[The Exit 01.0] Next Exit, Three Miles

by CW Browning

  “Better safe than sorry,” John said from the kitchen.

  Alina pulled heavy beige drapes across the dining room windows and then moved on to the sliding doors. She looked out onto the deck. Raven was still perched on the banister, facing the yard.

  “Raven is unsettled tonight,” she said, pulling the matching drapes over the sliding doors as well. Once the windows were covered, she turned back to the dining room table. “It's probably just because you're here, but I would rather be safe.”

  “You're doing this on the whim of a bird?” Stephanie asked, dropping into a chair and reaching for a plate.

  “He's a very smart bird,” Alina retorted.

  “Soda?” John asked from the kitchen.

  Alina looked at him like he had three heads.

  “No,” she answered bluntly.

  Stephanie laughed.

  “I told you she wouldn't have soda,” she called.

  John looked disgruntled.

  “You used to live on mountain dew,” he said to Alina.

  Alina shrugged.

  “I also used to smoke a pack a day and live with you,” she retorted. “There's water in the fridge.”

  “Grab me a bottle, will you?” Stephanie called, opening one of the quarts and piling rice onto her plate. “You don't mind my starting, do you?”

  “Not at all.” Alina sat across from her and reached for one of the containers. “I don't suppose you got brown rice?”

  “It's over-rated.” The response from Stephanie was muffled by a mouth full of egg roll as Alina reached for the rice. “You need good, old-fashioned, useless starch.”

  “You still look pale.” John joined them at the table and reached for the lo mein.

  Alina raised an eyebrow.

  “I still haven't slept,” she retorted, reaching for a spring roll and opening the rest of the containers, looking for the chicken and vegetables.

  “So how did you know about the shore house?” Stephanie asked, handing her the chicken.

  Alina took it with thanks.

  “I got some information on some aliases your shooter may have been using,” Alina answered truthfully. “One of them turned up that address.”

  “You didn't know Johann was going to be there?” John asked, piling his plate high with lo mein.

  Alina bit into her spring roll and shook her head.

  “Not until I saw him packing a bag,” she said. “How did you guys end up there?” she asked.

  Alina watched the quick glance that passed between John and Stephanie from under her lowered lashes.

  “A picture that Angelo had in his house,” Stephanie answered after a short pause. “Our forensics wizard was able to identify the location.”

  “The basement gnome?” Alina asked, looking up from her food.

  John grinned.

  “One and the same,” he said.

  “Ironic that we both ended up there at the same time.” Stephanie mused. “What are the odds of that?”

  Alina was silent, thinking of her lost shot at her target. Ironic indeed.

  “Did you see anyone else there?” John asked her.

  Alina shook her head.

  “Just Johann,” she answered.

  “Were you expecting our shooter?” Stephanie asked, glancing up from her food.

  Alina was amused. They had answered one question to their satisfaction. Now they were trying to explain the rifle bag. Really, they were both so transparent.

  “I wasn't expecting anyone,” Alina told them, “but I was prepared for anything.”

  “Do you really think he'll try again?” Stephanie asked, opening her bottle of water and taking a sip. “I mean, what does he have to gain by having me dead?”

  “He's an assassin, Stephanie,” John muttered. “He doesn't have to gain anything, except money.”

  “Ok then.” Stephanie looked disgruntled. “Who would pay to kill me?” Alina and John both looked at her silently and she stared back at them. “What?”

  “Well, Johann, for one,” John told her. “He can't be thrilled that we obviously know he's here now.”

  “Stephanie, why don't you let me worry about who and why,” Alina said, finishing the food on her plate and reaching for another spring roll. “You just worry about your case.”

  “I can't help it,” Stephanie said ruefully. “I can't just sit around and let someone else do the work.”

  “You're not. You're doing your work and I'm doing mine,” Alina pointed out logically. “I'm much better at working with people like that than you are.”

  “What kind of consulting did you say you did again?” John asked, reaching for an egg roll.

