He pushed the button to lower the window between them and the driver. “You okay up there?”
“Yes, sir,” the driver confirmed. “What about you guys?”
“We’re alive.”
“I called the cops,” the driver said.
Kole nodded, worried at the way Jenessa seemed to be in shock. She might have to go back to the hospital. “Did you get any details about that motorcycle?”
“Yes, actually. I know a lot about bikes,” he said. “It was a Harley Davidson Roadster.”
Shit, shit shit! “What color?” Kole demanded.
“Black and silver.”
He gritted his teeth, unable to believe the suspicions that jumped to mind but not able to hold them back.
“What’s wrong?” Jenessa asked, finally seeming to come out of her funk. She wrapped her arms around him, patting him. “Does that mean something to you?”
“Carter has that exact bike.” His hands trembled and he wrapped his arms around Jenessa, thankful she hadn’t been killed. “I think my brother tried to make sure we couldn’t turn him in.”
Chapter 20
“We can’t wait anymore, Nessa.” Kole stared at Jenessa the following day, hoping she would understand his position. He knew she wanted to find information leading them to Paul so they could arrest him, but the drive-by shooting was the final straw. They had no further leads or evidence to help the case. With Kole suspecting Carter was the one who tried to kill them, he couldn’t put off turning him in any longer. “I called my dad. He wants us to meet with him in an hour at his office.”
Jenessa looked up from her laptop, defeat written in the lines drawn across her tired face. She’d been shaken up all day, startling at the slightest sound. It was a miracle they were alive, and they both knew it.
“We have to stop Carter,” he said in a gentle tone. “If he tried to silence us last night, I can’t risk that happening again. We have to tell my dad and then turn the evidence over to the police. I want him behind bars so he can’t hurt you.”
She sighed. “Catching Paul was my chance to make up for the Dan fiasco. It’s not going to happen, is it?”
Kole hated disappointing her. “I wish we could have caught him, but you have nothing to prove, love. You’re awesome at your job. Without you, we’d never have discovered the connection between Victor and S.A.T.O.”
“Are you okay turning Carter in? What if it wasn’t him last night?” She rubbed her hand against her temple. “I know this is hard on you, especially since we don’t know the whole story.”
It was hard, but his brother committed a murder. Kole had made peace with being the one to turn him in for that. They’d given Carter more than enough time to do the right thing and come forward. Kole had even spoken to him several times, urging him to go to their father and confess. Carter had repeatedly refused, making veiled threats about what might happen to anyone who turned him in.
It seemed those threats ended in him stalking them down and trying to kill them last night. Brother or not, Kole had no issues putting him in jail.
He offered Jenessa a smile, letting her know he appreciated her concern. “It’s not something I ever saw myself doing, but it needs done. Carter had other options, if he’d only taken them. He should have gone to our dad right away, found a way to protect Mom. Instead, he pulled the trigger and continues making his crimes worse by trying to cover it up.”
She nodded, cringing slightly and grabbing at her head. “I’m glad you’re okay. I agree that it’s time to end this.”
“Are you feeling alright?” Kole stooped down in front of Jenessa’s chair, looking up into her pain-filled eyes. “Damn, I recognize that look. You have another migraine starting.”
She sighed. “I’m afraid so. I usually don’t get them so often. I think it’s the stress from last night.”
Remembering how awful her last migraine attack had been, Kole knew there was no way she’d tolerate a trip to the White House.
“Let’s get you up in bed,” he said. “I’ll call Dad and cancel.”
“Don’t cancel,” she said. “You have everything you need, and I know you’ve been working yourself up for this. I don’t want you worrying about it longer. Tell your dad and let him deal with the mess. Just help me up to bed. I’ll pass out in a few minutes, and you can go report our findings. If your dad needs my take on it, I’ll meet with him when I’m better.”
He knew she was right. He really didn’t want to put it off any longer. “I’ll lie with you until you fall asleep, then head to see Dad.”
