Next Exit, Three Miles

by CW Browning

  The heat from the flames stopped him in his tracks and Damon threw up an arm to shield his face, his breath catching in his chest painfully as he stared at the massive ball of flames. At the base was a twisted mass of metal that once was an SUV. The flames, that only seconds before had been over three stories high, had lowered already to a manageable size, but the heat pouring from the wreckage told him that a military-grade accelerant had been used. He looked around almost frantically as police officers on the other side of the fire started shouting orders to each other.

  Hawk backed up and started examining the blast radius, looking for anything that would indicate that Viper had been there. He tried not to think about the possibility of her being inside the inferno, and instead focused on the debris, searching for any sign that she had been injured...or worse. The fact that she had been here or in the vicinity was beyond doubt in his mind. The only question was whether she had caused the explosion, or been a target of it.

  After searching fruitlessly for a few moments, he moved back into the shadows of a huge elm on the corner and lifted his eyes to scan the area. Sirens were already wailing in the distance as the fire department responded to the police summons, and the number of spectators was growing as people began to swarm to the second scene of chaos in their quiet neighborhood. The police started to form a human barricade in an arc around the fire, holding the curious at bay.

  Hawk melted deeper into the shadows, watching. His heartbeat was returning to normal as his breathing slowed. There was no sign of Viper in the debris or in the surrounding crowds. He had to believe that she was fine. On making that determination, Hawk's mind automatically turned to the cause of the explosion. The use of the accelerant raised new questions and Damon scanned the area one more time, looking for something that he couldn't identify. When his phone vibrated, he felt a flood of relief. He didn't need to look to know that it was Viper.

  A young policeman watched Damon from a few yards away. He recognized him as the man with the Feds that he had let in earlier. He called over to his buddy to tell him he would be right back, then turned to head over to Damon. He took two steps and stopped, looking around in confusion.

  Damon had completely disappeared.

  They called him “The Engineer.” The people who hired him didn't know his real name. His reputation was extensive and solid, and that was good enough for them. He had never much cared for the name himself, but he was a practical man. He knew that the name inspired apprehension and fear, and so he allowed it. It was the only remnant from his military days that still existed. He had made sure of that. But when a reputation is built so firmly on a name, well, there was nothing to be done about that. He accepted it and never really thought much about it. To the men and women who hired him, however, the name meant everything. It guaranteed that they were getting someone who was invisible and didn't really exist. It ensured superior planning, flawless execution, and not a trace to be found. Most important of all, it meant that there would be no failure. The Engineer had an astonishing one hundred percent success rate and they paid very highly for his services.

  The Engineer stood in the shadows and watched the scurry of activity following the explosion. He felt a certain satisfaction in seeing everything play out exactly as he had planned it. So much planning, so much patience, and now he was beginning to see it start to pay off. This was just the beginning.

  He was drawing them all to him. He liked to think of them as his wayward children. They wouldn't come to him voluntarily, and so he had to orchestrate events and script their reactions, planning everything down to the last detail. Then, when they finally did what he wanted them to do, he would put them out of their misery. The Engineer wasn't a cruel man, after all. He was simply thorough. And, if his wayward children learned a valuable lesson to take with them to the next life, well, then he would be shown tolerance in his next life. It was for this reason that he was always very careful to draw them to him slowly. That way, they really did have time to think about their actions and realize where they were going. Perhaps they could learn from their journey and that of their friends.

  He had known Viper would be here tonight. He planned it this way. He knew that she would come to make sure that the body hanging from the tree wasn’t Johann. She wouldn’t trust that agent from Homeland Security who was hanging around the Feds to make that determination for her. The Engineer frowned slightly. Mr. Peterson was an unforeseen complication. However, he was confident that he had adjusted accordingly. He was concerned with why Viper was spending so much time with a member of a government agency. She was too smart for that. She knew that none of them could be trusted, especially after that fiasco in Cairo two years ago. And yet, here she was associating with not only the mystery DHS agent, but also two Feds. This was certainly something The Engineer had not expected from the Viper that he had studied. However, he admitted to being somewhat delighted with this new facet to her. She was turning out to be much more complicated than he had first thought. There was much more to her than just a brilliant assassin. He wished he had more time to explore the intricacies of her character, but all his planning had to adhere to a strict time table. He was already a little off schedule because of Johann’s erratic behavior.

  He sighed and lifted his binoculars, scanning the neighborhood slowly. Johann had to be here somewhere. He would have heard of Ahmed’s death by now. It was all over the police scanners and The Engineer knew that Johann monitored the scanners. He had planned for it. He was just waiting for him to show himself. He wanted him to see the severity of the situation and accept his consequences.

  Oh, yes. He had planned it all out, down to the very last detail. And, when it was all said and done, everyone would move when and where he wanted them to...just like chess pieces.

