Fight to survive, p.1
Fight To Survive, page 1
ALSO BY ALAN MCDERMOTT
Tom Gray Novels
Gray Justice
Gray Resurrection
Gray Redemption
Gray Retribution
Gray Vengeance
Gray Salvation
Trojan
Run and Hide
Seek and Destroy
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2019 by Alan McDermott
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Thomas & Mercer, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Thomas & Mercer are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781542006637
ISBN-10: 1542006635
Cover design by Tom Sanderson
For Ed Stackler
CONTENTS
START READING
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
—Edmund Burke
CHAPTER 1
January 2020
As Eva Driscoll arrived home from the restaurant, violence was the last thing on her mind.
She could still taste the buttery lobster and fruity wine she’d had for dinner, and all she wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a box set and a cup of hot cocoa.
The screams coming from the house next door put paid to those plans.
Eva had lived next to Sally and Jake for three months, ever since arriving in Melbourne, Australia. Raised voices had become a regular occurrence. Based on what she’d observed, they seemed like a normal couple most of the time, but when the sun went down it was a different story. Eva didn’t know if it was alcohol-related, or the stress of Jake’s job as a cop, but most evenings she had to turn up the television to drown out the shouting.
But the sounds currently coming from the neighboring house were on a whole new level.
As Eva locked her car and got her key ready to open the front door, a female scream made her pause.
Eva had had coffee with Sally a few times, but the state of the marriage had never come up in conversation. She’d delicately probed, but Sally had dodged the issue like a pro. That in itself told Eva that something wasn’t right within the Holman residence.
Jake was a big man, at least six-two and 230 pounds, with a physique that told of an athletic youth. Sally was built like Eva, a few inches shorter than Jake with a lean body. Hardly a fair match if things got physical.
Leave it, Eva told herself as she put her key in the door. It wasn’t her fight, and she didn’t need the aggravation. She was lying low, staying off the radar, and that meant she had to avoid confrontations that could quickly escalate. She would visit Sally tomorrow when Jake was at work and give her some friendly advice.
She almost jumped at the sound of something heavy hitting a wall in Sally’s house, followed by a burst of shouting and another high-pitched scream.
Eva sighed. She really didn’t want to get involved, but she also hated the idea of leaving the diminutive Sally at the mercy of her much larger husband.
Eva had met Jake on just one occasion, at a barbecue the couple had hosted. He’d come across as a real man’s man, full of confidence and aware of his good looks. He’d flirted with Eva a couple of times that day, though she’d been careful not to reciprocate. Her appearance attracted unwanted attention wherever she went, and being married hadn’t seemed a barrier to Jake. He also didn’t seem the type to put up with anyone questioning his actions—male or female.
Another cry came from their house, and Eva recognized the sound of a woman in pain.
She had to act, but she couldn’t simply rush in. This needed to be handled delicately, without any chance of blowback. She would try to defuse the situation, but if Jake pushed it, she’d need a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Eva went back to her car and locked her purse inside, then walked across the lawn to the Holman residence. She opened the camera on her phone, set it on top of the mailbox by the sidewalk, and zoomed in so that the front door filled the center of the screen. She pressed the Record button, then walked up the path and rang the doorbell.
The shouting stopped. She wondered if that simple act had been enough to end the altercation, but it wasn’t to be. Jake threw the door open and glared at her, his face red and contorted with fury.
“What?” he yelled.
Eva pretended to flinch. “I want to make sure Sally’s okay.”
“How about you just fuck off and mind your own business?”
Jake tried to slam the door, but Eva threw out a leg so it hit the ball of her foot. The door swung back open, and she could see Sally standing in the middle of the living room, her hair a mess and a couple of red welts on her face.
Jake wheeled around and stood over Eva so they were a couple of inches apart.
Perfect.
“I want to see Sally,” she said quietly as she leaned in and pressed her thumb into the pressure point above his elbow, “and I’m not gonna let a chickenshit like you get in my way.” She knew the camera wouldn’t be able to see her gripping him, and it brought about the reaction she was hoping for.
Jake howled with rage and pushed her. Eva stumbled backward for a couple of steps, then collapsed onto the ground. Jake followed her, and Eva hid a smile as he approached. She couldn’t have choreographed it more perfectly if she’d tried.
He leaned over her, snorting like an enraged bull.
“That’s the last time I’m going easy on you,” he shouted, his pointed finger inches from Eva’s face. She swung a foot at his hand and connected; in retaliation, he aimed a kick at her ribs. Eva blocked it with her arm and rolled away before springing to her feet. Her back to the camera again, she whispered a taunt.
