Chapter 22

Max arrived back at Lanchea's mansion. Devlin called him into his office.

Devlin said, "Max, how did it go?"

Max said, "Beautifully, Spider's crew is fantastic."

"Good. I need some more information."

"What would you like to know?"

"I have got as much information on Hammer as I could get. What I want to know now is about this team of his."

"I don't know much about Cal Thomas. I know him and Nick are best friends."

"What about the rest of them?"

"Raven Walker is the Organization's top interrogator. Christina Wu is a martial arts expert. Ryan O'Hara is a computer geek and former Navy Seal. Lilly Rose, I don't know anything about her. She is Paul Smith's adopted daughter."

"Lilly Rose. Do you know where he adopted her from?"

"Like I said, I don't know anything about her. The day I met her is the same day Hammer put me in the hospital."

"Is this O'Hara any good?"

"I am afraid so. He is the best marksman the Organization has. He worked with communications before Hammer came around. He probably already has this place bugged."

"I doubt it. The sweeper team has been going through twice a day now."

"They might not be good enough. I am telling you, he is a real sneaky bastard."

"I want to know everything about each team member. Tell Four to get on it and you go take care of your daughters."

"Will do and thanks."

"You're welcome. When I first met you, I thought you were a sniveling, wretched waste of my time. Who would have thought that you were a lot like me?"

"I didn't, I wanted to kill you that first night."

"Really, why did you want to do that?"

"I figured you took away my best chance at getting my daughters back. I was going to use Montez in a swap."

"That is where we are different, Max. You look at the little picture. I see the whole world. In forty-five days, my plans for total domination begin. I need a man with foresight to help me. Are you that man, Max?"

Max laughed, "Hell yes, I am that man. If I get a little payback on the way, would that be okay?"

"If you are talking about Hammer, the answer is yes. But, in do time Max. I want to make him suffer a while longer. I want to take every living soul he knows and kill them in front of him first. We are going to start with his team first. I need you to get me everything you can on them."

"Sounds good to me. I will get on it immediately."

Devlin, as if in an afterthought, said, "I want the information on this Lilly Rose first; where she was born. How long she has been with Paul. Who her parents were. I wouldn't worry about checking, in our line of work. I don't think Paul would have let her do anything like that before now."

"Okay."

Max left the office.

Devlin kept mulling over the name Lilly Rose.

A couple of days later, the funerals were held. The organization decided to bury them all together. Not a single family member showed up to claim the bodies. Two to three hundred people showed up for the funerals. Nick and his team stood behind the caskets. Christina could not shed any more tears. When the ceremonies were over, everyone, except Nick and Petra, walked to their vehicles. Lilly saw this and wondered. She walked with the team back to Cal's SUV. When they got in a clump of trees, Lilly stopped and looked back at the graves. Cal walked up behind her.

"Let's go Lilly."

Lilly turned to Cal and said, "Cal, all of you go ahead. I will find my own way home."

Cal said, "Okay, but you be careful."

He hurried away. Lilly turned back to the graves in time to see Petra put her hand on Nick's arm and walk away. Lilly watched him stare at the graves. Nick turned and walked back to his car. Petra opened the rear car door and pulled out a flower box. Lilly's curiosity made her stand still. Nick walked over to Petra and took the box from her. He walked back to the graves. Nick opened the box and walked up to the first casket. He pulled out a white long-stemmed rose and placed it on the casket. He said something she could not hear. She walked toward him. Nick saw her, but continued on to the next casket. Nick did the same thing at the second casket. Lilly stopped a few feet from Nick. Nick went to the third casket. He reached in and pulled out two white roses. He laid them on the casket.

"My friend, Haygood. A truer love I have never known. You brought a smile to our Christina's face. I will miss you."

Nick looked at Lilly. Tears rolled down Lilly's face. Nick walked over to the last casket. He pulled a dozen roses out of the box and set the box on the ground. He placed the roses on the casket.

"Melissa I wish I had gotten to know you. No one can hurt you now. I will do my best to look after the girls. I will chase him to the ends of this earth. He will share the same fate."

Nick walked away from the caskets. He turned and bowed to the graves. He walked over and put his arm around Lilly. He walked her back towards the car.

Lilly asked him, "Why do you wait?"

"Because, it is no one's business but mine."

Lilly, still curious, asked, "Why white roses?"

"You are sounding a lot like Raven again. However, I will tell you. You are never to tell anyone, ever."

"I won't."

"My first love was a beautiful Korean lady. I loved her very much. One Valentine's day, I brought her a red rose from the Post Exchange. It upset her greatly. After I got her to stop crying, I asked her why. She told me that red roses were for someone you are dating and that white roses were for your one true love. I told her to wait and I ran two miles back to the Post Exchange. I grabbed two dozen white roses and ran back to her. One year later, to the day, a drunk driver jumped a curb, killing her and my child she was carrying. I laid two dozen white roses on her grave."

"What did they do to the drunk driver?"

"They didn't."

Nick looked at Lilly. She went silent. They arrived at the car.

Petra walked over to Nick and said, "You told her, didn't you."

Nick just nodded and opened the car door. Lilly started to open the back door.

Petra said, "No, sit up front with us."

"Okay."

She got in the car first and slid into the middle. Petra got in behind her. Nick walked around to the other side and got in the driver's seat. He started the car and drove out of the cemetery. Nick broke the silence after he got out on the highway.

"I am going to give everyone a week off."

Petra said, "What do you want to do?"

"I thought we would go to my brother's beach house in Florida."

Petra said, "That sounds wonderful. Lilly, do you want to go with us?"

Nick turned and looked at Petra quizzically.

Petra said, "We need to have fun—not sit in a house for a week."

Nick nodded his okay.

"Lilly, you are welcome to join us," he said.

Lilly got all giddy, "I would love to. I have never been to Florida."

Petra asked Nick, "When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow evening. I figure we will wait 'till the traffic slackens. I'll call Jess in the morning."