Shot in the Dark

by Tracy Solheim

  Shit. He’d forgotten all about that. Adam was forced to rely on the tried and true tactic of pulling out his badge.

  “I’m Agent Lockett with the Secret Service. I’d like to speak with someone in security.”

  One of the Smithsonian’s guards was at the table a minute later. Adam was in luck. It was a guard he’d worked with when they secured the elephant barn earlier this week.

  “Hey there, Agent Lockett,” the guard said. “’Bout time you got here.”

  Adam’s entire body went on alert. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because Dr. Benoit arrived an hour ago—”

  He didn’t bother hearing the rest of what the guard said. Adam took off for the Elephant Trails exhibit at a full sprint. Damn her. She’d promised to stay put. Would this woman ever do what she said she would?

  I’m not going anywhere. You should know by now I’m not leaving you.

  Her assurances taunted him as he weaved through groups of costumed kids trick-or-treating. The Smithsonian guard called out Adam’s name as he huffed to keep up. This was the reason Adam kept a tight leash on his heart. Because people always let him down.

  He charged into the main entrance of the elephant house and scoured the lobby for her. Adam was surprised, and immensely relieved, to see Christine pacing in front of the staff entrance to the barn area. At least she had the good sense to bring a detail.

  But there was no sign of Josslyn. Skirting the outside of the room, he tried to make his way toward Christine, but a kid dressed as Batman’s sidekick grabbed onto his jacket and wouldn’t let go.

  “Adam!” the kid cried when Adam tried to pry his fingers loose.

  “Ngoni?” Adam pulled the mask from the boy’s eyes. “Sport, what are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to see Miss Josslyn’s elephant.”

  He gripped Ngoni’s shoulders. “Where is she?” This time, he was really going to throttle her.

  “I don’t know.” The tears were back in the boy’s eyes. “But we have to find her. The man with the fuzzy eyes is here. He looked angry.”

  Adam’s gut clenched. He grabbed Ngoni’s hand and dragged him over to where Christine stood.

  “Ngoni!” Trevor shouted as he ran up behind them. “I told you not to leave my side. Oh, hey, Agent Lockett. When did you get here?”

  “Not soon enough, apparently,” Adam growled. “Where is Josslyn?”

  Trevor pointed toward one of the platforms above the exhibit. “Over there,” he said. “With Undersecretary Sumner.” His voice trailed off. “At least they were both there a minute ago.”

  They finally made it to Christine.

  “Where. Is. She?” he demanded.

  The other agent looked at her watch. “Five minutes late. She was supposed to meet me back here. And for the record, she snuck out. I’m off duty, but I’m taking her back to the Crown whether she likes it or not.”

  The security guard reached them, finally.

  “We need to get in there,” Adam informed him.

  The guard punched a code into the keypad and the door clicked. As the five of them raced down the catwalk to the stalls, the sound of an elephant trumpeting woefully could be heard above the din of the event.

  “Dax,” Christine said as she limped ahead.

  The big elephant was pacing in front of the cable keeping him in his pen.

  “Adam!” she called. “We’ve got blood.”

  The guard was radioing for backup while Adam dug down for the composure that made him the world’s top sharpshooter. He couldn’t dwell on the fact Josslyn was in danger. Instead, he needed to use all the skills in his toolbox to find her.

  “Holy shit,” Trevor whispered. “This is my fault. I should never have baited her to come tonight.”

  “Enough!” Adam yanked his phone from his pocket and dialed Ben’s number. “You.” he pointed to the guard. “Secure the area. You.” He pointed at Trevor. “Keep the boy back and don’t touch anything.”

  “Talk to me, Adam.” The sound of Ben’s efficient voice helped him focus.

  “I need you to tap into the cameras inside the elephant barn, especially those we set up to secure the area around Dax.”

  He could hear Ben typing. “What am I looking for?”

  “Not what. Who.” Adam kept his breathing even. “Tseng was here. He has Sumner. And Josslyn. And one of them is bleeding.”

