She immediately turned defensive and glared at him. “I’m not on the JV squad,” Nevada scoffed. “I’m a professional. I know what I’m doing.” Her eyes then narrowed. “No one followed me. You can put the gun away.”
Beck cast a look at Ross. Ross gave a slight nod. Beck returned his gun to his shoulder holster but remained alert and untrusting.
“And he’s the married one?” Nevada scoffed then shook her head, allowing her arms to fall to her sides. “His poor wife.”
“Yes,” Ross announced with little emotion. “We all feel sorry for the poor girl.” He then indicated her car as he approached. “Car belong to one of your tails?”
“No, this was the loaner from the airport,” Nevada casually replied. “Bogart took the hitman’s car.”
Ross casually walked past her and approached the car. He peered into the vehicle then opened the driver’s side door.
“What are you doing?” Nevada asked, somewhat bewildered.
Ross popped the trunk and smiled almost sweetly at her. “Nothing,” he replied. “Just checking.”
Nevada suspiciously watched as Ross walked around the back of the car with his hand under his jacket, touching the grip on his gun.
“You guys really don’t trust anyone, do you?” she demanded.
“Nope,” Beck announced from behind the jeep.
Ross took a wide birth around the open trunk and peered inside as he got closer. The trunk was empty. Ross closed the trunk, then looked back at Nevada and smiled. She sneered her irritation with him.
“Satisfied?” she scoffed.
“For now,” Ross replied.
The radio on Ross’s belt crackled. “Dad, you copy?” came the familiar male voice.
Ross removed the radio from his belt and spoke into it. “Yeah, Othello,” he announced. “What’s up, son?”
“Your favorite son wants you to drop by and visit,” Othello announced. “B.Y.O.B.”
“Copy that,” Ross replied. “Over and out.”
Ross glanced back at Beck. “Cut him loose,” he announced. “Our home away from home calls.”
Beck removed his Bowie knife from his boot and cut the zip tie binding Marco’s wrist to the jeep’s driving board.
Marco stood and eyed both men with renewed hope. “So we aren’t staying here?” he asked.
Ross suddenly chuckled. “My days of sleeping on the ground are pretty much over,” he remarked, then looked back at Nevada. “Leave the car. It can be traced back to you. It’s best if no one finds it.” Ross nodded to the jeep. “You’re in the back with Marco.”
“Fine by me,” Nevada announced and removed another set of zip ties from her pocket.
Marco immediately moaned. “Oh, come on,” he whined. “Is that really necessary?”
“Shut up,” Nevada scoffed.
§
Beck drove Kirk’s jeep cautiously along the old, overgrown roadway to the sanctuary. Ross and Beck stared out the windshield and scanned the entire area before the large entrance that was covered in vines and plant life.
“Cozy,” Beck teased.
Marco strained to look out the windshield from the back, where he once again had his wrists bound in front of him. His disappointment was evident by the look on his face.
“This is your idea of a safe house?” Marco remarked.
Nevada nodded her approval. “I like it.”
“It gets better,” Ross teased as they drove through the entrance.
As the visitor’s center came into view, Nevada grinned, and Marco frowned.
“It’s so creepy,” Nevada announced almost enthusiastically. “I can’t wait to explore it.”
“Should’ve let them shoot me,” Marco muttered.
“Othello said it has working water, sewer, and its own generator for electricity,” Ross informed them. “All the comforts of home. Even has functioning in-door plumbing, staff sleeping quarters, and a kitchen in both the visitor’s center and the clinic.”
Nevada appeared excited and moved between the seats, eyeing both men. “Can we lock Marco in the gorilla pens?” she teased.
“There aren’t any pens,” Beck informed her.
Nevada frowned and sank back in her seat. Marco appeared relieved.
“It’s an old sanctuary,” Ross informed her. “The habitats are wide open fields with mostly hidden fencing. I’m told there are shelters in each section, and there’s a barn of some kind for emergency use.”
