It was a successful exercise despite the mini-riot that broke out on the hills. The situation had calmed down considerably and things came under control when other arrests were made, close to one hundred for various offenses. By the time Adrian’s unit got back to base several hours later, the police had a huge haul of illegal guns to process. Not forgetting ammunition rounds, cocaine, and marijuana.
When he switched on his cell again in the relative calm of his office, he noticed five missed calls from Cory. There were also e-mails, texts, and other messages. Adrian didn’t return any of them. He didn’t know what he was going to say to her just yet. He couldn’t even explain why he’d bolted from her house last night. He couldn’t focus clearly on anything until he knew for sure.
It was another long day for Adrian and the remainder of the week went in pretty much the same manner. Since it was pre-summit week, their security arrangements were pushed into high gear now. All the months of training for this were finally bearing fruit. They were busy with patrols and random security checks in the city. They manned roadblocks and provided added security details for entire delegations arriving.
Adrian’s work hours went into overdrive. Twenty-four-hour shifts turned into forty-eight-hours and more for him. He literally only had time to sleep for a few hours, eat, and shower in-between. By the time he realized it, he hadn’t spoken to Cory for a couple of days. Adrian knew how worried and better yet, how pissed off, she would be by now but he wasn’t prepared to deal with her just yet. He had to do something first.
The phone rang and rang before Anna finally answered it. “Hey, bro,” she said.
“I suppose you’re so busy that you can’t even call your own brother,” Adrian returned.
“I’m so swamped, Adrian, you won’t believe. I’m in overdrive for this summit. Can’t wait for it to end!”
“I know what you mean, sis. Don’t worry, it’s exactly the same with me on this end.”
“So what’s going on?”
“I need a huge favor, Anna. And you’re the best bet I have right now. I need some information but I don’t have time to get it myself.”
“So what do you need?” Anna asked him.
“I need you to search for a news story for me. I’m sure you all carried it. It was a police shooting about two years ago. Four men were shot.”
“Do you have an exact date or the names of these men?”
“I can’t remember the date exactly but it was in early March. Check for a Collin Phillips,” Adrian ended.
“Collin Phillips? Is he related to Cory?” Anna immediately asked.
Adrian went silent. He figured he had to be straight with her. She was actually helping him out here.
“That’s her brother.”
“Cory’s brother was shot by the police!” Anna exclaimed. “Why?”
Adrian really had to cut Anna short for the moment because he wasn’t too sure himself. “So how soon can you get this for me, Anna?” he asked.
“I’m going back on air in a few minutes but I’ll work on it as soon as I get a spare moment. How soon do you need it?”
“Like yesterday,” Adrian quickly responded. “Send it to my cell, okay.”
“Okay, sure. I gotta go, Adrian,” and Anna hastily ended the call with him.
Now all he had to do was wait on her e-mail to be positively sure about this one. His future with Cory depended on it.
• • •
It was summit weekend and the military-police units were making their presence felt in all the gang-riddled areas in and around the city, keeping a watchful eye out for any unwanted trouble. Adrian was a bit on edge. He didn’t know which was worse. Waiting on Anna or waiting on Anna in Gangsta-ville.
But these hills were such a beautiful place, offering one of the most breathtaking views on the island. Adrian looked down, concentrating on the developing modern city mixed in with the historic remnants of the city’s colonial past below him. But the criminal elements gave the area such a notorious reputation and made things bad for everyone here.
Everyone knew wherever there were illegal drugs passing through, there were bound to be the guns which ultimately fuelled the gang warfare and spurred on the criminal behavior. And the Caribbean was a known transshipment point for the producers of the south to get to their large markets in the north. And that was just the way things worked around here.
His sister finally came through for him. When his phone buzzed and beeped, Adrian immediately downloaded the clip Anna sent. Her voice could be heard reading the evening news: “Four men were reportedly shot and killed by police in Port of Spain last night. One of them, according to his relatives, is innocent. Collin Phillips was on his way home when he was apparently car-jacked by three known members of a gang. A shootout then ensued with task-force police and soldiers killing all four men at the scene.”
That was all Adrian needed to hear. A photo of Collin Phillips came on his screen. “No!” Adrian shouted at the phone.
The word “innocent” reverberated through Adrian’s head. So this was the reason why Cory and her entire family hated the police so much and by extension the entire military. They had killed her brother. He should have remembered that face. He should have remembered that name but there had to be thousands of people on this island with that same last name.
