Fatal Encounter (A Counterstrike Novel Book 1)

by Jannine Gallant

  Practicing some of the calming techniques she’d learned from her therapist, she had her emotions well under control by the time she reached Hawthorne. Her ribs ached, but she ignored the pain as she parked behind a red SUV several blocks from Eli’s house. Cars lined the street, while music and voices raised in conversation spilled from the open windows of the nearby chalet-style residence. Whoever lived there was having a party, and her rental car parked alongside other vehicles should go unnoticed. Regretting the lack of a holster, she checked the safety before tucking the Berretta into the waistband of her black running tights. After flipping the hem of her T-shirt over it, she removed her rifle case from the trunk and shut the lid with a firm click.

  Slipping into the woods, she made her way cautiously toward Eli’s home, stopping frequently to strain her ears for the slightest sound that was out of place. Twilight shadows filled the forest, but complete darkness was still an hour away. She didn’t expect Legrand to be lurking in the area this early, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Only after circling the perimeter of the house twice did she sprint across the yard to the front porch. Standing with her back pressed against the door, she studied the forest on either side of the driveway, looking for a tree with the best line of sight once they backed the car out of the garage. After assessing the possibility of an ambush, she knocked softly.

  The lock clicked a few seconds later, and Eli opened the door. As soon as she stepped into the house and set down the rifle case, he kicked the door shut and pulled her into his arms.

  “I hate this. I hate it so much.” His breath stirred her hair.

  “I do, too.” She held on tight. “But, we’ll get through it, and so will your mom.” Leaning back, she looked into blue eyes, dark with apprehension. “You have my word on that.”

  “I want to believe you, but I’m so damn angry. I screwed up. My mom would never have been on his radar if I hadn’t opened my mouth at the memorial.”

  “You mean you said something to one of your relatives?”

  Toenails clicked as Watson ran down the stairs and across the entry to jump up and plant his paws on her leg.

  Stepping back, she squatted to pet the dog. “I missed you, too, baby.”

  Eli jammed his hands into the pockets of a pair of faded shorts and stared down at her.

  After calming the excited dog, she rose to her feet. “Let’s go sit down and talk. We have a little time before that freak calls again.”

  He gave a jerky nod and led the way into the living room. She followed, carrying the rifle case. After he dropped onto one end of the couch, she set the case on the floor, removed the revolver from the waistband of her pants, and laid it on the coffee table. Finally, she sat on the cushion next to him.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  He stared at the Beretta before his gaze strayed to her feet. “What’s in the case?”

  Her stomach hurt a little as she answered. “A long range tactical rifle.”

  “You intend to shoot Legrand?”

  “If that’s the only way to get your mom away safely, I will.”

  “Jesus.” He leaned into the corner of the couch and closed his eyes for a moment. “Why do I get the feeling this wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “Because you’re a bright guy. Can we discuss this later? I want to know what happened at the memorial.”

  He let out a long breath. “O’Leary called while I was there. Then Mom made a comment at the wrong time, and before I knew it, I was explaining how the detective had a few follow up questions for me to my uncle and aunt. God knows who else they mentioned it to after I left the estate. Suffice it to say, someone was suspicious and called Legrand. Webb spilled a drink on me earlier, so I had to go home to change. I’ve no clue how he found my mom at the cemetery. I certainly didn’t see his truck anywhere.”

  “Maybe he missed you at the house and had to improvise. He’s probably pissed as hell by now. Good. A rattled target makes more mistakes than a cool and calculating one.”

  “I guess you’d have reason to know.”

  She stroked Watson’s head when he walked over and rested his chin on her knee. “I quit Counterstrike for a reason. I’d had enough.”

  He stared at her intently, his eyes shadowed. “How many people did you save?”

  “It’s a group effort. Everyone has a job to do during an extraction.” Her fingers burrowed deeper into Watson’s fur. “While I was part of the team, we rescued fifty-six victims.”

  “How many didn’t make it back alive?”

  “Three victims and two team members. Coffee was the last casualty and the reason I quit.” Her voice quavered slightly, and she steadied it. “Failure was difficult for all of us. I couldn’t face the fact that it might happen again.”

  Eli was silent for several seconds. “What you did for those people was exceptional . . . and obviously extremely dangerous. I guess that makes you a hero.”

  She grimaced, and her grip on Watson tightened. “I never felt much like a hero. I just did my job and struggled to live with the consequences every single day.”

  “How many people have you killed in the line of duty, Jaimee?”

  “I didn’t keep track.” She released the dog and pressed her hands to her stomach. “I stopped counting after the first year. It was better not to know.”

  “You’re right about that.” He turned away and stared out the window toward the darkening forest. “I wish I hadn’t asked.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  When his phone rang at exactly nine forty, Eli slowly reached toward his cell. His stomach churned. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t at all certain he’d be able to point the ugly black revolver lying on the coffee table at the assassin’s head and pull the trigger. He didn’t doubt for a minute that Jaimee would kill the man, given the opportunity.

  He swallowed hard.

  “Are you going to answer that?”

  Meeting her determined gaze, he took a calming breath, put the call on speaker, and slid to connect. “Let me talk to my mother.”

