To Walk a Mile

Matias though, he had some interesting tattoos. Numbers and letters began floating around in his memory and he poked at them. Something about them. Repeating. Seen on two occasions, separated by time.

Luis Ramos. In the bar, he was lifting the hood of Zoe's coat up to his nose to smell her perfume. The back of his hand had a tattoo on it. Three strings of numbers surrounded by a lovely and ornate mandala. The mandala flared and Ed recalled Matias slowly lowering his right hand into a bucket of ice. The back of his hand had the same mandala. They were almost identical.

Three sets of numbers. The first two were dates but the last row... there was a letter at the end. His mind tumbled that last set over and over as it was familiar. Matias, 36 13 479424 N. Luis 116 45 430452 W. Something was missing... What he took for freckles were the symbols and decimals. It snapped into place.

GPS coordinates!

He heard Zoe crying and lifted his eye up to see her in the chair ahead of him. His vision was swimming and the room was trying to throw him from the chair but something good was happening. The pain. It was going away! He wasn't getting better but at least he wasn't feeling the pain. His body was beginning to numb.

His mind dragged him back to the puzzle.

There was a difference in the dates between the two tattoos as well. They meant nothing to Ed but one date was common to both tattoos.

The GPS coordinates though, they were a set. Matias had one and Luis had the other. The pair would lead to... something. Why would they do that? Some kind of machismo male bonding bullshit?

Ed felt his body relaxing now that the pain was dulled. He tried his bindings once more and while the tape was tight and wouldn't budge, the old wooden chair he was in was less than structurally sound.

He looked at Zoe once more and saw she was looking at him. Her eyes were troubled and her sensual lips were split and swollen. Instantly his rage surged up to fill his being. Someone hurt his Zoe. He heard her suck in a sharp breath as she watched his eyes. He was going to punish that man. He was going to destroy him for hurting his Zoe. He looked at his bindings and began to chuckle deep in his chest. Oh, he was going to enjoy this.

Zoe's eyes flicked to Ed then Matias as she heard Ed begin to laugh quietly. It was unsettling.

Matias noticed as well and put the ice bucket down to wander closer. He looked closer at Ed and the man's very body language had changed. It was as if another man had been taped to the chair! A chill went up his spine to see such a thing. Matias wasn't a superstitious man but the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. This man in the chair, he was dangerous. Matias would get his answers, take his revenge and leave. He moved to where Ed could see him. He put a false smile on his lips.

"Tell me, what is so funny my friend?"

Ed's eye tracked the voice and locked onto Matias. He smiled. "You are." Speaking was so much easier now that the pain had receded.

Matias scowled and backhanded Ed across the face. When the beaten and bloody man opened his good eye again he spat the blood out and smiled at Matias with red smeared teeth.

"I had no idea the second set of coordinates would be lost when I ripped Luis' arms off."

"What coordinates?" Hugo growled from the window, his interest peaked.

"Shut the fuck up!" Matias barked over his shoulder.

"You and Luis have some buried treasure there?" Ed asked in a stage whisper.

"What the fuck is he talking about?" Hugo asked belligerently and Matias just glared at him.

"November 22, 1998. That date seems to be significant. You and Luis both have it tattooed on your hands next to the GPS coordinates." Ed said with a wicked smile made all the more unnerving by the dried blood on his face and teeth.

Hugo was looking at Ed in confusion. The date was tickling a memory. Matias glanced cautiously at his partner who was beginning to frown.

"The fifteen million dollar casino heist!" Zoe gasped.

Matias slapped her and put a strip of tape over her mouth again.

"You- you and Luis said there was no money! You said the casino exaggerated the heist to get the insurance money!" Hugo growled.

"Yes! That's true!" Matias barked back.

"Then why get tattoos of the date and the GPS location numbers!" Hugo growled louder.

Ed saw Zoe slumping in her chair, slowly regaining her strength after the slap and he growled deep in his chest. He wanted to kill Matias now but he saw the guns the two men were carrying. It wasn't time yet. He refocused on Matias.

"Only you and Luis knew where the money is and now his half of the coordinates is gone?" he said and caught a furious warning glance from Matias. "I'm not very smart but I do recognize patterns and numbers and... I remember them. 116° 45' 43.0452'' W. The coordinates on Luis' tattoo."

Matias stared at him incredulously.

"That's the missing piece for your tattoo, 36° 13' 47.9424'' N. The location of the fifteen million dollars?" Ed asked with a sly grin.

