Next Exit, Dead Ahead

by CW Browning

  “Really?” Alina demanded, going over to the bar and setting the plates down. “You guys are acting like kids. The pizza isn't going to disappear, and neither is the beer.”

  Michael grinned at her and grabbed a plate.

  “You never saw Dave and I at the mess hall,” he retorted, scooping up a slice of sausage and pepperoni and plopping it onto his plate. “We used to tackle guys out of line.”

  “Somehow, that doesn't surprise me,” Alina murmured, caught off guard at the casual mention of her brother. “Dave never could stand to miss a meal.”

  She bit her lip, suddenly remembering her brother when they were much younger, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He would make three of them after school and eat them standing up in the kitchen while she worked on her homework at the table. The unexpected memory blind-sided her and Alina quickly turned away to go over to the cabinet as a suspicious lump formed in her throat.

  “I don't think any man can,” Angela was saying behind her as she pushed Michael out of the way. “Whatever happened to ladies first? Move over!”

  “Wait your turn,” Michael retorted, eliciting a gasp from Angela.

  “Hey! If it weren't for me, you'd be eating lettuce!” she retorted. Reaching around him, she grabbed a plate. “So, move it!”

  Alina took a deep breath and reached up to open the cabinet with the wineglasses. It had been a long time since she thought of Dave. They were inseparable, right up until he joined the Marines and went off to fight the good fight. He was killed in Iraq when an insurgent put a bullet through his head. Devastated, Alina joined the Navy less than a year later. Over the years, Viper learned to keep Dave in a little box somewhere deep inside her, opening the box only rarely, and only when she was alone.

  A strong hand reached over her shoulder and pulled out a wine glass, handing it to her. Alina turned her head and met bright blue eyes.

  “You ok?” Damon asked softly, those eyes probing hers gently.

  “Fine,” Alina replied.

  Damon studied her lazily with his sharp blue eyes. A faint smile played about his lips and Alina had the uneasy feeling she wasn't fooling him for a minute.

  “Someday, you'll have to show me a picture of this mysterious brother of yours,” he murmured, grabbing two pint glasses and another wine glass from the cabinet.

  “He's not mysterious. He's dead,” Alina retorted shortly. “And you're going to miss out on the sausage and pepperoni if you don't get over there. I think Angie just took half the pie.”

  Damon didn't even bother to look, his eyes locked with hers.

  “You're going to have to let me in eventually, Viper,” he told her, his voice so low she had to strain to hear it.

  Alina's lips tightened as she struggled to take a breath. She felt as if she was suffocating and she didn't like the feeling one bit. Before she could respond with a biting retort, however, Damon turned away. He carried the glasses over to the bar, leaving her to suck in a deep breath and collect herself.

  “What wine do we want?” Angela called from the dining room, where she had the wine cabinet open and was surveying their choices. “Pinot Noir?”

  “Fine!” Alina called back, her voice sharper than she intended. “I'll bring the corkscrew.”

  She turned to open a drawer and scowled when she saw her hand shaking. Damn Hawk! Who did he think he was, trying to get inside her head? Her brother was part of her life before she joined the military, before she met Damon in basic training, and before she learned to forget who she was, focusing instead on what she had to become. Damon didn't need to know that person. He didn't need to know anything about her. All that should concern him was who she was now and the life she lived here. Her past had no place with them, just as his had no place with her.

  Alina grabbed the corkscrew and shut the drawer impatiently.

  And damn Michael for mentioning Dave and stirring this all up in the first place!

  Michael was in the middle of amusing the table with a funny anecdote involving Blake and a monkey in the streets of Delhi when Alina's phone started vibrating against her thigh. Both pizza boxes were empty and they were all still sitting at the table, two empty beer bottles and half a bottle of wine in the center. Setting her wine glass down, Alina reached into her cargo pocket and pulled out her phone as Damon set a fresh beer on the table in front of Michael. He glanced over curiously as she swiped her screen before reaching behind him for another beer for himself.

