“Get rid of the idiot,” Zack snarled softly.
“Hey,” Bogart snapped, offended by the comment.
Jackie eyed Bogart, made a face, and indicated the door with a nod.
Bogart frowned his displeasure to the situation. “I’ll be right outside listening through the door,” he grumbled then left.
Jackie stood and approached Zack, eyeing his bound wrists and ankles. She knew better than to trust him, but his bindings seemed secure enough. Jackie crouched down before him and placed her hand on his. Zack immediately tensed from her touch telling her there were still feelings for her. She knew she had him. She kept her index finger close to his wrist and attempted to feel his pulse. It was racing. She just needed to drive it home. She reached up and touched his face with her free hand. He still refused to look at her, but he again twitched.
“The guys took a vote,” she gently informed him. “They intend to take you out the first opportunity they get. I don’t support their decision, but I won’t stop them either. I just wanted a chance to say goodbye. No matter what happens, Zack, I’ll always love you.” As she straightened, he finally turned his head and looked at her while she remained standing over him. She leaned down and kissed him quickly but warmly on the lips. When she pulled away, he stared at her, obviously not expecting her to kiss him. She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, “Please don’t make me be the one who has to kill you.”
She pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, wanting to read his eyes. She needed to see if there was anything left of her best friend.
Zack drew a deep breath while staring into her eyes only a few inches from his. His eyes were slightly glossed as if he was close to shedding tears.
“Jackie,” he announced gently without taking his eyes off her then hesitated and held his breath.
Although she hid it well, she could feel her heart racing with anticipation to what he was about to say. She just needed to hear some explanation to redeem her faith in him. He needed to tell her that someone else killed Kirk, and he was completely innocent on all counts. It was tough not showing any emotion while awaiting his response.
His look hardened as all emotion left his face. “You probably shouldn’t have left Bogart alone outside the door,” Zack remarked. “You aren’t the only ones being followed.”
Jackie felt alarm sweep through her. She took a step back from Zack, removed her gun, and aimed it at the door with concern. “Bogart?”
The door immediately opened, revealing Bogart. For a moment, Jackie was relieved until she saw his hands were in the air. Bogart saw the gun in Jackie’s hand and immediately leaped to the floor. Mac aimed her gun at Jackie, although neither woman fired at the other.
“It’s nothing personal,” Mac announced while keeping her gun trained on Jackie then indicated Zack, who casually watched from his front row seat. “I’m just here for the prick. Don’t make this difficult. I don’t want to shoot you.”
“This isn’t exactly the fantasy I had in mind,” Zack casually remarked.
Both women glanced at Zack. “Shut up!” they shouted in unison then returned to their face-off.
“All that’s missing from this slice of hell is a Russian spy,” he muttered then glanced at the door with a curious look as if expecting one to appear mysteriously.
Bogart moved to his feet, putting Mac on high alert. She suddenly kicked the gun from Jackie’s hand. When she went for the return kick, Jackie was already spinning into her own kick. Mac took the hard hit and fell backward against the doorframe, losing her gun as well. Surprisingly, Mac darted out the open door rather than accept the challenge and fight her.
“Watch him,” Jackie yelled to Bogart as she bolted out the door after Mac.
Bogart retrieved one of the discarded guns and aimed it at Zack while maintaining his distance. He sneered at Zack and shook his head. “You’re only alive because she asked me not to kill you,” he remarked while placing his finger on the trigger. “If you really love someone, you sometimes need to protect them from themselves. Don’t you agree?”
“I think we can both agree that you should point that gun in another direction before you accidentally shoot me,” Zack remarked with little emotion. “You’ve killed more people by accident than on purpose.”
“It wouldn’t be no accident,” Bogart growled then lowered the gun and smirked while cocking his head to the side. “But she needs someone she can trust to replace you in her life, doesn’t she? I think I can fill that void. With a little time, I can make her forget you ever existed.”
Someone slipped through the doorway behind Bogart. Bogart heard something, but it was already too late. He was struck on the back of the head before he had a chance to turn. He gasped and fell to the floor, dropping the gun.
Zack watched him hit the floor with little reaction. “No offense, Bogart, but your attempt to fill my shoes needs a little work.”
†
Jackie chased Mac along the moonlit path in the woods around the lake. As the bait shop and dock disappeared behind them, Mac suddenly slid to a stop and spun into a roundhouse kick for Jackie. Jackie threw herself to the ground and into a forward roll to avoid the flying foot coming at her. She sprang to her feet and immediately blocked the return kick. Jackie heard about Mac’s impressive fighting skills. She nearly took down Zack once a while back. Her knowledge of Mac prepared her for a fierce battle with the woman. Despite Mac’s fast punches and quick kicks, Jackie was able to predict and deflect them. In Jackie’s opinion, Mac’s attempt to kick her ass almost seemed personal. She barely knew the woman, but Mac attacked her with an unusual aggression almost as if they were rivals.
Mac came at her with several fast kicks, but rather than deflect them and waste energy, Jackie flipped through the air and out of her path, surprising Mac. As Mac spun to face her, Jackie was already kicking her in the shoulder, sending her backward and into a nearby tree. The hit was moderately hard and slightly stunned the woman.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Jackie informed her and attempted to end the fight before it started.