While he’d hated leaving her alone and in pain, Kole had snuck out of the bedroom as soon as Jenessa drifted to sleep. Now, his dad stared at him with disbelief on his face, surrounded by the email messages they had found.
“Carter?” It was the third time William had said his older son’s name, still not sounding like the reality had actually sunk in.
“I’m sorry, Dad. He admitted it to me, plus we have the emails.” Kole took no joy in witnessing the downfall of his brother in their father’s mind. “He said he did it to protect Mom, and the emails back that up.”
William’s hands shook as he once again went through the emails and perused the highlighted phrases. “Why didn’t he come to me?”
“That’s the same question I keep asking myself,” Kole replied. “He made the wrong choice. We have to turn him in.”
William nodded. “Of course, we do. It’s not what I expected, but I’ve been the one harping on not doing something illegal, even if it’s for reasons you can justify. I’ll get Carter to turn himself in. Also, I’m definitely dismantling the secret board and Nick’s group.”
“You are?” Kole wasn’t all that surprised his dad had made the decision, but he wondered where that left Jenessa... and where that left their relationship.
“It’s past time. I already spoke to Nick. He’s going to keep tracking Paul and S.A.T.O., but all the other cases will be turned over to the legal channels. Once S.A.T.O. is stopped, Nick wants to retire.”
Which is what Jenessa had said would happen. The man wouldn’t leave his new wife home in Sayle, Washington to take a job in D.C.
“What about Jenessa?”
“She has a job with the FBI.” A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of William’s mouth. “Why do you care?”
“Because I’m in love with her.”
“I knew it!” Despite the grave news about Carter, William’s smile widened. He hopped up from his chair and rounded the desk, pulling Kole into a hug. “The second I met that girl the day I put Nick in charge of the group, I knew she’d be perfect for you. I didn’t want to meddle in your life, not after what happened with Clarissa, so I kept quiet and didn’t introduce you. However, when this opportunity came up, I couldn’t let it pass.”
Kole chuckled. “I knew you were trying to set me up.”
“And it worked, all because she’s the right girl.”
“Yeah, Dad, she really is.”
“Then you need to get home and take care of her.” William pulled away from Kole and pushed him lightly toward the door. “Your mother’s going to be so pleased.”
At least his parents had some happy news to help them through the tragedy of their older son. First, he was about to make that situation worse.
“I hate to tell you this, Dad, but Carter had made some threats, saying he’d make me regret it if I turned him in. Last night, I think he made good on those threats.”
“What do you mean?” The happiness faded from William’s face, replaced by a weariness.
“I was able to keep our identities secret from the press, but did you hear about that drive-by shooting last night near the National Christmas Tree?”
William’s eyes widened. “That was you?”
“I took Jenessa on a date there. But it gets worse than that.”
His father heaved a sigh, but then nodded at him to continue.
“The attacker drove in on a Roadster, a silver and black one,
according to witnesses.”
“But isn’t that...” William’s face fell as the significance hit him. “I’ll put a message through to the secret service agents guarding him to not let him out of their sight and bring him to me right now. If your brother really did that...”
“I know, Dad.” Kole gripped his father’s arm. “I hope it’s just a coincidence, but I’m having a hard time believing that.”
The phone on William’s desk rang. “I should take that. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with Carter right away.” He snagged the phone from the cradle. “Yes?” After a second, William sucked in a loud breath. “Put him through.”
He looked up from the phone and waved Kole back toward him. “Don’t leave. It’s the sketch artist who’s been working with Mrs. Brighton. She’s claimed herself satisfied with what they created.”
Jenessa had been certain there was still someone else involved, someone outside of S.A.T.O. Would the sketch show Terrance Couch or was it Carter?
His father snapped back to attention. “Yes, sir. Do you recognize the face?”