They pulled up to the visitor’s center and parked off to the side of it. Monroe, Gil, and Darth appeared from the building and approached the jeep. Darth happily greeted Ross and Beck. As Nevada removed Marco from the back, Darth approached and checked them out, seeming somewhat skeptical. Nevada crouched down and held her hand out.
“Hey, puppy,” she announced in possibly the sweetest voice anyone would ever hear from the hardened woman. “You’re a nice puppy.”
Darth approached and checked her out. Once he appeared friendly, Nevada happily petted him.
“Such a good boy,” Nevada announced in baby talk. “Who’s the good boy? You’re the good boy.”
Darth excitedly licked her face.
Gil rolled his eyes. “The dog’s a damned womanizer,” he muttered.
“Dogs are better than men,” Nevada announced while still using baby talk as she focused her attention on the dog. “Dogs are loyal and never fuck you over. Isn’t that right? Such a good boy!”
All five men glared at Nevada with the same loathsome look.
“I thought you were a Marine,” Gil muttered. “Did you feel that way about your platoon?”
Nevada looked up from where she continued to coddle the German shepherd and smiled. “That was different,” she insisted. “They were my brothers. They covered my ass, and I covered theirs.”
“I’ll bet,” Marco muttered while grinning cheaply.
As Nevada straightened, she backhanded Marco in the groin just hard enough that he felt the sting and reacted with discomfort. Her look hardened as she sneered at him.
“I never fucked my brothers,” she snarled, returning to her less pleasant demeanor. “I earned their respect, and they earned mine.”
Marco held his hand up in apology while recovering from the slap to his crotch. “My apologies.”
Gil cast a look at Monroe and raised his brows. “I hope you were taking notes,” he announced almost mockingly. “Nevada is off-limits.”
“Duly noted,” Monroe muttered.
As they headed for the front of the visitor’s center, Ross looked around and appeared pleased.
“Looks downright homey,” Ross announced, then glanced at Gil and Monroe. “What’s the verdict?”
“I think we should use the visitor center as the ‘decoy’ camp for our cover, in case anyone happens along unexpectedly,” Monroe informed him, then nodded across the property. “We can use the vet clinic as operations. It has everything we need, and it’s a little more secluded.”
“Sounds good,” Ross announced, then eyed both men. “Just the two of you so far?”
“So far,” Gil informed him. “I sent Jackie a coded transmission on her helicopter radio. She beeped back, so she should be heading this way soon.”
“We’ll just have to wait for the others,” Ross remarked with a defeated sigh. “The others were instructed to come here once they were sure they weren’t being followed.”
“Wait,” Nevada remarked, just about stopping them. “So I’m the only one you made meet you in the woods? Why wasn’t I told just to meet you here?”
She received several looks and raised brows. Nevada sneered at them and their apparent distrust.
“We need to remain dark on this one,” Ross announced. “Less communication is best.”
“If anyone runs into trouble, they know to contact Othello using untraceable phones,” Monroe replied.
“Let’s get started cleaning the visitor’s center,” Ross announced and indicated the main building. “Once we’re
finished there, we’ll make ourselves comfortable in the clinic. While we work, we can discuss our cover story in the event anyone stumbles upon us.”
§
The clinic building contained small, dormitory-style, private sleeping quarters and a staff dining area with a small kitchen and vending machines. The staff area was certainly ‘no-frills,’ but the accommodations were better than most of the safe houses the team had used in the past. There was a communal locker room that had a large, co-ed shower area in the back. The vet’s clinic itself was a broad room with an exam table surrounded by many large in-door cages for the bigger animals on the left and stacks of smaller cages on the right. The area was often used for sick or injured animals being cared for by the vet. Marco stared at the large gorilla cage, which now contained a neatly made cot and a small area partitioned off with a shower curtain. As Ross opened the cage door, Marco eyed him then managed a tiny laugh.
“You’re kidding, right?” Marco announced.
“No, I’m not kidding,” Ross insisted, then nodded to the large cage. “It’s safe, secure, and you have your own private bathroom.”
Marco’s smile faded. “It’s a cage.”
“It’s nicer than most prison cells,” Ross insisted.
“Everyone wants me dead,” Marco informed Ross. “I’m safe here. I’d think you’d just trust me. I mean, where would I possibly go?”