  Alina was amused.

  “I didn't.”

  Stephanie grinned at John's disgruntled look.

  “Where did the mysterious Mr. Peterson go?” she asked Alina, changing the subject.

  Alina raised an eyebrow.

  “I thought you would know more about that than I do,” she answered.

  John glanced at her.

  “Doubtful,” he said. “All he told us was that he had to go out of town and would be back in a few days.”

  “That's all he told me,” Alina told them. She smiled slightly. “Contrary to popular belief, I don't have any claims on Damon, or he on me.”

  “Hm.” Stephanie was clearly unconvinced.

  Before Alina could respond, her phone started ringing. She frowned, pulling the phone out of one of her cargo pockets.

  “Excuse me.” Alina pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, walking into the kitchen. “Yes?” she answered.

  “Just checking in.” Damon's voice greeted her. “I'm about to get on a plane, so I'll be unreachable. Anything I should know about?”

  “Nope.” Alina leaned against the island.

  There was a short silence on the phone.

  “Have you found him yet?” Damon finally asked.

  “Which one?” Alina asked dryly.

  “Johann,” Damon clarified. “I'm holding out hope that the other one can wait another twelve hours.”

  Alina's gaze lifted from the floor sharply.

  “I'm close,” she told him, aware that two sets of ears were straining to hear every word she said. “Twelve hours, huh? Baghdad?”

  “You can do better than that.” Damon sounded amused and Alina grinned despite herself. “How are the Fearless Feds today?”

  “Eating Chinese,” Alina told him shortly. “Did you get what you needed?”

  “I got what we needed,” Damon replied cryptically. “I'm boarding now. Be careful,” he added.

  “Always.”

  Viper disconnected and stared at the opposite counter thoughtfully.

  “If you want any shrimp, you better get in here,” Stephanie called. “John's eating it all.”

  “He can have it,” Alina answered absently. “I'm done.”

  “You barely ate anything.” Stephanie appeared in the kitchen. She took in the thoughtful look on Alina's face. “Who was that?” she asked, nodding to the cell phone.

  “Mr. Peterson,” Alina answered, bringing her attention back to her old friend. “He's on his way back.”

  Stephanie nodded, watching Alina.

  “When will he be back?” she asked.

  “He's boarding a flight now,” Alina answered vaguely.

  Stephanie nodded again, still watching Alina. The dark smudges under her eyes were even more pronounced then they had been earlier and her pallor was concerning Stephanie.

  “Come and eat some more,” she suggested.

  Alina glanced at her and turned to get some water out of the fridge.

  “I told you. I'm done,” she said over her shoulder.

  “And I'm telling you that you're not,” Stephanie retorted. “You look like hell.”

  “You might as well give up now,” John said, sticking his head over the bar. “She has that tone in her voice.”

  “I'm tired, not hungry,” Alina retorted, closing the
fridge door and turning around with her bottle of water.

  “Well, come and eat and then we'll leave so you can sleep,” Stephanie said, motioning her back into the dining room. “And while you're eating, you can tell me what you know about Johann,” she added.

  Alina glanced at her as she passed her. Stephanie was smiling, but there was a look on her face that made Alina pause for a second.

  “She's not going to leave until I eat, is she?” Alina asked John, sinking back into her seat.

  He shook his head and passed her what was left of the lo mein. Alina sighed imperceptibly.

  “So let's talk about Johann,” Stephanie said cheerfully after Alina had forked lo mein into her mouth. John grinned and sat back.

  “Can she finish chewing first?” he asked.

  Alina swallowed.

  “I told you the other night.” Alina sipped her water. “I've been tracking him for over a month. I can't tell you much more than that.”

  “Do you know what he has planned?” John asked, turning serious.

  Alina shook her head.

  “I have some theories, but nothing you can use,” she answered truthfully.

  Stephanie considered her thoughtfully.

  “What are your theories?” she finally asked.

