They knew she could
read them too.
“I’ll
call my father again.”
Joe
Bill closed the file in his hand. “I’ll get Ferguson.” He said.
Esteban
grunted and rubbed his knuckles.
oooo0000oooo
The mountain lion had led Levon into the woods and right
inside a small cave on the side of a rocky hill; then it had stared at the Texan
for another minute or so before turning away and leaving. Levon was in shock,
baffled by the creature’s strange behavior. ‘Nobody’s gonna believe this!’ He thought, ‘A mountain lion… Jeez Louise!’
He glanced around; the cave wasn’t too big, just about
the size of Levon’s bathroom, and the entrance was smaller than the inside so
it proved to be an exceptional shelter against the storm building up outside.
Marks on the ground and walls told Levon he hadn’t been the only one using this
place; other people had camped inside… recently. Maybe someone would come by with
the storm and help him get back to the cabin…. Maybe.
As he examined the place, Levon noticed a marked improvement
in his hearing when another lightning bolt fell close by. He shivered... That
memory was way too recent.
Exhausted and hurting, he had carefully lowered himself
to the ground, mindful of his wounds, and just as carefully began checking the
soaked backpack; there was not much to save.
The pack contained a medical emergency kit, but it had
been broken and only a few things remained. There was a water bottle (not that
he would need it now, he’d had enough water for a lifetime), and a blanket, really
wet as well. Everything else had either been lost in the river or ruined. Levon
opened the inside zippers and found a red plastic tube. He smiled at the content;
he had matches now, dry matches. He also had some aspirin (good merciful God!)
and a very informative pamphlet containing all kinds of advice for camping emergencies.
That’s always good to have.
Someone had made a fire inside this cave before, the
remains of it still lingered on the floor. Maybe it could be lit again... if he
threw more stuff in it as fuel. There were some scattered wooden sticks and pieces
all over the place; he just needed to pick them up.
But he was so tired and cold, and in pain.
Outside, the weather was steadily becoming the shower
from hell.
He closed his eyes for a second, his mind weary and confused.
‘NO! Lundy, don’t fall asleep. Wake up!’
“La Fiamma?”
‘You ain’t supposed to sleep when you’ve been hit on the head, you know
that!’
‘What’ya doin’ here, La Fiamma?’
‘Go get those sticks and make a fire, come on, Cowboy. You’re gonna freeze
to death if you don’t do it soon!’
‘Quit all that yammerin’, boy, I ain’t in the mood’.
‘Well, then go do it! Make a fire, go on!’
‘I heard you! You don’t need to tell me again!’
‘Well, if you did what I was telling you instead of just sitting there,
I wouldn’t have to repeat myself!’
‘La Fiamma, you go naggin’ worse than a wife!’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah... Come on, now! I’m waiting!’
‘I’m wounded here!’
‘Oh, don’t be such a wimp! It’s not that bad... You’ve had worse, lotsa
times!’
‘La Fiamma!’
‘Come on! I ain’t getting any younger!’
‘I swear, when I’m up and about I’m gonna kick your ass numb until ya shut
your hole.’
‘I don’t see you walking!’
“Will you cut it out, La Fiamma?”
Levon’s own voice echoed inside the small cave and startled
him awake. He hadn’t noticed when he’d started drifting off. He could hear himself
better now; apparently his ears were improving. He opened his eyes.
Joey wasn’t there. He was alone.
Why had he been dreaming that?
Levon chuckled wearily, “Even in my sleep you’re a nag,
La Fiamma... Even in my sleep.”
He sighed. Dream or not, Joey was right. He couldn’t
allow himself to go to sleep; it was dangerous, he knew that... He had learned
that lesson the hard way.
Ten very painful minutes later he had a small fire going,
the smoke puffing generally towards the outside. Levon hadn’t realized just how
cold he had been until he began to feel the heat. His sore muscles needed rest
from all the shivering and even the blanket had begun to dry off. His head had
started bleeding again but he had managed to wrap the wounded side with his ever-present
bandanna.
‘Finally it does somethin’ useful!’ That was
Joey’s voice again.
Levon half smiled, forcing his drowsy mind to stay focused.
