CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It was well past midnight by the time the team stopped working and headed to their own rooms for much-needed sleep. Emelia and Sebastian showered, crawling into bed together, happy to have some alone time.

“How did this get so big?” she whispered.

“It always does,” he smirked. “I’ve watched the older men, my father, and others, for years. They think something will be simple, and it never turns out that way.”

“I keep thinking about how desperate they must have been to start doing what they’re doing. I know that Myrtle and Mac both lost spouses. Helen lost her husband. I know they probably heard from others in the bridge club who had experienced the same. But to turn to bank robbery is pretty damn desperate.”

“Which only solidifies how big this problem really is,” said Sebastian. “Have you spoken to Maddie? How is she feeling?” Emelia rolled on her side, staring down at his face with a big smile.

“She’s doing great. Four healthy boys. They’ve already put her on bed rest, but she’s working from her bed, of course,” she laughed. “I can’t wait for us to have kids.”

“Me too,” he said, kissing her. “What do you say we practice that now?”

“I say yes,” she purred against his lips.

Sebastian was good at many things, but the way he used his mouth on her body made Em sing. He had the lightest bit of scruff on his face that always tickled her in the right way, teasing her body, her insides always quivering, begging for more.

She never slighted him, either. She enjoyed oral sex with Sebastian. He’d been the first man she ever attempted oral with, and he would definitely be the last. His thick cock, with its perfect purple head, just seemed to scream at her.

Working together these last few days had been difficult. Just as she was focused on work, he’d walk by with his snug jeans, and all she would see was the outline of him.

Sebastian gripped her breasts, massaging as his thumbs and forefingers twisted and tweaked her nipples. For Emelia, it was the thing that always sent her over the edge. Some days, she really believed she might have an orgasm just with breast play.

But they weren’t done. She’d had her orgasm, and he was always determined to give her another while he worked toward his own. Emelia climbed on his body, straddling his hips and lowering herself down, down, down until her breath caught in her throat.

“Why do you have to be so damn big?” she gasped.

“Why are you so perfectly fucking tight?” he growled. “Fuck, baby. That’s so flawless, so right. Keep it up, keep rocking, Em.” He gripped her hips, slamming her harder against him as his body fired upward, driving into her. Flipping her to her back, he pushed her knees toward her own shoulders, opening her wider for him.

“Sebastian!” she gasped. He couldn’t even respond. So breathless and lost in the feelings, his voice wouldn’t come. But his body did.

Slowly, he lowered her legs, letting them adjust to their natural position once again. Laying his forehead to hers, his breathing evened out, and he began kissing her, tasting her sweetness. She smiled up at him as her fingers trailed through his hair.

“I think we need another shower,” she smiled.

“No fucking way. We get in that shower, and I’m going to fuck you all night long. I want to wake up and smell me on you. We’ll shower in the morning.”

“Won’t we want to fuck again in the morning?” she asked with a coy grin.

“Damn right, we will.”

Although they both slept like babies, waking up to news from the home team wasn’t exactly what they wanted. Showered, dressed, and enjoying breakfast, Chief and Hex walked toward the team, frowning.

“What the fuck now?” asked Baptiste.

“We need to find these people now,” said Hex.

“We know that,” said Emelia. “We’re trying. Is there something we don’t know about?”

“A lot,” said Hex. “Hiro and the team found some additional information that we didn’t know before. Helen, Ed, Myrtle, and Mac all have terminal illnesses. Mac is dying of COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It’s advanced, and he can’t get all the meds he needs. Ed has stage three liver cancer. Inoperable. Myrtle has Alzheimer’s.”

“And Helen?” asked Emelia, somewhat concerned.

“She has kidney failure, honey. She’s had it for years, but the dialysis is no longer working. She needs a kidney transplant, but older patients are lower on the list,” said Chief.

“What about the ex-cop? What about Jeffrey?” asked Sebastian.

“Nothing that we can find yet. That feels odd all by itself.” Hex stared at the group. “I think we’ve got to follow more of the trail and see if we can find them. Are you all staying here to make more calls?”

“Nowhere else to be,” smiled Matthew. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

“Where will you be, Dad?” asked Emelia.

“I think Hex and I are going to go have a conversation with our three bridge players in the federal jail. No surprise that none of them have made bail. Maybe they’d be willing to give us a clue as to what’s happening.”

Jeffrey had left earlier in the morning, saying he was going to run some errands, get some groceries for everyone, and make sure that their meeting with his brother was still set. While he was gone, the others just sat around staring at one another.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” said Mac, shaking his head. His coughing fits were happening more and more frequently, his inability to breathe actually creating more issues for the team.

“Just a little longer, Mac,” said Helen. He smiled at his friend, shaking his head.

“It’s okay, Helen. I just want to see the warm waters one more time. I just want to stick my toes in the sand of the beach and listen to the waves.” Helen looked out the window and saw the taxi pull up. “That’s for me.”

