by L. T. Ryan
His target today was the unknown piece. They had a meeting at ten a.m. That much he knew. And after the meeting is when the assassination was to take place. He assumed the shot was to strike outside the doors of the restaurant across the street.
What kind of support would he be given after that? So far there had been no mention of a waiting car, change of clothes, or anything else. The duffel bag waiting on the roof only had the weapon inside of it. The bag he carried with him had three protein bars and three bottles of water. They could have at least provided him with a hat.
He laughed quickly at the suggestion. Anyone who saw him enter the building would not be fooled into thinking he was someone else because he wore a cap on his head. Not a man of his size.
The earpiece burst into static and then gave off the electrical hum he had grown accustomed to, knowing it meant it was connected.
“What?” he said preemptively.
“I love you, Riley,” Sasha said.
The connection then went dead.
CHAPTER 59
“As long as he does what we instruct him to, you’re gonna be OK.” Frank Skinner ripped a piece of tape from the roll and applied it to Sasha’s lower back, securing the tracking device against her spine near the waist.
The room they were in was warm, dim, and smelled like rotten eggs. She stared at a stack of plain boxes that stretched floor to ceiling. The walls had the remains of the glue that had once held wallpaper.
“You know the trouble you’re going to be in when this is all said and done?” She turned her head far enough to make eye contact. His grin was enough to tell her he had no plans on being caught. Did that mean he was never returning to DC? She doubted that. If anyone was never going home, it was her.
He applied another piece of tape to her back and then pulled her shirt back down, tucking it into her waistband. She wanted to say something about his fingers traveling further inside her pants than necessary, but figured he’d get off on hearing her complain.
“Why not just kill me now?” She pulled away and spun around to face him.
“No one is gonna kill you if that big oaf does his—”
“Cut the crap, Skinner. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that we can’t coexist after this.”
He hiked his shoulders an inch into the air as if to say why not. “Sure we can. You’re a grown woman who is more than capable of keeping her mouth shut. My friends can make it worth your while to do so.”
“Even if I agreed,” she said, watching his reaction closely, “Bear would not. He’d rather dip the money in a vat of acid and eat it than spend it.”
Frank laughed. “You obviously don’t know him very well. I can’t begin to tell you the things I’ve seen that man do for far less than what we can offer to keep your mouths shut.”
“It’ll never happen.”
Frank’s demeanor changed. He reached behind his back and pulled out his concealed handgun and aimed it at her head, cautiously keeping a few feet of distance between them. He knew Sasha had field experience. Their paths had crossed before when both were younger.
“OK,” he said. “If you want to die I can make that happen now.”
Slivers of light cut across his arm and the pistol. The weapon was ready to fire. If he was bluffing she hoped he had a steady finger.
Ahlberg entered the room wearing a knit dress that stopped above her knee. A tattoo peeked out. She stared at Sasha. “Not yet, Frank. We need her alive for a little bit longer.”
Frank returned his sidearm to its holster then walked over to Ahlberg. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in. As they kissed, Ahlberg’s fingers tightened into a fist around Frank’s short hair.
“I’ve missed you,” Ahlberg said after pulling away a few inches.
Frank released her and gestured toward the door. “He’s nearby.”
“I know. I passed him in the hallway.” The smile on her face made Sasha feel that Awad might join her in a shallow grave later that day.
“Let’s stick to the plan, OK? Soon he and your sister will be out of the way and you’ll be in Washington with me.”
“What about her?” Ahlberg jutted her narrow chin at Sasha.
“No, she can’t come with us.” He smiled at both of them. “Unless you want her to?”
“She just heard everything we said. Perhaps we should rid ourselves of her?”
“As you said a moment ago, we still need her if we’re going to get Logan to take the fall for the hit.”
Katrine Ahlberg looked disappointed as she left the room. Was it an act?
“No hard feelings,” Frank said.
Sasha parted the blinds with her thumb and forefinger and stared out the window at the French flag dancing in the breeze. She contemplated that this was how she would spend the last minutes of her life.
CHAPTER 60
I tightened my grip on Ahlberg and the pistol while keeping my focus on Thomas. I knew little about the man and had to rely on the assumptions I had made about his past. Instinct told me he had a similar skill set. He was a dangerous man. He held one hand in front of him as if to tell me to settle down. In reality his intent was to distract me as he dropped his other hand to his side and inched it around his back.
“Both hands,” I said. “Let me see them.”
“All right.” A little bit of his Chicago accent emerged. “Just don’t do anything stupid. You gotta trust me on this, Jack.”
“Don’t use my name.”
“Fair enough. Look, I’m not sure what you’re—”
“Shut up.” I lifted the pistol so the first shot would land between his eyes.
His gaze flitted to Ahlberg for a second. How well did they know each other? Could she shoot him a look that said ‘stand down’ or ‘attack now’? The muscles along his jaw rippled as his posture grew rigid.
“There’s something you need to know,” he said.
“I thought I told you to shut up?”
“You recognize me, right? I was there in England. In town and at the marina.”