“I may be 99% sure you’re not the killer they claim you are,” Ross announced, “but there’s still that one percent chance that you are. I’m not risking the lives of anyone here, and I’m certainly not giving you the chance to escape. Desperate men do desperate things.”
Marco frowned and again looked inside the cage. “This is humiliating,” he insisted and once more looked at Ross. “Where the hell is this ‘private’ bathroom?”
“Behind that curtain,” Ross insisted. “One of those portable commodes like they use in hospitals. It was a lucky find.”
“I disagree,” Marco balked.
“We had considered rigging a toilet seat on a bucket for you,” Ross announced while grinning. “Trust me; this was a lucky find.” He again indicated the cell. “In you go.”
“I’m not going in there,” Marco insisted and folded his arms across his chest. “You’re just going to have to trust me. My father--”
Nevada approached Marco and just about got in his face. “Get your fucking ass in that cage, or I’ll toss you in head first,” she snarled.
Marco met Nevada’s gaze only a moment before he stepped through the opening into the cage. Ross shut the door and locked it behind him. He then turned to face Nevada, who maintained her sneer at their handsome prisoner.
“You’re not really a people person, are you?” Ross teased while grinning.
Nevada shot her venomous look at Ross. “Some people are more tolerable than others,” she scoffed. “But they all pretty much suck.”
“I heard you went back to Sal’s when you heard the gunshot,” Ross remarked and raised a curious brow. “Sounds to me as if you’re not nearly as cold-hearted as you’d like everyone to believe.”
“You give me too much credit, Ross,” Nevada casually informed him while smirking. “I knew Sal had information. Someone showing up at his house only proved that theory. He was worth more to me alive than dead.” She then cast a look at Marco within the cage. “And it seems as if I was right on that theory.”
“It’s none of my business,” Ross informed her. “If you want people to hate you, that’s fine by me.” He straightened proudly. “I heard Zack set you up at the hotel in Maine. Just one word of caution. When it comes to Scorpio and Kane, don’t cross Zack. He will put you down with extreme prejudice.”
“I have no intention of doing anything that puts either of them in harm’s way,” Nevada retorted. “I just want out of there.”
“Why?” Ross asked, suddenly unable to help his curious nature.
“That’s none of your business.”
Ross smirked and nodded. “You and Scorpio clash?” he teased.
Nevada tensed slightly and folded her arms across her chest. “She’s okay,” she replied. “She’s got some serious demons, but I suppose that’s part of her charm.”
“Is it Hayden?” Ross teased while grinning. “I know he can go from zero to psycho in six seconds flat.”
Nevada groaned and allowed her arms to fall to her sides. “If you must know, it’s Kane,” she informed him.
Ross stared at her with some surprise. “Kane?” he asked. “Kane is practically a saint. He even won over Mac, and that’s saying a lot.”
“He’s like the mother I never wanted,” Nevada scoffed with irritation. “He makes me completely insane. That’s not the way men are supposed to act.”
Ross shook his head and sighed. “I feel sorry for you, Nevada,” he announced, then walked away from her.
Chapter 28
Jackie’s helicopter landed not far from Gil’s helicopter in the field close to the tree line. It was a nice, secluded area with plenty of cover. Jackie almost didn’t see Gil’s helicopter, making the location ideal. As she shut down, Monroe emerged from the woods and approached. Although she was happy to see her teammate, Jackie had hoped for a few minutes to herself before the guys showed up. After several hours in the air, the first thing on her mind was a bathroom break. None of the guys ever complained about her frequent pit stops, not even Kirk, but it was one of the drawbacks of being the group's sole woman. She could literally kick their asses, yet when it came to matters of the bladder, she would lose that battle every time. She opened the pilot side door, eyed Monroe, and then looked around.
“Are you the welcome party?” she teased.
“The party has barely gotten started,” Monroe reported while managing a tiny smile.
“Who’s missing?” Jackie asked and appeared curious, her mind immediately straying.
“Bogart, Zack, and Kirk,” he announced.