  Alina raised an eyebrow and that faint smile crossed her face.

  “Nothing you can use,” she repeated.

  John sighed and reached for the last egg roll.

  “Ok. So let's hear what I can't use,” Stephanie suggested.

  Alina was silent for a few moments, chewing thoughtfully. If what she suspected was true, Stephanie and John were going to find out soon enough. They were undoubtedly having Johann followed. It might not be such a bad thing to let them keep an eye on Johann while she focused on The Engineer. If they kept Johann in their cross-hairs, then she could focus on the bigger threat without worrying that Johann would disappear again. She had already missed one shot. She wasn't about to miss another opportunity through sheer pride.

  “I think he's planned an attack on the transportation structure around Harrisburg and Three Mile Island,” Alina finally told them.

  Stephanie and John stared at her.

  “What?” John demanded.

  Alina sighed and pushed away her empty plate. She looked from one to another and then sighed again.

  “I can't believe I'm telling you this,” she muttered. “I think Johann is planning to stage a bogus attack on Three Mile Island, forcing evacuation protocol to be enforced. Once the roads are clogged, I think he plans to blow a bridge and hit the airport and maybe a train station or two,” Alina explained. “The First Lady will be in Harrisburg this weekend, promoting one of her charities, and there's a music festival also happening in the city. It will be chaos.”

  John let out a low whistle while Stephanie simply stared at her. Alina could almost see the wheels in her head spinning.

  “Angelo...” Stephanie murmured.

  “Was an arms dealer,” Alina continued. “Just before he floated up in your river, a very specialized shipment went missing from his boss, Bobby Reyes. Reyes believes that shipment was sold outside of his network by Angelo, and he was looking for him when he bobbed to the surface.”

  “Reyes didn't mention that when we talked to him,” John murmured to Stephanie.

  She shook her head, almost absently.

  “He wouldn't,” she replied. She sat back and looked at Alina. “How did you find out?” Alina was silent. “Ok. So you're right. I can't use any of this. It's all speculation.”

  “I know,” Alina agreed.

  “Damn, but it sounds right on,” John said after a short silence.

  Stephanie nodded.

  “I think so too,” she agreed. “Johann has to have others to help with the execution.”

  “My guess is that's where he's headed now,” Alina said, drinking her water. “He's not going to take any chances, not with everyone he's worked with so far turning up dead. He would have stayed away from them until the last minute.”

  “Have we heard from that tail yet?” Stephanie asked John.

  John shook his head and pulled out his phone, pushing his chair back from the table as he stood up.

  “I'll check in with them now,” he said, walking away from the table.

  Stephanie leaned forward as soon as he was out of earshot.

  “I'm not going to ask again how you got your information,” she said quietly, “but is it reliable?”

  “Very,” Alina told her. “You can't go in and handle this with the Agency and guns blazing. Trust me. He'll see you coming a mile away and he'll disappear. Johann is not stupid.”

  “You seem to know a lot about him,” Stephanie said slowly. Alina almost smiled at the understatement. “What do you suggest?”

  Alina looked at her for a moment, and then leaned forward herself.

  “I can help you prevent this,” she said quietly. “This is a unique situation. It's one of those times that the usual protocol won't work. If you want my help, you have it, but it has to be done my way.”

  Stephanie stared at her searchingly for a minute before shaking her head.

  “I have to think about that,” she answered slowly. “John would have to be on board with that. And my boss...”

  “Trust me.” Alina stood up and started to gather the empty food containers together. “When this is all over, your boss will have no idea that anything else was ever an option and you'll be a hero.” Alina looked up and met Stephanie's gaze. “You would have saved the country from the biggest terrorist attack since 911. Do you really think they'll split hairs on how you did it?”