“You kick like a pussy.”
Jake was unable to contain himself. He lunged at Eva and swung his fist in an arc, but she saw it coming. She ducked slightly and the arm flew over her head; while Jake was off-balance, she delivered a vicious punch that connected with his jaw. Jake wobbled but managed to stay on his feet, which wasn’t in the script. He kicked at her again, but she pirouetted into him and caught him on the temple with her elbow.
The fight was over.
As Jake lay still on the grass, Eva turned him over and checked his breathing. He was groggy, but alive. She put him into the recovery position, then collected her phone and stopped the recording as she walked back up to the house.
Sally was standing in the doorway with her hand over her mouth, tears flowing down her welted and bloodstained face. Eva recognized the signs of shock. She took Sally inside and sat her down, then went to make a hot drink.
She brought two cups of coffee into the living room and put one in Sally’s shaking hands.
“I called the police and an ambulance,” Eva said. She thought about tending to Sally’s injuries but decided to leave that to the professionals. Her current state would make the case of self-defense more credible. She had a black eye and a cut eyelid, and her top lip was swollen and seeping blood. Nothing that wouldn’t heal in time.
“He’s going to kill me,” Sally sobbed as she reached for a Kleenex from the box on the table.
“No, he isn’t,” Eva assured her. “You should tell the police what he did and then come and stay with me tonight. Tomorrow you can move on and get out of this relationship.”
“I can’t,” Sally wailed. “He’ll find me.”
“Then you apply for a restraining order. He won’t be able to come near you.”
“He’s a cop. That won’t stop him.”
“It will if he knows it’ll cost him his job. He has no power to enter my home, so all you need to do is stay inside my place, keep your head down for a couple of days, and look for somewhere else to live.”
“I can’t do that,” Sally insisted. “He’s the only one working. That’s what the argument was all about. He’s angry that I haven’t been able to find a job for the last three months. There’s almost nothing left in the bank. I’ve got about ten bucks to my name.”
“Don’t worry about money. I can help you out until
Cash was something Eva had plenty of. Spread across bank accounts around the world, her personal fortune was close to a hundred million dollars, money she’d stolen from the people who’d murdered her brother and then tried to kill her, bad actors who no longer walked free—or walked at all.
Eva got to her feet when she heard the first of the sirens. Flashing red and blue lights tore through the curtains as the emergency vehicle pulled up outside.
“You stay here,” Eva said, and walked into the garden. The ambulance crew got out and jogged over to Jake, who was still lying on the lawn.
“What happened here?” one asked as Eva went to join them.
“He was beating his wife and I interrupted them. He tried hitting me, but I got in a lucky punch. His wife is inside, and she needs attention, too.”
The paramedics fussed around Jake for a few moments, then one of them took a bag into the house.
“He’ll be fine,” the other medic said. “Possible concussion, but he’ll live.”
Eva left him to do his job and went to see how Sally was getting on. She had run a brush through her hair but still looked a mess. The blood was being cleaned from her face, revealing dark bruising.
“How is she?” Eva asked.
“She doesn’t need to go to the hospital. I’d suggest a couple of Advil and an early night.”
A knock came at the open door, and two cops walked in and removed their caps.
“I’m Sergeant Makin, this is Constable Powell,” one of them said to Eva. “I understand you’re responsible for the man on the lawn.”
“Actually, he was. I came to check on my friend and he went for me. I just protected myself.”
Makin looked her up and down. “You took down a man that size?”
Eva shrugged. “I took self-defense classes a few years ago. Looks like they paid off.”
A skeptical nod. He took out his notepad and asked for their names. Eva gave them, and Makin pointed at the couch. “Take a seat and start from the beginning.”
Eva dropped into a chair instead. “There’s not much to tell. I arrived home from eating out and heard screams and crashes coming from this house, so I came to see if Sally was okay. I rang the bell, Jake came out, and I asked to speak to her. He tried to slam the door in my face, but I stuck my foot in the way, then he came out and went for me. He pushed me to the ground and stood over me in a threatening manner. I kicked him, he kicked me, then I managed to get up. He swung and missed. I didn’t. He kicked me, I hit him again, end of story.”
Makin looked at Sally for corroboration.
“I don’t know,” she said. “By the time I got to the door, it was all over.”
Makin nodded. “How did you get your injuries?”
One of the ambulance crew stuck his head around the doorframe. “We’re taking him to The Alfred.”
“What’s his condition?” Makin asked.
“He’s stable, no serious damage. He’ll have one hell of a headache and we need to take a look at his jaw, but nothing long-term. He’ll probably be out tomorrow.”
