The Sniper

by Kimberly Van Meter

  * * *

  Nathan saw Jaci, cradling her hand, and he lifted his stare to the woman who was at the center of all this hell. He raised his hands to show he was unarmed and approached slowly. Jaci blinked back tears but remained quiet, her gaze flicking to the sharply dressed woman who was eyeing him with a pleasant but cool expression. “And you must be the venerable Nathan Isaacs, the hit man with a heart of gold,” the woman said with a touch of derision. “Did you bring something for me?”

  Nathan produced a small memory stick. “There’s some good stuff on here.”

  Her smile turned brittle. “I can only imagine. Why don’t you share with me a preview of what’s on that clever little device?”

  “And ruin the surprise?” Nathan shook his head. “No, I think women like you could use a jolt now and then. Perhaps it will remind you of your humanity...and mortality.”

  Penelope dropped her smile and with it went her mask of civility. She snarled and held out her hand. “Give it to me.”

  His hand curled around the stick. “First, you and I are going to have some words.”

  Penelope’s eyes glittered with open malice. “Would you care for a last meal? The caviar here is sublime. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Are you forgetting something?” he asked, causing her to frown. “I haven’t given you the stick.”

  “You will. And then I’ll be done with this whole sordid business. You’ve been a thorn in my side for far too long and I’m ready to be finished with you. I became bored with your interference long ago.”

  “You said if Nathan agreed to a medical discharge from ID you’d leave us alone,” Jaci reminded her hotly. “Aren’t you a woman of your word, at the very least? Don’t sociopaths hold anything sacred?”

  Penelope graced Nathan with a knowing look and said, “Nathan knew the offer was bogus but he came anyway. He must really love you to sacrifice his life for you. Stupid man.” A second thug appeared in an impeccable suit right behind Nathan. “Gentlemen, please escort Mr. Isaacs from the restaurant. Quietly.”

  Jaci whirled on Penelope, her eyes wild. “What are you doing? You gave your word!”

  “Yes, I did. How unfortunate for you that you believed me.” She laughed but then she waved her hand in a seeming act of benevolence and said, “Go on, leave. I have what I want. You were never of interest to me. Nathan is the true prize. Leave before I change my mind.” Jaci rose and looked to Nathan for guidance but when he simply nodded for her to go, her bewildered expression cut at his heart.

  “As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters.”

  “Touching,” Penelope said dryly. “It’s simply too precious for words. The star-crossed lovers screwed over by fate. Boo-hoo.”

  “Cut the crap,” Nathan said irritably, ready to put his fist through her perfectly lined lips. He’d never approved of violence against women but Penelope Winslow was testing that belief. “Jaci, go. Don’t worry about me.”

  “You don’t know what she’s like,” Jaci said, glancing at Penelope. “She broke my pinky finger just for saying something she didn’t like. She’s going to kill you!”

  Penelope looked bored. “Can we move this along? I have other plans for this afternoon.”

  Nathan saw red at Jaci’s admission and when he noticed her finger turning purple, he knew that it was indeed broken. But he couldn’t tip his ace by letting his rage get the better of him. It was essential that she believe he was doing this to save Jaci. So much was riding on him being exchanged for Jaci. But if Jaci didn’t get her butt in gear, she was going to ruin the entire plan. “Go! Get out of here,” Nathan said tersely to Jaci, causing her to blink in wounded surprise at his tone. “Will you listen to me for once?”

  “Fine,” Jaci practically shouted, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. “You stupid, stubborn man. Have it your way! And when you wake up dead, don’t come crying to me!”

  Chapter 25

  Jaci left the restaurant as quickly as her feet would carry her, her vision blinded by tears while her finger throbbed agonizingly. She didn’t have time to go to the hospital and simply ignored the pain as her brain tried to figure out a way to save Nathan. The fool had sacrificed himself for her—always being the hero. There had to be a way that she could save him.