  “Is Fleming with you?”

  At Jaimee’s nod, he answered the way they’d rehearsed. “She’s here at the house, but we aren’t going anywhere until I speak to my mom.”

  “Currently, your mother is fine, but if you don’t follow my instructions to the letter, she won’t stay that way. Are we clear?”

  “Perfectly. Now put her on the phone.”

  A moment later, his mother’s tearful voice came over the speaker. “Eli, I’m okay. Just do what he wants. He said he won’t hurt me, but—”

  “As I said, I haven’t harmed her,” Legrand interrupted, the hint of accent deepening. “However, if I see any indication you’ve brought the police with you, I won’t hesitate to kill her.”

  “I didn’t call anyone except Jaimee, which is what you asked me to do. I told her an anonymous source who has information about Maureen’s killer wants to meet with both of us.”

  “Where is the woman now?”

  “I suggested she go change into warmer clothes. I didn’t want her in the room when you contacted me.” He hesitated before speaking in a rush. “Look, I only met her a few days ago when she asked me for a ride. I don’t know what you want with her, but my main concern is my mother’s safety. I won’t say a word about any of this to that detective if you let my mom go. I give you my word.”

  “Impressive, Mr. Croft. I almost believe you.”

  “I swear—”

  “Cut the bullshit. We both know you’ll go straight to the police the minute I release your mother. Except, by the time you manage to free yourselves, I’ll be long gone, and it won’t matter. Are you ready for those instructions?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Punch 2600 Rockford Road into your phone and follow the directions. Once you reach the abandoned barn where the pavement ends, keep driving north for another quarter mile down the dirt road. You’ll see a clearing with a stone chimney, which is all that’s left of the hous
e that once stood there. After you arrive, I want both you and Fleming to get out of the car and step away from the vehicle.

  Beside him, Jaimee picked up her phone and started texting.

  “I expect to see my mother before I give you the opportunity to take a shot at me.”

  “You’re not in a position to make demands.” The accent was more pronounced as his voice hardened. “One more thing. Bring that packet of documents you stole from the post office with you.”

  “What packet? I don’t know—”

  “I think you do. I’ll see both you and the woman in twenty minutes. Don’t be late.”

  “But—” Eli jumped up from the couch. “Shit. The asshole hung up.”

  Jaimee stood, picked up her revolver and the case containing her rifle, and headed toward the kitchen. “I texted Wolf directions. He verified they didn’t spot any suspicious activity around your house, so the team is on their way to the destination.”

  Eli followed her into the kitchen. “You heard what Legrand said. If he sees your buddies and thinks they’re cops—”

  “He’s not going to see them. They’ll move in on foot and be completely invisible.” She bent to open a drawer and pulled out the folder of forged documents.

  He stared at the folder she tucked beneath her arm. “I’d forgotten all about those.”

  “Lucky for me, I put them out of sight when I was cleaning up on Friday, or he would have found them. I don’t see how Legrand could possibly use this new identity when he must know it’s been compromised, but maybe he’s just tying up loose ends.”

  “The way he intends to do with us?”

  Jaimee nodded. “Exactly. Let’s go. I put the address into my phone, and we’ll barely make it there in the allotted time.”

  “The sooner we end this and get my mom home safely, the better.” Eli held Watson back with his foot when the dog tried to push his way out the door into the garage. “Sorry, bud, but you’re staying here.” Moments later, he reversed the car down the driveway and hit the brakes with a jerk before shifting into drive. “Sorry. My nerves are shot.”

  “I don’t blame you. The situation is stressful, but we have the element of surprise on our side.” Jaimee removed her rifle from its case and assembled it quickly and efficiently, despite the cramped quarters. After locking the barrel into place and attaching the scope, she loaded the weapon. “Legrand is expecting two amateurs at the exchange, not a team of seasoned professionals.”

  Eli tried to focus on the road, but his gaze strayed to the rifle lying across her lap. “Do you plan to use that?”

  “Probably not, but I want to be ready, just in case this meet turns sideways. My hope is the Counterstrike team will take out the target before we even get there.”

  “And if they don’t?”

  “I’ll figure it out once I assess the situation. Head toward Sugarland. We leave the highway shortly after passing it.”

  Eli followed her directions. “I know the general area. When I was a kid, I remember going to a fall festival with pony rides and a pumpkin patch at a farm on Rockford Road.”

  “What’s the terrain like?”

  “We drove past a couple of family farms with large gardens and pastureland for a small herd of cows. One farm had rows of blueberry bushes. The place holding the festival was similar, with cleared land that backed up to thick forest. We parked in a grassy field. Of course, that was years ago.”

  “So Legrand could be waiting in the woods to pick us off once we’re exposed. This time of year, when all the trees are leafed out, the coverage is excellent. I wonder where he has your mom stashed.”

  “He mentioned an abandoned barn at the end of the paved road.”

  “Seems too obvious, but I’ll ask Wolf to check it out before we get there.” She texted rapidly then switched back to the map app with their destination. “I don’t like this. The whole situation feels off.”