  *

  Keep him talking. Wasn’t that what they did in those cop shows? Josslyn pressed her hand firmly to the gash in Christian’s shoulder. That tactic worked for Alyssa when Trevor was shot. She only hoped it would be successful tonight.

  Tseng had dragged them down the darkened Elephant Trails, through a secure construction site, to the empty bird house. The area was closed for renovation which meant no one would be wandering back to this part of the zoo. Agent Groesch would come looking for her, Josslyn was sure of it. She hoped the trail of blood Christian had lost would be visible in the dark.

  “What do you want, Tseng?” Josslyn demanded.

  He sliced the blade through the air making Josslyn flinch.

  “You have been nothing but trouble.” He pointed the blade at her. “Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. It will give me great pleasure to gut you like one of the tigers in my office.”

  To his credit, Christian tried to move in front of her, but his gash was a lot wider than Trevor’s bullet wound. As a result, he was losing a lot more blood than Trevor had. She could see the shock beginning to set in.

  “She’s the sister-in-law of the president of the United States,” Christian gasped. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on her.”

  Tseng spat at their feet.

  “You are still the same old prig you always were,” Tseng said.

  “You two know each other?” In her surprise, Josslyn jostled Christian. He groaned painfully. She couldn’t hold him upright much longer. “Why don’t you lie down?” she suggested.

  “Can’t,” he breathed, but he was already slipping from her grasp.

  Josslyn knelt beside him. She frantically tore at his dress shirt to sop up the blood. Agent Groesch would call Adam. Adam would find the clue she’d left for him. The thought calmed the trembling in her hands so she could concentrate on keeping Christian alive.

  Keep him talking until Adam gets here.

  “You didn’t answer my question, Tseng.”

  “Oxford,” Christian breathed.

  He wasn’t the one she wanted talking. Tseng was pacing the dark enclosure he’d barricaded them in. Among theshadows, she could make out the trees and vines remaining. The exhibit had been built to resemble a rainforest. The only windows were skylights above, but those had been covered with thick tarps to protect them during the reconstruction. Josslyn bit back a gasp when she saw movement near one of them. She glanced discreetly at Tseng, but he was still pacing, sniffling every other step. Fortunately, he was high as a kite and likely wouldn’t notice their visitors, but she kept him talking anyway.

  “I take it you weren’t frat brothers,” she said.

  Tseng turned suddenly, charging at them with the sword. “He ruined my life!”

  “So now you’re ruining his? Sleeping with his wife wasn’t enough?”

  Josslyn hoped Christian wasn’t alert enough to hear her comment. She wanted to distract Tseng, not hurt an already wounded man.

  “Isn’t he the one who’s supposed to be gunning for you?” she taunted him.

  The air moved when Tseng sliced the blade again.

  “He hates cheaters so I made his wife one.”

  Christian groaned. Josslyn’s hands were growing numb from applying pressure. The light around one of the skylights dimmed momentarily.

  She needed to keep Tseng’s attention on her. “Why does he hate cheaters?”

  “Him and his damn honor code. Everyone cheats,” Tseng ranted. “He reported me to the university. They kicked me out. My father never let me help at the company again because I
disgraced him. They needed my expertise to keep those companies successful.” He laughed. “But I made more money than they did. As you say, Doctor Benoit, poaching is big business.”

  Blood began dripping from Tseng’s nose. He wobbled on his feet before righting himself. There was another noise at the roof. Unfortunately, this time Tseng heard it.

  *

  Ben swore violently. “They’re five minutes ahead of you. They went out through the service entrance. I’m trying to pick them up on one of the other cameras, but the lighting isn’t doing us any favors. And, dude, Tseng’s wielding a lethal-looking sword.”

  Adam was already muscling the back door open, Christine at his heels. “What’s in this direction?”

  “Just the Elephant Trails,” the security guard answered. “The main walkway is closed off about a hundred yards from here because the bird house is under renovation. There’s no one back there.”

  “Which is exactly where I’d go,” Christine said as she drew her weapon from beneath her pant leg.

