by Jet MacLeod
ALSO BY JET MACLEOD
RAINBOW COVE SERIES
TRIAL BY FIRE
TWIN EMBERS
MORGAN’S TREASURE
JUNCTION CITY COWBOY
COWBOYS DON’T CRY
UNDERCOVER
BRING ME TO LIFE
Witness Protection:
Moving Target
Jet MacLeod
COPYRIGHT © 2017, Jet MacLeod
All rights reserved
Printed in the USA
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and author of this book.
THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. NAMES, CHARACTERS, PLACES, AND INCIDENTS EITHER ARE THE PRODUCT OF THE AUTHOR’S IMAGINATION OR ARE USED FACTIOUSLY, AND ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ACTUAL PERSONS LIVING OR DEAD, EVENTS, OR LOCALES IS ENTIRELY COINCIDENTAL.
For Stephanie, Lindsey and Ethan
I love you all!
For Cole, whose personality created so much for me
Chapter 1
She took apart her weapon and slowly, methodically packed it back into the hard black case. She continued to scan the horizon, looking to see if anyone had noticed her presence. It hadn’t been easy but she’d made the shot. She would clean the rifle when she got back to her safe house. Until then, she would just keep moving. It was safer...for everyone.
It was her last job. She kept telling herself that, but she knew that the “company” wasn’t going to let her go willingly and completely. They would let her “rest” and when they needed her specific skill set, they would call her back. She really didn’t have a choice in the matter. It was either that or death. She has been theirs from the beginning and she knew it. It was better than coming home to an abusive mother every night. Her rifle was her only family now. She took better care of her altered M40 and long range M82 then she did herself.
She sat back on her haunches as she closed the case and listened to the world around her. She was in it, but she wasn’t part of it. She never had been, really. This wasn’t the life she’d envisioned when she left home and joined the military. But, her upbringing and their training had groomed her for this and she knew it. They couldn’t just let her walk away. They gave her a life. They gave her purpose and meaning. She couldn’t leave unless they let her.
She was about to head out of her hide when her cell vibrated on her side. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced at the number. Shaking her head, she knew that they already had another target in mind and they were going to get her to move on it quickly. She was their emergency clean up when everyone else had failed. She wondered who screwed up this time. They knew she was already on the job and hadn’t yet called in to confirm her kill. It had to be important if they were calling her in so fast.
“Yeah?” she questioned as she answered the phone in greeting.
“We need you to come in,” the male voice on the other end replied.
“Got another job already?”
“Something like that. It isn’t target though. Can you make extraction in twenty?”
“Not a target? You got a mark for me to follow? You know I don’t do that. I am strictly in eliminations now. I don’t do spy work. I am not trained for that. I won’t do it.”
“We can talk about this when you get back. Time is of the essence right now. Can you make your extraction or not? Do we need to move it?” he asked.
“No, I can make it. I was just packing up and ready to move. I’ll be at the point in ten.”
“Good, I’ll see once you come back in. We have a lot to talk about. For now, just rest. I promise you that you’ll like this new job. It will be perfect for you.”
“Don’t toy with me, Gregor. You know I’m about to retire. I’m done with this. This was supposed to be my last job. What the hell is going on?”
“You’ll see when you get here. I can’t tell you right now. It isn’t secure. But, trust me, Del, you’ll like this assignment. It is a little more...permanent,” he answered and then hung up before she could say anything in reply.
She sat in the tiny apartment, surprised that the world hadn’t ended like she’d hoped. She was still alive. She had no purpose, but she was still alive. It was something that she could use to build a new life on, she mused, if she really wanted to.
She stared around at the blank, normal white walls and sighed. There was no way that she could go back and she knew that, but this nondescript place was now her personal Hell. She had no one to blame but herself and she knew that. She longed for the smell of the City, the sounds, the hustle and bustle. It was the City and its demons that almost killed her, but she couldn’t think of another place that she wanted to be. It was near winter and she wanted to see the snow. She wanted feel the vibe that the City gave off, but she was stuck in the middle of “Nowhere-ville” with a new name.
She wondered how long she would have to stay in the apartment. The marshals had mentioned that they were giving her to a new handler. She wasn’t sure that she liked the sound of that, but she was sure it was better than where she was at. She tried to listen in on their conversations so she could prepare herself for this new “handler,” but nothing they said made sense to her.
She walked around the living room area of the small apartment, a mug of hot tea in hand. She peered out of the front picture window and sipped her tea trying to calm her nerves. As she looked around outside the window, her eyes met that of a tallish woman. After a quick breath, she realized that the woman wasn’t smiling at her but she looked angry, and all she could do was wonder why.
