The Sniper

by Kimberly Van Meter

  “No. This guy was smaller and more agile. The guy in the alley was a thug.”

  “Why didn’t you tell the police that you thought he was more than a burglar?”

  “Because if I had told the police my suspicions, they would’ve wanted to know why and there’s no easy way to explain what I do for a living. Not to mention one of our directives is to always fly under the radar, which would’ve been impossible if I hadn’t lied. Besides, I had a better chance of finding the guy than the police ever would.”

  Her brows rose in question. “Did you?”

  He scowled. “No. And I searched high and low for the bastard. Someone was protecting him.”

  “Which goes back to our original question—who is trying to kill you? If all of this started back in June, wouldn’t it be a reasonable theory that whatever got this ball rolling has something to do with that time period? What jobs did you do during that time?”

  Nathan didn’t need to think hard. The last three assignments he’d done for ID had left a bad taste in his mouth. It wasn’t his job to question, and in the past he’d had no problem following orders, but something tripped his gut instinct and he found himself asking more questions than might have been prudent. “There was a guy named Harry Winslow—something about the job didn’t seem right. I took my concerns to Tom but he assured me that looks were deceiving and that Winslow was bad guy.”

  “How so? I mean, what did he do that was so bad that the government had to put him down?” Jaci asked, dubious. “Please don’t tell me it was something like cheating on his taxes. That’s a scary thought.”

  “On the surface Winslow was the owner of a start-up pharmaceutical company that manufactured drugs that artificially boosted the immune system for people who were undergoing cancer treatments. It was supposed to be cutting-edge stuff. But while Winslow was accepting accolades for his company’s research, he was also the main funding source for several opium fields in Afghanistan. I don’t know if you know anything about the opium wars in the Middle East but it’s ugly. I’ve seen atrocities you can’t even imagine done in the name of greed.”

  He paused and ran his finger along his eyebrow as he suffered through an echo of the turmoil he’d experienced as he surveyed his hit. “Military men follow orders, and that’s what I did. But I liked to think that each of my targets deserved what was coming to them.” He shrugged. “But after Winslow... I don’t know, maybe that wasn’t the case.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Winslow kept his nose clean. I watched him for weeks but I never caught him doing anything remotely criminal. Phone records, surveillance, internet traffic, you name it, I had access to everything but nothing tripped my alarm. The man had simply seemed dedicated to his work at the pharmaceutical company.” Nathan sighed, shaking his head at the lingering doubt in his mind. “In the end, I did the job and walked away. It was shortly after that Tom suggested I needed a break.”

  “Have you ever considered...” She lifted her gaze to his, searching. “Maybe Winslow wasn’t guilty at all? Maybe he was innocent and you were lied to so that you would do someone else’s dirty work?”

  He refused to believe it. “No. You have no idea the channels that have to be operating in perfect tandem to get a kill order passed through. It’s a complicated checks and balances system so that no one can take advantage.”

  “Are you saying that there’s no way a government entity can be corrupted?” At her sardonic tone he frowned, not liking the questions that rose fresh in his mind. “Listen, I think you need to focus on finding out more about Winslow and what he was working on. Maybe the answer we’re looking for is in that case file.”

  “I don’t have access to the internal files. I wonder if your friend Ghost is having any luck breaking into the ID database?”

  “If anyone can do it, James can. What do we do in the meantime?”

  “I think I need to talk to Tom.”

  Jaci nodded gravely. “I think you’re right.”

  Nathan rubbed his chin and muttered an expletive. Why did the prospect of talking to Tom again about this case give him a serious bad feeling?

  He supposed there was only one way to find out.

  “But before we go to Tom, there’s someone else I want to talk to. Someone who, I think, has already walked in my shoes.”