  They made their way quickly up the trail to the bird house. Members of the zoo’s security force fell in with them as they went. The sounds from the festivities at the other exhibits faded as they ventured deeper into the wooded area.

  “There,” the security guard whispered. He aimed his flashlight at the asphalt. “The blood trail leads to the Birds of the Amazon building.”

  But something else caught Adam’s eye. A shiny object on the pavement. Heart in his throat, he bent down to retrieve Josslyn’s medallion from the ground.

  Christine must have recognized it, too, because she was suddenly radiating with anger. “How do you want to play this?”

  Two guards dressed in SWAT gear charged past them.

  “Not with those guys,” Adam said. “Stand down, everyone.”

  The Smithsonian guards turned toward him.

  “The president’s sister-in-law is inside,” he announced. “That makes this a Secret Service operation. No one takes a shot unless I give the command.”

  “The director is on his way,” Ben said.

  Adam forgot he was still on the line.

  “We don’t have time,” Adam replied. He wasn’t sure which of the two was injured, but he wasn’t taking a chance on Josslyn bleeding out.

  “Is there roof access?” he asked the guard.

  The SWAT commander responded instead. “There is and there are four skylights that will give my team a view of the area down below.”

  Until Tseng walks out of view.

  “Too risky.” Adam didn’t bother explaining why. There was a reason he was the world’s top sniper and these guys weren’t. He turned to the guard.

  “Is there another way in?”

  “Just the sewer line. Because this is a simulated rainforest, we move a lot of water in and out of there. It’s narrow but a body could get through it. And there’s no water running through right now with the construction.”

  “How long is the path?”

  “Fifty yards.”

  Shit, shit, shit. Fifty yards in a dark four-foot wide tunnel.

  “I’ll go,” Christine offered.

  “No.” Adam reached for the SWAT commander’s communication device. “I’ll do it.”

  “Dude, are you sure?” Ben asked through the phone.

  “He has Josslyn,” was all Adam needed to say.

  “Then do what you have to do to get her out. Let your training be your guide.” Ben disconnected.

  The SWAT commander handed Adam his AR15 rifle. “I’ll station my men on the roof, in case this guy runs again. But they’ll only fire on your go ahead.”

  Adam nodded, praying none of these guys went rogue on him. The security guard led him over to the sewer grate. Two of the other officers were already busy removing the cover.

  “That’s pretty narrow, Adam,” Christine said. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go?”

  His throat was already growing tight at the thought of being confined in there. But Josslyn was at the other end. And she was in danger. He could do this. He had to do this.

  “I got this,” he said, hoping like hell he meant it.

  One of the guards handed him a headlamp.

  “Nobody fires unless I say so,” he repeated before he shimmied into the tunnel.

  The stench of stale water and bird shit assaulted his senses before the dark, tight walls did. Clutching Josslyn’s medallion in his hand, Adam belly crawled to the middle of the tunnel on adrenaline alone. Sweat began to pool on his brow as he propelled himself further. He estimated he was at the twenty-five-yard mark when his chest seized and his body froze.

  “Damn it!” he wheezed before his airway squeezed shut.

  Gasping, he struggled in the close confines of the sewer line to bring his hands to his neck so could loosen his suddenly tight collar. But it was no use. He was stuck. Of all the ways Adam thought he would die, this wasn’t one of them. Parts of his life flashed in front of his eyes. All of them featuring Josslyn.

  I have a feeling the best is yet to come.

  She’d whispered those words to him that long-ago night on the ocean. Adam gripped the rifle tighter. He wanted a better life. And he wanted it with her. But first, he had to save her from that idiot, Tseng.

  Once again, Adam relied on his sniper training to focus all of his energy on the task at hand. Ignoring the tightness in his chest, he convinced his body to inch forward. Then another inch. Then another until he could barely make out a brightening at the end of the tunnel.