Del had been watching her for an hour. Her mark, her detail, or rather her ward, was probably going to be an issue and she could tell already without having met her. She knew that this was going to be a tough assignment, but she was now realizing why everyone had warned her about Angela March.
“How do you make it in WitSec for four years and have to move five times?” she thought to herself.
Watching her now as she stared out the window, Del finally understood. She was going to be difficult. Anyone who was beautiful and blonde was going to be bane of her existence. Angela March was that in spades. Del shook her head as she walked towards the apartment building. She steeled herself, preparing to do battle with the blonde as soon as she entered apartment.
She decided that she would go in strong and hard. It was the only way that she could keep the upper hand. She read the reports. She studied them for days, trying to get into the head of the illustrious Angela March. She was impressed with her reputation, but not her actions. She would have to remain steadfast in her approach to keep Miss March in line and protected. She only hoped that Miss March would agree to do things her way without too much fuss, for both their sakes.
She straightened her shoulders, stretched her neck and began the journey across the parking lot to the apartment. Angela was watching her the entire time. Del imagined that her cobalt blue eyes were laser beams aimed right at her as she scowled back up at her. She was angry with her and just because she was near the window, in the full light of day, where anyone could see her, kill her. She was a sitting duck and she didn’t even know it. Del could see it on her face.
“I’ll have to teach her to be a little more self-aware. This is going to be fun. Gregor is going to owe me big time for this assignment. No wonder the marshals didn’t want her anymore,” Del stated to herself as she climbed the stairs leading to apartment 3304.
She stopped in front of the door and stared at it. She put her h
and in her jeans pocket and felt around for the keys. As she stared at the door, she decided that she would knock. She was going to test Angela. She wanted to know exactly what she was up against. It was the best way, she told herself. She knocked on the apartment door and waited.
She was disappointed several minutes later when Angela opened the door and was face to face with her. Del’s scowl returned as Angela stood there in looking fabulous in faded jeans and a local university sweatshirt. She watched as Angela scanned her up and down, slowly, before she said anything to Delia.
“Yes, can I help you?”
“Why did you answer the door?” Del demanded.
“It is a social norm to answer the door when someone knocks on it,” she replied.
“Not for you any more it isn’t. Now, get inside. We have some things to discuss Miss March before we move in the next few weeks,” Del stated pushing past her.
Del turned around, shut the door and bolted it. She ran the security chain and then checked out the peep hole for good measure. When she turned back around, Angela was standing there, hands on her hips, just watching her.
“Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but you will not speak to me that way,” Miss March told her.
“It doesn’t matter who I am, Miss March. What matters right now is that you stay alive. I am here to make sure that happens. I’ve read your file. You are no longer under the jurisdiction of the FBI and the Marshalls. You are in mine. I don’t play by the same rules. Then sooner you realize that, the sooner we will get along,” Del told her.
“You don’t work for the Marshalls?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t. I am not entirely sure why I was chosen for this assignment, actually your file explained a lot to me, but that isn’t the point. The point of the matter is you have to stay alive. I am quite skilled in that area and I plan to deliver you to your court dates. Until then, Angela March is dead and doesn’t exist. Can you understand that?”
“I am not dumb. Yes, I understand that I will be issued a new name and identity. I just hope that this time it won’t be something mundane in Podunk.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“So, what is my cover this time? Hmm, suburbanite? Insurance salesperson?”
“Nothing so illustrious, I’m afraid,” Del told her.
“Then what?”
“It remains to be seen. I haven’t been given full disclosure yet. I was asked to report to you and see if I could actually keep you alive. It seems that the Marshalls fear you have a death wish.”
“I do not have a death wish!” she hissed back at Del.
“Then, can you explain to me why you were standing next to the window in broad daylight where anyone could see you and shoot you?”
“I like too the city. I like looking out windows. It helps me think.”
“Well, you are going to have to break that habit, I’m afraid. Windows are off limits. You can’t be protected through glass. I’ll make sure to add to the provisions of the new safe house we will be going to, wherever it may be.”
“You can do that?”
“Right now, as long as I agree to keep you alive, I can do whatever I want. Cost is not a problem with my superiors as long as you are able to testify. Look, I don’t know what you got in to and I don’t care. You are my newest and last assignment. Once, I deliver you back to the US Courthouse in New York, I finally get to retire.”
“You aren’t a Marshall. You don’t work for the FBI. Who do you work for? And, retire? You can’t be older than thirty-five. What are you talking about?” Angie asked her.
“My name is Delia Montgomery. I work for the government. Technically, I belong to no one. I am ghost. But, we generally just call my organization the ‘Company.’ Like I said, this isn’t a normal assignment for me. This is a little out of my comfort zone. And, thank you for the compliment. I have been doing my job for quite some time. My age is not relevant at the moment, however.”
