“Marco?” Quinn asked.
Rowen grinned and nodded. “I’d stake my life on it,” he replied. “That girl’s got some serious bloodhound in her. I think we need to join forces with her. Three-way split is still a hell of a lot of money. We’re going to need to join forces if we’re going to stand a chance with all the hired guns chasing Marco. We need the prick alive. Those bastards will gladly take him dead. Easier that way.” He nodded to the jeep’s driver seat. “Give it a try now.”
Rowen moved behind the jeep while Quinn got behind the wheel. As Quinn gave it gas, Rowen pushed. They easily freed the jeep from the muddy ditch. Rowen approached the driver’s side and removed the keys from the ignition. Quinn leaped out of the jeep.
“Hey!”
“Just making sure you don’t leave without me,” Rowen announced while casually dangling the keys, then walked back to his truck. “I need my gear.”
Quinn frowned and cast his back against the jeep. Once Rowen had his duffel bag, he rejoined him and jumped in the passenger side. Quinn hopped into the driver’s seat and was handed the keys. He started the jeep and drove down the road. They didn’t drive very far before reaching the ambush site. Both men stared at the dead men on the road and the bullet holes in the remaining blazer.
“There’s some serious shit going down,” Rowen remarked and shook his head.
“Maybe getting Nevada on our side isn’t such a bad idea,” Quinn admitted.
“We need to get out of here before someone finds this mess and points fingers at us,” Rowen insisted.
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Chapter 22
Nevada sat backward alongside the bound Marco throughout the helicopter ride and glared at Zack and Kirk, who sat facing forward. Kirk sat back in his seat with his arms folded across his broad chest and glared back at the young woman. Zack casually leaned against the corner with one leg resting on the seat across from him and shifted looks between Kirk and Nevada.
“I guess you two still hate each other’s guts,” Zack remarked with little emotion.
“She’s the spawn of Satan,” Kirk scoffed.
“Blow me,” Nevada snarled with a sneer.
Kirk eyed Zack, giving him a stern, serious look. “Can I throw her out the door?”
“You’re asking the wrong guy,” Zack remarked. “I’m not in charge.”
“This is going to be a fun ride,” Marco muttered while shifting uncomfortably.
“No one asked your opinion,” Nevada launched back at Marco.
“I don’t even know why she’s here,” Kirk shot back, then glared at Zack. “Why is she here?”
“Because I caught the prick,” Nevada shouted at Kirk. “He’s my bounty!”
“If it hadn’t been for Zack, you’d be a dead bounty hunter,” Kirk snapped. “You’re lucky he saved your ass because I certainly wouldn’t have.”
“The feeling’s mutual, you gigantic talking dildo,” she launched back.
Zack groaned and placed his hand over his eyes. “Will the two of you just kill each other and end my misery!”
Bogart glanced into the back, then cast a look at Jackie and nudged her. She eyed Bogart and noted his curious look regarding their female passenger.
“Something I should know?” Bogart asked his sister.
“I don’t know what the deal is with the guys and Nevada,” Jackie replied and shook her head. “Apparently, they bumped into her a while back.”
The feuding between Kirk and Nevada continued, turning into little more than seeing who could use the most profanity. Jackie was growing weary of the fighting. It was bad enough when it was just her guys blowing off steam, but Nevada seemed to add a whole new spark to the powder keg. Jackie finally groaned, having had enough.
“If I have to land this helicopter, there’s going to be hell to pay,” Jackie shouted at the man and woman in the back. “Now sit down, shut up, and behave!”
Kirk and Nevada slouched in their seats and silently sulked, taking the threat seriously.
“I guess we know who’s in charge,” Marco muttered while raising a brow.
Kirk and Nevada sneered at Marco.
“Where are we going?” Nevada finally asked while half turning to look at Jackie in the pilot’s seat.
“A predetermined rendezvous,” Jackie informed her, not willing to give up too much information to the woman she didn’t know or trust. “We need to regroup and figure out where we’re taking Marco.”
“We’re taking him to Vincent Scartelli,” Nevada announced with little hesitation while shooting up in her seat. “He put the bounty on his head.”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Marco insisted.