I pulled Ahlberg in closer. Squeezed tighter against her neck. He glanced at her, licked his lips nervously.
“I had a partner,” he said, gesturing with his hands. “You remember him, don’t you? The trigger happy guy?”
I expected Thomas’s partner to pop out of the stairwell with a semi-automatic ready to gun me down. It took all I had to keep my focus on Thomas. A second was too much time to gift to a guy like him. He could be on me before I had time to readjust.
Thomas reached for his pocket.
“Get ‘em up,” I said.
“I’m only going for my phone. You’re gonna want to see this.”
Ahlberg grunted, swallowed hard, sucked in air with a deep groan. Thomas looked up from his phone at her. The whites of his eyes looked blue due to the glow of the screen. His eyes widened in response to Birgit’s reddening face.
“Easy, Jack. Easy.” He held his phone so we could all see. A couple taps later and there was an image. He double tapped and the image zoomed close on a face. “You know who that is right?”
“You motherfucker.” I squeezed hard enough to cut off Ahlberg’s air supply. She scratched my forearm and struggled against my body.
“That’s where my partner is now.” Thomas zoomed out a little. “He’s been watching them for the past twelve hours outside their rental. If I give the word, he’ll kill your brother and daughter and the rest of them.”
I stared at the image of Sean and Mia, holding hands and walking along the beach. The dense foliage in the background made me think of Central America. Costa Rica, perhaps. I had told Sean not to tell me where they were. If I were ever caught and tortured I could truthfully deny their whereabouts.
“Let her go.” Thomas reached out with one hand. “Then place the weapon on the ground and step back.”
I held onto Birgit and my sidearm.
Thomas switched to his messaging app and started typing. “If I send th
is, they’re dead, Jack.”
Was he bluffing? He’d be dead if he sent it. Perhaps he didn’t care.
His thumb hovered over the send button. “Last chance.”
I relaxed my grip on Ahlberg, She twisted and dipped and pulled away from me, turning back toward me after she was out of arm’s reach. Her face was dark red. She swallowed a huge gulp of air. Hatred filled her eyes. As the oxygen took hold, she balled her fists and bounced on her toes. Looked like Ali ready to throw down. Thomas placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.
“We still need him,” he said.
“We can do it ourselves,” she said.
“What if we get caught?” He tugged on her and she faced him. “Remember, he’s taking the fall here. We don’t care what happens to him.”
I squatted halfway and dropped the pistol then stepped back. “I’m not doing a damn thing for you.”
“Then I’m texting my partner and your family will be terminated. The little girl will watch as her aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandfather are all shot in the head. Then she’ll get the same. Perhaps we’ll apply a few of the tricks we leaned over in Afghanistan and make her—”
“All right,” I said, keeping my voice a notch below the roar that fought to come out. The fire engulfed me. I almost snapped. But it wasn’t the right moment. Yet. I had a vision of how to end this. And it would happen soon. “I’ll do it.”
Thomas smiled for a second. “Nothing in your file ever suggested you would fold so easily.” His gaze shot over to Birgit. “Sucks having a weakness, doesn’t it?”
We went back to the apartment where I was forced to free the two guards. They were instructed that I was off limits until this was over. And even then, they should resist making an attempt on me until it was certain that the police were not going to get involved. I would make sure it never got that far.
Thomas and Birgit stood across the kitchen island from me. They detailed the plans for the following hour and my role in what was to happen.
“Can you handle that?” Thomas said, wrapping up the briefing.
“You read my jacket,” I said. “Right?”
He nodded and said nothing.
“Then why ask?”
He turned to Birgit. “All right, princess. Get ready.”
CHAPTER 61
Birgit Ahlberg entered the restaurant wearing a blue dress that clung to her slender figure. The horizontal slits along the right thigh offered a glimpse of the intricate piece of artwork that adorned her leg. It was one of two in the world, and when placed side by side, it told the story of two sisters and the intricate web of deceit they had woven over the years.
She scanned the mostly empty dining room until her eyes met those of the blonde woman who shared the same face, body, and tattoo.
The sisters hadn’t seen each other since that night ten years ago when Birgit took the bullet that had been meant for Katrine. If Katrine’s husband Awad hadn’t given Birgit advance warning, she would have perished. Fortunately, Awad loved both sisters, and after making love to Birgit two days prior to the assassination attempt, he revealed Katrine’s plan.
Katrine had an inside source at one of America’s clandestine agencies who had given her advanced notice of the impending attempt on her life. She and the source hatched a plan to direct the assassins to Birgit instead of her. It was easy. After all, they were twins. Katrine’s contact falsified the intelligence and made the hit team believe they had been tracking Katrine.
Birgit knew there was no way out. The killers were relentless bastards. If she ran, they’d follow. Furthermore, Awad had explained that Katrine had already initiated plans to assume Birgit’s life. Either way, her life as she knew it was over. While living life as a ghost was not in her plan, dying seemed the worse of two options. Awad funded a number of accounts in Switzerland with more than enough money to survive on for the rest of Birgit’s life.
