Encountering Evil: Dark Horse Guardians Book Two (13 page)

~ Grant Hawkins ~

Hawk saw the black Infiniti pull away and figured that the man
who looked like a male model was the owner of the purple Victorian. His attention, however, was immediately drawn to Lara standing in front of the house. She was a picture of loveliness in the perfect white sheath that skimmed her long lean body. The floral silk scarf loosely draped around her neck almost disguised the fact that she didn't wear a bra. However, he had good eyesight and could tell she wasn't wearing one. For a second, he let himself wonder if she was wearing panties. Then he chastised himself for thinking such things. He had to focus on the project.

Hawk smiled as he got out of the truck and gave her a little wave. He hoped he looked more presentable today. He had showered and shaved and actually put on a dab of aftershave and used deodorant. These were things he hadn't done since his wife died. He even went so far as to clean and press his clothing. He wasn't sure
why
he was trying so hard to impress her. He told himself it was just good business to be hygienic. Lara was all business as he approached her. He removed his hat and she spoke in that sweet feminine voice, "Good morning, Mr. Hawkins…" He put his hand up, "Please, call me Hawk." Lara held the check out to him, "Here's the one-third down…Hawk." He quickly examined the check and slipped it into his pocket. "So, you're not taking any of this?" he smiled. Lara explained, "No, I had the homeowner make the check out to Secret Gardens. I won't take a percentage." He couldn't stop the little smile that played on his lips. Hawk was thankful for her generosity. He said, "I won't ask why." His hazel eyes twinkled as he scanned her beautiful face.

Hawk strolled slowly with Lara through the
enormous project to make sure she knew how it would be executed. He found it difficult to concentrate on lilacs, roses or tree plantings as he glimpsed at her beautiful face while walking next to her. Her profile was delightful. Her hair was thick and healthy, pinned into a loose chignon at the nape of her neck. The only thing he could think about was the exotic vanilla scent she wore and how lovely her rose-colored lips were when she spoke to him. "I just finished up a project early, so demolition can start today," he told her, "and I should be done with demo in three days. I'll work even if it rains. Not if it pours, but if it's light rain, I'll push right through." Lara smiled and thanked him.  She signed the contract on the hood of her car and he watched as she drove away. He exhaled a sigh of relief. He called his foreman and said, "Hey, when are you guys coming?" The voice on the other end of the phone said, "We're coming with the excavator right now. We pulled the permits to dig yesterday. And we're bringing a shitload of coffee!"

~ Lara ~

Lara picked up Monique, her reliable intern, and drove to the brick mansion in the West End. Diana Farrington was to meet her today for a walk through. The renovation was coming along well and Lara was more than happy with Monique's performance on the job. The girl was a natural. As Lara approached the Farrington residence, she glanced next door where Nadia had lived with her abusive father. The refined home was silent and appeared to be empty. But a shiver ran though Lara as she thought about what had taken place there. While in the Farrington place, Lara gazed out of the window facing the Farouz residence. She could have sworn she saw figures moving about inside the house. Aware that Bettencourt was searching frantically for Nadia’s abusive father, she sent a quick text to him letting him know there
could
be someone there.

Within ten minutes, Randall Bettencourt and one other officer
appeared on the front porch of the Farouz residence. Lara was now glued to the window watching as Diana Farrington made coffee in her kitchen. "What's going on?" Monique asked, obviously curious. Lara gave her the short version, "That's the guy that was beating his daughter…the officers took her to a safe place, but they've been searching for the father. I think they've found him." Monique was now as fascinated as Lara and asked, "Who's that tall handsome policeman?" Lara whispered, "That's Officer Randall Bettencourt, a former Navy SEAL. He's friends with Ben." Monique watched with Lara as Bettencourt breached the front door, but they came out empty handed after thirty minutes. Lara felt it was only right to share the information with Diana Farrington about what was going on next door. Diana was suspicious all along, but still shocked to hear about the abuse.