  He continued to scan the growing crowds and shadows. There was still no sign of Viper or Johann. And yet, they had to be there! He thought he had glimpsed Viper just before he detonated the truck, moving in the shadows near the corner where he had parked it. But when he had looked into the shadows where he saw the movement, no one was there. He was annoyed that he had missed her, but he was more concerned with Johann. The Engineer needed to know that Johann had seen Ahmed. It was crucial that he feel the pressure.

  The Engineer turned his binoculars at movement behind the fire and watched as the DHS agent appeared on the sidewalk behind the inferno that used to be the truck. He focused in on him curiously as the agent threw up his arm to shield his face from the heat coming off the flames. Ah yes, the accelerant was burning away. Mr. Peterson backed up a few steps and then started walking around the blast radius, looking on the ground at the debris. The Engineer watched him for a moment, diverted. Was he really looking for something useful in the debris? He smiled slightly. Oh, the government agents were so very predictable. Always imagining that clues were everywhere. What on earth did Viper see in him?

  He moved on, dismissing Mr. Peterson from his mind. The neighbors were starting to gather, being held back by a growing number of the local police force. The Engineer swore softly and lowered his binoculars. There was no use looking for him now. Johann wouldn't show his face with this many people around.

  He had missed him.

  A strange feeling of frustration took hold, choking out his previous satisfaction with the evening. This was a feeling he hadn't felt in years. The Engineer never failed. His plans always played out just as he had scripted them. He never miscalculated. And yet, there was no Johann and no Viper.

  This was not the way he had planned it.

  The Engineer tucked his binoculars away and melted into the shadows again, disappearing swiftly into the night, leaving chaos behind him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Damon got out of his Jeep and turned toward the deck. The house was completely dark. When he had come through the driveway and around the side, he thought that Alina wasn't back yet. Relief washed over him at the sight of her seated in one of the Adirondack chairs. She was sitting in the darkne
ss, with only the faint light from the moon lighting the deck. Her legs were folded up to the side of her and she seemed to be staring off into the night.

  Damon moved across the grass toward the deck, watching her. He had the almost uncontrollable urge to run up to her and lift her into his arms, to feel that she was alive and warm and well. Instead, he moved steadily across the lawn. There would be time enough later to explore this unusual feeling that was panic mixed with relief.

  Alina watched Damon get out of the jeep and come toward the deck. He was moving with his usual steady, jungle-cat grace and she drew solace from that familiar walk. She had been sitting there for quite a while, thinking, and now she was feeling numb. Her legs were numb from where they had been curled into the chair and her mind was numb from all the various scenarios that she had been running through in her head. Seeing Hawk come toward her now, calm and familiar, filled her with warm comfort. She tried to push the feeling aside, but she was just too weary. Alina let it encompass her as she watched him.

  “You look like you've been sitting here for a while,” Damon remarked, stepping silently onto the deck and looking down at her.

  She tilted her head back and looked into his face.

  “I have. It's a good thing you came when you did. I'm not sure I can feel my legs,” she replied bluntly.

  Damon burst out laughing. Alina smiled and shifted her weight, gingerly untangling her legs and straightening them out of the chair. Damon set a hand on her shoulder when she would have tried to stand.

  “You stay here,” he said. “I'll be right back.”

  He moved past her to the doors and disappeared into the dark house. Alina didn't question him, but crossed her ankles and leaned back in the chair again. She returned her gaze to the woods at the end of the yard and listened as the night surrounded her. The breeze carried the fresh scent of earth and young leaves, the signature scent of a spring evening. The moonlight cast silver shadows over the grass and an owl hooted nearby. Rustling in the trees to the left was followed by the unmistakable chirp of a raccoon. Alina leaned her head back and took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. She listened as the large raccoon scurried over to the trash cans at the side of house. A minute later, one of the lids fell to the ground and Alina smiled. She should probably get up and scare it away, but she couldn't be bothered. It was hungry and looking for food. It would leave when it realized that the cans were empty. She closed her eyes.

  The owl hooted again and the trash can fell to the ground with a clatter as the raccoon scurried away back into the trees. A bat swooped down from the garage and fluttered quickly around the yard before going back to the eaves of the garage. Tree frogs sang to each other, becoming increasingly louder as the shadows deepened. Alina absorbed it all, trying to calm her mind so that she could think clearly. Tonight had been a revelation, and the anger that had been simmering below the surface had finally ebbed away, leaving restlessness in its wake.

  “Here.”

  Damon appeared next her with a mug in each hand. Alina opened her eyes and reached out to take the hot cup of coffee.

  “Thank you,” she said, lifting her head and sipping the espresso gratefully.

  Damon sat next to her and they were quiet for a few moments, sipping their coffee. He hesitated to break the companionable silence, sensing that Alina needed it. The hot espresso burned a path of warmth to his belly and he leaned his head back, closing his eyes. The tree frogs were singing loudly to each other and Damon couldn't help thinking how much more comfortable it was here than in his tree.

  “Stephanie is ok?”

  Alina finally broke the silence. Damon opened his eyes and glanced at her. She was looking at him with large, clear dark eyes.

  “She was fine the last time I saw her,” he answered. “I left her with John.”