  Alina stood at the bedroom window, staring out into the night. Stephanie and John had left an hour ago. As soon as they cleared the security perimeter, Alina armed her system and shut off all the lights. She went upstairs and changed her bandage, cleaning the wound again gently. The hole was starting to close now and the seeping was slowing down. She poured hydrogen peroxide into the wound and had watched as it bubbled up. By the time the clean bandage was on, Alina was feeling light-headed. She poured herself a glass of the brandy that was still sitting on her vanity and wandered over to the window with the glass. She had told Stephanie everything she could, and it was now up to her to decide how to handle it. If Stephanie and John decided to involve the agency, and all the bells and whistles that the agency brought with it, then Viper would lose her last shot at Johann.

  However, if they played the game according to Alina's rules, she would get Johann and the Engineer, and Stephanie and John would get the credit for preventing a terrorist attack on American soil. Everyone got what they wanted. For Viper or Hawk, this would be a no-brainer, but for Federal Agents...well, they didn't think the same way.

  Viper was well aware that she had taken a huge risk tonight.

  She sipped her brandy and watched in the darkness as a bat swooped through the backyard. If they did decide that they had to play the game by the book, she would have to take care of things herself. She couldn't fail again. If the worst happened, Alina knew she would have to take Johann over the assassin. Johann was her target. Johann was the reason that they were all here, dancing to the tune the piper was playing. It just infuriated Viper that the piper was a diabolical assassin who had no vested interest in anything, except maybe his own pride.

  Alina wasn't proud of what she had accomplished in her career, but she was realistic. She knew that she presented a challenge to a professional of Dimitrius's caliber, and she was honest enough with herself to admit a returning sense of competitive spirit inside her. But that was where it ended. He had targeted one of her own and put a bullet through another. Two people that she considered family. It wasn't a game to her. Now, it was business.

  But first Johann.

  Alina crossed the bedroom to her phone and swiped the screen. She touched an icon and opened the tracking dot that she placed on Johann's car earlier. It was stopped in Pennsylvania, on the opposite side of th
e river from Three Mile Island.

  Johann was in place.

  She went back to the window and sipped her brandy again. He would have the others come to him once he knew it was safe. Johann would be even more careful now, after seeing his brother-in-law dead and hanging from a tree. He would have no qualms calling the whole thing off if he suspected that it might fail. Right now, he would be apprehensive and watchful, knowing that someone was systematically coming after him. Johann was far from dumb. He would have already figured out that it was an assassin picking off his team. He may have even narrowed it down to a few names, her own included. But he wouldn't see that as a reason to abort his mission.

  Now, if the Feds bumbled in...

  Alina sighed and turned away from the window. Again, it came down to Stephanie and John. Viper couldn't predict what Johann's next twenty-four hours would be until she knew how Stephanie was going to play it. Then she could plan.

  She finished the brandy and set the empty glass on the bedside table with a yawn. She hated waiting. A rustle of wings and a clicking of claws heralded Raven's arrival as Alina sat on the bed, yawning again. Raven settled onto his perch, his watchful eyes trained on her. Alina glanced at him and smiled. Exhaustion was taking over and her side was throbbing. She sank into the pillows with a sigh.

  Her last waking thought as she drifted into sleep was that her hawk was watching over her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Alina glanced up at the flat screen above the mantle as a loud warning beep pierced through the silence of the living room. In the interest of self-preservation, she had moved her morning yoga practice inside this morning and was just beginning when the loud noise jarred her breathing. She looked up from her triangle pose to see Stephanie's car coming through the woods toward the house. Judging by the amount of dust it was kicking up, it was moving at a fast pace.

  Alina sighed and straightened back into mountain pose, bringing her joined hands down into a prayer station at the center of her chest. She inhaled once more and then exhaled, releasing the tension in her shoulders and ignoring the nagging throb in her side. Turning, she went to the laptop on the coffee table and turned off the security perimeter, closing the laptop as Stephanie pulled into the clearing in the front of the house. She glanced at her watch with a slight frown. It was shortly after eight and Stephanie hadn't called to tell her she was coming.