Outside, the storm was a full forced monster, wind and
rain leaving their savage mark upon the land. Levon slowly began the agonizing
job of cleaning his other wounds, oblivious to the fact that his best friend was
out there, under the storm, looking for him.
ooooo00000ooooo
Joey fell down the slope, the ground beneath him had
turned into mud and gave in under his weight. He fell for what seemed like a long
time and finally landed hard on the bottom. Rocks and mud, dirt and debris...
rain, plants… everything seemed to attack him at once. He hadn’t fallen from too
high, but it had been high enough to knock the wind out of him. His shoulder screamed
at him in wild agony and for a second he could only be still and gasp... His eyes
were closed, so he never saw the rest of the rocks coming toward him.
The whole thing crashed on top of the Italian, a rock
hitting him square on the side of the head.
He blacked out before the next blow.
oooo0000oooo
Joe Bill and Gutierrez stepped out of the interrogation
room and slammed the door. They had just finished questioning the suspect.
And they were frustrated and furious.
Ferguson was a professional! He had dealt with crime
and criminals all his life. He was familiar with all procedure…
Let’s face it: he was good!
After hours of denying having seen Conti, he suggested
that maybe the man they were looking for was on his way back to wherever he had
come from. Or maybe they should ask La Fiamma, since it was no news that they
were close.
Right at this point of the conversation he laughed.
Joe Bill had to stop Esteban from breaking Ferguson’s
nose.
As the two detectives left the room, Ferguson leaned
back on his chair and meditated.
‘Damn you Joe La Fiamma!’ he thought,
‘Conti better finish the job he started before these bozos head out there to save
you.’
oooo00000oooo
‘Wake up!’
Levon jerked awake to the sudden Italian yell. “What
the....”
He looked around. The small fire was dying, and outside
the storm was still going. He shook his head to clear it and regretted the move
instantly. “Aw, hell!” the soft Texan drawl killed the silence inside the small
cave, just as a chill ran along Levon’s spine. He pulled the blanket around him,
it wasn’t completely dry yet, but it was better than nothing. He felt the heat
radiating from his whole body. He had a fever, that was for sure.
Lundy tossed a couple of dry sticks into the fire and
watched it come alive again. All recent events began pouring into his tired mind
and he allowed himself to be lost in them. He wondered where he was, it was impossible
to know how far he’d gotten downriver before coming to. He could be many miles
from the cabin by now.
‘Damn, La Fiamma!’ He thought, ‘Yer gonna have a field day tryin’ to find me.’
He tried to picture his partner walking along the wild
trail, all suited up dandy and walking in those expensive Italian loafers, frowning
behind his ever present sunglasses and cursing the entire state of Texas for not
having chairs and phones all over the forest.
Levon smiled. His head began throbbing again but it was
still bearable. He kept thinking about his partner in the woods, never for a second
imagining how close to the truth that was. Poor Joey...
‘I meant every word.’ The words rang inside his mind as if La Fiamma was right there with him.
Levon’s smile faded, the dark feelings that had plagued him for two days coming
back to him as strongly as the storm outside, as painful as the wound in his head.
It was true, Levon had had so much time to think lately,
but had he really done it? Had he really put some effort into it? He only remembered
those four words, nothing else. Man! His head was killing him.
“Why did you say that, La Fiamma?”
‘I was conning the guy, you idiot! I needed him to think I didn’t care
about you!’
“Why would you be conning a guy, La Fiamma?” he noticed
his own voice weakening with the increasing pain.
‘I meant every word.’
“Don’t change the subject, boy, I ain’t done talkin’
with you.” Levon’s head was on fire, and at the same time felt heavy and numb.
He was tired... so tired...
‘Don’t fall asleep!’
“Say what?” he slurred.
‘Lundy! Don’t fall asleep!’
oooo0000oooo
“Come on! Wake up!”
Blue eyes opened to meet bright black ones. Someone was
talking to him, it seemed from a far away place. Joey tried to sit and groaned
in pain, his whole body hurt badly.
“Easy there, pal. Easy”
Someone helped him sit up. He noticed he was no longer
under the rain and there was a heat source somewhere nearby; he could still hear
the rain falling but the sound was muffled somehow.