Kole waited with dread. He still really hoped S.A.T.O. was setting Carter up for some reason. If his brother hadn’t attacked Mrs. Brighton, there was a good chance he wasn’t the one to attack them last night.
“I understand,” William said. “Fax me the sketch.”
Kole paced over to the fax machine resting against the far wall. In a few moments, it hummed to life.
The picture slowly printed, revealing a face Kole recognized. Not Carter.
“That son of a bitch!” Kole’s entire body shook with an unexplainable fear. “Oh, God. He’s still out there, hurting board member’s families. Jenessa’s home alone and sick.”
“Go, son,” William urged. “I’ll call the cops and have them search for him. I don’t think last night was your brother.”
The sound of a creaking door woke Jenessa from a fitful sleep. Her headache wasn’t entirely gone, but she felt a touch better. She’d been too worried about Kole to get any real rest. She should have suffered through the pain and gone with him. He needed her support.
“Kole?” she called. “Is that you? How’d it go?”
The sound of shuffling feet entered the bedroom, but Kole had pulled the curtains tightly shut before leaving and turned out the lights to save her from the pain they caused. Jenessa couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face, let alone Kole.
“Are you okay?” she asked, fear crawling along her spine and prickling her skin into goosebumps. Why wasn’t he answering?
She rolled in the bed, reaching for the lamp near Kole’s side. Luckily, that put her further from the door and whoever had entered. Kole wouldn’t keep silent and scare her like this. She needed a plan.
Slipping off the edge of the mattress without turning on the light, Jenessa pulled the drawer open on the night stand, praying the gun Kole kept inside it was still there. Hers was on the other side of the bed, closest to whoever had entered.
She slipped her hand into the drawer, fumbling around. She felt a book, a notepad, and some pens. No gun. Dammit! He must have taken it with him!
Suddenly, the overhead light flared to life, momentarily blinding her.
“Hello, Jenessa Jones. Imagine finding you here!”
She didn’t know the voice, but as soon as her vision cleared, she recognized the face. “Terrance Couch? Come to kill me with your new acid?”
He chuckled, smoothing back his dark black hair. “You liked my newest invention, did you? Unfortunately, I have nothing quite so quick for you. The boss wants to send a message to Nick Kendall. Word is, the man cares about you. When he sees what we do to you, he’ll know to quit messing in our business. At least, he will if he doesn’t want the same to happen to his new wife.”
Jenessa breathed deeply in and out, trying not to let panic overwhelm her. S.A.T.O. obviously kept tabs on Nick and those surrounding him, not that they had expected anything different. It was why Carlie had an armed guard with her at all times.
If Terrance had orders to kill Jenessa slowly, there was a chance she could get away. All hope wasn’t lost. She needed to keep her wits about her. Not exactly easy with the pounding in her head that the light had renewed, but she knew S.A.T.O. didn’t mess around. Her life depended on escaping Terrance.
“How did you get in here?” she asked. Shelley had once told her Terrance and the other S.A.T.O. members liked to brag about their skills. She needed to get him talking so she could discover a way out of the room. Or at least make a grab for her gun.
Terrance gave her a wry grin. “I bet Kole doesn’t even know his housekeeper has a terminally ill daughter and a mountain load of medical bills. Rich people never care one bit about us working class.”
“You paid her off to get the alarm code? Was it you that first night we were here? What did you hope to find?”
“So many questions, Agent Jones. One might think you were trying to keep me talking.” Terrance laughed. “Lucky for you, we have some time.”
Jenessa narrowed her eyes, unsure whether that was good news. “Why?”
“Because the man who gets the pleasure of killing you is downstairs destroying the evidence you’ve collected. The fun can’t start until he gets here. I just came along to make sure you don’t go anywhere.”
“Paul came here to kill me himself?” Jenessa had to get to her gun. She’d never get another opportunity to kill Paul.
Terrance snorted. “You think you’re important enough for the boss? Hardly.”