  Chapter 12

  Jaci followed Nathan’s lead and flattened herself against the brick wall of an older building, closing her eyes against the images of Sonia dying in an alley much like the one they were hiding in right now, while Nathan rapped three times on the warped metal door. “Where are we?” she whispered, swallowing the lump of fear that seemed caught in her windpipe. It was one thing to boldly proclaim you were ready for whatever may come, but quite another to actually face possible death around every corner. Jaci had already squeaked twice when startled, earning an annoyed look from Nathan and she was resolved to be less freaked out by shadows and creepy noises.

  “I have a friend who owns the bar,” he answered, waiting for someone to come to the door. “This door leads straight to his main office upstairs. He always keeps a guard posted on the other side, just in case someone gets it in their head to try and pry it open to gain access.”

  “Why would anyone want to break into a seedy bar on the wrong side of town?” she asked, glancing dubiously around at the trash littering the ground. “I think even the homeless have higher standards.”

  “Nothing is ever as it seems in my world, Jaci,” he reminded her and she nodded, feeling quite naive and not at all as worldly as she’d hoped when she’d convinced him that she could handle whatever he tossed her way. The door opened and a big, burly man without a neck to speak of stared them down with fists clenched. “Bar entrance is on Fifth and Martin,” he intoned dangerously, gesturing for them to move on before they got a fistful of knuckle meat for their trouble.

  Nathan ignored the threat. “Tell Miko that Nathan Isaacs needs to speak with him—it’s urgent.”

  The bouncer eyed him with open suspicion. Miko paid his men well. If Nathan didn’t pass the test, they’d be left standing out in the sweltering heat with bootprints on their butts for their trouble. “Password.”

  “Sierra Alpha Foxtrot Echo,” he answered without blinking. The thug moved aside and they slipped inside to bound up the stairs to a small office above the raucous din of the bar below.

  Miko, a man in his mid-thirties who’d once been an operative within ID and had since retired, relaxed from behind the desk when he saw Nathan. “Ever thought of picking up a phone, friend? You almost got your nuts shot off.” At that he lifted the gun hidden under the desk and returned it to the drawer. Nathan quirked the barest of smiles and closed the door for privacy. “Ah, so it’s like that? How did I know someday you’d show up with your ass in hot water?”

  “Because you know me well enough—I don’t quit or give up, even when the odds are against me,” he answered, slapping his friend in a quick, manly bear hug. They broke apart and Nathan surveyed Miko with a grin. “You’re getting soft. Too much desk work and too many beers. When was the last time you lifted anything but a pen?”

  “Screw you, Nathan. I can bench your scrawny frame any day of the week,” Miko boasted with a wink to Jaci as he moved away to focus on her. “And who might you be? Aside from the woman of my dreams?” he asked, stopping only when Nathan made a low growl. “Oh? Taken? Far be it from me to piss on another man’s territory.”

  Jaci gasped and muttered something that sounded a lot like gross! and Nathan swallowed the chuckle at her disgust. Trained killers often had a skewed sense of humor...and justice. Nathan knew he could trust Miko with his life. He’d spent many nights in various places of hell with the man at his side. Miko returned to his chair and leaned back, his dark eyes sharp as a needle point even if his pose seemed laid back. “So what’s going on?
You just here for a visit or what?”

  “Take a guess.”

  “Someone is trying to kill us,” Jaci blurted out, tired of the back and forth. “Someone within ID is after us and we need your help to figure out who.”

  “Is this true?” Miko asked, suddenly serious.

  Nathan shot Jaci an irritated look but otherwise nodded in response. “Yeah, that’s about the long and short of it. Someone is apparently tired of my company and wants me gone.”

  “Yeah, they’re brutal like that,” Miko muttered, glancing away. “How do you know it’s someone within ID? Fact is, with your credentials, I’d think it fair to say you’ve pissed off your share of people.”

  “True,” Nathan allowed but added, “But we have pretty solid evidence that someone high in the food chain signed the kill order.”

  “What evidence?”

  “Someone is using the company credit card to pay for the thugs,” Jaci jumped in, eager to add something of value.