Makin thanked him, then turned back to Sally. “Can you tell me who did this to you?”
Sally blew into a Kleenex, and Eva could see she was reluctant to tell the police what had happened. Eva got up and sat next to Sally, putting an arm around her shoulders.
“Just tell them exactly what happened. You don’t have to put up with this. I told you, I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Sally took a couple of deep breaths, then it all came pouring out. She described how she’d met Jake eight years earlier and been swept off her feet, only for the relationship to turn sour a few months after they were married.
“At first it was just little things, like giving me the silent treatment if dinner wasn’t ready when he got home, or the trash wasn’t taken out every day, but things got worse over time. The shouting started after about a year. He would erupt for no reason. If I didn’t get beer and chips in for his weekly poker game, or I suggested going out with my friends, he would start screaming at me. He goes out with his mates, but I have to stay home every night.”
“And when did he start hitting you?” Makin asked, taking advantage of an empty armchair. “Was this the first time?”
“No, it started last year. Mostly he would just slap me or grip my arms really tight. He’s a cop, and I guess he knows not to leave visible bruising.”
“So what changed tonight?”
“I fought back.” Sally sniffed. “He was ranting about me being out of work. He called me lazy and a waste of space. I’ve been to thirty job interviews in the past few months, but I’m always up against a hundred other people. He was telling me to take anything. Flipping burgers or working the checkout at Coles, but that’s not what I want to do. I went to uni for a career, not to make minimum wage. Anyway, he grabbed my arms and was squeezing them real hard, so I kicked him. It must have set him off. He gave me a backhander and split my lip, and I told him I was going to get him fired. That’s when he really laid into me. I . . . I can’t remember the details.”
Makin appeared sympathetic. “Where’s he stationed?”
“Melbourne East.”
“That’s why I don’t recognize him. I’m from Caulfield.” Makin stood and smoothed out his trousers. “Have you got somewhere to stay tonight?”
“She can stay at my place,” Eva said. “I live next door, number 523.”
“Great.” He handed Eva his card. “I’ll need you both to make a full statement tomorrow. You can come to the station—or, if you prefer, I can send a couple of guys round.”
“That would be better.”
“Okay. They’ll be able to put you in touch with local shelters that specialize in domestic violence.”
The cops left, and once Sally had been treated for her injuries, the ambulance departed, too.
Eva told Sally to pack a bag, and tidied the living room while she did so. Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Eva’s kitchen, drinking the remains of a bottle of wine she’d opened a few days earlier.
“I shouldn’t have told them anything,” Sally said. “I should have said I fell.”
“You did the right thing,” Eva told her. “Do you want to face that for the rest of your life? What if he got drunk and decided to use his gun on you?”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“They never do,” Eva said sarcastically. “Why do you think there are so many refuge centers? He’s not going to change just because I gave him a kicking. He’ll be mad as hell and it’ll be even worse from now on. You have to leave him.”
“But where would I go? He’s a cop. He’ll find me.”
“Not if he loses his job, and after tonight, he probably will.”
“Then he’ll ask his mates to find me,” Sally insisted.
Eva got up and walked into another room. She returned a few minutes later with a paper bag the size of a hardcover book.
“There’s ten thousand. Leave the city and only pay cash. Find a lawyer, file for divorce, and get a restraining order as soon as you can, so he can’t follow you.”
Sally sat stunned for a moment, then pushed the package across the table toward Eva. “I couldn’t possibly take that! There’s no way I can pay you back.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Eva said, pushing it back. “It’s rainy-day money. You can make it up to me when you get back on your feet.”
Sally fingered the package. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. Tomorrow morning, we’ll get what you need from the house and take a trip. Perth, or Darwin, somewhere miles from here.”
“What if he comes back before I leave?”
“I’ll be here with you,” Eva said. “He won’t touch you.”
Sally went silent for a moment. “Was it true what you told the cop, about the self-defense classes?”
Eva considered telling her the truth, but only fleetingly. How could she explain to a virtual stranger that she was once a CIA-trained assassin, and now she was on the run from the ESO, the most powerful organization on the planet? In that respect, they were similar—both looking to escape their pasts.
“Yes, it’s true,” she lied. “I was in the same situation a few years ago. Only, the first time he hit me, I was outta there. He came after me because I was foolish enough to hang around the same neighborhood, but I’d already started the classes. Let’s just say he never bothered me again.” Eva didn’t think Jake would travel the length of the country to find Sally, but she should prepare for the worst. “It’s a good idea to learn how to protect yourself. If not from Jake, then the next one that comes along.”
