by Laura Scott
“Sun.” Jarek’s voice had softened. “She sounds beautiful.”
More tears pricked her eyes, and she subtly wiped them away. “She is beautiful and very, very smart. But I’m worried about her, Jarek. Things have escalated in the past twenty-four hours. I fear the regime will find out about Sun.” She hesitated, then added, “I came here to see you because I need your help.”
There was only a moment’s pause before he nodded and returned to his chair. She was humbled by the love shining from his eyes. Love she didn’t deserve. “Of course, Hana. We shall go to Sun and help keep her safe.” His voice grew thick. “I would like the chance to meet my daughter.”
“Oh, Jarek.” She wanted so badly to throw herself into his arms. “I know Sun will be very happy to meet you too.”
“Does she . . . know about me?”
Hana’s smile faded, and she shook her head. “No. I was vague about you, but only for your protection, Jarek. The fact that there was a gunman at your home means the truth has already come out. But I want you to know I never spoke poorly of you.”
“The fact that Sun grew up without me in her life speaks poorly enough,” Jarek said with a heavy sigh. “I really wish I could have been there for you, Hana. And for Sun. But that is in the past, right now we must find her. Do you have any idea where she is?”
Hana nodded slowly. “She is in Washington, DC. And we need to get there as soon as possible.”
* * *
January 19 – 12:06 p.m. – Washington, DC
Sun checked the subway stops, trying to figure out which one would provide the best coverage from anyone attempting to follow them.
“Where are we headed?” Mack asked.
“We’ll get off at Metro Center.” The stop would not only be densely populated but offered additional Metro trains they could jump on to head out of the downtown area. “I’ll call Jordan, and we’ll set up a meeting then.”
“Okay.” Mack was so close she could feel his warm breath against her hair. She wasn’t one for being overly emotional, but after all that had transpired, she wanted nothing more than to rest her head on his chest to soak up his strength.
Normally she was cool under pressure. But not now. She knew that her lack of sleep was wreaking havoc with her mind, and these adrenaline surges after each incident, Chandler’s murder followed closely by getting caught in sniper fire, wasn’t helping.
The train abruptly slowed, sending her off balance. Mack easily caught and held her close. She reveled in his brief embrace, warmly surrounded by his pine scent.
She thought she felt the brush of his lips against her temple, but the sensation was gone so fast she thought she dreamed it.
Being chased like this through DC was growing weary. How was it that they kept getting found? What types of resources did these men have anyway?
“Sun? Isn’t this our stop coming up?” Mack’s low voice whispered in her ear.
She pulled herself together with an effort. This was not the time to start thinking about how Mack had changed—for the better. Or about how much she liked this new and improved version. He hadn’t teased her once by singing the song, Do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro . . .
“Yes.” She straightened and began threading through the crowd to get closer to the doorway. Mack remained close behind.
At this time of the day, the crowds were horrendous. Sun only hoped that the crush of people helped keep them hidden from sight.
When they reached the street, she called Jordan, sending up a silent prayer of relief when he answered. “Jordan, someone shot through the back window of the car while we were trying to get out of Capitol Hill. We’re at Metro Center now, we need to meet up to get a replacement vehicle.”
“Okay, Sloan and I can make that work.” She heard him tapping on the keyboard. “Listen, there’s a hotel a little over a mile from the Brookland CUA station.” He gave her the name, and she knew it was low enough on the budget scale to take cash. “We’ll meet you there in about an hour.”
“Okay, thanks.” She disconnected and quickly checked the Metro map. If they hurried, they should be able to catch the red line. She gestured for Mack to follow as she made her way back down to the main terminal.
“An hour?” Mack sounded disappointed. “All this running around is wasting time. We have less than twenty-four hours until the inauguration ceremony.”
“I know.” They skated onto the subway in the nick of time. “But what else can we do? Whoever is tracking us is doing a good job of keeping us from investigating the case.”
“We need to go on offense,” Mack muttered.
She rolled her eyes at his football reference. “I’m frustrated too.”
“Maybe the documents will reveal a clue,” Mack said.
“They better.” She grasped the pole as the train increased speed. “Otherwise we’ll for sure be too late.”
* * *
January 19 – 12:17 p.m. – Washington, DC
“We lost them.”
“Again?” He couldn’t believe the incompetence of these two men. “How is that even remotely possible? You promised to have an insider view of exactly where they were located, and you still lost them?”
There was nothing but silence on the other end of the connection.
He controlled his temper with an effort. “Find them, or I will take care of you.” He paused, then added, “Permanently.”
More silence. Anger simmered as he realized his point man had disconnected without saying a word. It was all he could do not to throw the phone against the mirror, shattering it into tiny pieces.
The door opened, revealing a smiling familiar face. One that had no clue about what was going on. “Are you ready?”
He pulled himself together and smiled. “Of course.” He was more than ready for what awaited, but it would all be for nothing if things didn’t go as planned.