Mac sneered with hostility. “Oh, shut up!”
She immediately lunged for Jackie with another round of fast kicks and punches. Jackie dived from her path, rolled across the ground, and popped up to her feet. Mac again lunged for her with a series of roundhouse kicks. Jackie ducked one, dropped to the dirt path, and swept her leg out from under her. Mac crashed to the ground but managed to pick herself up, although now slightly out of breath. It was obvious, despite being highly skilled; she hadn’t trained in a while.
“Give it up, Mac,” Jackie remarked. “We’re on the same side here, aren’t we? I just want to talk to him. After that, he’s all yours.”
“I may not want him getting himself killed,” Mac replied while attempting to catch her breath then straightened proudly. “But that doesn’t mean I want you poisoning his mind and turning him against me.”
“Turning him against you?” Jackie suddenly demanded. “How would my talking to him turn him against you?” She hesitated while staring at Mac and came to an instant realization. “Oh, you think if I talk to him, he’ll want to return to the team. You’re afraid of losing him to me.”
Mac fidgeted and became animated and angry. “Forget it,” she lashed out. “You couldn’t possibly understand.”
“Try me.”
“Zack and I,” Mac cried out then pointed demandingly, “we’re alike. We’re the tormented souls of this world. He’s one of the few people who can possibly understand someone like me. I need him; you don’t.”
Jackie shook her head. “You’re selling yourself short, Mac,” she remarked. “I know you’ve made some mistakes, but you can start fresh. You don’t need to cling to Zack like a security blanket.” She drew a deep breath. “And you’re wrong. I need Zack. He’s my family. Those guys are all I have left from my childhood. I won’t lose them.”
Mac relaxed slightly then waved her off. “Forget it,” she scoffed
. “You still don’t get it. Good luck converting him before the rest of your team kills him.”
Jackie watched Mac turn and walk away, heading away from the dock and the bait shop. She considered the comment, sighed softly, and then hurried back for the dock.
†
Jackie entered the abandoned bait shop only a few minutes later to find Bogart sitting on the floor while holding his head as he leaned against the table. Jackie looked at the empty chair then glared at Bogart.
“You let him get away?” she demanded with horror in her eyes. “He was tied to a chair. I told you to keep an eye on him. How did he get away?”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Bogart protested with some irritation. “Someone hit me from behind. I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” He then glared at her. “Where’s Mac?”
Jackie frowned. “She got away.”
“Oh, you let her get away?” he demanded in a mocking tone. “She’s like five foot nothing. You can take on ten armed men, but you can’t you fight one girl?”
“Very funny,” Jackie scoffed then groaned softly. “It’s not safe here. We need to go.” She helped pull him to his feet. “We only have one more shot at Zack.”
He looked at her and appeared concerned. “No, Jackie,” he scoffed. “You said we weren’t going to do that. Not tomorrow night. We’re not going out there.”
“Our original plan was to case the mansion until late afternoon,” she insisted while studying him. “We’ll stick to that plan.”
He seemed to consider the comment. “Then we leave,” he confirmed.
“Then we leave.”
His look was serious as his eyes remained wide and he pointed a warning finger at her. “You promise?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Chapter Thirty-five
It was already late afternoon heading into early evening. Jackie sat in a large tree while Bogart stood on the ground outside the brick wall surrounding the back of Melissa Pendleton’s isolated country estate. Although quite wealthy in appearance, Sal’s estate was grander in every aspect. If she had put the price on their heads, the hefty bounty could quite possibly wipe her out financially. There had to be someone else footing the bill and Melissa was just the front man or front woman, in her case. Several cars had driven onto the estate and parked in front of the elegant mansion. Jackie and Bogart witnessed several cars pull up, although they lost sight of them once they headed toward the front of the mansion.
Several guards roamed the property, including the back of the estate. They were heavily armed with assault weapons containing silencers. Despite what they were hiding, they didn’t appear to be expecting trouble, particularly considering the professions of their guests. The backyard to the estate contained a lovely gazebo within a massive garden. There were several trees and shrubs throughout, but there were also large open areas offering no cover for someone attempting to sneak onto the property. While Jackie studied the estate grounds and attempted to see through the back windows of the mansion, Bogart stared up the tree at her while becoming impatient and possibly concerned.
“You promised, Jackie,” Bogart scolded. “The guys are probably already here. If they find us--”
“They’ll what?” she snapped while looking down at him. “Shoot us? Fire us? What, Bogart?”
“Yell?” Bogart remarked then groaned and cast his back against the wall. “We’ve been here for hours with no sign of Zack, but you have seen a shitload of guards and over a dozen professional hitmen. Every single one of ‘em just dying to get their hands on our asses. They’re all looking for us, and we’re sitting just a few yards away begging to be shot.”
“Case in point,” she remarked. “They’d never expect to find us here.”
“Case in point,” he scoffed. “We’re a couple of idiots begging to be shot.
Jackie suddenly tensed. “I see him,” she cried out only loud enough for Bogart to hear.