“So what is?”
“Keeping you alive, Miss March.”
“And, then you are going to retire?”
“If they will let me, yes, I plan on retiring. I have seen enough in my years to know that I am done. I have done what they have asked of me and then some. Your case being one of those things, but it isn’t part of what I normally do.”
“I take it that usually you would be the one tasked with eliminating me,” Angie said.
“Usually, that would be correct, Miss March, but I have many skills,” she replied ending their conversation as she sat down on a nearby couch.
She looked over at Angie. She knew that this woman would probably get her killed. She figured it was a fitting end to her run. They were giving her this assignment as her “retirement.” If she could survive, then she could leave without worrying about them coming after her for more.
She went back downstairs to her unmarked SUV and grabbed her two cases and a soft back pack. She went back upstairs and into the apartment. She placed the cases on the small kitchen table and threw the backpack at the couch. Angie watched her but didn’t say anything. She just stood there with her arms crossed across her chest. Del eyeballed her, but didn’t say anything to her as she started going into one her cases. Angie’s eyes widened when she saw the broken down rifle spaced out in the case.
“You weren’t kidding, earlier, were you?” Angie asked her.
“No, I wasn’t.”
“You don’t get out much, do you?”
“That depends on what you mean,” Del told her.
“You don’t deal with people much, do you?”
“Not in the traditional sense, no. Mostly the only way I’ve dealt with people in the past was in eliminations. This would be a complete change for me.”
“So you’ve never been on a protection detail?” Angie asked her.
“No, ma’am, I have not.”
“Well I guess this is going to be really interesting for both of us.”
Del didn’t answer her. She pulled out her scope only and grabbed a chair. She sat back a good distance from the windows and began to check for lines of sight. She grabbed a small notepad out her back pocket and began to make some notes on angles. Every now and again she would write down something at length that made Angie curious.
“What was that note, there, about?” Angie asked, breaking her concentration.
“What note?”
“The notes that you are making,” Angie replied.
“I am making notes about where you could be shot from. I’ll go explore those areas later to make sure that no one has set up a hide yet. Until then, I will mark areas on the floor that will be okay for you to be at. I will move the furniture accordingly.”
Angie just stared at her. She couldn’t believe that she was being so clinical about the situation. This was her life, didn’t she understand that? Couldn’t this cold assassin see that?
“You don’t understand why this hard for me, do you?” Angie asked.
“It isn’t my problem, Angela. I am here to keep you alive. I am here to protect you. I don’t have to be your friend. I don’t have to care about the life that you are leaving. I have to care for your safety and your well-being. I am sorry. I don’t do people well.”
“I can tell.”
Del ignored Angie as she continued to study everything outside the window. She could feel Angie watching her. It was a little unnerving but she had a job to do and she was going to do it. She had to keep Angie safe. She hoped that Angie wouldn’t fight her once she made her a regimen to follow. She read the file on how difficult Angie had been with the other agents and agencies. She would have to lay some ground rules for her to follow.
Del sat down again across the room on the couch and stared at the apartment’s only door. Angie continued to watch her. She didn’t move when Del changed positions. She stood rigid and angry. Del didn’t seem to care. She continued with her assessment of the apartment.
“You’ll be fine on the couch. It is the safest place for you
in the main common areas. If something does go down, it will give you the clearest points to hide or to escape. Do you understand that, Miss March?”
“I do.”
“Can I show you what I want you do?”
“No.”
“Are you going to let me help you?”
“You are my body guard, right?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what are you?”
“I am here to make sure you stay alive. I am here to protect you. You will do what I tell you to do to accomplish this. You will not be going out in public unless it is necessary and I will tell you when it is okay to go out. I know that you might not like what is going on, but that isn’t my problem. I need to coordinate our departure for a safe house outside the City. I want you to stay here and stay low. I have some things to check out. Can you do that for me?” Del asked her.
“I don’t really have a choice in the matter, do I?”
“Unless you have a death wish, no, you don’t,” Del replied.
Angie walked across the room and sat down on the couch. She got next to Del to see if she could use her close proximity to make Del uncomfortable. Del didn’t say anything about how close she was to her. She just pointed at the door.
“That is the only entry and exit besides a window.”
“I noticed.”
“Then, you need to be constantly aware of how to get to it. The only problem with that is that it is the only entry and exit. That means that they first people in who might try to hurt you know that as well. They are going to try to block it. If they can’t block it, they are going to try to flush you out of it. If they flush you out of it, there will be someone or something there to take you or kill you. If they try to flush you out, you need to get to a window and get out. I would suggest that one there with the fire escape,” Del told her, pointing at the window across the room.