It finally dawned on Adrian. He had to accept this fact. It wasn’t they who killed Cory’s brother. No matter how hard Adrian had tried to forget that night ever happened, the grim, harsh reality all rushed back to him. He killed Collin Phillips. He had killed Cory’s brother. He’d killed the brother of the woman he loved. How was he ever going to explain this to Cory?
Two years ago and fresh to this task force, he had gone out on a routine patrol with police officers and his soldiers. There were eight of them in the vehicle that night. He remembered them receiving an all-points-bulletin for a vehicle with three suspects. They had just robbed and killed an off-duty police officer in the city. Everyone knew the officer who died. He was one of them.
It all happened so quickly. The suspects were last seen heading right toward them, on the outskirts of the capital. They were ready and on the lookout. When they saw the vehicle approaching, the occupants were firstly warned to stop. Then they began receiving hostile fire from the men in the vehicle. They had no other choice but to open fire in return. And all eight of them had. The car soon crashed into a nearby wall at the side of the road. When silence fell and it was quiet again, there were four motionless bodies in that car.
Four bodies? The APB had said to be on the lookout for three suspects. Who was the fourth man? Where did he come from? They had all wondered about that. As it turned out, the extra body was that of the driver of the vehicle who had received the most gunshot wounds. He had to be taken out first so that the vehicle would come to a stop.
Adrian remembered there was a strange look on the driver’s face. He only realized afterward what that look was. It was the look of confusion. Adrian was the one who felt for a pulse, checking to see if he was still alive. His blood was hot, gushing out of his fresh wounds. Blood was oozing from his wild, curly hair. Adrian had desperately wanted him to live. The driver wasn’t even armed. Adrian didn’t want to have an innocent man’s blood on his hands.
Adrian had questioned himself over and over. Should they have used such lethal force on these men? He prayed that the fourth man was not innocent as initially reported. However, there was strong evidence produced which suggested that he was. He had not one prior criminal record. He wasn’t known to the police. He was just a normal young man on his way home from work that evening when he was carjacked by a group of bandits and murderers.
The eight of them at the scene that night were interviewed by their superiors and submitted individual reports on everything dealing with the shootings. Based on this, a formal investigation was never launched into the matter and their names were never revealed to the public.
The ballistic tests on the weapons used by the three suspects confirmed that they were involved in the shooting death of a police officer and several other people before that. When the investigations were carried out after, it was confirmed that the driver of the vehicle had been an innocent victim. The death of Collin Phillips was ruled as an accidental police shooting. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Adrian tried to forget that incident for two years. Now, it was back to haunt him in the worst way possible. Only this time, it could cost him the woman he loved. The woman he would give his own life to protect.
• • •
When the summit finally ended on Sunday and Adrian got off on Monday morning, he was physically and emotionally beat. All he could think of was Cory. He just couldn’t afford to lose her now over all this.
Adrian knew Cory deserved the truth. Honesty was at the top of her requirement list, for God’s sake. Yet, how could he find it in his heart to tell her something so devastating?
He hadn’t spoken to Cory for days now. It felt more like a year. He missed her terribly. Her giggles, her smile, her teasing him to insanity when they made love. He was going crazy from not seeing her.
Adrian mentally went over his options as he paced the kitchen floor. The poor tiles were probably worn from his frantic back-and-forth pacing. He could tell Cory, explain everything to her and run the risk of losing her. This way, he would at least come clean. But what if he couldn’t bring himself to tell her, she probably would never find out. What she didn’t know would never hurt her, right?
But what if by some small chance she did find out? What then? A voice in Adrian’s head kept asking. But how could she find out? Another was asking.
The only family member who knew about this was his aunt and only because she was a high-ranking officer. He never even told Anna because she worked for a state-owned media house. If any of her colleagues had gotten hold of that information, it surely would have been damaging to her career. And he surely wasn’t going to let that happen to his only sister. Not after all she had been through with her divorce. He also had his two nephews to think about.
He was raised to do the right thing. He considered himself a man of honor and courage. He knew all this but was he prepared to face the consequences after? Adrian was so afraid about this one. Afraid that yet another woman would walk out of his life when he needed her the most.
After much pondering and soul searching, Adrian finally made up his mind about it. There was nothing else left for him to do if he wanted Cory in his life, and he absolutely did.
It was a little before five in the afternoon when he pulled up to her office building.