As Lara and Monique left the Farrington residence, the two police officers were walking along the sidewalk obviously disheartened. "Good try, Bett." Lara said in an encouraging voice.
Facing the two officers, Lara introduced Monique to Bettencourt and noticed her young intern blush. They chatted for a minute and parted. "You liked him, didn't you Monique?" Lara asked, but she really didn't need to. Monique replied, "Yes, he seems nice." Lara had to ask the obvious question, "Would you go out with him if he asked you?" Monique was silent for a moment then said, "Yes, I would." Lara smiled. "Good, I'll let him know and he will ask you to dinner." Monique was aghast, "No, don't
tell him
that I like him!" Lara stopped walking and looked into Monique's eyes, "How else do you think he will know, silly, if I don't tell him. When it comes to women, men are as dumb as rocks!" Both women burst into laughter.

~ Ben ~

Within a day, Ben had his new identity as Doctor Malem Hadad. In a week or so, his beard would be partially grown and he carefully prepared the clothing and kit he would bring on the mission. He had already contacted the other Dark Horse Guardians, and all of them would work the perimeter in case his mission went sideways. They would live in rental units just outside the Islam
-berg compound. Each one of them would take on a fake identity and be in constant communication with Ben with all of the human intelligence they could gather. Everything was in the preparation stage. There was recon to do and intel to collect before Ben ever approached the gate. This had to be a smooth insertion. A collection of names came to them from the FBI and more intel that was old came from a few CIA agents. However, after reviewing the flash drive information Larson gave to him, it was frightening to think that compounds like this existed without law enforcement in the United States. A nagging feeling that felt more like a warning stayed with him as he plotted the mission. He knew this was dangerous on several levels.

Meanwhile, he had done a little recon of his own on a private matter. He followed Lara as she made a visit to Eric Henderson's house to meet with the landscape contractor. Sure enough, the tall handsome Grant Hawkins was showered and shaved and dressed to impress his wife. Ben knew Lara did not believe the landscaper was interested in her. She seemed oblivious to it. Ben read her as being all business with him. However, the way the guy looked at his wife made Ben suspicious. He just didn't trust this guy. He had seen plenty of guys gawk at her, but this guy looked at her like he was hungry. It made Ben uneasy. He knew this was part of his Post Traumatic Stress hyper-vigilance and
hated
the feeling when it overtook him. It was like a steam-roller that he could not stop. He felt an urgent need to protect and defend her. Worse than the hyper-vigilance, was the overwhelming urge to beat the shit out of Grant Hawkins. He made a conscious effort to rein his anger in, but to no avail. It sat like a stone in the pit of his stomach and he didn't dare to discuss it with Lara just yet.

Lara and Monique swept through the door late in the afternoon and Lara announced that she was setting up a date between Bettencourt and Monique. Ben chuckled, "Ah, the match-maker! She matched her mother up with the perfect guy, Monique. I think she's pretty good at this stuff." Monique was blushing but she said she would be willing to go out for dinner if Ben and Lara went along. Ben smiled, "We'll set it up. Don't worry. Bettencourt is a good guy. I can vouch for him." They decided to try dinner at the Seafood Palace the next night.

After Monique left, Ben laughed as Lara composed a brief text to send to Bettencourt with Monique's phone number. Ben was glad they'd be having dinner. He wanted Bettencourt to keep an eye on Lara while he was gone. He had a few things to go over with him regarding the move into Clearwater Farm. He also needed Bettencourt to help Lara with her furniture selections. They were currently living in a furnished condo, so very little would need to be moved, but lots would need to be purchased. Besides helping Lara, Ben knew that Bettencourt was dreadfully lonely, to the point of depression lately. He knew if Bettencourt was exposed to Lara’s personality, especially her sense of humor, she could be a tonic for him when he most needed it. 

~Ali Farouz~

The white Mercedes SUV zoomed past the Maine State line and headed toward Boston. The sheikh had an opulent penthouse condo on Boylston Street. Ali Farouz was plotting a way to get his daughter out of Maine. Those who interfered with his duties as a father would be punished. He had men who took care of such things. Before leaving Maine, he had given the name of Randall Bettencourt to his men and asked them to capture the officer and rough him up, enough so he’d give up the location of Nadia. But don’t kill him until he tells you where she is. He ordered his men to capture his daughter and bring her to him at the penthouse in Boston immediately.