  Eli turned to look at her in the glare of the outdoor lights as they drove past Sugarland. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not sure, exactly. But he can’t think we’re so stupid we’ll simply step out of the car and wait for him to shoot us.”

  “I told him you’re expecting to meet someone with information, not a contract killer.”

  “Yes, but you aren’t a total idiot. Even if you were in a complete panic over your mother, he must know you’d take some basic precautions.”

  “Yet here we are, driving straight into his trap. What other choice do we have?”

  “I hate not having all the facts.” She rested a clenched fist on her thigh. “Granted, he couldn’t anticipate I’d call Counterstrike, but he’d be a fool not to suspect we’ll do something to cover our asses.”

  “You think he has a few surprises of his own planned?”

  “Yes. I just wish I knew what.”

  They drove in silence for several minutes while dread weighed heavily in his stomach.

  “Take the next right in two tenths of a mile. The first left is Rockford Road. Our destination is at least a couple of miles down from there.”

  Eli slowed to make the turn off the highway, then further reduced his speed as they bumped over a cattle grate. “This must be Rockford Road, although I don’t see a sign.”

  Jaimee pointed at a long wooden post lying in some weeds at the corner. “Looks like someone knocked it over.”

  They passed a large white house and a metal barn just visible in the faint moonlight at the end of a driveway. Keeping his speed down, they cruised along a barbed wire fence. Cows lowed somewhere in the distance. A second driveway with a mailbox beside the entrance appeared in the beam of the headlights. After passing it, they drove for a mile without seeing anything but barren fields.

  Jaimee leaned forward. “There’s a For Sale sign on that fence post up ahead. I think it says foreclosure at the bottom.”

  “I’m pretty sure this is where the pumpkin patch was held. I remember that big walnut tree in the middle of the field where we parked.”

  “According to my map, the address where the barn is located is about a quarter mile from here.”

  “I haven’t seen any sign of your friends. Are you sure they got here ahead of us?”

  “If you saw them, it would defeat the purpose.” When her phone vibrated, she frowned. “Patch says no one is near the clearing beyond the barn, nor is he waiting in the woods to take a shot at us.”

  “Where the hell is he, then? Where’s my mom?”

  “The barn is also vacant. I wonder—”

  The car lurched, and a front tire thumped ominously moments before the window shattered, showering glass pebbles all over them.”

  “Are you hit? Get down and kill the lights!”

  Heart pounding, Eli switched off the headlights before another bullet pinged off metal, and the radiator hissed, spewing liquid. “I’m okay.”

  “Out of the car. Now. Stay low, leave the door open, and get behind it.”

  Another bullet thudded into the seat near his shoulder as he turned off the engine and pushed his door open. Jaimee landed practically on top of him as he hit the ground.

  She scrambled to her knees. “He doesn’t have an angle anymore, but he could be on the move.”

  “Why didn’t I hear any shots?”

  “He’s using a silencer.” Her phone glowed as she texted rapidly before shoving it into her pocket. Lifting the rifle into the crack between the door and the car frame, she sighted down it and moved the barrel slowly.

  “How can you see in the dark?”

  “Infrared scope. Damn it!” She swore softly. “There was a flash of movement, but he disappeared behind a shed before I could get a shot.”

  “Now what?”

  “My team is on the way, but we need some cover that doesn’t obstruct my view before he gets into a better position.”

  “I noticed a shallow ditch next to the fence on the other side of the road. Would that work?”

  She lowered the rifle. “Yeah, i
t would. Move fast, but stay low to the ground. Let me go first, and I can cover you once I get over there.”

  She intends to draw the assassin’s fire. Before he could argue, Jaimee scrambled away from the car. A bullet hit the ground where her shadow had been a moment before, and his heart nearly stopped.

  “Now!” The command came in a low whisper.

  As he ducked down and sprinted across the road, two shots rang out in the still night air. He rolled into the ditch, and the breath whooshed out of him. Jaimee held her position, lying flat with the barrel of the rifle resting on the ground inches above them.

  “I don’t see the bastard. Where the hell did he go?” She was silent for a moment before a dim light flashed on in the house across the road. “What the—shit!”

  Eli raised his head slightly. From where they were lying, he could just see the corner of the house a good fifty yards away. His view of the front porch was partially blocked by his car.”

  Jaimee’s elbow nailed him in the thigh as she climbed over him and crawled down the length of the ditch.

  “Drop whatever weapon you have and come out now, Croft, or I’ll put a bullet in your mother’s brain,” the killer shouted. “I want to see the woman, too.”

  Chills slid through him. When his mom let out a soft cry, he rose up on his knees.

  “Eli, I need you to get behind the car and distract him.” Jaimee spoke in a low voice he had to strain to hear. “Do you have a clear shot?”

  It took him a moment to realize the question she’d asked hadn’t been directed at him. She was on her phone, undoubtedly with one of her teammates.

  “I’ll take it, then. It’ll be tight, but I’ll make it.” She reached over and touched his arm. “Go.”

  Fear held Eli in an icy grip. Forcing himself up onto the road, he crawled to the car. When he rose high enough to see the porch through the shattered window, his legs nearly gave way.