  She ran to a phone booth on the corner but cried in frustration when she realized the handset was broken. Damn vandals, she thought, slamming the useless receiver back into its cradle. She didn’t have a cell phone; she didn’t have any money. She heard the distinctive rumble of the Metro bus as it pulled away from its scheduled stop and she ran after it waving her one arm wildly. When the driver slowed the bus so she could jump on, she pleaded with him to let her ride. “I’ve been mugged. My finger’s broken and I need to get to the hospital. Can you please take me as close as you can?”

  The driver, a big dark-skinned man with black moles populating his cheeks, glanced at her finger and she held up her hand so he could see the damage. He grimaced and nodded. “I can only take you as far as Shields. You’ll have to walk from there,” he said.

  “Bless you! That would be wonderful. Thank you!”

  Shields would take her close to her apartment. That was almost perfect. She slid into the nearest seat and wiped at her tears with her uninjured hand. An older woman with a kindly, soft face exclaimed when she saw the motley purple and black on her finger. “Oh, dear! What happened?” she asked, her expression filled with compassion.

  Jaci closed her eyes and decided to stick with her story. “I was mugged. They took everything. My keys, my phone and my wallet. I need to get home so I can call my roommate.”

  “Well, honey, you can use my cell phone if you like,” the woman offered. Jaci opened her eyes and almost started crying again at the generosity of the stranger. Penelope had nearly ruined Jaci’s belief in people but this stranger had just renewed her sense that not all people were bad. She nodded gratefully and the older woman fished her cell phone out of her purse. “I hope they find who did that to you, honey. That looks dreadful.”

  “Thank you so much.” Jaci quickly dialed the burner number and hoped and prayed that James picked up. Luck was on her side for James came on the line almost immediately. “Oh, thank God. James, something terrible has happened—”

  “Where are you? Are you okay? I’ve been worried sick. Someone trashed our apartment. Whatever you do, don’t go there.”

  “I’m fine, sort of. I don’t have my phone or any money. Nathan’s in trouble and we have to do something to save him before he goes and gets himself killed.”

  “Slow down. Where are you?” James asked.

  “I’m on the Metro heading toward Shields.”

  “I’ll meet you at Shields.”

  “You can’t drive your car,” she said suddenly, a new fear striking her. “Your car’s been rigged to explode.”

  “Are you kidding me? That’s not funny.”

  “Would I really joke about something like that?” she answered in exasperation. “I have a strange sense of humor but I would never joke about that. Please, be careful.”

  “Right. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll see you in a few.”

  Jaci returned the phone to the kind lady with a brief smile of relief and then leaned against the headrest with her eyes closed. She tried to ignore the pain in her finger but it was unlike anything she’d ever endured.

  She could still see how everything had unfolded as if watching a movie featuring someone who looked a lot like her. He’d snapped her finger as if he were breaking a twig. It’d been efficient and done so quickly that she hadn’t had time to react. God, that was so messed up. And she knew with a certainty that the first chance Nathan got he was going to kill that woman for hurting her. He might’ve overlooked a lot of things, except that. For the first time Jaci didn’t feel conflicted about th
e level of violence Nathan experienced as part of his daily life. Somehow she just knew that it was going to end up saving both their lives.

  Jaci hopped off the bus at Shields and thanked the bus driver profusely before running toward James. She stopped short when she saw another man with him. “Who is this?” she asked, not trusting anyone. But there was something about this man that was vaguely familiar, something that reminded her of Nathan. The angular jaw, the sharp gaze—she wasn’t sure but it was something.

  The man jerked a nod and said, “Get in the car. We’ll talk while we drive.”

  Jaci scowled. He even talked like Nathan. Except the reason she tolerated that tone with Nathan was because she loved him. She didn’t know this guy and he was already pissing her off. “First, you tell me who you are, and then I’ll decide whether or not I’ll get in the car with you.”

  “I’m Nathan’s brother, Jake. Now get in.”

