by Sheri Landry
“Let’s get this over with.” Maxwell’s impatience pulls me out of my thoughts, and I notice the lighting in the room has dimmed. It must be late afternoon by now. Maxwell aims his sights on Dana with an evil sneer. He’s unable to mask the joy he’s feeling as tears run down Dana’s face, soaking her top at the neckline.
“One moment.” Holding her gun by her side, Piper repeatedly taps the barrel against her leg lightly.
“No. Shoot her. Now.” Maxwell turns to face his sister, his head tilted to the side as he points a finger in Dana’s direction.
Slowly, she turns her head from us to meet her brother’s stare before the rest of her body follows, squaring herself on him.
“My contract is specific. I’m waiting for my buyer.” The look on her face represents an emotion that seems out of place at this moment.
The room plunges into silence. Only the sound of a sniffle from Kaley tells us we are all still alive as Maxwell’s confidence falters.
“What are you—” Whatever his question was, the sound of heels emerging from the shadows has everyone’s attention.
As the next person comes into view, Dana’s choked cry tells me I’m not imagining things. She sees the same thing I do.
“JESSA?” She cries at the same time Maxwell growls her name. He instinctively takes a predatory step in her direction as Jack fights against his ties, but it’s futile. We aren’t getting out of this without some help.
Jessa takes a half step back and Piper cocks her gun, forcing Maxwell to stop mid-step. He attempts to school his features, lifting his hands out from his body to try to diffuse the situation, but his eyes remain locked on Jessa. He must sense his sister has already lifted her gun and pointed it on her first target this evening—Maxwell.
“What a surprise.” Maxwell speaks sardonically through gritted teeth, trying to maintain his composure.
I look over to Dana. Tears are still flowing over her reddened face, but her smile is unrestrained. She glances from her friend to me, silently asking me to confirm this is really happening, and I form my lips into a silent shush and slowly shake my head.
I have no idea how Jessa is here with our contract killer, nor any idea what is going to happen, but I know that any sudden move can make things go from bad to worse. I glance at Jack as I consider the situation, and he’s gone still as well.
Jessa has only looked briefly at Dana, and she hasn’t looked our way yet. No doubt she’s keeping Maxwell’s attention off of her connection to us. Her face impassive, she looks between Maxwell and his sister.
“You’ll kill me? Just like that, lamb? Your own brother?” He’s talking to his sister, but his eyes remain locked on the only thing that matters to him now—Jessa.
“I lost my brother a long time ago.” Her monotone response puts everything into perspective, and I’m confident I know what that unplaceable emotion from before is.
It’s grief.
The history here runs deep, and I sense it is a dark and frigid story.
Her response washes off him without emotion as he aims his next words at Jessa.
“You’re—” Taking an aggressive step toward Jessa, his lips pinch together on his next word. Jessa nods before diverting her gaze away from Maxwell.
Everything stops.
The echo from the blast ricochets around the room, physically startling everyone as Maxwell’s head jerks away from the gun, his body instantly falling limp, carried over by the force of impact.
24
Dana
My entire body restricts in shock with the blast from the gun. I am simultaneously hyper and paralyzed as time slows down, the aftershocks of the shot still carrying around the room.
I don’t remember Maxwell hitting the ground, but there he lies. His vacant eyes look in my direction, brain matter coating the hair behind his ear.
For a moment I feel like we’ve all simply frozen in time; nothing moves, and I can’t hear anything no matter how hard I try. My fingers feel painfully cold.
A river of crimson swells under Maxwell’s head, stretching outward into the room over the cement. I fixate on the slow spread as his life pours out of him, expanding into the room in a thick puddle.
“Dana!” That familiar voice.
The voice I would have given my own life to hear just one more time catches my attention, and I suck in a deep breath. The room spins as oxygen fills my lungs.