Nevada cast a look at Marco and sharply raised her brow. “I don’t care, and it’s not my problem,” she announced. “That’s between you and Vincent.”
“Sorry, Nevada,” Jackie casually informed her, lacking sympathy. “We’re not turning him over to Scartelli. Giovanni contracted us to keep Marco alive, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
“That’s not what I agreed to. I’m turning him in for the bounty,” Nevada snapped back.
“Four other people in this helicopter say you’re not,” Kirk informed her.
“Five,” Marco chimed in.
“Giovanni will honor the bounty on him,” Zack informed Nevada. “So just calm the fuck down.”
Nevada sneered at Zack. “Don’t tell me to calm the fuck down,” she launched back.
It seemed as if Zack was also losing his patience. The last thing anyone needed was Zack getting involved in some feud. Jackie wasn’t about to risk that. She pushed the stick hard forward, causing the helicopter to plummet into a field. Bogart, Kirk, Marco, and Nevada all screamed. Zack braced his hand against the interior and his foot on the opposite seat, barely reacting to the sudden descend. As the helicopter lifted back up on a steep incline, more screams followed.
“Jesus, Jackie!” Kirk yelled.
Jackie leveled the craft. “Unless you want to take the express elevator to hell, I don’t want to hear another word out of any of you,” she shouted back at them.
“Rock my world, baby,” Zack exclaimed while grinning, obviously enjoying the thrill ride a little too much.
Jackie rolled her eyes and groaned. She should have known Zack would get some sort of sick pleasure out of it. The helicopter continued on course for another thirty minutes in silence before landing in a deserted field close to the edge of the woods not far from an old, structurally sound cabin. Jackie shut down the helicopter and removed her headset.
“Everyone out of my helicopter,” Jackie scoffed in mild anger directed at her passengers.
Without further prompting, Zack opened the side door and jumped out. He immediately got down on all fours and scanned the underbelly of the helicopter. He found Nevada’s tracking device and removed it. Nevada made a face, apparently thinking she had been too clever for them. Zack switched it off, sat on the ground, and looked up at Jackie as she got out of the helicopter.
“Want to do a little skeet shooting?” Zack teased while waving the tracker.
“Think it might come in handy later?” Jackie asked.
Zack considered the comment then nodded. “Yeah, that could be fun,” he replied and slapped the tracker on the side of the helicopter.
Zack extended his hand up to Jackie. She slapped her hand into his and helped pull him to his feet. Kirk helped Marco out of the helicopter, being he still had his hands zip-tied behind his back, and kept him from falling.
“How long?” Nevada asked as she jumped from the back of the helicopter and joined them.
Jackie looked at her watch. “About an hour,” she informed them.
“I have to take a leak,” Marco announced.
“You can hold it,” Nevada scoffed.
“He’s your bounty,” Kirk remarked and nodded to the nearby woods. “Take him to the bathroom.” He then smirked deviously. “Remember, shake it three times
before tucking it away.”
Zack and Jackie hid their smiles and had to look away. Bogart was somewhat surprised by the comment even though he shouldn’t have been because, well, it was Kirk.
Nevada sneered at Kirk. “You really want me to kick your ass, don’t you?” she snarled at him.
“Give it your best shot,” Kirk launched back while holding his arms out to his sides.
Nevada took a quick step toward Kirk, who offered a tiny, devious smile, prepared to escalate the situation with the sexy but dangerous woman.
Zack held his hand up between the two and eyed Nevada. “I need to be honest with you, Nevada,” he remarked with little emotion. “You’re not that good.”
Nevada glared at Zack. “I’m damned good,” she insisted. “I could kick your ass.”
Zack snorted a laugh and shook his head. “Not on your best day and my worst,” he replied.
“Not to interrupt the ass-whooping,” Marco announced while eyeing Nevada and Zack, “but I still have to go to the bathroom.”
“Fine,” Nevada scoffed and removed a knife from her boot. She moved behind Marco and cut one of the zip ties. She replaced the blade to her boot, removed a fresh zip tie, and tied his wrists in front of him.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Marco grumbled. “You expect me to go like this?”
Nevada met his gaze with a hostile glare. “Ninety-nine percent of my bounties are men,” she informed him. “They’ve all managed just fine, but if you need some assistance, I’ll be happy to help you find the little fella.”
