Headhunters by Charlie Cole Read Free Book Online

enjoyed the sound of the liquid and the ice dancing together in
the glass. I took a moment and sipped the lemonade quietly enjoying the sweet
sourness of it. Finally, I looked up at Bev.
    “$10,000 over asking and I want the agreement tonight before
I fly back. I can give you the earnest money today,” I said and for a moment, I
thought Bev might faint.
    On the flight back I began to think about the break-in
again. It was almost certainly Randall Kendrick’s people. It might even be
those two agents he’d had with him the last time. I made a mental note to find
out who they were in case we ever crossed paths again. In all honesty, it
angered me that Kendrick would break in. He knew me, knew who I was and what I
stood for. I never betrayed him. I never horded information or stole it. What
could he have wanted?
    And then, in that same second, I realized that I just didn’t
care. Somehow, now that I was out, it just didn’t matter anymore. Kendrick had
agents in the field, operations in play, offshore accounts to monitor and
phones to tap. I was the least of his worries. Perhaps now he’d leave me alone.
And if I was out of sight, perhaps I’d be out of mind too. The further away I
could be, the better. I felt a warm comfort slip over me about this move then.
It was the right thing to do. I let myself drift off to sleep.
    I felt myself dreaming and couldn’t stop it. I acknowledged
that I’m a control freak. I didn’t like to dream. Things had a tendency to spin
out of control and not be what they ought in dreams. In my dream, I was back at
the crash site where Claire had died and I was jumping over the guard rail and
running, stumbling down that hill. It was so dark that I could barely see and
my stomach dropped as my feet tried to keep up with my momentum. And then I
heard Claire calling for me. In my dreams, she was still alive. I ran faster,
and came to a crossroads and another guard rail.  I leapt over it only to
realize that it’s the same one from the beginning of the dream. I’m on some
kind of loop, repeating what I’ve done, yet unable to get off. I come to the
same railing again and again. Claire is screaming now and I pump my legs hard,
running down the hill, until I finally see the car again.  I slide to a stop
beside it and I throw the door open. This black howling shape bursts from the
car and is on me, shoving me back, forcing me down, its face inhuman but it’s
screaming at me in Claire’s voice: “Why? Why?! WHY?!”
    I awoke with a start and nearly tipped over the drink of the
man sitting next to me on the first class flight.
    “Oh, sh— sorry… sorry,” I mumbled. He smiled, nodded, told
me it was okay and then thankfully ignored me. I sighed and slumped back in the
seat.
    Things happened quickly after that. I moved the kids between
semesters. We hired a professional mover and relocated to Chicago. We decided
to celebrate Christmas in the new house. I spared no expense. We had a gorgeous
tree delivered and we decorated it together. I went shopping for the kids, then
let Alaina take some cash and do shopping herself. We had a wonderful holiday.
After the last of the Christmas wrapping was thrown away, we were on our way to
New Years.  I let the kids stay up and we all sang and danced.
    After the kids were in bed, Alaina was helping me clean up
and we got a chance to talk.
    “Simon?”
    “Yeah, Alaina?”
    “Thank you.”
    “For what?”
    “For making things nice tonight.”
    I knew what she meant. Things had been rough in the
aftermath of Claire’s passing. Things had barely begun to settle down.
    “I want things to get better for us, you know? I really do.
I… I just don’t know how,” I said.
    “You’re a great dad. It’ll come. I’m sure you’ll do what’s
right.”
    Alaina gave me a peck on the cheek and wished me a happy new
year then went off to bed. I sighed and sat at the back window, watching the
snow fall while sipping my eggnog, and listening to the embers of