The men had better get their act together, and soon. He was working two different angles here, one a deal with the devil himself, yet neither angle had come close to providing the desired results.
Strolling through the hallowed halls of the Capitol, he told himself he’d give the two idiots one more chance before finding replacements.
They would do the job or die.
It was as simple as that.
* * *
January 19 – 12:21 p.m. – Chicago, IL
He had a daughter.
Jarek was still coming to grips with the astounding news. The flash of anger toward Hana had surprised him, but he’d done his best to move beyond it. Why waste time being angry over the past? What was done, was done. Better now to focus on the future.
Yet it hurt to know his daughter knew nothing about him. Not his name, or his career, or anything else about his life.
A life, he hated to admit, that had not been lived to its fullest.
All these years pining for Hana had made him soft in the head. What was wrong with him? Jarek should have been at the top of his profession. Should have won accolades for his work or at least helped others to do something great.
He should have written the novel tugging at the back of his mind rather than sitting around and talking to Geoff about his work in progress.
Geoff’s novel would never be completed now.
Remembering the brutal murder of his old friend brought a pang of guilt. His fault that Geoff was dead. His friend would never have been in any danger if Jarek hadn’t gone there after leaving the hospital.
Hana emerged from the bathroom, looking even more beautiful than before. It was as if the hot water washed away her fatigue along with the travel grime, leaving an unblemished rose in its place.
She surprised him by walking forward and slipping her arms around his waist as if they’d never been apart for the past thirty years. “Have you forgiven me?”
“Of course.” He smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead.
She pulled back enough to look deeply into his eyes. “Jarek, there is
no of course about it. I know how unfair it was to keep Sun’s existence a secret from you all these years. I promise I didn’t take such a step lightly. The regime . . .”
“Would kill you both, I know.” He smiled reassuringly. “I can’t lie to you, Hana. I am devastated having missed so much time being with our daughter. I would have loved nothing more than to have been there for you when she was born, to assist in raising her.” He swallowed hard. “But I think I understand better now the extent the regime will go to eliminate you as a potential threat.” The Asian stalking him at the airport, chasing him from Geoff’s, and shooting at them from his condo was proof enough.
“I wish things could have been different for us.” Hana rested her forehead against his chest. He gathered her close, reveling in the fact that she was actually here with him.
There was so much to do. They had to find a way to acquire a vehicle without leaving a paper trail, then hit the road to drive east to Washington, DC. A long drive, over ten hours maybe longer depending on traffic, unless they could come up with another method of travel.
But he didn’t move. Instead he held Hana close, not wanting to let her go.
Now that she’d come to find him, he refused to live another day without her.
Even if this journey they were about to embark upon ended badly, he would be grateful for every hour they had together.
* * *
January 19 – 12:48 p.m. – Washington, DC
There weren’t very many people exiting the subway at the Brookland CUA station. The stop was located at ground level, so Mack followed Sun directly into the daylight.
“The hotel is almost one and a half miles from here.” Mack hitched the computer higher onto his shoulder. “We may want to jog or we might be late for the meeting with Jordan and Sloan.”
“We’ll be fine, they’ll be stuck in traffic for a while I’m sure.” After they crossed the street, Sun paused and scanned the subway station they’d just left.
He did the same. There didn’t seem to be anyone following them.
“Okay, we can go.” Sun set out at a brisk pace.
After crossing a couple of streets, a feeling of unease trickled down his spine. He cast another furtive glance over his shoulder but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
As they neared a tree-covered area about a half mile from the hotel, a man dressed in black with a knit hat covering his head leaped out from behind a bush.
Sun immediately dropped into a defensive stance, quickly defending herself against the knife-wielding attacker. She hadn’t pulled her gun, no doubt hoping to keep him alive to get information from him. Mack was about to join her when he felt someone behind him.
Two men. Mack whirled as the knife blade slashed across the computer case. With his back up against Sun’s, he faced his assailant.
He didn’t want to kill them outright. Having two attackers armed with knives wasn’t the worst situation he’d been in, but knowing Sun was fighting for her life brought this to a whole new level. He would not fail her.
He welcomed the anger, striking out again and again with well-placed punches and kicks. Listening to Sun defend herself was unnerving. He forced himself to stay focused on taking this guy out so that he could better help her.
When the knife flew from the attacker’s hand, he didn’t hesitate but closed in, striking the man’s temple in a devastating blow, harder than he’d intended. The guy instantly crumpled to the ground, and he added a quick pressure point to keep him there before turning to assist Sun with taking out her assailant.
Seeing the bright red blood staining the sidewalk nearly sent him to his knees.
Sun was injured!
Chapter Thirteen
January 19 – 1:03 p.m. – Washington, DC
Sun fought with lethal precision, the way her sensei had taught her, but the assailant was also very well trained and had the added element of surprise. His knife had cut through the fabric of her jacket sleeve, but she’d struck back hard, ignoring the pain.