“How convenient,” Bogart muttered and smirked. “Now he can kill us.” Bogart climbed the wall with his rifle and backpack, joining her. As he looked across the massive yard, he saw several guards patrolling the area as well. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Always plenty of choices in this world, my dear sister,” he remarked.
Jackie glared down at him. “Stop that,” she scolded. “Hand me my things.”
He groaned and handed her the small backpack with the samurai swords sticking out one end. “This wasn’t part of the plan,” Bogart reminded her. “You weren’t supposed to engage the bloodthirsty hitmen.”
“You just take your position and cover my ass,” she announced and indicated the tree.
“I’m not the world’s greatest sniper, Jackie,” he informed her. “I shot you once, remember?”
“I’m sure you’ll hit your mark and surprise yourself,” she replied, although not necessarily believing her own words. “Just get into position.”
He groaned then nodded while removing his rifle with night scope from his shoulder. As Bogart took his position on the wall hidden alongside the tree, Jackie dropped down from the tree near him. She wore a black mesh tank top allowing a generous view of her red, satin and lace bra. Rather than her usual stalking pants, she wore spandex shorts, boots up to her knees, and black fishnet stockings to complete her attention-grabbing ensemble. Her double thigh holster revealed a semiautomatic strapped to each leg for that sexy, menacing look, and a shoulder holster containing her twin samurai swords strapped to her back.
Bogart eyed her and shook his head. “Where the hell did you come up with that outfit?” he demanded.
“Othello suggested it.”
“Figures,” Bogart muttered then eyed her while grinning. “Well, if it’s your goal to distract him, I think you’ll succeed.”
“Use your enemy’s weaknesses against them,” she informed him then flashed a smile.
They both inserted their ear transmitters before Jackie took off across the top of the wall toward her destination. Zack was too close to the house for her to reach him using the wall alone. She’d have to venture through the yard itself, which contained multiple guards patrolling the area and a small collection of hitmen smoking cigarettes between her and Zack. She needed the element of surprise and as little noise as possible to keep from bringing out the rest of the guards and other hired killers within the mansion. Time was critical since she didn’t know how long Zack would remain in the yard. Jackie pulled the wires on two security cameras attached to the wall directed into the yard as she passed. Once she reached a darker section of the estate grounds between her and Zack, she did a forward flip from the wall and landed gracefully on the ground in a crouched position. No one saw her in the darkness.
As a guard approached, he didn’t see her until it was too late. She spun into a roundhouse kick and silently took him down. She slipped through the darkness toward a second guard. When he turned, she flipped through the air, caught him around the neck with her legs, and took him to the ground. He managed to gasp, although not loud enough to bring any attention. As she crouched in the darkness, Zack had suddenly straightened and scanned the mansion grounds. For a moment, she feared she’d been detected. He didn’t see her, but she somehow knew he was aware of her presence. A moment of panic filled her. She drew a deep breath, pushed it aside, and concentrated on the task at hand. She was running out of time. It wouldn’t be long before the team arrived, if they hadn’t already, and took their shot at Zack.
There was little place to hide if she wanted to reach Zack. She had to come out of the shadows and go to war with the remaining men. Surprisingly, her biggest fear was Bogart accidentally shooting her. Jackie ran across the grounds toward the armed guards, using the element of surprise. None expected a woman running for them. Before they could even raise their weapons, Jackie spun into a flip and took out the first two. She landed and immediately rolled across the ground as others now fired at her. Nearly silent assault rifle fire struck th
e ground not far from her as she rolled into a darkened area near the gazebo. The guards fired several muffled shots then stopped and watched. When nothing moved, they converged on the gazebo. Zack watched the situation unfolding while heading toward the commotion. The hired killers drew their weapons and scattered like cockroaches in the light.
As the guards gathered around the gazebo, Jackie somersaulted from the roof, landing behind the men. She spun into high roundhouse kicks and took out the first two guards then flipped through the air to avoid the gunfire from the other guards. They were stunned when she landed in front of them. She kicked the weapon from the first man’s hand then drew her samurai swords and went after the next two guards. She knocked the weapons from their hands with her swords then simultaneously lunged forward, running her swords through both men’s midsections. Jackie allowed the men to fall to the ground with her swords still intact and dove over the gazebo railing, anticipating the round of gunfire that followed. The remaining three guards fired a barrage of bullets into the gazebo making less noise than if they hadn’t had the suppressors on their rifles. After several dozen rounds, they ceased their fire, certain they’d gotten her.
The guards approached the bullet-ridden railing and looked inside the darkened gazebo. Jackie swung down from the ceiling, taking out the first man with her feet. She rolled across the ground and pulled her swords from the two dead men. As she sprang up, she swung her swords for both men, clashing with their weapons, and disarming them. She then twirled the swords and slashed at the remaining two men, cutting them both. A nearly silent shot was fired, narrowly missing her. Jackie rolled across the ground and into the shadows so they wouldn’t have a clear shot. As she ran across the grounds avoiding nearly silent gunfire, Zack kept pace, following her from a distance. He knew she was coming for him. He didn’t have to go to her.
Outside the Wire Page 19
