CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“The discs worked,” said Garr, staring at his fiancée . “In fact, they might have worked too well. Maybe we can dial down the voltage a bit.”

“Oh. Oh, sure,” she nodded. “I can definitely do that.”

Garr kissed her, holding her tight against his chest. The fireplace was crackling with the sound of fresh-cut wood, and his mother had brought over peppermint fudge earlier. He popped a piece in his mouth, letting the gooey sugar melt on his tongue.

“I think I’m going to call it the HVD gun, high-voltage disc gun,” she said, looking up at him. He smiled at her, kissing her nose and nodding.

“I like that. HVD is easy to remember and say. We’re always looking for the easy.”

Macie pushed back from him, turning to face him on the sofa. Something was bothering him, and she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

“Sure. Why?”

“Garr, you’re acting very strangely. Are you upset that I was planning the wedding before you even asked?”

“Hell, no,” he laughed. “I should have just asked you the minute I had you in my arms, Mace. I’ve always known I would marry you. I just needed someone to hit me over the head and say do it now.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” she smiled, looking down at the ring on her finger. “I love this by the way. What made you do a sapphire?”

“Sapphire is for royalty, babe. You’re a queen all the way. At least to me, you are.”

“Thank you,” she said, kissing him. “Now, what’s wrong?”

“It’s this shit with the guy we saw today. Like we said, we didn’t know him all that well, but he was one of us. He was a Ranger. I’m having a hard time connecting that he was a Ranger and is now randomly shooting innocent people, including kids.”

“I’m not the expert in this area,” she said softly. “I’d bet that if you ask Calla, Ashley, or Bree, they would tell you that all sorts of things motivate men. Greed, anger, even love. I’m not sure his reasons matter. What should matter for you is stopping him.”

“See, you’re smarter than I am,” he said, nuzzling against her temple, kissing her several times. There was a knock on the door, and he cursed to himself, not happy that his evening with Macie was interrupted.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” he asked Leif and Garrett.

“Our boy Buzz is in the hospital,” said Leif. “Thought you might want to go with us to question him.”

“Hell, yeah,” he said, grabbing his jacket. Turning, he looked at Macie, smiling. “Sorry, Mace, I need to do this.”

“I understand,” she smiled. “I’ll head over to Mom and Dad’s and start talking wedding stuff again. Go find some answers from this guy.”

By the time the three men entered the hospital, they knew exactly where to go. There were police everywhere, security was high, and even the state police were in attendance at the party.

“Is this all for our boy upstairs?” whispered Garrett.

“I don’t know. It seems a bit much if you ask me,” said Garr. “Especially if he’s injured.”

Finding out he was in intensive care told them he wasn’t just injured. He could be near death, and that wasn’t exactly what they wanted. They needed him to stay alive long enough to ask their questions and get some answers.

The two officers on the outside of the room nodded at the men, knowing who they were.

“Evening,” said one of them, nodding at Garrett. “He’s awake but barely.”

“What happened?” asked Garr.

“He was found in an alleyway in the Quarter. Shot twice in the chest. Not sure how he’s still alive other than he knew what to do to help squelch the bleeding. He’s been asking to speak with y’all.”

“Us?” frowned Garrett.

“Well, Garr and Leif. Boy probably won’t make it,” said the officer.

“Thanks, man.” Leif opened the door, staring at the familiar man lying in the bed. He had tubes and wires coming from almost every part of his body. His left hand was handcuffed to the bed, but it was stupid. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“Buzz,” said Garr, staring at the man. His eyes fluttered open, and then he closed them, allowing tears to fall down his face. “Buzz, what the fuck, man?”

“I’m sorry, Garr. Leif. I’m sorry, man.”

“Why? Why are you doing this?” asked Leif.

“It’s so fucked up,” he said in a cracked voice. He was struggling to breathe, and the men stared at him with concern. Garrett looked at the tablet at the end of the bed and perused through the information. Looking up at his teammates, he shook his head.

“Buzz,” started Leif.

“I know. I’m not going to live. I asked them to patch me up just so I could speak with you.” He struggled to get air, and they realized he was telling the truth. The bullets, one hitting his lung, the other his heart, were still in place, unable to be removed. The internal blood loss was excessive, and the damage irreparable.

“Buzz, what happened, brother?” asked Garr.

“It’s all so fucked, man.” He was wheezing, the sound of air coming from places it shouldn’t. His machines were starting to make strange noises. “He wants to cause chaos.”

“Who, man? Who wants to cause chaos? Why?” asked Leif.

“Brockman.”

“Colonel Brockman? Buzz, are you sure? He’s up for a slot on the national defense committee,” said Garr. He nodded, unable to get the words out.

“H-he shot me. He’s behind this. Wants to create division in the country on guns and gun control.”

“Why? That doesn’t help any mission,” said Garr.

“Own. He owns huge shares… Huge shares in gun manufacturers.”

“Which ones?” asked Garrett. Buzz wheezed in and out, his eyes got wide, and he tried to move his hand.

“All of them.”