Bogart had to turn away to keep from laughing.
Nevada pointed to the nearby woods. “Move it,” she snarled.
“Somehow, I imagined this would be more of a turn-on,” Marco muttered.
As Nevada escorted Marco to the woods, Kirk spun to face Zack and glared at him. “Tell me we’re leaving her behind,” he announced.
“Ross accepted her terms,” Zack informed him and showed little interest either way. “As long as she maintains possession of him, he’s her bounty.”
“Meanwhile, we’re the ones protecting him and chauffeuring them around for free,” Kirk snarled. “I’m not risking my life just for her to reap the reward.”
“Me either,” Bogart announced and shook his head with some annoyance. “You saw what happened back there. Every hitman and bounty hunter is looking for Marco. It’s not like picking daisies. We’re going to be putting in overtime on this one.”
“I’m not doing this job out of the kindness of my heart either,” Jackie remarked and folded her arms across her chest. “Sal may be our friend, but Giovanni certainly isn’t.”
“I agree,” Zack informed them. “I’m sure Ross will offer her a deal. If she doesn’t take it, she’s on her own.”
“She needs us more than we need her,” Kirk scoffed in anger.
“We need to wait and see what Ross has to say when he gets here,” Jackie insisted with a sigh.
§
Almost an hour had gone by when they heard the sound of a jeep approaching within the woods despite that there was no road. Bogart and Nevada moved Marco into the helicopter while Jackie, Zack, and Kirk each grabbed a rifle and took cover in front and behind the craft. Jackie remained close to the front in case they needed to make a hasty getaway. The jeep took its time arriving, which meant whoever was driving wasn’t in a hurry. All three recognized Kirk’s jeep as it appeared at the edge of the woods. Once it stopped, Ross and Beck got out. Ross whistled, signaling everything was okay. Jackie, Kirk, and Zack lowered their weapons, slung them, and moved away from the helicopter. Bogart and Nevada removed Marco from the back in order to keep an eye on him.
Nevada approached Ross with an air of arrogance. “We need to be clear on this,” she announced and indicated Marco. “I caught him. He’s my bounty, and we’re turning him over to whoever is paying the million dollars.”
Ross stared into her eyes and nodded. “Cards on the table,” he announced and cocked his head. “You may have caught him, but you’d be dead, and he’d be in a body bag if we hadn’t saved your ass back there. That being said, here are my terms. We’re taking Marco to a safe house until Giovanni can arrange for his safety.” Ross then folded his arms across his chest and held up his head proudly. “Giovanni pays us the one point two five million, which we split nine ways. I know, for a fact, that’s a bigger payday than you’ve ever received in your career. We work together to keep him alive. Those are my terms. If you don’t like my terms, we’ll drive you back to your beat-up, wreck of a rental car on the other side of the woods, and you can fend for yourself.” He then raised his brows. “Just to be straight; if you run into trouble, we will not bail you out. We will leave you for hitman fodder. Once Marco is out of your control, we will proceed with our original plan without you.” He then shrugged. “Not that you’ll care because you’ll probably be dead. Those are my terms. Make your decision wisely.”
Nevada folded her arms across her chest and stared at Ross while showing little emotion. They stood in a stare-off for more than a minute. Marco looked a bit tense while waiting to hear her response, knowing it was his life that lay in the balance. Nevada frowned and allowed her arms to fall to her sides.
“Fine,” she scoffed. “You win.”
Marco breathed a sigh of relief.
“Where are we going?” Nevada asked, losing some of her earlier arrogance.
“Still working on that,” Ross replied. “After what happened at the cabin by the lake, it’s pretty obvious someone knows the whereabouts of Giovanni’s safe houses. That puts us at a bit of a disadvantage.” He then gave her a curious look. “How did you find the motel safe house?”
Nevada casually shrugged. “I put a tracker on Jackie’s helicopter, waited for you guys to show up at the airport, and followed Jackie. Just a calculated risk.”
“How did you know we were working for Giovanni?” Ross countered.
