Chapter 22

“Well are you going to say something or just sit there and pout,” Jamie asked his brother from the passenger seat.

“Actually,” Jake replied, “I was thinking about shooting you.”

Jamie laughed and told him, “yeah and as I recall you already did that once. How did that work out for ya?”

“That was with a BB gun Jamie,” Jake shot right back without missing a blink, “I carry something a lot bigger these days.”

“Whoop T fucking do,” Jamie circled his finger in the air to show exactly how impressed he was. Then he asked, “what are you getting all so tore up over a couple of French drug dealers anyway?”

Jake tossed his thumb towards the back seat, “that’s not drugs in that bag Jamie.” Jake looked away from the road and directly into his brother’s eyes, “you’re a fucking grease man Jamie. Don’t lie to me.”

Jamie put his hands up and said, “and you think the CIA hires former SEALS to lick envelops?”

“And that’s something else too,” Jake’s voice was not softening as he went, “I’m not sure which is the cover and which is the real you.”

Jake noted that his brother actually took offense at that, “and what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means,” Jake told him. “Are you a CIA spook that’s playing at being a merc or just a merc who pretends to be CIA? I know where I’d bet because I have yet to meet a Langley Farm Boy who just up and up says what he is.”

“Oh god,” Jamie waved it off, “you’re paranoid. I’m your brother. Of course I’d tell you. Jesus Jake, when’s the last time I lied to you?”

This time Jake had an astonished look as he glanced over at his brother, “I can’t count the number of times when you’ve lied to me.”

“OK,” Jamie shook it off, “I mean when it matters.”

Before Jake could answer, and it was starting to look like he would not, Jamie changed the subject, “look. Here’s the deal Jake. Dad took a piss on you just like he’s in the habit of doing.” Jake definitely looked like he was going to respond to that but Jamie pointed at him, “oh don’t you even try and deny it. You know he just wanted you on another planet because you’d become a liability to his next, um, campaign.” Jamie made the last word sound like it was diseased.

Jake might have too had he said that. The one thing in Jake’s life that he always hated was that one in every four years when his father was running for reelection. The man had not been seriously opposed since Jake was a young boy and, still, the man got out on the stump and turned everybody’s life upside down every four years like clockwork. Jake had long since come to believe that the only reason his father did all of that was because he lived for the elections and not the office itself.

There was also more than a little truth to what Jamie was saying. There was another little matter though, and Jake pointed it out, “that’s between me and the old man Jamie.”

“Yeah,” Jamie snickered in a very condescending way, “and you’re telling me that I don’t matter in all that?”

“That’s not what I mean and you know that,” Jake shot back. Then in an accusing tone Jake told Jamie, “who shielded you from all that shit when we were little?”

“And now,” Jamie said rolling his head, “you’re just too good to accept a little payback?”

“You call that,” Jake nodded behind them like that day care center was still in the rear view mirror, “killing three men, payback?”

“Oh hell no,” Jamie waived it off, “that was just unpleasant business.” He perked up for a moment, “course it was fun.” Jamie saw the look he was getting and became a bit somber, “but completely tragic I mean. Terrible loss, just…”

“Stop jerking me around Jamie,” Jake said as he turned the car to the right.

“I’m not,” Jamie replied in some frustration, “I’m trying to offer you a job you idiot.” Suddenly Jamie realized they were on the wrong street, “hey? What are you doing?”

“In layman’s terms,” Jake replied as he saw what he was looking for. They were now reaching the barricades of what had been the parade route through downtown, “this is me saying no to your job offer.”

Jamie gave a quick short laugh and then became very serious, “good luck getting me out of this car big brother.”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Jake replied as he put the car in park. He left the keys in the ignition and the motor running as he slid out the door, “I’m the one that’s leaving.”

Jamie quickly scrambled out of the car and caught up with Jake at the parade route barricade. Jamie grabbed his brother’s shoulder and turned him around, “what’s your problem?”

“You show up after all these years,” Jake replied in his face, “after you’re supposed to be dead. Then I find out you’re an assassin for hire. You lie to me. You want me to get my hands dirty right along with you. Then you got the nerve to ask me what’s wrong?”

Jamie just shrugged, “well, yeah?”

Jake looked him in the eye, “did you ever think that just maybe you’re the one being set up here?”

Jamie snorted, “not really.”

Jake through up his arms, “see what I mean. Everything is just a game to you Jamie. I might have thought that death might have taught you one or two things but, I guess I was wrong.”

“Not everything Jake,” Jamie replied. He sounded pretty sincere when he did, “my big bother still means one or two things to me. I didn’t have to let you find me. I didn’t have to let you stick with me today. I damn sure don’t need you for this. You do the math.”

“Who’s the target,” Jake asked.

Jamie got a ‘be for a real’ look on his face.

Jake then told him, “if you want me to even seriously consider this then I am not going into it blind.”

Jamie relented, looked down and thought about it, and then he said, “it’s a fucking Kraut.” Before Jake could complain Jamie said, “and that’s all I’m telling you.”

“I’m not doing it,” Jake told him and walked off past the saw horse. He yelled back, “have a nice death Jamie.” The next time Jake looked back he saw that both his brother and the car were gone.

Jake checked the time and realized he did not have a lot of it. He walked up to the city police car that was parked along the parade route. The officer, a kid really, looked like he was about to leave the scene now that the parade was over. Jake started panting and fell against the car. He huffed out, “off… officer!”

The kid was not impressed, “would you please remove your person from my vehicle, sir.” The sir did not sound so polite.

“These two women, they were wearing these funky leather suits that were cut up to,” Jake pulled out a cough, “well they were cut pretty high. They.. they had whips and stuff, they took my wallet and ran that way. I think they were trying to dump their clothes so they wouldn’t get caught. What‘s this world coming too? You‘d think it was Mardi Gras or something?”

The young cop looked in the direction that Jake was pointing. He clarified it with Jake, just to make sure he had it right, and then took off running. When the kid turned the first corner, Jake jumped in the patrol car and drove off.