“Ouch, paper cut!” He then looked at her with satisfaction and held up his hands. “Come and get it.”
Tonya stared at him and appeared to reconsider her options. She turned and ran down the hall in the opposite direction. Zack casually headed for the elevator. Mac appeared in the hallway and saw Zack leaning against the wall while waiting for the elevator. She stared at him with surprise.
“Where’d she go?” she demanded.
He casually indicated the opposite direction. “Let Holden deal with her,” Zack announced. “I have what we came for.”
Mac’s mouth fell open as she stared at him. “You have the account number?”
Zack grinned and patted his crotch. “Safe and sound.”
“Just in case--” Mac announced then ran for the stairs after Tonya.
When the elevator door opened, Zack casually entered and pressed the bottom floor. As the doors closed, he grimaced and scratched his crotch. He then casually clasped his hands in front of him and waited for the doors to close as he whistled a soft tune.
†
Tonya ran down the last few steps, having run down all nineteen flights, leaped over first dead man near the doorway, and then stopped to grab his discarded gun. She hurried out the door and into the parking garage to her awaiting catering van. She opened the driver’s side door to be greeted by a foot striking her chest. She was roughly thrown from the van and to the concrete floor. Tonya groaned softly and slowly pulled herself to her hands and knees. She looked back at the van as Zack jumped out while maintaining his sly grin. He stood over her while casually folding his arms across his chest.
“Would you care to wave the white flag now?” he asked almost cheerfully.
Tonya glanced at the gun only six inches from her hand and appeared to consider reaching for it. The sound of a gun firing echoed through the parking garage, surprising Zack. Tonya’s head exploded blood and flesh. As she fell limp to the concrete floor, Zack removed his gun and aimed it at Mac, who stood several feet away with a gun in her hand. Zack appeared angered but mostly stunned. Mac smiled sweetly and tossed her gun aside.
“You’re welcome.”
Zack remained stunned as he slowly lowered his gun. “What the hell was that?” he demanded.
“She was reaching for that gun,” Mac replied casually.
“She didn’t reach for the gun,” he insisted.
“She was going to,” Mac announced firmly. “If I had hesitated, she could have killed you.”
“I wasn’t in any danger,” he snarled.
Mac rolled her eyes and groaned. “Stop being so dramatic,” she snapped and headed for her nearby car. “Let’s get that account number to Sal.”
Zack replaced his gun, muttered something under his breath, and followed her. She glanced at him as they approached her borrowed Town Car. She looked around then appeared puzzled.
“How did you get here so fast?”
“Superpowers,” he snapped coldly then climbed into the passenger seat. Zack removed his cell phone and pressed a button. He only waited a moment for a response. “Ross, we have the account number. We’re on our way back to the mansion,” he announced. “Tell Holden we left some wet stuff for him to clean up.”
Ross’s voice shouted through the phone.
Zack casually disconnected the call and glared at Mac. “You’ve created a lot of trouble for me,” he remarked. “Ross is going to rip me a new one for your kill.”
“So tell him I pulled the trigger.”
Zack groaned and lacked enthusiasm as he looked out the side window. “He’ll never believe that,” he muttered. “I have a few marks against me for similar bad behavior.”
She glanced at him, smiled sweetly, and held back her chuckle. “Well, maybe there’s something I could do to make it up to you,” she announced while lustfully raising her brow.
Zack glanced at her with little emotion, yet there was a tiny spark in his eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
Mac grinned.
†
The motel room door flew open as Mac and Zack fell through the doorway while kissing and groping each other. Mac kicked the door shut with her foot without breaking off the aggressive kiss. She threw her legs around Zack’s waist as he half tackled her to the bed. They kissed wildly and passionately while shedding clothing without missing a beat. Within moments, both were naked and entangled in each other’s arms. Mac cried out with ecstasy loud enough to alert the entire motel of their sexual encounter, prompting Zack’s aggression to escalate further. She dragged her fingernails along his back, momentarily startling him, but the action soon increased his aggression.