“Nevada?” she asked skeptically while climbing out of the helicopter.
“She arrived with Ross and Beck,” Monroe remarked. “About six hours after you’d dropped her and Bogart off at the airport.”
Jackie remained suspicious and now tensed slightly. “Where’s Bogart?” Her mind was already reeling about the possible fate of her brother.
“She said they parted company about an hour after you’d dropped them off,” Monroe insisted. “Said they’d meet at the rendezvous.”
“This is the rendezvous,” Jackie reminded him.
“Yeah, but Ross gave Nevada an alternate rendezvous,” he informed her. “I guess he doesn’t trust her yet.”
“I don’t blame him,” Jackie muttered and looked at her watch. “I’m not even sure Zack trusts her entirely.” She then sank into her own thoughts. “And you know Bogart. He’s easily played by an attractive woman.”
“But he’s also an amazing con man,” Monroe reminded her. “I doubt he put too much trust into her. He knows better.” He then seemed to read her mind and turned reassuring. “I’m sure Bogart is fine.”
“Yeah,” Jackie muttered but couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of Nevada double-crossing Bogart. She wasn’t as confident as Monroe.
“Ross asked me to meet you here,” Monroe informed her. “You and I are going to hike to town, scope it out, and pick up some supplies.”
“Town?” she asked and raised her brow. “That’s over a mile from here. Why didn’t you bring Kirk’s jeep? We could have taken it partway.”
“Too dangerous,” he insisted.
“I wasn’t suggesting we’d take it into town,” she informed him.
“I know, but it’s still too dangerous,” he remarked. “Too many people have seen that jeep. Besides, Othello is having a friend of a friend of a friend meet us just outside town with a loaner car for our new cover.”
“What’s our cover?” Jackie asked.
“Photographers and documentarians,” Monroe replied and appeared somewhat humored
. “We’re photographing Colorado’s scenic wilderness and wildlife. He’s sending some equipment with the car. I’ll fill you in on the walk.” He then nodded across the field. “We should get going. We want to get back before dark.”
Jackie offered a tiny smile then indicated the tree line near the helicopter. “Let me use the ladies’ room first.”
§
Jackie and Monroe walked for quite some time through the woods before finally reaching a dirt road. They followed the dirt road for most of the journey and talked about everything but their current assignment. Jackie was worried about her brother, but she didn’t need to bring her thoughts on the subject into the conversation. Monroe knew her well enough to know what she was thinking, and he, too, avoided the subject. Both were silently hoping Nevada hadn’t double-crossed Bogart. Despite being an excellent conman, Bogart was easily corrupted by beautiful women, and Nevada was both sexy and lethal. Even Monroe had been checking out the woman. Of course, the last thing Monroe needed in his life was to get involved with another lethal woman. Whereas Bogart was a master at flings, Monroe tended to fall hard for just about every woman he’d ever slept with. That included Jackie, although, that was a long time ago. Their brief, one-time encounter left Monroe heartbroken for a long time.
Possibly one of Monroe’s biggest mistakes was his brief, sexual encounter with Zack’s mortal enemy, Mac. Jackie still wasn’t convinced Monroe was over Mac. That being said, Monroe certainly didn’t need to insert himself into whatever disastrous life Nevada was leading. The very fact that Zack felt the need to move the bounty hunter into his kid’s cliffside hotel in Maine was reason enough for Monroe to avoid the dangerous woman. Zack had a thing for hard-luck cases, and Nevada was just one of many. Jackie had only recently learned that Zack was removing war veterans from bad situations and attempting to straighten them out by giving them a new purpose in life. One might speculate he was building his own army, but maybe that was just her theory.
Monroe and Jackie weren’t far from the main, back road into town when they saw a late model pickup truck and a jeep that had seen better days parked alongside the dirt road. Two shifty-looking men stood outside the vehicles smoking cigarettes. Both men were scrawny. One taller; one shorter. Their clothes and overall appearance screamed ‘backwoods hillbilly’. Just by their looks, it was difficult to tell if they were friend or foe.
Witness Protection 9: S.N.A.F.U. Page 21