Chapter 70

CHAPTER 70

L OOKS LIKE IT MIGHT STORM,” said Devine as he drove along. They were about twenty minutes away from the Odoms’ home in Kittitas.

Odom had her headphones on and didn’t respond. He had seen earlier that she was watching a movie on her phone.

He had alerted Shore and Rose and given them an ETA. Rose promised that a delicious meal would be awaiting them.

Devine had continually checked the traffic behind him and seen nothing unusual. But that told him that there was probably an army of agents tailing them. He was also sure that Danny Glass would have some of his minions around Kittitas, since the man clearly did not trust the feds to do a proper job.

He glanced at Odom and thought about the promise he’d made to her uncle. That he would sacrifice his life to save hers. Devine had done that very thing in combat, taken an oath and exhibited a willingness to sacrifice his life for his country so that his fellow citizens could live free and in peace.

He had shaken Glass’s hand on it, perhaps an old-fashioned touch, but it had meant something to Glass obviously. And it had meant something to Devine as well.

However, this really had nothing to do with Glass. This had to do with a twelve-year-old girl named Betsy Odom to whom life had dealt an unfair hand and who really had no one else to protect her now, other than Devine.

So if it came to it, he would lay down his life for hers, even though he’d known her only a few days.

Even though it feels like years.

Later, they came to a stop in front of the trailer. The door opened and there stood a smiling Nate Shore. He helped with the bags after hugging Odom and shaking Devine’s hand.

Devine whispered to him, “We need to talk about… stuff.”

“Damn right we do,” said Shore, the smile gone.

“Hey, Bets,” exclaimed Rose, who came out of the kitchen wearing a full-length white chef’s apron.

“Hey, Kor,” said a grinning Odom as they exchanged a hug.

“Hope you’re hungry ’cause I made your fav,” said Rose.

“Cheeseburgers and fries?” she cried out.

“Okay, second fav.”

“Pepperoni pizza with extra mozzarella?”

He high-fived her.

Standing in the doorway watching the pair, Shore said in a low voice to Devine, “Some serious federal dudes come to see me and Kor. They told us ’bout stuff with Betsy and her uncle and all, but I want to hear it from you.”

“You want to hear it before or after the pepperoni pizza with extra mozzarella?” asked Devine.

“How bad is it, really, dude?”

“How active is your imagination?”

Shore grimaced. “Let’s chow down first then. Might be our last time.”

The storm hit right as they were finishing the last slices of pizza, with raindrops pinging off the roof.

“Damn, Korey, that is the best pizza I ever had,” proclaimed Devine.

“He makes his own crust,” said Shore. “Got up early this mornin’ to do it and the sauce, too. For all I know, dude raised hogs and cows, slaughtered ’em, and made his own pepperoni all in eight hours.”

“It’s all in the balance between the pork and beef,” said Rose knowledgably. “And the trick to a great sauce is never to open a bottle or can. Just fresh ingredients and a hand-crank grinder.”

“And elbow grease, and time,” added Shore.

After the meal and some more catching up between Odom, and Shore and Rose, Odom went to her room to unpack.

Devine used this opportunity to fill in Shore and Rose. He didn’t give them all the background on 12/24/65, but said that the “Termites” were dangerous as hell and probably coming for Betsy Odom. He explained that there was protection around them. But he didn’t tell them that the FBI was counting on an attempt on Odom’s life to push Glass over the goal line on his cooperation. That would just further complicate an already convoluted situation.

Devine took out his backup Glock and two extra mags and handed them to Shore. The man expertly checked the ammo, racked the slide, pocketed the spare mags, and put the gun in his rear waistband.

“They go through us to get to her,” he said firmly.

Devine glanced at Rose. “You cool with that, Kor?”

Rose reached over to the kitchen counter and lifted up a long narrow box with a clasp. He opened it and took out a knife nearly a foot in length with a serrated blade four inches wide.

“I don’t really shoot all that good. But I can julienne with the best of ’em.”

“Ain’t no lie,” said Shore. “Dude’s hands move so fast, you can’t even see ’em.”

Later, Devine glanced at the window in the living room, where the light was starting to dim, along with maybe all hope. Despite the reinforcements out there, all Devine could reliably count on was himself and two men he’d just recently met.

Let’s hope we’re enough.