  Miko looked to Jaci, then to Nathan. “Want to introduce me to your lady friend here?” he asked with the guise of manners, though Nathan knew he wanted to discern her value and trustworthiness before he spoke freely.

  “Jaci Williams, meet Miko Archangelo. Miko, meet my ex-girlfriend, and no, she’s not interested in exchanging phone numbers,” he warned his friend with a meaningful scowl. Miko had always had a weakness for beautiful women and although Nathan would trust him with his life, he wouldn’t trust the man further than he could punt him around Jaci.

  Miko chuckled and winked at Jaci, saying, “Someone’s got this old soldier all tied up in knots. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were still his squeeze.”

  She blushed and possibly for the first time in her life wisely remained silent, looking to Nathan for direction, which he took, getting to the point. “I need to talk to you about the Constantin job,” he said, knowing Miko would rather chew bullets than talk about his last year with ID. As he expected, Miko shut down, his gaze shuttering.

  “What’s to tell? I was tired of it all. I became a liability in the field and a danger to my team.” He forced a smile. “Besides, I like being a bar owner. No one is trying to kill me and I still make money. God bless the drunks out there keeping me clothed and housed.”

  “You and I both know that you didn’t quit because you lost your touch. You were an excellent marksman and you never missed.”

  Miko smiled but his eyes were hard as he reached into his desk and pulled out two glasses and bottle of Jameson. He poured and pushed a glass to Nathan before he lifted his own glass to his lips and swallowed all of the amber liquid in one gulp. “Read the file. I retired with full honors. I’ve even got medical and dental for life.” He poured another and eyed Nathan. “You didn’t come here to pick apart my history. What are you here for, Nathan?” he asked.

  Nathan was almost afraid to voice the niggling fear in the back of his head because if he did, it might make everything that much more real. But they hadn’t come so he could chew the fat with an old friend. “I think whoever is after me within ID wants me dead to cover up an assignment that never should’ve been sanctioned.”

  “What do you mean?” Miko asked quietly, his fingers stilling as he traced the rim of his glass.

  “I think, hell, I don’t know for sure, but someone high up is considering me a loose end. The last three assignments from ID left me feeling uneasy but Tom assured me everything was solid. I don’t like the questions that are circling my brain.”

  “Because if you can’t trust the people who have your back, the ones who tell you that you’re not just killing innocent people but doing a service to your country, then who can you trust, right?” Miko’s sardonic twist of his lips spoke volumes and Nathan felt his stomach pitch.

  “Your last assignment... What happened?”

  “I bugged out. Something didn’t feel right and I knew I couldn’t back out without a real good reason—and no good enough reason existed as far as Tom was concerned.” Miko tossed back another drink as if needing the liquid courage to admit his sins. “I didn’t mean to do so much damage but when the car flipped, I lost control and ended up flying through the windshield. Broke my arm in five places.” He ran his finger along his forearm showing where the scars remained. “It sucked but I was alive. And the best part? I was out of ID. My trigger finger was out of commission. The surgery was able to put me back together again but I’d lost my stability. I couldn’t hold steady any longer. Discharged on a medical with full honors. Happy ending.”

  Nathan remembered the wreck but had never had any idea Miko had crashed his car purposefully just to get free from ID. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

  “No point. Besides, it was time for me to get out. My heart wasn’t in the job anymore.”

  “You suspected the assignment was bogus, didn’t you?” Nathan pressed. “That’s why you bugged out.” At Miko’s pursed lips but otherwise silent response, Nathan felt his world reel. “Did you share your concerns with anyone?” he asked. Miko shook his head and Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. He used to think his world was safe because he knew what was out there, but now...nothing felt safe. “You taking precautions?”

  “Do you think I keep that thug at my back door just because I like his company? Hell, yes, I’ve taken precautions. But you and I both know if ID wants me dead, it’s gonna happen no matter what I do. Men like you and me are the best at what we do and ID has plenty of guys just waiting to make their mark within the department.”

