I nodded, tapping him on the chin to lift his head. Grabbing some pomade, I rubbed it between my hands. “Yes. Absolutely.” He really was a natural at this. He had the ability to see all sides of an issue and to keep the big picture in mind. I picked my words carefully while I styled his hair. “That’s why you have to be careful who you tell your plans to. But I’ll tell you a secret, I trust Josie with my life. She’s brilliant and most of the time will make the right call.”
“Most of the time?” Danny asked. “Wow, Carson. You’re good at this.” He stared at himself in the mirror and nodded, touching his newly styled hair gently. Normally, he didn’t do anything with it beyond washing and letting it fall however it wanted to. I’d given him a hard left part, slicked the shorter sides back over his ears, and fluffed the longer strands up, working with his natural cowlicks to get quite a fetching swoop over his right eye.
I met his eyes in the mirror over his shoulder. “Everybody screws up eventually in this world. And when you do, the consequences can be dire. You like what we’ve been doing, right?”
He looked puzzled but he nodded. “Yeah. I mean, we’re taking down the bad guys. Righting the wrongs.”
“Like Robin Hood,” I said. “Chaotic good in a world of neutrality and banal evil?”
Again, he nodded, more slowly this time.
“We have been. The last two jobs. But to survive as we do takes brutal honesty about your motivations. The end doesn’t always justify the means, and anointing yourself judge, jury, and executioner opens one up for abuse, no matter how well-intentioned one is in the beginning.”
“Power corrupts?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” I said with a grin. Danny was a smart boy. He could be anything he wanted to be. I needed to have a long talk with Wesley.
“Exactly. Lie to everyone else, you’ll probably have to at some point, but don’t lie to yourself.”
“I will,” he said solemnly.
“Good. Because you need to think long and hard about your future, and what it’s going to look like. Now come here and let me do your makeup.”
“Makeup?”
“Just a touch.” I pointed an eyeliner pencil menacingly at him. “Look up.”
When we walked out of the bathroom, Steele did a double take from where he was leaning against a kitchen counter. He put down the newspaper he’d been reading. “That mustache looks terrible, Carson. And what did you do to Danny? Come ’ere.” He waved Danny over and studied his face. “Looking good. Did you show that horndog boyfriend of yours?”
Danny shook his head. “Well, we need to remedy that.” He sat up and pulled Danny towards him.
Hands off the merchandise, Rusty, Wesley said over the comms.
“Shit,” Steele said. “I thought we were off comms.”
We rejoined the rest of the group in the small living room. Wesley had disappeared back upstairs.
Danny and I kept ours open, Wesley said. I heard you through his.
“Any luck with those single-channel comms yet?” Leo asked.
Right now, our comms broadcast to everyone wearing them. We could turn off the sending but not the receiving. That was fine with me. I wanted to be able to speak to anyone on the crew even if they couldn’t or wouldn’t reply. But Wesley had been toying with the idea of having some way to do a private channel between two people. So far, he hadn’t had the time or space to make a prototype.
Negative, Wesley replied. There’s a girl in Lithuania who’s got some promising things going on. I’ve been talking with her. And Danny, listen to Chaney. He’s got good advice. You need to think about what you’re doing here.
“But, Wes—”
No names over the comms. And we’ll talk later. Neo out.
“Neo out?” Steele said. “Boy’s been watching too many war movies.”
“You men ready to go?” Leo asked. “It’s time.”
“We’re ready. Comms on, tracker on.”
“I’ll be outside in the SUV,” Steele said. “In the parking lot near the kitchen door. Door will be unlocked, passenger’s side nearest to the building. In case things go south.”
“I don’t expect them to,” I said. “This is strictly observation, no engagement. I can’t imagine we’ll be in any physical danger in the middle of a golf course in Onalaska.”
“No one ever does,” Steele replied seriously. “That’s how people die. You do your job, and let me do mine.”
“You’re right. Okay, Danny. Ready for some golf?”
“Do I get to drive a golf cart?” he asked.
“Probably.”
“Sweet! Let’s go!”
6 Eric
When I’d been cut loose from hockey, I could have settled anywhere, but my first thought had been to go home. Of course, home had changed during the years I’d been gone, but it was still the place I felt I belonged the most.
The golf course was on the bluffs lining the east side of the upper Mississippi, and the thick stands of trees on either side of the river blazed red, yellow, and orange against the bright blue September sky. Fall had always been my favorite season and the extravagant beauty of my hometown was a big part of why.
The tournament was a family affair, with food carts, face painting, putting and driving contests for the kids. I saw Aunt Momo and Sammy trying out some new putters. I should take the kid out more often, shoot a few holes.
A crowd was starting to gather in front of the clubhouse. I nodded to a few of the golfers I recognized.
“Smallman, you heading up?” asked one guy I occasionally saw at a pickup hockey game at the rink.
“Be there in a few,” I promised with a wave. “Save me a swag bag.”
“I make no promises,” he said with a smile.
“Let’s go,” Ryan said. “We’ll check in, get our stuff. The autograph signing is over near the ‘longest putt’ competition. Symanski and Bob are meeting us there.”
“Who’s caddying?” I asked.
“New kid. Pro at the club recommended him,” Ryan said. “Maybe he can give you some pointers, make you look good in front of Symanski,” he added with a chuckle. “You could use all the help you can get.”
“Screw you,” I said.
“Hey, now,” Ryan said mildly offended. “I’m just looking out for your best interests. I know how much you want this to work out. Sometimes you don’t see all the possibilities. I’m just trying to get you to expand your horizons.”
I sighed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I know you are. You always do. I appreciate it.”
He grinned, mollified. “You’re going to love it. I promise. Now let’s go make some little kids happy.”
The little kids had seemed happy to see me. I signed some jerseys and shot the breeze with some older kids and acquaintances who hadn’t realized I was back in town. I told the abridged version of my story a couple of times. I’d had a bad injury—which was true enough, there was a video on YouTube if they wanted to see it—and an opportunity in La Crosse that I couldn’t pass up.