Damn. Dying for her country would have been worth something if she could have taken Paul out with her. “Who’s here, then?” she demanded.
“So eager?” Terrance sat on the oversized recliner Kole had in the corner of the room. “We have some time. Why don’t you sit on the bed there, and we can chat while we wait?”
Even though her legs shook with fear, Jenessa stood and walked around the end of the bed, going back to her side. She sat up high near the pillows, her hand resting on top of the nightstand containing her gun. At some point, the other person with Terrance had to enter the room. When that happened, there would be a moment of confusion where she could grab the gun.
“What should we chat about?” she asked, doing her best to present a brave front. The more Terrance believed she didn’t fear him, the more angry and careless he might become. He was steadier than his old partner, Stephen Chance, but could still be goaded into making foolish mistakes... she hoped.
“You’ve been busy, Jenessa,” he said. “And I have to hand it to you on the disguise. For the longest time, our informant thought you were really nothing but a slut trying to hook her claws into the Sharp family.”
At least she’d been convincing in her role. “How did you find out the truth?”
“Saw a picture of you last night before your car got shot up.” He shook his head. “So careless. You didn’t even try to disguise yourself. I thought I recognized you, but couldn’t place you. I sent it to the boss, and he figured it out. You’re the bitch from the FBI who ruined all our plans that night in the desert when all this started.”
Jenessa hoped Kole never learned the reason she’d been identified. He’d never forgive himself for taking her on that date if he did.
“Why wait until now to get me?” she asked. “You could have killed me anytime in the last year.”
“This is a long game, bitch. Your death was worthless before. Now, it’s more significant. Paul wants your little boy toy and his family to suffer. We’ve been watching day and night even before we knew who you were, waiting for Kole to leave you alone. I started to fear the asshole never would. Are you attached at the fucking hip or what?” Terrance folded his arms across his stomach, seeming for all the world to be relaxed. “It’s obvious he loves you, which makes killing you and leaving your body for him to find so much fun!”
“Then get your hit man up here and let’s get it over with!” Jenessa itched to go for the gun, but as relaxed as Terrance looked,
she was sure he had a dose of MG-37 ready for her. One whiff of the drug, and she’d be passed out cold, possibly never to wake again. Considering they’d found a way to aerosolize the drug last year, she didn’t have a chance to grab the gun and get a shot off unless he was distracted by whoever he’d brought with him.
“Patience,” he said. “I’m guessing it’s not too easy to break into your computer. Luckily, Kole has a habit of staying a long time while visiting his parents if we go by the past. He won’t be back anytime soon. There’s no need to spoil the fun by making it too quick.”
“Fine, then tell me about your plan while you wait. Why did you need Carter Sharp to kill those people? Did you make him shoot our car last night?”
Terrance smiled. “I knew you probably figured out that Carter killed Ross Jenkins. Nothing much gets past you. Unfortunately, Carter was in the way. We always intended to destroy him, but he didn’t know that. We need someone on our side to become the next president. Ruining Carter’s life, making sure he’d never even be accepted into the primary race, was the way to ensure our guy will win the next election instead of waiting.”
Jenessa closed her eyes momentarily, knowing she had been stupid to let her original idea go. She had guessed Paul wanted to take over the country by controlling the person in charge. “Caleb Harrington doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines for eight more years, I guess?”
“Bravo. You are amazing!” Terrance gave a slow clap to acknowledge she’d guessed right. “It’s really too bad you didn’t work for our side. We could use brains like yours.”
“Who says I wouldn’t be willing to make a career change?”
“Oh, if only.” Terrance sighed. “I wish you’d come to us earlier. Now, I’ll never know if you meant that or if it was a ploy to save your life.”
“Whatever.” She tried to keep calm, as though his certainty about her death didn’t bother her. “Does that mean Carter isn’t the one who tried to kill us last night?”
Love & Compromise (Agents in Love Book 3) Page 21