“J-Jessa? Is—you’re—” Everything else floods out of me in a series of screams and wails as I watch her approach me. In my mind, I say everything. I tell her how much I missed her, how much I love her. I tell her how scared I am and how horrible this last year has been without her, but I know my words don’t come out that way.
Jessa’s raised brows tell me she didn’t understand a word of my hysterical babbling, so instead I reach out to hold her. The rope tightens painfully around my wrists as they hit the end of their reach.
“It’s okay, Dana. You’re going to be okay.” Her hands reach for the rope, and it’s the first time in a long time I’ve believed someone when they said that to me.
I look over Jessa’s shoulder to the woman holding the gun. Her arms are down at her sides, the gun pointing to the floor. The look on her face is unsettling. She moved with such purpose before. Now she looks lost, remorseful, and her eyes move between us and Maxwell’s body.
The moment my arms go slack from their binds, I lunge forward, embracing Jessa with everything I have. She is both familiar and foreign. Hugging her feels like a dream.
“JESSA!” I sob openly. The weight of a year without her is crushing me.
“I love you, Dana Bear.” Her voice is as I remember, and my pathetic blubbering kicks into high gear when she calls me by my nickname. She’s the only one who has ever called me that, and I never thought I’d hear it again.
“I don’t understand—” My thoughts fly out of my head faster than my words will carry them.
If I thought there was even the smallest chance she was alive, I would have never run away. I would have never left her side, even if it meant going down with her.
“I left you.” My body vibrates with grief as guilt hits me.
She holds me in front of her, at arm’s length. “No. Listen to me. You saw me die, and you did what I taught you to do. I’m so proud of you.” Her eyes are filled with tears, and her chin quivers as she speaks.
“Kim? I mean, Dana?” Kaley’s muted voice reminds me of our situation, and we turn our attention to the side before shifting to untie her hands.
Kaley extends her arms toward us, then winces at the pain in her leg. As Jessa leans closer to work on the rope, I stand slowly, rubbing my palms to get the blood circulating. Then I take a step toward Michael.
“Not them.” The woman with the gun speaks for the first time since Maxwell was shot, and I stop in my tracks to look at Jessa, who is now standing.
Kaley remains on the floor, but her arms are free.
My confusion must be written all over my face, because she continues, “They stay tied until we are gone. That is our deal.” She looks at Jessa, who nods in return and turns her attention to Jack.
“I’m sorry.” She steps toward Maxwell’s sister as she speaks to Jack.
I had completely forgotten all about him. Did he know she was alive all this time? How could he not? The last time I saw her was in his custody.
Then my eyes meet Michael’s. He sits in silence, watching me with sorrowful eyes. He knew Jessa was alive. All of this time, he knew. It’s written all over his face.
“Jessa. You can’t do this. Untie us.” Logan draws everyone’s attention as he struggles, the skin around his ties becoming red.
“Those are my terms.” Piper speaks directly to Logan. “If you continue to try to get free, I’ll have someone sedate you until we’re gone.”
Logan sneers in return but stops fidgeting. “I will find you, and you’ll regret what you’ve done.”
“I’ve already said, you had different
information than we did, and yours was wrong.” Speaking firmly, she secures her gun before crossing her arms. Looking over to her brother’s lifeless body, she takes a deep breath before turning back to Logan. “There’s only one thing in my life I regret, and killing the senator isn’t it.”
“Are they dead—our guys?” Jack’s question resets the room. Logan’s ire fades into despair and we all wait for the answer.
“No. They’re alive. That’s a burner phone.” She points to the floor about twenty feet away from us. “There is a GPS app on it. Your men have a tracker with them. They are in another building close by. After we are gone, you can take that right to them. Your keys are in your vehicles just out that door.” She nods her head toward the side of the room.
The weight of my close brush with death hits me. If these people really wanted me dead, I would be. They’ve thought of everything; they are highly organized and focused.
“We need to go now, Mena,” a female voice calls from the shadows, and the woman nods, holding up three fingers.