†
Zack collapsed to the mattress while panting and breathing heavily. Mac panted alongside him. Her hair was mussed and she wore a devious grin on her face. She leaned across his chest and kissed him quickly but passionately on the lips. She pulled back and met his gaze.
“Skilled fighters make the best lovers,” she proclaimed then kissed him again with more passion. She broke off the kiss, ran her fingers seductively along his chest, and smiled sweetly. “Since we’re pressed for time, you have twenty minutes to recover before round two.”
Mac rolled over him and off the opposite side of the bed. She snatched his discarded shirt and headed into the bathroom. Zack watched her naked backside as he attempted to catch his breath. He grinned until she disappeared into the bathroom. When the door shut, he grimaced, turned on his side, and gingerly touched the bleeding scratches on his back. He groaned, fell onto his back, and stared at the ceiling.
“Kitty needs her claws cut,” he muttered then shut his eyes.
†
Mac appeared from the bathroom a few minutes later wearing Zack’s dress shirt. Within the dimly lit room, she approached the bed and the mass sleeping peacefully beneath the covers. Mac stopped two feet before the bed, smiled lustfully while gently tilting her head, possibly reflecting back on their lovemaking, and then raised the gun affixed with a silencer. Without hesitation, she fired two shots into the mass on the bed.
“Sorry, Zack,” she announced sweetly while lowering the gun. “It’s nothing personal. Just greed.”
Chapter Forty-one
Ross, Sal, and Lee had gathered in the foyer to await Zack and Mac’s return with the account number containing the remaining nine million dollars. Holden and several other federal agents had scattered throughout the mansion, investigating the deaths of Jericho’s men, who had once worked for Sal but switched sides in the name of greed. While their investigation continued, Beck sat alongside Pinto on the grand staircase, almost oblivious to the conversation by the others within the foyer. With his chin in his hand, Beck listened intently as Pinto explained her decision to reunite with her father. The love-struck look in Beck’s eyes made it difficult to tell if he heard a word she’d said.
“When you and your friends showed up at the lounge, you said you had information on my father and needed my help getting into his computer files,” Pinto announced then appeared curious. “You didn’t really have anything, did you?”
Beck snapped out of his love-induced trance and shifted slightly. “Oh, we had information,” he remarked then clasped his hands between his knees. “I just wasn’t sure what we had. Gil had sent some files to our secured server. I didn’t have a chance to look over them until later that night.” He fidgeted and turned serious. “I hate to tell you this, Pinto, but I’m almost positive they were blackmail photos. Either your father had been blackmailing someone or the other way around.”
She stared at him and appeared to hold her breath. It was now her turn to fidget.
“Were they pictures of a car accident and a dead woman, possibly taken from a police crime lab?”
He appeared surprised and stared at her. “Yeah, how did you know?”
She frowned and looked at her father, who entered the foyer while talking with several feds. She drew a deep breath then looked back at Beck.
“I found those pi
ctures in my father’s computer, which is what started our last fight,” she replied gently. “That’s the reason I left in the first place.” She fidgeted then reluctantly continued. “I was dating this guy, and, naturally, my father didn’t approve. Turns out, my new boyfriend was a suspect in the accidental death of his girlfriend. I was mad at my father for digging up the photos and police reports. Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I just needed to get away from both of them.”
“So those pictures had nothing to do with criminal activity by your father?”
She smiled timidly and shook her head. “I’m not saying he hasn’t done anything illegal in his time, because I’ve often wondered the same thing myself, but those pictures had nothing to do with him.”
“I’m sorry for everything we’ve put you through,” Beck announced gently.
“You did what you had to do to save Lee,” Pinto replied then smiled warmly. “I’m just glad I was able to help you and your friends. I mean, after all, you did go out of your way to return my bracelet…two weeks later.”
They exchanged looks. Pinto smiled knowingly.
Beck hid his grin and looked away. “I’m a lousy liar.”
Across the foyer, Holden talked to the forensics team placing the dead man into a body bag. Once he had his information, he approached Ross and shook his head.
“You left quite a mess for me to clean up,” Holden remarked. “There’s a trail of dead bodies from here to the office building.” He then looked around and seemed agitated. “Where the hell is Zack? I still need details about what happened with Tonya.”