Using her knowledge of pharmacology, Birgit administered midazolam to herself the night of the hit and peacefully went to sleep. Awad had his cousin, a trauma surgeon, on standby. After the American assassins had left the scene, they loaded Birgit’s limp body into the back of a car and brought her to the boat equipped with everything Awad’s cousin needed to put her back together.
Birgit traced the scar through her dress as she crossed the room and walked into the outstretched arms of her sister. They kissed the air beside their cheeks the way women do when they’re wearing make-up even though neither woman had a smidge on their faces. Despite being forty, neither needed it.
“You look beautiful,” Katrine said. “I like what you’ve done with your hair.”
“I suppose if I had not,” Birgit said, lifting a sweating glass of water to her mouth, “it would have been me that was gunned down that day in Leiden.”
Katrine offered a thin smile. “Dear sister, I had nothing to do with that.”
“Spare me the garbage. I know you better than you know yourself.”
Katrine nodded once, letting her sister know the same was true.
“How long have you known?” Birgit set the glass down using the ring of water it had left behind as a guide.
“I suspected early on but had no evidence that you were alive. But then a friend and advisor told me he had spotted me in Leipzig, Germany. I asked him where, then hired an investigator to follow up. It was not easy, as you might imagine. After all, I told him to look for a woman that looked exactly like me. I had no idea you had turned your hair jet black at one point.”
Birgit smiled. She had rather liked the look she had assumed when she portrayed the role of Martina Kohl’s natural healer.
“When he saw you at the gypsy shop, he snapped a picture and emailed it to me. Unfortunately, I was at an event with my family—”
“Our family.”
“—and did not respond quickly enough. Whether you saw him or it was our twin connection that tipped you off, you disappeared that night. He waited another month and chased down four different leads but none panned out. Obviously.”
The women changed the conversation while the waiter set the bread, butter, and cheese on the table.
“How is father?” Birgit asked.
Katrine smiled slyly. “Dead.”
Birgit bit down on her tongue and fought back the few tears that struggled to break free. Two dozen memories raced through her head, from the first time she recalled him lifting her from her crib, to the hug he gave her after she graduated college. He was the only man who ever made her feel safe.
“It was quick,” Katrine said. “Heart attack.”
“What are we doing here?” Birgit asked after the waiter had returned to the kitchen. “Why after all these years did you want to see me?”
Katrine held her hand out. “I simply wanted to make sure you had no designs on returning home and making yourself known again.”
She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s my life. You stole it.”
Katrine shrugged and looked toward the window at the end of the table. “You stole things from me, too.”
Birgit’s breath stuck in her chest for a moment. Katrine had never made mention of knowing about the affair between her and Awad. “I’m not sure what you mean unless you are talking about when we were kids and I stole your doll and drowned her in the lake behind our house.”
Katrine’s gaze slipped past her sister and landed on the door. “Speak of the devil and he will make himself known.”
Birgit turned to see Awad for the first time since she left the boat. During her recovery, he had visited the boat often to check up on her. Once she was in the clear, he let her know that her account had been funded and provided her with the keys to an apartment in Milan that she never once visited. She was sure a device was present that would alert him she was there. Perhaps he would show. Or maybe one of his goons would.
She often wondered why he had warned her. Guilt, perhaps. Looking at him now, she was surprised that her feelings were not as the
y were so long ago.
Neither woman rose when Awad stopped at the foot of the table, seeming unsure where to sit.
“You couldn’t choose then,” Katrine said, sliding toward the window, “I don’t see why I should expect you to now.”
He looked taken aback by her accusatory tone. If he hadn’t told her, who had?
“Birgit,” he said. “After all these years, it is good to see you. I thought we lost you a decade ago. When Katrine reached out and told me that you had surfaced, we knew it was time to rejoin and put a new plan into effect.”
A new plan? What was he talking about? They never had an old plan. And jumping into bed, metaphorically speaking, with these two was not in Birgit’s future. She had no interest in becoming a terrorist even if she had once loved one.
Katrine glanced toward the entrance and cleared her throat. “I assume this one is yours?”
Birgit looked over her shoulder and saw Thomas enter the dining room. He requested a table on the opposite side where he was to keep watch over the proceedings.
Birgit signaled to Thomas that he had been made. They knew this was a possibility. If it happened he was to join them at the table so that Jack Noble would know where to shoot. The time it took Thomas to reach the restaurant should have been the same as Birgit, which meant three minutes had passed. Noble had instructions to wait fifteen total, and if he heard nothing from them, he was to take the three minute journey down the stairs, across the street, and along the sidewalk to the restaurant and enter with his weapon ready to fire.
Glancing around the room, Birgit noticed that one of the men in the kitchen was out of place. He was not a cook, server or part of the management. Not dressed like that. She found herself wishing she had not instructed both of the guards to remain with Noble. The way the meeting was shaping up, she expected it to break out into a gun fight. And right now she had less firepower on her side, especially with Katrine picking Thomas out so quickly.
But there was one final wrench to be thrown into the plans.