  Jaci shared a look with James of total confusion and hopped into the passenger side while James took the backseat. Brother? “What are you doing here? Nathan said you lived in Florida. And why are you trying to help us?”

  “My relationship with my brother is complicated. But I can tell you this—I’ve never lived in Florida and until this moment we hadn’t spoken for nine years. He called me when you were kidnapped and told me what’s been going on.”

  Nathan had lied to her? Again? Her lips felt numb. “How can you help us?” she asked, trying to focus on something other than the hurt. Would he ever trust her with his personal life? She swallowed, hating that she had more questions than answers. She cast James a wounded look for not warning her that he was bringing another person, particularly someone like Nathan’s brother. She had to focus on the single most important detail right now or else she’d go insane. “We have to do something. She’s going to kill him,” she said with grim certainty. “I know this sounds over-the-top but she’s evil and, quite possibly, unstoppable.”

  “No one is unstoppable. Not even the president of the United States.”

  Jake’s confidence settled her nerves a little but the pain in her finger was becoming unbearable. Jake glanced at her injured finger. “There’s a first aid kit in the glove compartment. Wrap your pinky finger against your ring finger and wrap it tight. It will stabilize the bone. Tell me everything you know about Penelope Winslow.”

  “When I was in Mexico, I discovered the link between Penelope Granger and Tom Wyatt.”

  “And how did you do that? I only just discovered it myself.”

  “Gotta love Google. I saw an old photo cached in Google Images.”

  “I swear, the internet is the biggest security breach in the history of America. Al Gore is probably rethinking his promotion of the World Wide Web back in the day right about now.”

  Jaci managed a brief smile before she started wrapping her finger, wincing as she wound the tape around. “But right after I made the discovery, I went to go call Nathan and I was kidnapped by Penelope’s men right from my hotel room.”

  “And where did she take you?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered, shaking her head. “They drugged me to bring me back over the border and when I woke up I was in a really fancy house with ugly furnishings. Looked like French Provincial to me but I’m no interior designer. My idea of couture is substantially more subdued than Penelope Winslow’s.”

  “Does it look like this?” Jake held up his phone with a picture of Penelope Winslow standing in her salon, looking beautifully cultured and incredibly wealthy as part of a cover story on influential people in Los Angeles for a local magazine. Jaci nodded vigorously, recognizing every bit of furniture in that ugly room. Jake smirked. “I guess you’re right. Google is a wonderful thing. Little Miss High Society broke a cardinal rule—never crap where you eat.” Even as the discovery was a coup for them, his expression dimmed. “I have to level with you. There’s a chance Nathan won’t come out of this alive.”

  “What are you talking about? I thought you had a plan.”

  “We do have a plan. But that plan hinges upon Nathan getting Penelope to admit her part in Winslow’s death and Tom’s corruption of ID.”

  “And how’s he supposed to get her to do that?”

  “That’s Nathan’s problem. But if he can get her to talk that memory stick that he’s got in his hand isn’t actually a memory stick. It’s a recorder.”

  “But recording someone against their knowledge isn’t admissible in court. Her lawyers would chew that up and then she’d be out on the street again and just as pissed off as ever. Trust me, she is a psychopath in designer clothing with thugs who are very good at breaking things, such as human bones.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Besides, we’re not using the recording to prove our case in court.”

  “If you’re not using the information to capture her, what are you going to use it for?”

  “Let’s just say, if it ever does go to court...it’s a good line of defense.”

  Jaci stared. “He’s going to kill her.” At her flat statement Jake remained silent. She knew that was the likely outcome and possibly the only outcome to ensure their safety. But she would’ve rather seen the woman go to jail for the rest of her life. Somehow spending seventy years in orange polyester blend seemed far crueler than simply taking her out with a bullet. But, if that was the only way... “I understand,” she said finally. “What can I do to help?”

  “Just sit tight and let Nathan do his work. If Nathan doesn’t get her to admit to her crimes, he’s going to have to go to Plan B.”