  Alina glanced at the alert flashing on the phone. Touching the screen, she opened the software for the tracker she had attached to Lowell Kwan's car. Hawk's eyes narrowed as the faint smile was wiped from her face and he paused in the act of lifting his beer to his lips.

  “What is it?” he asked, cutting Michael off mid-sentence, his eyes on her face.

  Viper raised dark, emotionless eyes to his.

  “We've got company.”

  Damon set the beer down, untouched, and glanced at Angela. She was sipping her wine, looking from one to another curiously.

  “What do you mean, we have company?” she asked. “Is Stephanie coming over? Should we open another bottle of wine?”

  Michael watched as Alina pushed her chair back and Damon turned to cross over to the windows along the back of the house. He set down his beer as Damon started pulling the heavy drapes closed.

  “How do you know?” he asked simply.

  “I tagged his car,” Alina said over her shoulder as she moved into the kitchen swiftly. She opened a lower cabinet and pulled out her laptop, setting it on the counter and flipping it open. “He's less than a mile away.”

  “Who?” Angela asked. “What's going on?”

  “Kwan's on his way here,” Michael told her, standing.

  “What?!” she exclaimed, startled. “How do we know? How does he know I'm here?”

  “He doesn't.” Damon finished drawing the drapes across the sliding doors and turned to head down the hallway toward the front of the house. “He's going back to the last place he saw you.”

  “Then let's turn off all the lights and stay away from the windows,” Angela said, setting her glass down. “Then he'll go away.”

  “I wish it was that simple,” Michael murmured, smiling despite himself.

  “Well, then what do we do?” Angela demanded, getting up and setting her hands on her hips. “What's the plan?”

  “9 minutes!” Viper called down the hallway to Hawk, closing the laptop with a snap. “I armed the perimeter so we know where he is, but it won't stop him.”

  “9 minutes till what?” Angela cried. “Lina, what the hell are you talking about?!”

  “Until he breaches the perimeter,” Alina said shortly over her shoulder. “Michael, take her upstairs.”

  “Like hell I will,” Michael retorted. “You stay with her. I'll take care of Kwan. Just tell me where he is.”

  “Spoken like a true Jarhead,” Damon muttered, emerging from the hallway. “All the lights are out in the front of the house. If he wants to see inside, he'll need night-vision goggles.”

  “He won't get close enough to need them,” Viper said grimly, spinning around and heading for the back door. “Michael, last warning. Take her upstairs.”

  “STOP!!!” Angela screamed as her hand touched the sliding door handle.

  Viper swung around, her hand reaching for her gun even as she realized there was no threat. Michael's eyebrows soared into his forehead with the shriek and Damon rolled his eyes, grimacing at the sound.

  “What?” Alina demanded impatiently.

  “You're not going out there! Are you crazy?!” Angela cried. “He could be armed!”

  “I hope he is,” Alina said under her breath.

  “No!” Angela stalked over to her and stomped her foot. “You're not going out there!”

  Damon's lips twitched. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall in the living room, watching silently.

  “Angie, I'll be fine,” Alina said, trying to be rational.
“Michael is here to protect you, so he has to stay here with you. If it'll make you feel better, I'll take Damon.”

  “No. Michael can go,” Angela said obstinately.

  “Well, thanks,” Michael murmured, his eyes dancing. “I'm glad I made such a good impression on you.”

  “Well, you're used to this sort of thing,” Angela explained, spinning around to face him. With her back to Alina, she missed the incredulous look that crossed her face. “You're a Federal Agent.”

  Michael nodded gravely, not trusting himself to speak just yet as Alina almost rolled her eyes out of her head.

  “Ang...”

  “No. Michael goes, or no one goes.” Angela spun around again and crossed her arms over her chest. “He knows how to handle stuff like this. I don't want you to get hurt because of me.”

  “For the love of God, I'm not...”

  “She's right,” Damon spoke up, cutting Alina off. Her eyes flew to his and he winked behind Angela's back. “You stay here with Angela and I'll go with Michael. Between the two of us, we should be able to...persuade Kwan to leave her alone.”