"Fuck! You've been sitting on 15 million dollars while Samuel and I have been rotting in a slum for years?" Hugo growled menacingly. He moved suddenly but Matias already had his gun out and shot Hugo in the neck. The heavy man fell to the floor where he only had time to squeeze off one shot.

Matias screamed as the large caliber bullet struck and shattered his hip. He fell to the floor and his gun bounced away.

Ed roared as he surged up and forward. The arms of the chair ripped away from the seat and backrest but remained taped to Ed's forearms. His legs also remained secured to the chair legs so he couldn't move his legs and fell forward... on top of Matias. The jagged end of the armrest landed on the back of Matias' right hand, tearing the skin and flesh from it as he screamed and yanked it loose. Ed began pulling himself up Matias' body, slamming the wooden chair arms against the man again and again as he climbed. He could hear Zoe's muffled cries behind him but he didn't have time for her. It was time to kill this man.

Matias was screaming in agony and fear. At least one of his fingers on his right hand was broken and his left forearm was broken from one of Ed's blows. The huge brute was clumsily climbing up his prone body dragging his taped legs behind himself. The chair arms were taped so tightly to his big forearms they made him move awkwardly like some kind of crippled praying mantis.

But it was the look of rage on Ed's bloody and beaten face that was most terrifying. It was as if the rage powered him. Matias looked around frantically for his gun and saw it on the floor above his head. He strained to reach it and felt his fractured hip bones grind together. He screamed louder.

Then he couldn't breathe. Ed had crossed the two wooden chair arms over his neck and was pressing them down on his throat, cutting off his air.

He punched at Ed's arms and tried to reach his face but Ed had his arms blocked. He grew weaker as he looked into the bruised eye and saw his own death reflected there. Ed grinned.

Behind the tape Zoe screamed at Ed to stop. She didn't want him to be a killer like Matias. She began to sob.

The sound of Zoe's cries finally sunk into Ed's consciousness. He looked over his shoulder and she immediately began pleading to him to stop. She shook her head and held his eye with hers.

Ed was confused. He needed to kill this man. The tequila was quickly draining his strength and he looked at Zoe once more as he felt his rage slowly ebb.

Zoe was so relieved she began to cry tears once more.

Ed released Matias' throat and rolled off of the man. He sat up to reach down to tear the tape on his leg but his head swam and the room began to spin.

Matias slumped and gasped for breath. He couldn't believe Zoe had saved him. He glanced above his head and his gun was still there. He would have to flip over and push himself forward to get it. His hip was screaming in agony. He prepared himself for the move. Ed looked like he was going to fall down.

As he rolled and pushed himself forward with his one good arm Matias heard Zoe's scream but his hand landed on the butt of his gun. He smiled in victory.

Ed spun and scrambled to catch Matias. He brought his outstretched arm down hard to grab his shirt but the spike of wood taped to it stabbed deep into Matias' upper back with a wet crack. Matias went limp. Ed had to yank hard to get the jagged wood out of the man's back. The room went sideways and Ed flopped down onto his back gasping for breath.

Matias sighed with relief as the agony in his hip, hand, and forearm just... stopped. He tried to move but realized he couldn't feel... anything from his neck down. He still had the gun in his hand but he couldn't feel his fingers. They wouldn't move for him. He tried to scream but it only came out as a thin wheeze.

The room's door crashed inwards as a Sheriff and his deputy rushed inside, guns ready. The hook Samuel hung from broke free at last and the body dropped out from behind the door. The deputy put two rounds into its chest before it hit the ground. The Sheriff kicked the gun away from Matias outstretched hand.

"Geezus! What the fuck happened in here?" the deputy asked, seeing the hook sticking out of the back of the corpse's head.

Zoe sagged in her chair and cried with relief.

Ed blinked up at the concerned face of the Sheriff and smiled before he let the blackness take him. Everything would be alright now. He could rest.

Chapter 15

Ed heard the beep of a heart monitor and opened his eye. The other one was covered by something that seemed to be covering half of his face. His nose was bandaged as well and he felt air being forced up his nostrils. His shoulders hurt terribly, like he'd lifted weights well above his limit. It hurt to move his arms. He moaned. He heard an answering moan from the next bed and turned his head.

Grace!