The assailant recoiled as she struck his wrist with enough force to break the bones. The knife dropped to the ground, and she quickly pressed her advantage.
“Who sent you?” Sun demanded.
The assailant didn’t answer.
“Who sent you?” Mack repeated, bending over him.
Still nothing. Giving up, she and Mack knocked out the assailant.
“You’re bleeding.” The panicked expression in Mack’s eyes seemed odd as the two of them had often sparred with enough force to cause bruises.
“I know.” She quickly frisked the unconscious assailant, pulling cash and yet another disposable phone from the man’s pocket. “Thanks for having my back,” she added.
Mack surprised her by hauling her close and kissing her. For a moment, she felt as if the earth had stopped moving. His kiss was hot and hungry but ended far too soon.
“Let’s get out of here.” Mack pulled away, then urged her forward. She blinked away the impact of Mack’s kiss, realizing their scuffle had already drawn attention from gapers, and she felt certain one of the innocent bystanders had notified the police.
Just what they didn’t need.
Although it was reassuring to know Sloan and Jordan would be there soon.
How had these men found them anyway? They were both either eastern European or Americans, which struck her as odd. Why hadn’t the regime sent North Koreans?
She couldn’t begin to fathom.
They jogged the rest of the way to the hotel. Sun did her best to staunch the bleeding from her left arm so as not to leave a blood trail.
“Go into the restroom,” Mack urged in a low voice. “I’ll get us a room.”
She nodded and did as he suggested, knowing that evidence of a crime would make it less likely they’d be provided a room, even with a cash bribe.
Stripping off her jacket, she surveyed the damage. From what she could tell, the tip of the assailant’s knife had sliced her radial artery. A wad of paper towels and pressure helped staunch the bleeding, but probably not for long.
Stitches would work, but they couldn’t risk going to a hospital. Not for an injury this minor. At least he hadn’t punctured her brachial artery, which would be more difficult to manage without medical intervention.
For now, holding pressure would have to do.
When she left the sanctuary of the restroom, Mack was standing just outside the door. “We can’t stay here after all, we need to move.”
The sound of police sirens was enough of an explanation. “Okay, any idea which way we should go?”
“There isn’t a lot of cover in this neighborhood,” Mack said, taking her out through a side door of the hotel. “Call Jordan, see if he’s close.”
It was a good idea. She let go of her injured wrist and made the call as they took shelter behind the hotel. It was shaped like a U, and the rear of the building couldn’t be seen from the road.
But there was a residential neighborhood with who knew how many nosy people watching out their windows.
Jordan answered almost immediately. “Sun? I hear sirens, what’s going on?”
“We were assaulted by two men with knives. We fought back without using guns to try and get information but were unsuccessful. We managed to escape, but the hotel is too close to the scene of the attack. And there were more than enough people likely calling 911. Where are you?”
“About three blocks from the hotel. There’s a gas station about two blocks to the north, head there and we’ll meet you.”
“Okay.” Sun glanced at Mack. “We’ll meet them at the gas station.”
“This way.” Mack turned north, and she admired how calm and cool he was under pressure.
Having him standing at her back, fighting their enemies, had been reassuring. It had occurred to her that it had been a long time since she’d trusted someone to have her back while in hand-to-hand combat.
She certainly trusted the Security Specialists, Incorporated te
am, after all, they were paying her well for her language and investigative skills. But having Mack at her back was different.
Not just because they’d grown up in the Mensa program together.
But because she knew he’d fight to the death alongside her if needed.
And, of course, the way he’d kissed her as if he were starving for more hadn’t hurt. A reaction to her being injured? Maybe. She told herself not to read too much into a simple kiss.
Even though, for her, there had been nothing simple about it.
They reached the gas station just as two black SUVs pulled in. Sloan and Natalia Dreyer were in one of them; Jordan alone was behind the wheel of the second.
Jordan quickly jumped out and tossed the keys at her. “You and Mack take this one, I’ll go with Sloan and Natalia.”
There wasn’t time to argue, although she wouldn’t have minded asking Natalia to take a look at her wrist. Natalia was a registered nurse and had been working in critical care when Sloan met her.
Mack slid into the passenger seat, leaving her to take the wheel. As she followed Sloan’s SUV into traffic, she handed Mack her phone. “Call Jordan and find out if they have a new plan.”
Mack made the call, holding the phone so she could hear. “We found a second hotel, one on the other side of the city.”
“Okay, what’s the address?” Mack asked.
Jordan relayed the information. Sun kept a wary eye on the rearview mirror as she drove, half expecting the two assailants to show up to finish what they’d started.
“Don’t worry.” Mack must have noticed her concern. “We didn’t kill them, but I’m fairly certain they were out long enough for us to get away and the police to arrive.”
She blew out a breath. “I just don’t understand why they keep popping up wherever we are. I can’t imagine how they’re tracking us.”