  Viper met Hawk's gaze and read the subtle warning deep in his eyes. She glanced at Angela and suddenly understood what he was doing. Angela looked at her, waiting, and Alina allowed herself to sigh and nod reluctantly.

  “Fine,” she said ungraciously and released the door handle. “I have ear pieces. Put them in and I'll direct you from here,” she added, crossing the living room to the hallway. “They're in the den. I'll get them.”

  “Time's wasting,” Damon murmured as she passed him. The look she shot him made him grin. “Just sayin'.”

  Viper muttered something in German under her breath that surprised a bark of laughter from him and disappeared down the hallway.

  “What did she say?” Michael asked, standing close enough to have heard the muttered remark. “It sounded like German.”

  “Nothing fit for the tender ears of a Marine,” Hawk told him, his eyes still dancing. “I don't think she cares for the arrangement.”

  Michael chuckled.

  “I'm enjoying it, myself,” he admitted.

  “How can you be enjoying this?” Angela muttered, sinking down onto the couch. “This is a nightmare. What if he's armed? What if he shoots you?”

  “He'll have to be pretty quick to get the chance,” Michael replied. “Trust me.”

  “Well, I do feel better that Damon's going with you,” Angela admitted. “He's in the Department of Homeland Security, you know, so he carries a gun too.”

  Michael shot Damon a startled look and Damon smiled blandly.

  “Here. Take these.” Alina came back before Michael could think of an appropriate remark. “I'll monitor the perimeter from here and guide you to him.”

  “Oh my God!” Angela suddenly cried from the couch. The three turned to look at her. “What if he has people with him?”

  “Don't worry.” Michael turned toward the back door. “Just stay with Alina and stay out of sight. We'll take care of you.”

  Viper couldn't stop her eyes from narrowing at Michael's taunting words as he judiciously moved out of her reach. Damon grinned and tucked the ear piece into his ear.

  “See what happens when you live in Jersey? I don't have these problems on my ranch,” he murmured softly, laughing at the murderous look she shot him. “Take her upstairs,” he called over his shoulder as he followed Michael.

  “Yes, thank you,” Alina snapped.

  “Don't forget to lock this behind us!” Michael called, only the slightest tremor in his voice betraying how much he was enjoying her discomfiture.

  The door slid shut behind the two men and Alina stalked over to flip the lock. She glanced at her watch, then turned to Angela.

  “Turn off the lights,” she told her, heading over to her laptop on the counter. “It's safer upstairs.”

  “Why?” Angela asked, getting up and walking over to the light switch on the wall. She flipped off the lights in the living room, then moved into the dining room. “And why are we turning off the lights?”

  “It makes it harder for an intruder to navigate without giving away his position,” Alina said shortly, flipping off the kitchen lights. The back of the house plunged into darkness. “And it's safer upstairs because I have a good view from the windows. If he somehow makes it past H—Damon and Michael, I'll see him before he gets to the house.”

  Alina turned down the dark hallway, shaking her head slightly at her near slip. This whole situation was ridiculous. She should be the one out there, not Michael. She understood why Damon sent her the silent warning, though. It was a miracle Angela didn't suspect something already. As it was, too many people around here were aware of her true identity.

  “How are they going to convince Lowell to leave me alone?” Angela asked as she followed her up the stairs.

  “I think we'd rather not know,” Alina muttered truthfully. While Angela would be horrified if she knew just how Hawk 'persuaded' people to do what he wanted, she would be horrified if Michael didn't use equivalent pressure. “It's best to just let them handle it.”

  And if they don't, I'll blow his head off, she added silently.

  “Do you want me to get the lights up here?” Angela asked as they reached the second floor.

  “Please,” Alina answered, glancing at her watch. “We'll go into the room you're sleeping in. It has the best view of the front.”