  Alina nodded and turned her attention back to the dark yard.

  “You didn't...” Damon started after a long moment.

  Alina cut him off instantly.

  “Nope,” she said. “It was remote detonated before I even got to it.”

  Damon absorbed that for a moment while Alina sipped her coffee. The numbness in her head was starting to recede, almost as if she was coming back to earth after floating just above it for an extended period time.

  “Was it the Bronco?” he asked.

  Alina nodded.

  “The bastard knew I would see it,” she answered shortly. Damon glanced at her. Her hands were steady, but there was no mistaking the cold anger in her voice. “He wanted to make sure that I saw it.”

  “Did you see it detonate?” he asked, his mind working furiously. Alina nodded.

  “I was heading towards it,” she answered. “As soon as it went up, I took cover. I canvassed the area, but couldn't find anything. He was either at a remote location or he was invisible.”

  “Or just very well hidden,” Damon replied.

  Alina paused. She wished she could have insisted that she would have seen him, but she was honest and knew she could not. The explosion had done just what it was intended to do, cause chaos, and in the contrasting darkness and brightness of the flames, Alina knew she could have missed a shadow.

  “He isn't an amateur,” she said after a short silence. “He used an accelerant. That explosion was designed as a distraction to draw Johann out. That's exactly what it did.”

  “Johann?”

  Hawk glanced at her. She had her head back against the chair and was staring out into the night.

  “He was there,” Alina said. “I saw him on the other side of the fire. By the time I circled around, he was gone. Whoever this spook is, he had this all planned down to the last detail.”

  “Why?” Damon asked, setting down his empty coffee mug and getting comfortable. “Why do you think he tried to draw him out? And where do you fit in?”

  “He's mocking me,” Alina replied shortly. “He's after Johann, but he must have been watching me all along. I don't know why. There's something...” her voice trailed off as she stared into the trees. Something was nagging at the outer edges of her mind, just out of reach of her consciousness. “There's something that I'm overlooking...something that I remember....”

  Alina shook her head in frustration. Now that the picture was becoming clearer in her mind, there was a grayness that she couldn't fit in with the rest...something that was on the edge of her memory.

  “Don't force it,” Hawk advised. “It will come to you.” He turned his attention to the night around them. “Let's start from the beginning. This afternoon in the woods. Let's start there.”

  Alina glanced at him with a slight smile. He had made himself comfortable on his chair and propped his feet up on the banister.

  “Ok.” Alina went back earlier in the day with him. “You and Angela were in front of me.”

  “Did you see us?” Hawk asked.

  Alina shook her head.

  “No. I could hear you and sense your movement,” she answered. Hawk turned his head to look at her and she held up her hand. “Don't give me that look. You've known me long enough to know that in nature, my senses are better than my eyes.”

  Hawk grinned.

  “I won't deny that,” he murmured.

  They had called her a witch behind her back in training. Her sixth sense had been legendary. And then, of course, there was that strange knack she had with animals.

  “You were in front of me. I was about to come up behind you when I realized that someone else was behind me,” Alina continued. “I dropped to my knees and turned. I couldn't see him, but I knew he was there.”

  “Do you think he saw you?” Damon asked.

  Alina thought for a moment.

  “I think so,” she said slowly. “I never caught sight of him until he was out of the woods and crossing the road, but I think he was watching me.”

  “It was definitely a man?” Hawk asked.

  Alina nodded.

  “Tall, dark hair, maybe a buck eighty. It was hard to tell. He wa
s wearing hunting fatigues, but he wasn't any more than a buck ninety, I wouldn't have thought,” she said thoughtfully. “He took off when some kids came through on their dirt bikes. I ran him down to the road and was just in time to see him disappear into the woods across the way. The bronco started up and came out a minute later.”

  “So he knew you saw the truck,” Hawk said slowly. “And you think this was all carefully planned out?”

  “I think so.” Alina stretched and propped her feet up next to his on the banister, crossing her ankles. “It feels like it. I feel like he planned for me to know that he was there tonight.” Alina searched for the right way to put into words what she was thinking. “I think he's been systematically tracking Johann and taking out his network. Then I arrived. I think he is letting me know that he's here, and that he is going to win.”

  “You think this is a game to him?” Hawk demanded, glancing at her.

  Alina shook her head, meeting his gaze.

  “I think this is business to him,” she replied calmly.

  Hawk stared at her in silence.

  “You think it's another hit on Johann,” he stated after a moment.

  Alina nodded.

  “And I think I know who it is,” she added.

  “Are you crazy?” Stephanie demanded. She was staring at John from the passenger seat as he sped through the night. “We can't just show up on her doorstep at close to two in the morning.”

  “Why not?” John asked blandly. “We both have done it in the past.”

  “That was ten years ago, you ass,” Stephanie retorted. There was silence for a moment. “She might not even be home.”

  “True,” John agreed, switching lanes and zooming into the exit for Marlton.

  “You're in Marlton,” Stephanie muttered. “Alina lives in Medford.”