“I saw Giovanni visit Sal,” Nevada informed him. “I placed a tracker on Sal’s car and waited to see what he did next. When I figured out whose house he visited last night, I knew to go to the airport and watch Jackie’s helicopter.”
Ross shook his head and frowned. “Someone close to Giovanni must have betrayed him and gave up the safe house locations,” he remarked. “Giovanni told Sal the three safe house locations when they were alone together, and we weren’t even outside when Sal told us. That means no one overheard our conversation either.”
“He’s going to need to find out who betrayed him before we turn over Marco,” Beck insisted. “Otherwise, he’s as good as dead the moment we walk away.”
“According to Sal, his two hired henchmen are the only ones he trusts with anything anymore,” Bogart informed them. “It seems unlikely it was one of them.”
“Finding the locations of my father’s safe houses isn’t exactly rocket science,” Marco informed them, finally contributing to the conversation. “Anyone hacking into his computer can find a list of his properties. It’s not really all that difficult.”
“We’ll need to notify him, via third-party, that his safe houses were breached,” Beck remarked. “If that list can be found in his computer, it wouldn’t necessarily have to be someone he trusts. Any third grader with an internet connection can hack into that.”
Ross shook his head while frowning. “This has Vincent Scartelli written all over it.”
“We need to come up with one hell of an amazing safe house,” Beck informed him. “We need to make sure we’re as far from collateral damage as we can get.”
“We’re on our own too,” Jackie remarked. “We can’t call in any favors on this one. With the number of eyes searching for Marco, they’re going to be listening in on every phone associated with Giovanni and Sal.”
“That’s why we have Othello as a backup,” Ross informed them. “Burner phones without tracking and coded messages through Othello. Everyone else needs to keep their phones on standby mode. We need to go dark on thi
s one.”
“So where do we find this safe house far from collateral damage?” Bogart asked, appearing curious.
All eyes were on Zack. He looked back at them with a strange look.
“Don’t look at me,” Zack announced and snorted a tiny laugh. “Most of my places are occupied. Major collateral damage, and plenty of volatile soldiers just looking for an excuse to go nuclear.”
Ross eyed Nevada and indicated Marco. “Babysit that one,” he ordered. “We need to collaborate in private.”
Nevada frowned and motioned Marco back to the helicopter. Jackie grabbed a paper map from the aircraft and joined the team as they headed for the abandoned cabin. Jackie spread out the map on the wooden porch floor, and they all sat around it. Zack crouched alongside Jackie and rested his forearm on her shoulder for support while studying the map. Ross removed a pen and placed circles on the map, indicating areas where there were large parcels of land with few people and only small towns.
“Okay,” Ross announced and released a deep sigh. “These are our choices. Start calling them out. We’ll pick three locations and scout out each before determining where we want to take Marco.”
Bogart took the pen from Ross and placed a large ‘X’ on one of the circles, then returned the pen. “Monique and Colleen live here,” he announced. “We stay far away from that area. We can’t risk a war anywhere near them. It’s not up for debate.”
“Agreed,” Jackie replied.
Knowing their two young friends, they’d see Jackie’s helicopter a mile away and ride out to investigate. They had to stay far away from those adventurous teenagers. The team studied the map for several minutes in silence, each attempting to find the perfect location that offered shelter, privacy, and far from people. Jackie and Zack suddenly placed their fingers on the map in the same spot. Everyone looked at them in question.
“What’s that?” Ross asked.
Jackie and Zack exchanged looks then grinned at Ross.
Chapter 23
Jackie’s helicopter landed at a remote airport more than one hundred miles south of Colorado Springs. The airport was small and out-of-the-way. It was the perfect place to refuel. The helicopter no sooner touched ground when Nevada leaped out of the craft with a bound man wearing a sack over his head. She and her prisoner appeared to be the only ones in the back of the helicopter. Nevada hurried the bound man across the tarmac for an awaiting gray, four-door rental car. She tossed the man into the back seat, where he lay unable to get up. Nevada leaped into the driver’s seat, started the car, and sped off. As the helicopter shut down and the rotors slowed, Jackie jumped out of the aircraft, ran around the front, and watched the car speed away. She threw her hands in the air in anger and frustration. While muttering to herself, she leaped onto the pilot’s seat and grabbed the hand radio.
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