  She disappeared into the spare room as she spoke, switching the light off as she entered. Angela went into the next room to turn off the lights and Alina waited a moment for her eyes to readjust to the darkness. When they had, she moved over to the window and glanced out over the dark trees.

  “Not to be a pest, but which way are we going?” Hawk's voice murmured low in her ear.

  “Give me a second,” she murmured, opening her laptop and setting it on the floor next to her. She opened the security perimeter cameras and started scanning them. “Ok. The car is parked in the trees near the road, just about where it was last time he showed up.”

  “What about him?” Michael asked.

  “Still looking,” Alina replied, scanning the camera angles. “Hold on.”

  “All the lights are off,” Angela said as she came into the room behind her. “Now what?”

  “Sit down out of sight,” Alina said over her shoulder.

  Angela sank down onto the floor beside the door with her back against the wall, watching as Alina moved from one quadrant to another on her laptop. She stayed quiet, watching the black and white images from across the room. Alina examined each one before swiping over to the next one on the touchscreen monitor. She examined one, swiped to the next, then quickly went back again, leaning in to examine it more closely.

  “Found him,” she breathed, a smile curving her lips. “He's using a Maglite. Looks like he's alone.”

  “Great. Where is he?” Michael asked.

  “About fifty yards from you, to the south,” she answered, glancing at the camera Michael and Damon had just passed.

  “Thanks,” Michael said.

  Alina watched on the cameras as Damon and Michael turned, moving through the trees to the south. She smiled slightly at Hawk's lethal, jungle-cat stride, caught by surprise at the rush of affection rolling through her.

  “Can you see them?” Angela asked, breaking the silence in the room.

  Alina glanced at her.

  “Yes.”

  Angela got up and came over, sinking down beside her and looking at the widescreen monitor.

  “Where are they?”

  Alina pointed to the screen.

  “They're about to come into this quadrant....there,” she said.

  “And where's Kwan?” Angela asked.

  “There.”

  Again, Alina pointed to another box.

  Angela watched silently as Lowell swung the thin flashlight over the ground, moving through the trees.

  “What happens if he gets to the house?” Angela asked
after a moment.

  Alina glanced at her and Angela shivered involuntarily at the look in her eyes.

  “He won't.”

  Stephanie stared at the ceiling above her sofa, her mind and body numb. It was close to ten and she was too exhausted to get up off the couch and go to bed. Her mind kept spinning, going over every fact and every coincidence they had come across in the past four days. Somewhere, there had to be a common thread. Somewhere, it all had to come together and make sense. But where?

  The flash drive Alina gave her with Jessica's testimony on it helped clear up some points. Now, at least, they knew why Jessica had been willing to assist with placing the arm inside the Dungeon. Because of her testimony, they also had more proof the Cartel killed Rodrigo. What it didn't tell them was what brought Jenaro Gomez to Jersey in the first place.

  Stephanie sighed and rubbed her eyes. She was almost positive Jenaro had come here after Philip Chou, but how to prove it? So far, there had been no contact that they knew of between Chou and Gomez. There was no word yet on the BOLO they put out on the mysterious Mexican Catering van, the only thing they had that could possibly link Chou to the Cartel. Essentially, she had absolutely nothing.

  Kwan was another story altogether. Alina said he was at Chou's apartment moments before her agents got there, but how to prove it? An illegal tracking device couldn't be admitted as evidence. Philip's laptop hadn't turned up, and there was no way to link Kwan to the hacking ring without either Philip's laptop or Kwan's own hardware. It didn't matter that she had all kinds of circumstantial evidence burying him neck deep in the events of the past four days. Without proof, she had nothing. Even if Angela could be convinced to testify to Lowell's knowledge of Rodrigo's head before it was made public, a good lawyer would shred it in minutes. As far as Lowell Kwan was concerned, Stephanie still had nothing.

  A knock on her front door pulled Stephanie out of her reverie and she frowned, glancing at her watch. She swung her legs off the sofa and went over to the door, peering through the peephole. Blake stood outside, his head elongated and distorted, staring at the peephole.