The weary Italian glanced about, studying the place:
It was a room. Wooden walls, wooden floor. Small, dark and clean. A window ahead,
a chimney over there, a cot below... and a strange man right in front him.
“What happened?” his own voice sounded hoarse, he coughed,
“Who are you?”
“I found you out there in the storm. You were drowning
in mud. Another minute or so and you’d be talkin’ to the spirits right now!”
Joey shook his head. It ached. He brought a hand up his
temple and felt a bandage. Another big hand stopped his own and brought it back
down “Don’t touch it. You were bleeding some. I cleaned it the best I could and
put some roots of pejuta on it. It’ll heal.”
Joey raised an eyebrow and fought the sudden dizzyness
that attacked him. Things were beginning to get clear inside his head, including
his memory.
“I was up... I fell... it was raining...”
“It still rains, hoss, it’s gonna rain for hours. Then
it will stop and we’ll get some decent sleep. Thunder always wakes me up at night,
ever since I was a boy. I never liked it, it’s bad for your ears.”
Joey got dizzy again and closed his eyes trying to stop
it. The clear deep voice of the stranger was somehow soothing, and made Joey feel
a little bit better. Something touched his dry lips and he opened his eyes, it
was a cup with hot liquid.
“Drink it.”
“What is it?”
“Pejuta…. Medicine... drink it!”
Joey frowned as he drank, it wasn’t sweet but not bad
either. His head was getting clearer by the second and he took a moment to study
the man before him. He was a sturdy, well
built man in his forties or fifties, he had long dark hair all the way down to
his waist, his eyes were deep black and his features obviously Native American.
He wore black pants, a brown shirt and a leather vest; a single colored feather
hung from a bead necklace around his neck and there was a small scar above his
left eyebrow.
Those eyes... Joey had seen eyes like those before...
a long time ago...
The man sat in silence, letting the Italian scan him.
By the time Joey was finished the man was smiling.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
Joey looked up, a haunted look flashed in his eyes and
quickly dissappeared. “Nah!” he dismissed, “You just remind me of someone I used
to know.”
“You used to know?”
“How long was I out?” Joey changed the subject. If the
man noticed anything, he didn’t say it.
“I found you about an hour ago, you came to sometime
later but it took me a long time to make you come back to the ground. You were
flying very high; kept wanting to go back in the rain.”
Back in the rain.
Lundy!
Joey sat upstraight as fast as he could and grabbed the
edge of the cot fighting another dizzy spell. “Lundy!” he whispered, “I gotta
go find him... He’s hurt!”
“How so?”
“I don’t know, I found his hat, it was all bloody. I
have to go find him!”
“You won’t make five steps out the door in the state
you are now. Why don’t you give it some time?” the man asked frowning.
“No, I have to go find him!” Joe used all of his strength
to get out of the cot and tried to walk; unfortunately, his legs didn’t respond
and he fell down on his knees to the hard wooden floor. His whole world began
spinning.
The man was instantly by his side, a hand holding him
steady, “Hey, easy man, your legs are still sleeping.”
“Damn!” Joey muttered, clenching his teeth and breathing
hard. The dizzyness began to subside.
“Come on, get back on the bed for a little while. You
can go back out there after the rain.”
“You said it was gonna rain for hours.”
“That’s about as long as it’s gonna take your legs to
come back to you.”
Joey let the man help him back on the cot and sighed.
This wasn’t good. He needed to go find Levon, but what good would he be when he
couldn’t even walk on his own?
“Damn it to hell!” he cursed again.
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”
“Yeah?” Joey groaned as he let the man help him to lay
back down. “How do you know?”
“Same as I know it’s going to rain for hours”
“Ha!” The Italian closed his eyes and tried to stay calm.
Levon was out there, he had to go find him. But in order to do that he had to
get better, and quickly. His head was pounding, his whole body ached and his shoulder..
Hey, wait a second…
“Hey, oh!” Joey exclaimed.
“What?”
“My shoulder, it was dislocated… What happened?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore?”
“Yes it hurts… It hurts a lot. It was dislocated!!!…
But I can move it again… Did you fix it?”
“I tried, but it wasn’t that bad… I think the fall fixed
it for us.”