“He should have been here by now,” Ross announced then took a step closer to Holden to speak confidentially. “Jericho doesn’t know Tonya is dead. You may be able to get a confession out of him if he thinks she’s about to throw him under the bus.”
“That occurred to me,” Holden replied. “Can you try calling Zack again?”
“I left two messages,” Ross remarked. “Zack can be annoyingly aloof at times. He’ll show up.”
Sal approached Lee where she leaned against the hall table while studying Ross with Holden. Sal gently cleared his throat, catching her attention, and then smiled timidly.
“Thank you for believing in me, Lee,” he announced warmly. “I told you I’d never hurt you.”
She tensed slightly, rubbed her chilled arms, and then smiled timidly. “I just wish I could have put a little more faith in Finn. Maybe he wouldn’t be dead.”
“Finn’s death wasn’t your fault,” he informed her. “Finn had an unsettling way about him, and he was a bit of a risk taker. You know, he was eager to rescue you from Jericho’s clutches. It was a risk he was willing to take to bring you back. You were very important to him.” Sal hesitated then smiled gently. “You’re also very important to me, Lee. I know you’ve been through a lot, but I want you to come back and work for me once you’ve recovered from your ordeal.”
She knew she needed her job, but she just couldn’t bring herself to commit to returning at the moment.
“I think I need some time to recover from all this,” she gently informed him.
“I understand,” Sal replied. “I’d like to offer you my beach house for as long as you need it. Then, when you’re ready, you can come back to work.”
“That’s very generous of you,” she replied. “But I’ll need to think about that.”
“You just let me know, and I’ll have you whisked away in my private helicopter to that beach house,” he announced cheerfully.
The door opened, causing everyone to turn toward the main entrance. Gil entered with the limping dog by his side. Darth had a patch on his injured shoulder. Gil seemed curious by the looks he received.
“What did I miss?” Gil asked.
Bogart, Monroe, and Kirk entered behind him. All three looked equally annoyed.
“No sign of Zack,” Monroe remarked. “We met a few dozen of Holden’s friends at the office building, but Zack wasn’t anywhere to be found.”
“Is anyone really surprised?” Beck muttered from where he sat on the stairs alongside Pinto.
“As typical as that sounds, Zack should have been back by now,” Kirk remarked. “We should probably look for him.”
“Where would we even start?” Monroe almost demanded. “You know Zack. He could be in the Amazon by now.”
Sal appeared alarmed and looked at Ross and his men. “You don’t suppose he took the account information and ran off with the nine million, do you?”
“Not Zack,” Ross replied firmly. “He’s more into borrowing expensive toys than stealing money.” A strange look crossed Ross’s face as he studied Sal. “What about your girl, Mac? Is she trustworthy?”
“She’s loyal,” Sal replied without hesitation. “A little headstrong and flirtatious, but she’s definitely loyal.”
There was a round of groans. Sal and Bogart eyed the others, not understanding.
“What did I say?” Sal asked.
Kirk snorted a laugh then grinned slyly. “If she so much as winked at Zack, he’d be looking for an excuse to jump her.”
“He’s a sucker for dangerous women,” Beck remarked.
As the men continued to discuss Zack’s bizarre taste in women, Gil sat on the floor and played with the affectionate German shepherd. Darth jumped on him despite his injury and licked Gil’s face. Sal watched them, hid his grin, and shook his head.
“Some guard dog, huh?” Sal asked.
“He saved my life,” Gil remarked in all seriousness. “That makes us comrades.”
“You want to keep him?” Sal asked.
Gil eyed Sal and showed little emotion. “I intended to leave with him, if that’s what you meant,” he announced, seeming unwilling to give Sal much choice.
Sal laughed softly but didn’t seem to mind. “Fine, he’s yours. Take good care of him.”
Gil flipped the dog onto his back and scratched his belly. The dog thumped his hind leg in response.
“Hear that, buddy?” he announced in baby talk. “You’re coming home with me. Although, we’ll need to fit you for a bulletproof vest.”
After another ten minutes had passed, Sal started pacing while watching the door.