Ed was on his feet standing next to her bed in a flash and had to hold its rail to keep himself from falling as the room spun. The machine next to his bed buzzed angrily as he'd pulled the sensor from his finger. His oxygen hose was still connected as it reached Grace's bed.

He looked down at her peaceful face and reached out to touch her cheek. It was warm and soft and Grace smiled a little in her sleep.

"Sir! What are you doing out of bed?"

Ed glanced at the nurse standing next to him. She was pulling gently on his arm but that hurt so he pulled away and winced.

"Sir, you need to lie down," the woman insisted.

"Grace, why is she here?" Ed said then noticed the blankets weren't domed over her stomach. "The babies!"

"The babies are fine. Ms. Wilson was brought in for her C section because she was in distress. She's fine now as the operation was successful. She's sleeping off the anaesthetic. The babies are in the special care unit. They were close to full term so they are in very good health. We're just keeping an eye on them."

"What did she have?" he asked quietly.

The woman smiled at him. "Three beautiful baby girls."

A man in hospital scrubs walked into the room with a cross look on his face. "Why is this patient on his feet?"

"I was trying to get him to get back in bed but he was concerned about his partner and wouldn't move," the nurse explained.

"She's fine. Now get back in your bed," the doctor said gruffly. He and the nurse both had to help Ed as his legs were very wobbly.

Once he was tucked in and reconnected to the machines the nurse left. The doctor checked Ed's bandages.

"Why do my arms hurt so much?" Ed asked.

"You strained them very badly. You'll have some very vibrant bruising for a while and you need to take it easy for a few weeks. No lifting anything heavier than a spoon," the doctor explained. "No operating heavy machinery or driving."

Ed frowned. Mr. Drakos wasn't going to be happy about this.

"There's a police detective waiting to speak to you. May I let him in?"

Ed nodded and the doctor left. Ed discovered the controls on his bed and tilted the back up until he was sitting. He smiled to himself.

A man in a grey suit walked into the room and came over to stand next to Ed's bed. He was tall and had greying hair. His mustache was also greying and he had pale green eyes and thin lips.

"Mr. Walters? I'm Detective Palmero. I'd like to ask you a few questions regarding the events of Matias Escobar's escape from prison, the abduction of his ex-wife Zoe Sandoval, and your part in the motel capture."

The room's door pushed open and Zoe, Rachel, and Angie walked in to take up positions on the opposite side of the bed from the detective. Ed grinned happily to see them.

"Excuse me, you can't be in here. I'm taking a statement from this witness," the detective growled.

"Ed would feel more comfortable giving his statement with us in the room," Zoe asserted.

"If you aren't his lawyers you have to leave-"

"I'm sorry Detective, I'm not feeling so well anymore." Ed pushed the button and the bed began to recline back to its fully flat position.

Zoe smiled. "We'll bring him in to the station when Ed is released from the hospital."

The detective scowled at the women then Ed before turning and striding angrily from the room.

With a whirring sound the bed began to tilt upwards again and Rachel smiled at the delighted look on Ed's face. When he'd reached a comfortable position he looked to Zoe.

"Why did we shoo the detective away?"

"I contacted the law firm for the casino Matias and Luis robbed to let them know a friend of mine discovered the location of their stolen money. The reward for its return has grown over the years to fifteen percent. The lawyer told me to tell you not to discuss the location to anyone but their representative, a Ms. Koslow, who is coming with some documents to sign. Keep the coordinates to yourself until we speak to the woman in person and have the signed documents in hand. You do remember the coordinates, don't you?"

"Yes, they're 116-" he began.

"That's fine Ed! Don't say them out loud until we speak to the woman," Zoe said to stop him.

Ed blinked at Zoe then he did the math for the reward in his head. "Wait... that's $2.25 million dollars!"

Zoe grinned widely as she enjoyed his surprise. "I want no part of the money those men stole. The reward is yours." She moved closer and gently touched his bruised and swollen face. "You've earned it."

Ed looked into her eyes and took her hand in his to kiss her palm tenderly. Then he dropped his arm to the bed. The three women looked at him in concern. "What's wrong?" Rachel asked.

Ed was wincing as his arm ached from lifting it. "The doctor said I strained my arms badly and shouldn't lift anything heavier than a spoon for a few weeks. I'm also not allowed to drive. Mr. Drakos is going to be really upset."

Rachel scowled at the name. "Mr. Drakos can wait until you are better! Until then we get to pamper you!" Angie and Zoe grinned at that.