The Sparrow Project was moving along as planned. The biologic agents were provided by a Chinese firm and he had to pay a small fortune to get the weapons grade anthrax for the terrorist attack he was planning to unleash on Boston Stadium on September 11th. He had received a call from Abdul Kahn in Pakistan telling him that a Pakistani doctor would be arriving in a few weeks to oversee the anthrax delivery system for the drones. He would be interested to meet this Dr. Hadad. He knew that Abdul would only give him the best man to oversee this important attack. It had to be spectacular.

He wanted to make sure this strike went according to plan and that thousands of Americans died. This assault would be an extravaganza and would rival New York City's 9/11. He smiled as he imagined thousands of American families sitting comfortably watching a football game and not even knowing they'd be dying within a week. The stupid Americans would not realize they didn't have the flu until it was too late. Then, the YouTube video would be released explaining how he, Ali Farouz, did this for Allah, to weaken America. Killing the infidels was his purpose for living, especially now since his daughter was cavorting with the pigs. Nadia was nothing to him now. She was soiled by the infidels. She deserved to die. It was his duty to honor the family name and kill her. He would have his men bring Nadia to him. No one, not even Randall Bettencourt, would deny him his rights as her father.

~ Bettencourt ~

The text message sent by Lara took Randall Bettencourt by surprise. He was still embarrassed that he stepped on Lara’s foot while dancing with her at the roadhouse. He felt thankful that she took such care dancing with him. There were moments when he wanted to tell Lara everything about himself, but then something inside made him pull back. He didn’t want Ben to think there was anything but friendship between him and Lara.  And, that was the truth.

He imagined i
f he told Lara about losing Elizabeth to his best friend and the Dear John letter he received while deployed, she would probably tell him to get over it. But deep down he knew that was really the only answer. He had plenty of guys to hang with but he could never talk about his relationship with Elizabeth when he was with them. He ached with loneliness for female companionship. He valued Lara's friendship, but he was at war with himself. He had to overcome the foolish embarrassment that took over whenever he tried to share his personal thoughts with her. And, he instinctively felt if he did open up to her, she could help him heal. It was as if she could read his mind.

In a burst of enthusiasm he dialed Monique's phone number and heard her timid voice answer. He didn't know why he was suddenly tongue-tied and his words awkwardly tumbled out, "Um, Monique, this is Randall Bettencourt – we met on the sidewalk – Lara gave me your number…" Monique was polite and friendly, "Yes, I remember you." He swallowed and suddenly his throat felt parched. "Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night? Ben and Lara wanted to eat at the Seafood Palace." Monique quickly responded, "Sure. I can meet you there. What time?" Bettencourt told her to be there at 7:00 PM and hung up. Well, he had a
date
, with a really beautiful girl. Hopefully, this would be the turning point for him. His lanky form sprawled on the old sofa he rescued from the dump. It was covered with a blanket to hide the torn upholstery. He finished off the third beer in the six-pack. Once again he was channel surfing. Nothing of interest was on television and, as usual, Bettencourt fell asleep on the tattered couch.

~ Grant Hawkins ~

The first day of demo on a huge landscaping project was always exhausting and challenging. A light rain started to fall mid-way through the day and at Noontime the lovely Lara arrived in her tiny red Fiat. The crew was pausing for their lunch break and simultaneously their heads turned to watch her walk the long driveway toward him as he sat on the tailgate of his truck. He was muddy and wet and filled with self-conscious awkwardness as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. The sandwich he had been eating was all over his face and clothing. He stood to greet her and his tall muscled form towered over her. "
Hey, Lara…" His hazel eyes caught hers and held them as he willingly awaited her command. She asked, "How are things going, Hawk?" He stopped breathing when she said his name, loving the way she uttered it and trying not to give himself away. In a straightforward manner, Hawk gave her a brief rundown of the project and watched as she efficiently entered notes on her iPad. Then he asked her to walk around to the backyard to confirm the exact placement of the formal rose garden.