  He heard voices, too. A wave of relief washed over him when he recognized Josslyn’s. She sounded healthy. The thought of holding her in his arms spurred him onward. He crawled the last twenty-five yards without incident. When he reached the end of the line, he was happy to see the space widened so he could move his arms. Dousing his headlamp, he ever-so-gently jiggled the grate leading into the exhibit. It squeaked slightly.

  Damn it. Any sound would alert Tseng to his presence and he’d never get a shot off in time. Josslyn was still talking. Questioning Tseng about his motive. Adam didn’t hear Sumner’s voice. Not a good sign. He had to move quickly.

  “I need a distraction,” he whispered into the comm unit.

  “Ten-four,” the SWAT commander replied. “On your count.”

  Adam readied his body. Gripping the rifle in one hand, he wrapped his finger around the grate.

  “Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”

  A boom sounded on the roof at the same time Adam opened the grate. He hoped its squeak sounded loud to him because he was so close to it.

  “What was that?” Tseng asked as Adam slowly crept from the tunnel.

  “Just the fireworks from the Boo at the Zoo,” Josslyn quickly responded.

  She was remarkably poised and astute for a woman trapped in a room with a man brandishing a samurai sword. Not for the first time he thought she’d make a kick-ass agent.

  “You gave up your poaching business, remember?” She continued to distract Tseng, her voice assured as if she was somehow aware of Adam’s presence.

  His legs tingled with pins and needles when he crouched behind one of the tall banana trees of the exhibit. Once his eyes adjusted, he could make out Josslyn on the floor, her hands compressed on Sumner’s chest. Tseng anxiously circled them while slashing his sword.

  “That was all for show. Those fools deserved to get caught.”

  He swung the sword again. This time nearer to Josslyn. Adam crept closer.

  “But Ting Wei is angry now. She only wants her shares in her father’s company.” He pointed the blade at Sumner. “You are such a fool. She only married you so her father would give her the shares. But he gave them to you instead.”

  Tseng’s anger seemed to be escalating. His movements became more frantic. Adam aimed the rifle, patiently waiting for a clear shot.

  “I wanted to ruin you,” Tseng yelled. “But you are protected by your friend the president. Well, won’t your friend be sad when you are both gone
?”

  He raised the sword over Sumner’s head.

  “No!” Josslyn cried.

  Adam broke with protocol ingrained in him. “Get down, Joss!”

  Tseng froze long enough for Adam to pin him with the red beam. He squeezed the trigger just as the other man was bringing down the sword. The clang of metal meeting concrete echoed throughout the exhibit.

  “I knew you’d come,” Josslyn cried out.

  The sound of her voice unlocked his frozen body. So did the smile he heard in her words.

  “Situation neutralized,” he barked into the comm unit as he scrambled to where she was still hovering over Sumner’s body. She was covered in blood.

  “It’s Christian’s,” she said as if reading his mind. “He needs help.”

  Someone was battering down the dead bolt on the door but Adam ignored it. The only thing he wanted to do was wrap his arm around Josslyn.

  “You’re okay,” he whispered as he knelt beside her and gently replaced the medallion around her neck.

  “Of course I am,” she replied, her eyes shining. “My daddy said that medallion meant he was always with me. And he led you straight to me. I told you I’d never leave you. And I meant it. Because I love you.”

  Emergency responders fanned out throughout the room, but the only thing Adam was aware of was Josslyn’s warm lips on his.

  Two hours later, he finished his shower in the agent’s lounge before creeping up to the second floor of the residence. Josslyn was asleep in the giant bed. Christine had returned her to the Crown as promised, while Adam dealt with the director and Metro PD. Her hair was fanned out on the pillows like a halo. He nearly laughed, because this woman was no angel. She had a heart of gold, though. And a fierce will that he had no intention of subduing.

  Best of all, she loved him. Flaws and all. His life just got a whole lot better.

  He crawled into the bed beside her and gathered her in his arms. She murmured something unintelligible as she snuggled against him. And then he slept.

  Chapter Twenty

  The next morning, Josslyn couldn’t contain her goofy smile as she sipped her tea. Ngoni was tossing the ball down the long Center Hall while Fergus yapped happily as he chased after it.