"Have you seen the babies?" Ed asked and all three faces lit up with smiles.

"They're so beautiful!" Angie sighed.

"Of course they are! Grace is their mom!" Ed said looking over at the sleeping woman in the next bed. He frowned. "The nurse said she was in distress. What happened?"

Rachel took his hand on the mattress. "When the police rushed up to Zoe's place with their sirens blaring Grace started having terrible pains so we called an ambulance and got her to the hospital. Everything went smoothly after that. We weren't aware of what happened until you and Zoe were brought into the hospital.

Ed looked at Zoe. "How did you're ex get out of prison?"

"They don't know. They're investigating but he had to have had help on the inside." Zoe frowned.

"Is he back in jail?" Ed asked.

Zoe sent a worried glance to Rachel who nodded. He had to know.

"Matias won't be going back to jail. He's paralyzed from the neck down. He'll be in a hospital until he dies," Zoe said gently.

"Did... did I do that?" Ed said quietly in dread.

"He was going to kill us Ed. You had no choice," she replied equally quiet.

Ed nodded but he still looked sad. "I killed another man in the room."

Angie's and Rachel's eyes locked on Zoe but she was still looking at Ed. "That was an accident Ed. He was going to hit you when you stepped into the room. You couldn't have known hitting him with the door would kill him. That was pure chance!" Zoe exclaimed.

"Ed, you are a good man pushed into bad situations. Sometimes the bad guy dies. Sometimes they just wish they had." Rachel said. "None of that is your responsibility. They took that on when they chose to do the bad things."

"If Matias hadn't kidnapped Zoe and lured you to that secluded motel, none of this would have happened." Angie said.

Ed frowned. "I don't remember how we got away."

"You don't remember calling 911 before you got to the motel?" Zoe asked with a frown. Ed shook his head. "Apparently you called them and left the phone on when you dropped it out of your truck. They triangulated the location of your phone and contacted the closest police. A local Sheriff and his deputy were at an accident you might have caused on the highway. You took the exit which leads to a road with only three properties on it. Two farm houses and the motel. They spotted your truck and heard the gunshots. They busted the door down but it was all over by then."

Ed blinked at Zoe. He had no memory of any of that. What he did remember was the beating and the pain. He remembered Matais' smooth voice and his rage. And Zoe's tears. He looked at her.

"Are you ok?"

She smiled with tears pooling in her eyelashes. "Yes, Ed. I am very ok."

He smiled and nodded. Then he yawned mightily.

"That's our queue to let you rest. We will see you soon." Rachel said and gave him a gentle kiss. Angie and Zoe did as well then the three left the room.

Ed looked over at Grace as his eyelids began to drop. "I love you Grace!" he said then drifted off.

Chapter 16

July was turning out to be as hot as June had been. They got the occasional downpour but most days were sunny and hot which meant spending time out under the canopy of the cabana in Angie's backyard.

Ed was on a 'modified medical leave' which meant he did light duties at work three days a week, driven to and from work by one of the ladies. He hadn't done any installations or service calls since the motel incident though he had spent a lot of time with Mr. Drakos and the Klein Group working on two additional projects they had taken on. They'd developed a reputation for excellence and meeting budgets which was apparently unheard of in this day and age so clients were beginning to seek them out.

His arms were getting better every day and the bruising was long gone. Grace said that his shoulders and upper arms had looked like they'd been tattooed. She didn't like the look on him so they agreed, no tattoos for him.

Ed relaxed back on the lounge chair surrounded by lovely women. Three of them were nursing the triplets. It had become impossible to not look when so many beautiful breasts were exposed.

Grace was nursing Caelyn whose hair was as dark as her mothers. Rachel was nursing Brooklyn, the strawberry blonde in the family and Angie held Evelyn to her full breast, gently stroking her blonde hair which was closer to her father's color.

"Do I have to take my bikini top off to get equal attention?" Zoe said to tease Ed. He blushed deeply, though he did glance over to see if she'd done it.

He turned his eyes back out towards the activity in the pool. Taj and Lakshmi were riding the shoulders of their husbands while trying to push the others over in the pool. Stephanie's and Carolyn's kids were laughing at the antics of the 'adults' and squirting them with squirt guns to make their battle that much more difficult. Reg and Thierry were holding their wives legs with one arm and firing their own squirt guns back at the kids with the other. Stephanie grinned at the horseplay in the pool as she carried the tray of drinks from the house back to the cabana.