Before Matt could fire on the fourth man, he fell to the ground.
Behind the dead thug stood Floyd, holding a shotgun, which Matt had never seen. “Your girl okay?”
He nodded, moving to the front door to wave the all clear to Sean. “She’s outside with my friend.”
“Thanks, buddy,” Floyd said. “I thought I was a goner for sure.”
“I was happy to lend a hand to a fellow Marine.”
“Much appreciated. It might not of looked like I had them on the ropes, but I did.” Floyd winked. “I’ve got to call my brother. He’s the sheriff and this is going to be the biggest thing he’s had to cover in his entire career.”
He saw Sean lead Jena into the garage.
“You’re okay. Thank God.” She wrapped her arms around him, and he felt his heart jump.
“Buster, this is Floyd. Get your butt down here. I got four dead commies on the floor of my garage. You need to come take care of it. I know it’s crazy, but I’ll help you sort it all out when you get here.” Floyd ended the call and sat back down in the chair. “Do you folks mind telling me why these assholes were after you?”
Matt’s CIA training told him to keep his mouth shut. Information was power. Always. He looked at Sean, knowing he wouldn’t share either, despite how much they both liked Floyd.
“They were coming after me,” Jena said, spilling the beans.
Floyd nodded. “Tell me everything, young lady.”
She did, and neither he nor Sean stopped her. Training be damned, Floyd could be trusted. The guy had proven himself, taking out the fourth mobster.
“That’s why we’re headed to Destiny,” Jena said. “Me and these two want to bring down the man behind all of this.”
Floyd glared at the four bodies on the floor. “What a bunch of motherfuckers.” His head snapped back up and he looked at Jena. “Sorry about my language, miss.”
“A very good description in my opinion, Floyd.”
“Smart girl. By the way, you were right. It wasn’t the pump. It was the relay.”
She put her arm around him and kissed him on the cheek. “Told you so.”
They could hear a lone siren off in the distance. Floyd’s brother, the sheriff, no doubt. This would be a delay for sure. They might have to stay in the motel again. Even though another night with Jena would be to his liking, Matt knew it was long past time to get back to TBK and to work on bringing Niklaus to justice.
We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
* * * *
Jena handed her ID to Floyd’s brother, Sheriff Glass. He was collecting all their information for his file, but had already said it was a clear case of self-defense.
“Jena White, you’re from Albuquerque, New Mexico.” The sheriff handed the fake ID back. “My ex lives there. How long have you lived there?”
“Not long. Less than a year.” She smiled, hoping he would change his line of questioning. Keeping her true identity safe was important.
“Buster, you’ve asked your questions. The doc has the bodies at the morgue. What else do you need from these good folks? They need to get back to Destiny and get to work on their case.”
The sheriff nodded. “Let me call Jason Wolfe. He’s the law in Destiny, and if he can verify your stories, I have no reason for asking you to stay in Idaho Springs. I have your numbers if I have any more questions for you.”
* * * *
As they drove past the Destiny sign, the early afternoon sun above in the clear sky lit the landscape in a warm glow. Jena sat in the passenger’s seat with Matt driving and Sean sat in the back.
“This place is beautiful,” she told them.
“That’s what we thought the first time we saw it, too.” Matt drove them over the bridge.