“Um. The files.” I sound more scared than I would have liked as I speak to the hitwoman who also happens to be Maxwell’s sister.
Mena looks my way, reaching her hand behind her back, and my heart rate picks up in worry that she’s going to pull out her gun and shoot me right here.
Instead, she brings her arm around to her front and opens her hand. Sitting in her palm is the drive with my files on it.
Jessa takes a step toward her, retrieving Zane. “Thank you. For—” She takes a deep breath, sharing a moment of silence with Mena.
Something familiar passes between them. I know most of the people we work with, but not all of them by face, and I wonder if Jessa knew this woman was related to Maxwell before she arrived here.
“Yeah.” Mena nods a couple of times, blinking rapidly, and I get the feeling more needs to be said, but sometimes words aren’t enough.
I avert my attention to my surroundings, catching Kaley as she clutches at her pant leg and pushes herself into the wall behind her. She is more hurt than she is letting on. Closing the few steps between us, I slide her jeans up to expose her leg, and she groans in pain.
“We need to get Kaley back to town; her ankle is getting worse.” As I speak, Jessa joins me on her other side.
“Mena. Time’s up.” The hidden woman speaks again, but this time she leaves, not waiting for a response. It must be non-negotiable.
“Let us go. We can help her.” Logan speaks to me, trying to reason with my protective side. He obviously sees me as the one who would crack first, and he’s using my connection to Kaley against me, but Mena stops him.
“Not until we’re gone.” Mena speaks firmly, joining us near Kaley.
“We still need to get Grey and Charlie. We can’t leave them out here,” Logan says, and Mena stands, looking over her shoulder toward the exit.
“We’ll take her,” she announces, then puts her fingers to her lips, her sharp, shrill whistle catching the attention of someone outside.
“Like hell you will!” Logan bites back. His objection is ignored.
A man and woman enter in silence and walk over to our group without hesitating. They work their way between Kaley and us as they lift her up from each side, and I realize they must be listening in over some kind of open communication.
“But, you can’t—” I try to reason with Mena. I can’t let Kaley out of my sight.
“We can get her the medical help she needs before you even locate your two men and get back to your vehicles to leave this place. We just need to know where to drop her off, or if you want us to take her to a hospital down the mountain.”
Everything is moving quickly, and I look at Kaley, hoping an answer magically presents itself.
“Jessa. Can we take her in the car, like, right now?” I ask.
“NO! Jessa stays with me.” The panic in Jack’s voice draws Jessa’s attention over to him.
“I’ll take her myself in the helicopter.” Mena’s answer is firm.
Without waiting for my response, they gently lift Kaley and move her out of the room as she whimpers.
“Just get her back to Dale’s. They’ll know what to do.” I hope Dale has regained consciousness. I left him a note imploring him to go back to his bar and lay low when he woke up. I’m sure it did no good, and he’s probably on his way up here right now. But there is someone at Dale’s who can help Kaley. He’s a retired military doctor, and he’s always hanging out with their group. “Do you know where that is?”
Mena nods, taking a step back toward the door. Of course she knows where it is—they seem to know everything.
“I will find you. This changes nothing.” Logan’s hatred for someone who saved all of our lives is disturbing. “You’re the sum of the choices you make,” he yells to her back as she walks away.
His words stop Mena mid-step, and she turns to look at Logan once more, as though she’s seeing him for the first time. Her brows knit together as her expression falters for only a few seconds before she composes herself. Clearing her throat, she turns to catch up with the rest of her team. Jessa and I stand side by side, watching her go as she leaves us with—
“She’s gone, Jessa. Untie me.” Logan is eerily calm.
“I can’t do that. Just let her go, then I’ll release you.” It isn’t lost on me Jessa said her instead of them.
“She’s not as virtuous as you think. Let me go.” Logan’s composed exterior cracks, and the arrogant asshole I remember from last year is back.
“Maybe not, but she’s not as evil either.”