“Oh.”
“Oh.” the man smiled again and threw another log to the
fire. “So, what’s your name?” he asked after a few seconds.
“I’m Joe… Joe La Fiamma, and you?”
“Gordon Lightfoot… No relation.”
“To who?”
“To ‘whom’”
“What?”
“Forget it!”
“There’s another Gordon Lightfoot?” Joey yawned.
“Of course there’s a…” the man frowned again, “Where
have you been?”
The Italian rubbed his aching forehead trying to fight
the sudden drowsyness. “Exiled... in Houston,” he said.
“Exiled?” Lightfoot sat back down in the chair and shook
his head. “Bummer!”
“Tell me about it!” Joey felt his head pounding in painful
rhythm, like his brain was being used as a very loud drum.
“Still, you should’a heard about Gordon Lightfoot in
Houston.”
The Italian closed his eyes, trying to will the pain
away, “Why? Is he running for president?” he said.
“God help us, no!” Gordon chuckled, “Although some people
may think that would be an improvement”. He leaned over to check Joey’s head bandage
and kept talking, “So.. who’s Lundy?” he asked.
Joey sighed. He was very tired, but he was also very
worried. “My partner.”
“In crime?”
“Kind of. We’re police officers.” Joey yawned, the the
herb tea was taking effect now and he suddenly felt the pain subsiding.
“Oh. “ Gordon smiled widely. “Is he exiled too?”
“Nah. He’s the one in charge of my torture.”
“How so?”
Joey yawned again. “He plays country music in the car...
all the time… every day.”
Lightfoot chuckled, “Jeez! That must be a bitch.”
Joey’s eyes were too heavy, he tried to talk but the
words came out all slurry. “You have no idea.”
Gordon threw another blanket on top of Joey and waited.
“God! What was in that tea?”
“Medicine!”
“Right.” Joe could feel his mind giving in to that sleeping
potion he’d been given. He couldn’t keep his eyes open. “Hey listen,” he yawned
again.
“Yes Joe?”
“Thanks for saving my life.” Joey couldn’t fight it any
longer. After another big yawn he started feeling lighter, as if he were flying.
Without meaning to, he let his guard down and finally allowed sleep to take him.
“You’re welcome, son.” Gordon leaned back on his chair
and took a sip of tea.
oooo0000oooo
‘Wake up!’
“Shut up, La Fiamma!”
‘Wake the hell up!’
It was a dark house, Joey’s face was bloodied, his eyes
closed, maybe forever, by the exploding grenade. Still he stood ready, beside
his friend, his sleeping friend.
‘How could I let myself fall so far?’
‘Lundy! This ain’t no nightmare!’
‘What?’
‘Lundy.
Look at me!... Am I in uniform?’
‘No!”
He answered slowly. “You ain’t..’
‘Then
this is not a dream, Levon Lundy...
Wake the hell up!’
Bang, bang!
Two shots echoed inside Levon’s head. He woke up, sweating,
and found himself propped against the wall, the blanket had fallen from his shoulders.
He looked around the cave and remembered the dream. That had been more than three
years ago. It had been way too close that time; they had almost been killed by
those booby traps inside that crazy man’s house. That time, when Levon had been
attacked by all those horrible nightmares, back when he lost track of reality,
sort of like now. Everything was fuzzy this time, reality mixed up with dreams
and memories. It was a sure thing, he was feverish, really feverish.
The Texan groaned, “I shoulda known!”
He sighed audibly, reaching for the water bottle.
“Can’t believe it. I managed to stay alive after lightnin’
almost hit me, I almost dodged that damn tree, I didn’t drown, I got outta that
river, avoided bein’ eaten by Lassie, only to have a gawd damned little fever
kill me.”
‘Ain’t nobody gonna kill you but me, you hear that Lundy?’
The phrase came out of nowhere, it was a not so distant
memory from another place, a different nightmare.
‘La Fiamma, get the hell out of here!’
‘No.’
‘La Fiamma....
Damn it! Boy!
I can’t get loose. Get out of here!’
‘NO!’
‘Shit! La Fiamma, I’m gonna kill you!’
‘Get in line!’