  “Why didn’t you leave the city?”

  “And go where?” He shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to own a bar and now I do. If my time is up, at least I’m going to go out doing something I enjoy.” He sighed and stared at Nathan and Jaci with grim certainty. “Maybe it’s time for you and the redheaded beauty here to split town for a while, let things settle down. Maybe whoever wants you dead will figure you’re not worth the trouble.”

  “I’m not leaving until I figure out who’s behind this. If someone is using ID to do their dirty work, it needs to stop,” Nathan said.

  “I used to like playing the hero, too. Careful, buddy. It’s addictive and it can end up getting you killed.”

  Nathan grabbed his shot of whiskey and downed it in one swallow. “I’m not playing the hero. It’s personal. Whoever put this plan in motion forgot one thing—I don’t stop until the job is done. And I’m not stopping until I have the person responsible for messing with my life in my crosshairs.”

  “Stubborn ass,” Miko muttered. “That quality is going to put you in the ground with your lady friend right beside you.”

  Jaci surprised them both when she stood and said resolutely, “Nothing is going to happen to us. Nathan is the best and I believe in him. If he says he’s going to catch whoever is doing this, he will.” She looked to Nathan. “Are we done?”

  Nathan nodded and rose, casting a look at Miko. “Stay safe, man.”

  In answer, Miko lifted his newly filled shot glass in mock salute. “I ain’t worried. I’m just a bar owner. You’re the one who needs to watch his back.”

  Wasn’t that the truth. But as Nathan and Jaci sprinted for the truck tucked away in the shadows, Nathan couldn’t shake the feeling that that was the last time he’d ever see his friend.

  Someone was intent on cleaning up loose ends and that included anyone who’d ever raised a hand in question over jobs that should’ve been sanctioned by the proper channels but may not have been what they seemed.

  That sick feeling in his gut had just intensified.

  Chapter 13

  The blanket of silence in the truck was enough to smother an elephant. Jaci sent a furtive glance at Nathan and even in the shadows, she could see the hard set of his jaw as he processed the information his friend had shared. Questions swirled in her brain but she was afraid to
voice them until Nathan started the conversation first. However, as the moments stretched on with no sound from Nathan, she realized she was going to have to take the plunge.

  “Do you trust Miko?” she ventured cautiously, trying to get a feel for the direction of Nathan’s thoughts.

  “Yeah,” he bit out, his eyes never leaving the road as he negotiated a tight turn and then took a side street off the main highway.

  “So what does this mean? If Miko left ID because he didn’t trust the integrity of the people in charge...does this mean...” She let the rest of her question trail but she knew Nathan was wondering the same thing. “What are you going to do?”

  “After talking to Miko, I know I don’t have a choice but to talk to Tom.”

  Jaci appeared worried. “I know. But it seems to me that Tom is the common denominator in all this. He’s the one who assured you you were doing the right thing when clearly you had doubts and doubly so for your friend Miko. I hate to break it to you but I think Tom might be the bad guy in this scenario.”

  “You don’t know Tom like I do. He would never betray his team,” he said hotly. “He’s been like a father to me ever since I joined ID. If something is rotten in the department, he deserves to know.”

  “And what if Tom is the one who’s pulling the strings and going to him just puts your life in more danger? And, by proxy, mine? Why don’t we wait and see what James has dredged up before we go half-cocked to your director, who may or may not be involved?” It seemed a reasonable request by her standard but Nathan looked stubbornly set in his way of thinking, which only gave her a serious case of impending diarrhea. “Please, Nathan?” she pleaded and he relented with a short jerk of his head. It wasn’t a gracious capitulation on his part but she’d take it. “Thank you,” she said, wishing she could reach over and smooth that frown from his face but knowing he wouldn’t welcome the contact right now. She could only imagine the turmoil going on in his brain knowing that the man he trusted the most might be the enemy. She didn’t envy his pain but she knew how it felt to be betrayed.