Present day
September 2011
Sam looked down and smiled as the almost empty ferry docked far below him. A throng of cars waited eagerly, hoping that there’d just be enough room to squeeze them on. Summer season was coming to a close and the island paradise that he had first ventured upon two years earlier would soon be returned to normality. The four months of mayhem were over. Well, mayhem North Haven style that was.
Sam watched as the single car leaving the ferry paused at the ferry crew before driving on towards the main street. A shiver ran down his spine. Sam couldn’t take his eyes off the car. Something wasn’t right.
“Sir?”
Sam ignored the voice as he followed the car with his eyes. Only when it dropped from sight, did he register the student.
“Yes Miller, what is it?”
“Sir, where to now?”
In the three years since the explosion and his retirement Sam had become a sports coach. He had initially assumed the identity of his assassin and fled, taking Yuri’s seat to New York. Months of wandering aimlessly had ended the day he stumbled upon North Haven, the small island in Maine where nobody knew nor cared who or what he was. Sam had found a new life, one that made him happy, happier than he had ever thought possible.
He looked at the wheezing and gasping group that lay before him. Summer had obviously made them lazy. Before the vacation, they would have bounded up the hill with ease. He had some work to do. He should have taken them another mile or so but the car was playing on his mind. Something was wrong. He thought his past was behind him, why would they come now, he tried to think rationally, it didn’t make sense, after three years there would be no reason to come for him. He considered going on but the car worried him.
“We’ll head back now.”
A small cheer went through the group. They had all expected the worst. Sam was tough. He hadn’t produced two state cross-country champions by being soft.
“It’s only half a mile, so we’ll run back. Now GO!”
Sam took off on the word ‘go’ and left them all in his wake. At 45, he was still as fit as he had ever been. It was just the aches and pains that were more noticeable. He had always been fanatical about fitness and thanks to that, he still passed for a man ten years younger. That was perhaps the only reason the beautiful twenty-eight year-old ninth grade teacher had ever fallen for him and made him the happiest man alive with the birth of his son, Sam Junior, only ten months earlier.
Sam’s breathing began to quicken, his heart rate raced, it wasn’t just himself he had to worry about any more. The game had changed, if he made a mistake in the past he would pay the price but that had changed with the birth of his son. Sam quickened his pace as the vision of the car played in his mind. Something was wrong.
Sam was way ahead of the nearest student and raced past the school. He sprinted down Main Street and stopped in his tracks as he spotted the car parked opposite the town’s main harbor. The Virginia plates brought back memories he had hoped to bury forever. Something was definitely wrong.
“Did you see who was driving this car?” he asked one of the local fishermen who stood nearby, forgetting the normal pleasantries.
“Good Morning, Sam. Can’t say I did but I did notice some fellas hiring one of those fancy speedboats from Jim.”
Without a word, Sam ran to the end of the pier, just in time to see the speedboat disappear into the distance. The blood drained from Sam’s face as the realization of the danger his family faced hit him. A wave of nausea was quelled as his training kicked in, he had to be strong, he had to protect his family. Sam ran back to the small booth covered in posters advertising everything from small sailing dinghies to whale spotting cruises.
“Jim, where are they going?” Sam pointed to where the speedboat had been.
“Morning Sam, sorry no idea. They just wanted to tour the island, I think. Why?”
“How many and what did they look like?” he asked firmly.
“Four big fellas. Come to think of it, they weren’t really dressed for the weather. You know that wind’s a bit nippy this time of year. Is everything OK Sam? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No, no, I’m fine. Have you got another speed boat?”
“’Fraid not, that’s the only one. The rest are all up at the yard being serviced, end of season and all.” Seeing the look of desperation on Sam’s face, he added “I’ve got a small launch, only 10hp but it’s faster than rowing.”
“That’ll do!”
Two minutes later, Sam was in the launch and turning the throttle as far as it would go. Three years earlier, Sam had stumbled across a small rundown shack on Goat Island and for the first time in almost 25 years, he had somewhere he could call home. Goat Island lay just a mile off the far end of the island and was one of the reasons Sam had maintained his fitness. Every day, he rowed to the main island and then ran the length of the island to school and back again in the evening which was a ten mile round trip. By boat from the harbor, it was seven miles and, at twelve knots, was going to take him just over half an hour. The speedboat could do twenty-five knots and already had a five minute head start. They were going to arrive at least twenty minutes ahead of him.
***
The speedboat cut its engines long before it arrived at Goat Island. The four men were taking no chances as they rowed the final half-mile to the small island. They saw the tell-tale smoke sign telling them someone was home. They approached from the rear and already had their guns out and ready as they rowed the final few yards. As two stood guard, the other two pulled the small craft onto the shingle beach. The chimney of the house was just visible above the small hill that lay between the beach and the house.
Before they could secure the boat, a large golden retriever came bounding over the hill, tail wagging as it rushed towards the new visitors. Without hesitation, the first man raised a silenced pistol and as the dog bounded toward him, shot it once in the head. The dog fell silently, a look of shock on its frozen face.
“What the hell did you do that for, Alex?” whispered the second man standing guard.
“If it barked, we’d be dead. You have no fucking idea who we’re dealing with, do you?” replied Alex angrily.
“I know he used to be something.”
Alex just shook his head and ensuring the boat was secure, waved the other men on, fanning out as they neared the brow of the hill. On reaching the top, the view below revealed a small wooden cabin and a shadow passing by the window told them all they needed to know. He was in.
The four men took aim and unleashed a brutal wave of bullets from their assault weapons. Glass and wood splintered and shattered everywhere as the bullets tore through the flimsy wooden structure. As one magazine emptied, another was loaded, until over 400 rounds had been pumped into the small cabin. Even a mouse would have struggled to hide from the onslaught. The noise was deafening. Although, with no landmass within a mile, it was as though nothing had happened.
An eerie silence fell as each of the four guns halted. Shards of glass dropped and shattered every few seconds as the house settled into its new state. Alex was the first to move, tentatively making his way towards the front door which hung awkwardly as one hinge struggled to hold its weight. One kick sent it crashing to the ground. The small lounge was a sea of feathers, floating aimlessly as the air blew through the aerated room. He walked across the lounge and entered the kitchen at the rear of the house and spotted the young and beautiful woman sitting on the floor holding a baby in her arms, her lifeless face looking longingly into the shattered bloodied body of her child.
A scream from outside told him instantly this wasn’t the only mistake they had made.