‘Will you shut up for just a second, Lundy? You’re making me dizzy and
besides... I almost got it!’
‘Forget it! Ain’t no use... It ain’t comin’ loose, La Fiamma! You need
to get outta here!’
‘Yadda, yadda,
yadda... You talk too much... Aaah!’
‘What happened?’
‘Nothing.’
‘La Fiamma... You’re bleedin’!’
‘Quiet!’
‘Joe!’
‘Lundy.... get this through your head... I’m not letting you die, pal...
not here, not now...’
‘...but...’
‘Enough!’
‘Shit!’
*chuckle*
‘Joe.’
‘Shut up.’
‘What if... what if you can’t stop it?’
‘*Sigh*... Then… Hell, at least
I’m not letting you die alone, my friend, no way! You go, I go!... End of story!’
‘Joe!’
‘Levon!’
‘Damn it!’
‘That’s the spirit!’ *chuckle*
‘You’re such a subborn mule.’
‘I learned from the best! Anyway, I’m still.... woah!’
‘What?’
‘Hey! I think I...Yeah! .... I did it! Shit! Lundy! I got it! I got it!...
Come on, let’s go!!’
‘La Fiamma!’
‘I know I know... Just hang on to my shoulder, I’ll carry you out.’
‘La Fiamma!’
‘Come on!!!’
‘OH shit!!!’
‘Come oooooooon!!!’
‘Oh shiiiiit!!’
KABOOM!!!
Levon opened his eyes, startled back to the present by
the awful memory of that warehouse blowing up behind him and his partner and sending
them flying forward to the stony ground. That had been what? Two years ago? He
had been hurt real bad that time, and Joey...
“Hell, La Fiamma, why do you keep doing things like that?”
For the first time since that FBI man had approached
him, Levon tried to figure out why... Why had Joey said that? Why did it all happen?
Why did you say that La Fiamma?
‘I was conning the guy.’
“Why would you want to con a guy?” Levon tried to concentrate,
“Why would I want to con a guy?”
‘I needed him to think I did’t care about you?’
Why would you need to do that? Why would I need to do
that?
‘... I’m not letting you die, pal... Not here, not now...’
The truth fell on him like a meteorite. It was so clear!
It had always been this clear, only Lundy’s head hadn’t been clear enough to see
it. Funny how feverish delirium can clear a guy’s mind.
Levon closed his eyes and let his head rest against the
wall. “Damn! Why didn’t you say anything La Fiamma?”
‘I tried...’
“But I wouldn’t listen.” He finished.
Levon mentally slapped himself. What had he been thinking?
It was such a petty little thing, so stupid, and yet, he had acted like a schoolboy.
Without meaning to, he had allowed the FBI bastard to have his way, he had played
the damn game, and both he and Joey had lost.
Joey.
He had been conning a guy.
Why?
Because he needed to.
The Texan did what he should have done from the beginning,
what he’d been trained to do, he took a long hard look at the case from a cop’s
point of view. No emotions to cloud his judgement, just the facts.
The conclusion was right there: “He was probably tryin’
to kill me.” So simple. So logical.
So hard to reach.
‘I meant every word.’
Levon shook his head. “How come I don’t believe you now,
partner?”
Levon smiled, this time allowing the renewed feeling
of friendship wash his doubts and sorrows away. Because in the end, that was what
Joey was, right? His friend! A friend
who had proven himself time and time again! A friend who refused to abandon Levon,
even when he was at his worst, when the death of Caroline had hit him the hardest...
he’d been there. When his grandma had told him she was dying, Joey had been there.
When a bomb was about to kill him, Joey had been there,
bruised, beaten and bleeding, desperately trying to set him free, refusing to
leave him to die alone.
Refusing to leave, in fact, Joe had been willing to die
with him.
He was prepared to die for him!
Joey had been there, all the time, for five long years.
And Levon knew he had been there for his friend as well.
Five long years.
And now, Joey had said a big bunch of lies to save Levon’s
life... again, and the Texan was grateful for every single one of them.
‘I meant every word.’
Levon smiled once again. “Yeah. I know you did, my friend.
I know you did.”
‘Don’t fall asleep.’
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
Back to the Texan
Dungeon