“Mac, where are you going? You can’t leave,” said Ed.

“I have to. You know I do. I’m slowing everyone down, and it’s only getting worse. I can’t get my meds any longer. We screwed up. We might have helped others, but we didn’t bother to stop and help ourselves when we needed it.”

“We’ll do that with this money that Jeffrey is getting us. You’ll have your meds by the end of the week,” said Myrtle. Mac hugged Helen, then Ed. Standing in front of Myrtle, he kissed her forehead and smiled.

“I love that you all believe he’s still going to split this money with us, but he won’t. That’s not in his DNA. He’s going to get that money and leave, and I can’t afford to wait around and be disappointed. These last few years have been some of the best of my life. I love you all.”

He grabbed the small duffel bag with all of his belongings in it. Two t-shirts, four pairs of boxers, four pairs of socks, two pairs of trousers, and three shirts. There was one tie and one sport coat, just in case. Wrapped inside the sport coat was a wedding photo of him and Estelle.

As he got into the taxi, he turned and waved at his friends.

“Dulles, please,” he said to the driver. He wasn’t sure if could get through security or not, but he was going to try. Jeffrey had given all of them fake passports and driver’s licenses, but he had no idea if they were any good.

At the ticket counter, he purchased a one-way ticket to Miami. He handed the TSA agent his fake license and the ticket. The man barely looked at it, waving him on through. I guess age does have its advantages. When he boarded the plane, he tucked the duffel above his seat and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

Twice, he woke with coughing fits that had everyone around him concerned, but all in all, it was a good flight.

Two thousand miles away, a young man staring at a computer screen with hundreds of photos passing by his gaze stopped the scroll.

“Hiro! I’ve got something.”

Miami airport was more than Mac could handle. His coughing had worsened in the humidity of South Florida, and the gate agent called for a wheelchair for him. The young man led him outside to the taxi line, where he asked the driver to take him as far south as he possibly could.

“I just need a beach, young man.”

The driver nodded, taking Highway 1 all the way to Key Largo. Pulling into the small park, it was nearing sunset. Mac handed him two crisp one-hundred-dollar bills and thanked him.

“I can wait, sir.”

“No need,” he said.

He kicked off his shoes and coughed so hard he thought he might fall over. Nearly gasping for every breath now, he knew he’d made the right choice. Mac struggled to make his way through the sand, finally able to take a seat at the water’s edge and stick his toes in.

The sun was at the point in the sky where it appeared to be dunking itself into the cool waters of the Atlantic. Mac just stared at it, remembering all the times that he and Estelle used to go to the beach.

He felt someone sit beside him and didn’t even bother to turn.

“Just let me see the sunset,” he said.

“I’m in no hurry, sir,” said Luke. “It’s a beauty tonight.”

“FBI?”

“No, sir. Just someone who’s trying to help.”

“We never meant to hurt anyone. I’m sure all killers say that. I’m usually the most gentle, calm spirit ever.”

“What changed?” asked Luke, still looking straight ahead.

“I lost the only thing that ever mattered to me. A woman who cared for others her entire life while under fire, while in the middle of conflict. She never asked for a damn thing except a treatment no one wanted to give her.”

“Mr. Steiner, this won’t matter at all to you, but the treatment in Germany wouldn’t have helped your wife. The cancer had spread to her brain, and that treatment wasn’t designed for her condition.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t matter to me at all,” he said. He started coughing, and Luke noticed the trickle of blood at his lips. He handed him an old-fashioned handkerchief. It was silly that he carried it, but Grandma always said a gentleman always has one in case a lady needs it. The man smiled, taking it and wiping his mouth.

“Why don’t we get you some help, sir.” Mac turned to see another man on the other side of him. Eric just smiled at him.

“Do me a favor and bury me next to Estelle in my coat and tie. Make sure our wedding photo is with me.” He looked at the young men beside him and nodded. “You’re big boys. That’s good. Our country needs big men to fight for what’s right. My question for you two is, will you fight for what’s right?”

“Sir, right now my grandparents and aunt and uncle are back in D.C. making calls to everyone that was on your list at the bridge club. So far, they’ve bought prescriptions for more than a hundred and fifty people, scheduled more than sixty uncovered tests, and are still making calls. When they’re done, my aunt will be headed to speak with Congress about changing the policies of Medicare and Medicaid.

“I’m not sure we’ll make a huge difference, sir. But for now, we’re making a difference for the people who reached out to you.”

Mac didn’t say anything, his eyes closed, just sitting with his hands over his knees. Eric looked at Luke, then reached over, feeling his wrist for a pulse. He shook his head.

“I guess we call for the coroner,” he said to Luke.

“Not yet,” said Luke, looking up at the setting sun. “He wanted one last sunset. Whether he sees it or not, he deserves this one.”

The two lifelong friends made sure Mac was upright the entire time. When the light of the sun had finally faded, they called the coroner and texted the others.

“We found Mac. He’s gone.”