“I don’t like this,” Sal finally announced. “It’s been over an hour. Even if they made an unauthorized side stop, they should have been here by now.” He glared at Ross. “I think your man went AWOL.”
“Who went AWOL?” Zack asked from nearby.
Everyone turned and looked at Zack, who leaned casually in the archway with a plate of hors d’oeuvre, eagerly feasting on them. He indicated the pastry in his hand.
“This is fantastic,” Zack announced with his mouth full. “I have to have the recipe.”
“Where the hell have you been?” Ross demanded.
Zack gave him an innocent look. “In the kitchen fixing myself a plate. I was starving.” He then handed Sal a napkin with some numbers written on it. “This is the account number and the bank where your nine million was transferred. Is that your helicopter out back? That’s a nice one. You should probably invest in a better lock. I picked that puppy with a paperclip. Mind if I take it out for a spin?”
Ross groaned softly, quickly losing patients. “Zack, where have you been?”
Zack looked at Ross and appeared almost offended. “I told you.”
“Before the kitchen,” Kirk snarled.
“Oh, that,” Zack replied. “Mac and I stopped off at a motel for a quickie. That girl has no morals. Needless to say, it took longer than anticipated. I would have called, but I was busy--”
“Never mind the details,” Ross growled then ran his fingers through his graying hair. “I’m sorry I asked.”
“Where’s Mac?” Sal asked.
“She decided to move on to greener pastures,” Zack replied. “I think I heard her mention Costa Rico.”
“What?” Sal demanded. “She quit?”
“It was a sound decision,” Zack informed him. �
�She needed time to get her head on straight.”
Sal groaned and threw his hands up in the air. “Terrific,” he launched. “Half my men betrayed me, and the other half either quit or were shot.”
Monroe approached Zack while the others were busy talking. He eyed his friend and gently cleared his throat.
“She double-crossed her boss, didn’t she?” Monroe asked in a soft tone.
Zack shrugged.
“Did she try to kill you?” he pressed.
“Well, you know how it is with women,” Zack replied casually and popped another pastry into his mouth.
Monroe awaited the other half of the comment that wasn’t likely coming. He grew frustrated, pulled Zack aside, and forced him to meet his gaze.
“Come on, give,” Monroe again pressed. “What happened? Between us--”
†
Earlier at the motel. Mac stopped two feet before the bed in the dimly lit room and smiled lustfully while tilting her head, possibly reflecting back on their lovemaking. She then raised the gun affixed with a silencer and fired two shots into the mass on the bed.
“Sorry, Zack,” she announced sweetly as she lowered the gun. “It’s nothing personal. Just greed.”
Mac turned away from the bed. The gun flew from her hand and across the floor. Zack, wearing only his boxer shorts, stared at her with a displeased look.
“Bad kitty,” he growled softly then spun into a roundhouse kick, connecting with her abdomen, and threw her across the bed, scattering the pillows beneath the bullet-riddled sheet.
Mac sprang up on the other side of the bed and sneered at him. “How did you know?” she demanded.
He snorted a laugh. “Every woman I’ve ever slept with has tried to kill me,” he remarked. “I wasn’t expecting you to be any different.”
“Fine,” she snarled. “You want to play? Let’s play.”
Mac jumped onto the bed and immediately spun into a roundhouse kick for his head. Zack ducked and swept her legs out from beneath her, knocking her back onto the bed. She landed with a bounce. She scrambled to her knees on the bed with a look of hostility across her face. Her look suddenly turned to horror. Zack lowered the lighter while holding the burning business card. He grinned slyly while watching the flame grow larger. Mac screamed and leaped for him, tackling him to the floor. They struggled on the floor a moment while Mac attempted to reach the burning card, but it was too late, the card was already destroyed. She cried out with anger, straddled his waist while sitting up, and punched him in the face. Zack tossed her onto the floor, landing on top of her, and held her down with his body while putting out the tiny fire with his free hand. She fought against him, attempting to get him off her and injure him at the same time. He pinned her to the floor and appeared curious.
Witness Protection 2: The Return of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Page 25