  A shiver of apprehension followed as she asked, “What is Plan B?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  Jaci stopped asking; she believed him.

  * * *

  “How early did you know that you were a sadist? Did you drown the family kitten or puppy?” Nathan asked, right before the thug landed another hit below his ribs. He grunted as the pain radiated but he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of him crying out. With each hit her smile grew wider. She was truly enjoying the show. “Did Winslow know of your secret life?” he asked when he could speak again, determined to make the pain worth something.

  At that Penelope scoffed. “Harry was a dull academic too focused on his research than anything else. Do you realize that when I put the money up for Tessara, Harry didn’t even ask where the money was coming from? He was too blinded by the opportunity to own his own lab to question where the money came from.”

  “I don’t know. Why would he question? You’re a rich broad. Probably thought you had the cash in the rainy-day jar,” Nathan said, wincing with every breath.

  “Yes, well, be that as it may, I was getting tired of the everyday minutia of owning Tessara. Until I realized how much fun it could be to needle Harry. If all he loved was his precious laboratory, then I’d endeavor to make his life more interesting.”

  “How’s that? Spike his morning coffee with a laxative creamer?”

  Her lip curled. “Don’t be crude,” she said with a sniff. “I realized to make a game more interesting you have to involve more players. Quietly and under the radar, I became a silent benefactor for a small rival company and began feeding them information that would push them to become more aggressive in their research. With the right encouragement, my little pet project blossomed into quite a thorn in Harry’s side. It became a game, to see how far I could push him before he’d notice that I was the one behind every victory with his rival company. He didn’t find it the least bit curious that each time his scientists had a breakthrough, Tessara’s scientists had an equal or greater breakthrough. But,” she said with a shrug. “When Hashimoto became interested in Tessara, it ceased being a game and was just business. Honestly, if it’d remained a game I could have spent years torturing Harry, letting him have a few successes and then just when he had hope that his comp
any might actually make something out of itself, I’d crush him again.” Penelope laughed, the sound a testament to her true evil. “Ah, Harry...I think I’ll miss him.”

  “What about Tom? Will you miss him, too?”

  Penelope stilled in reflection, finally answering, “Tom was a friend, a confidant and a lover. Of course I’ll miss him.”

  “Then why’d you have him killed?”

  Her eyes flashed. “I did not make that choice. Tom made that choice when he went soft. He used to be a soldier—a warrior! But then he started to buy into the hype of being a hero, being a nation’s hero and suddenly he didn’t want to kill people anymore.” She actually pouted a little as if she were the victim and not the other way around. “I tried to explain to him that it was all the same—killing for personal gain or killing for his country’s gain. Really, it’s splitting hairs. And frankly I would rather line my coffers rather than Uncle Sam’s. I cried the night he died.”

  “You mean the night you had him murdered?” Penelope’s mouth tightened and she flicked a glance at her thug. Nathan absorbed the hit to his kidney and feared the impact might’ve sent it flying through to the other side of his body. “Truth hurts, doesn’t it?” he gasped.

  A cold smile spread across her lips. “You’re one to talk about the truth. Being honest hasn’t been your strongest suit, has it?” She switched tracks suddenly. “Why are you so interested in that useless girl? She’s rude with no sense of style. And yet, you sacrificed yourself for her safety. Numerous times. Explain this to me.”

  “You wouldn’t understand. You have to have a heart to get it.”

  “And you think you have a heart because you feel remorseful?” She leaned forward and pinned Nathan with a hard stare. “You knew Harry was guiltless when you pulled the trigger. You knew you were killing an innocent man and yet you followed through. Why? Don’t bother answering. I already know. You justified the hit. You overrode your intuition and you did the job as ordered. That’s a good soldier,” she said with a hint of admiration. “I had high hopes for you. But that girl ruined everything. And now you’re useless to me. I can’t have a hit man with a heart of gold. I need a hit man who follows orders.”