“You don’t know her like I do.” He wrestles against his binds again.
“I know enough not to go against our agreement, Logan. I am sorry.”
“It’s all on you, Jessa.” Logan’s anger rattles me.
“That’s enough!” Jack barks at Logan, and the two stare each other down for a tense moment before the sound of the helicopter starting up quiets the room. “We’ll figure this out—later.” Jack attempts to pacify Logan, and he goes quiet, hating us with his eyes instead of his words.
A hand slips into mine, squeezing it in comfort, and I turn to Jessa in silence. She offers me the smallest of smiles, and I know we have a lot to catch up on, but now isn’t the time.
I feel numb. Too much has happened to process properly, and I worry Jessa will disappear if I try to hug her again.
A pitch in the sound of the helicopter changes, and I know they are in the air. Jessa tilts her head in Logan’s direction, silently asking me to untie him.
He watches me quietly as I kneel beside him and unfasten the ropes holding him along the bars. Jessa does the same for Michael.
As soon as Logan is free, he’s on his feet, running across the room toward the GPS, and Michael stands to run after him as Jessa and I turn our attention to freeing Jack.
“He’s really mad,” Jessa mutters as she tugs at his ties.
“He has his reasons.” Jack doesn’t offer anything more, and I know it’s because it isn’t his story to tell.
Once I release the rope holding his arm down, he uses his free hand to help Jessa untie his other arm. The final rope falls away, and Jack stands, rubbing his wrists and flexing his fingers. He steps into Jessa, holding her at arm’s length, running his eyes over her to make sure she’s okay before pulling her into an embrace and whispering something into her ear.
I turn my attention to Maxwell’s body, lying alone, forgotten.
This is the sum of Maxwell’s life. I wonder if his men will come to retrieve his remains. If he had killed me here today, he would have left me without a second thought. No one would have come to collect me.
I wonder if his father had considered this outcome. Will his death come as a surprise, or did they know this would happen? Will they care? Or was capturing Jessa so important to them that they were willing to sacrifice their son?
“You okay?” Jack’s voice catches my attention, and I open my mouth to answer when
I hear a sniffle.
I turn my head toward the quiet sob. Jessa’s face is tight with grief as tears roll over her cheeks and down her neck.
“Yeah. It’s just—” She chokes on her answer. Jack stays still, giving her a moment to process her thoughts. “He’s gone, but what he did didn’t die with him. It’s still here.” Her forefinger taps her temple.
Jack takes a step toward Jessa. I cut him off, pushing my way in. He’s had a year to comfort her and talk about everything that happened. I told her I would be there for her and I wasn’t, and I have a lot of lost time to make up for.
25
Michael
The other woman with “Piper” called her Mena, but it still doesn’t sit right with me. I consider asking Logan about it but decide against it. Now isn’t the time to interrupt his focus, and, judging by his rigid demeanor, he won’t be willing to talk about it.
“They should be in here.” Logan looks at the tracker, then points at the building twenty feet in front of us. I know he’s concerned for our team, but there is an air of disappointment in his tone.
Logan was looking for Mena long before she shot the senator right in front of us while we all sat around, helpless to lift a finger thanks to the drugs she slipped into our coffee. He didn’t know who she was when she completed the hit. All of this time, he thought the shooter and Maxwell’s sister were two different people.
I’m sure this information has knocked him down.
The brittle door swings open without putting up a fight, and two heads turn to face us, eyes wide.
They’re alive.
Moving quickly to their sides, we work to release them so we can get back to town before the sun sets. I know Logan has a new sense of urgency in getting us out of here.
“Dana—” Grey doesn’t voice the rest of his question. He looks as though he’s deciding if he really wants to know the answer.
“She’s alive. Maxwell’s dead.” Logan speaks without taking his attention off of their ropes. His answer catches Grey and Charlie’s attention, and they both pause to exchange a glance. “We need to get going. We’ll update you on the drive back.”