His hands shook from nerves. It’s your only option, Adrian. No turning back now, he kept reminding himself. He was early. He parked in front the five-story building and waited for her. She had to walk this way to get to her car. Adrian’s only company was the ever so often gentle hum of the engine as the air-conditioning cooled the interior. This faint rise and fall irritated the hell out of him.
Half an hour ticked by ever so slowly and Adrian was losing all his resolve by the minute. Just as he was about to dial her number, he saw her walking out with Jay. They were talking intensely about something. He didn’t know why he felt an instant jolt of jealousy threatening.
Cory hadn’t noticed him there but when Adrian called out to her, she totally ignored him and deliberately looked straight through him. She kept on walking.
To stop her, Adrian quickly reached for her arm. That was when he was thankful that Jay excused himself.
“Baby, please.” Then he reached for her cheek and softly caressed it. He could only see pain in her eyes.
“Please don’t touch me, Adrian.”
Adrian immediately dropped his hand to his side and said, “Cory, I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls. I know you must be really angry with me right now. But I was so caught up with work these past days with the summit.”
“Yeah, I know. But a simple returned phone call when you got a spare moment would’ve done the trick, I think,” she angrily lashed back at him.
“Cory, again, I’m truly sorry,” he quietly said.
“So that’s it? I haven’t seen or heard from you for days and that’s all you can come up it. Please, Adrian, I’m not a fool, okay.”
“Cory, I haven’t even gotten enough sleep during the last how many days. We were working round the clock.”
“So that’s the reason you’re looking like this?” Cory asked. “And you’re hurt.”
“Not really,” Adrian quickly responded. “Just a small accident I had.”
“The last time I saw you, Adrian, you just left me there feeling so completely humiliated and like such a fool. You were so angry with me.”
“Cory, yes I was angry at first but … look, I know you must’ve been worried and I owe you a huge apology.” So that’s what she thought this was all about? She thought that he was angry with her? “I really am very sorry, baby.”
“I thought you had abandoned me, Adrian,” she added softly.
“Cory, never! Why would I ever want to abandon you?” Adrian took her into his arms and held her. She felt so stiff there. He knew how hard it had been for him, he could only imagine what it must have been like for her. “I have all that I could possibly ever need with you, Cory. That’s why I need to talk to you about something.”
“Now?” she asked in an agitated tone.
“Yes, now. Do you have somewhere else to go?” This couldn’t wait any longer.
“Not really. So what is it, then?”
“Let’s go. I want to take you somewhere.”
“So where’re we going?” she enquired, when he passed his apartment.
“Do you trust me?” Adrian asked in return.
“Yes,” Cory answered. “Unfortunately.”
Adrian drove in silence. They went up and around a hilly roadway. Round and round and up and up they went. When Adrian finally pulled into a compound, the sign said, Welcome to Fort George Historical Site.
Adrian held her hand as he helped her out. There was an eerie quiet to the place. Only a handful of people milled about the Fort, mainly tourists taking pictures.
“It’s so beautiful and so peaceful up here,” was all she could manage. “I’m positive you can see the entire island from up here.”
Adrian agreed with her as he moved to hold her around the waist. His hands immediately snaked around her, gently pulling her closer to him. He underestimated the power of this and what holding Cory so close could do to him.
“Cory, believe me when I say just how much I really missed you.”
“If you really missed me that much Adrian, why didn’t you return any of my calls?” Cory demanded. “Or texts. Or e-mails?”
She wiggled out of his grasp then and started walking toward the many cannons that lined the Fort. She climbed atop one and perched herself comfortably on the cannon. “I absolutely love it here,” she whispered.
Cory was such a vision to behold. Sitting on that cannon, her hair blowing freely in the breeze. Adrian couldn’t wait anymore, “Cory, I should’ve told you this all along. But I was just trying to deny it so many times. And I can’t anymore. You mean more to me than anything in this world and I’m really thankful that you’re in my life right now,” he finally let out. “The things I went through this last week, Cory, they only made me realize that I really can’t be without you in my life. I love you too much … I’m in love with you, Cory.”
Adrian paused briefly for a deep breath. He was reaching very deep to get this out right. He covered her small hands with one of his and reached into his pockets for something with his other hand. A small, dark blue box came out.
Then Adrian got down on bended knees. “Cory, I’ll be honored if you’d be my wife. Will you marry me?”