Primary Target: Six Assassins: Book 1

by Heskett, Jim

  And, the case now wasn’t strong. Isabel would fix that, too.

  Maybe if her predecessors had been more upfront with other parts of the Bureau when they’d started the investigation into the DAC, they wouldn’t be in this mess now. But, here they were, three years into an investigation now on life support. Isabel had to find a way out of this mess. And that started with the woman masquerading as Ember Clarke.

  After their non-meeting, the young man then continued on to a smoothie place and bought a green drink. Isabel didn't know who this guy was, because Ember had neglected to mention him back when she'd been making her regular reports. Based on his age and what Isabel knew about the Club, she had to assume he was a recruit. Once Ember had passed him on the mall, he ceased to be of interest to Isabel. Ember had then ducked into this parking garage, and Isabel followed. Slowly at first, making sure Ember wouldn't hear doors opening or closing behind her. She didn't think Ember would pull a gun on her, but Isabel couldn't be sure.

  Isabel opened the door to the next floor and turned the corner in the parking garage. She saw Ember there, facing off against three men. One armed with a knife, another with a set of brass knuckles, the third unarmed. But, all three of them were large enough they could easily take down one person.

  Isabel assumed it wouldn't be enough to take down Ember, though. She watched for a moment. Ember took a couple of licks, but it wasn't enough. She quickly disabled one, then another, and faced off against the third. Ember had a limp to her, some sort of leg injury that was slowing her down. Still, with careful moves, she was able to keep the three of them from ganging up on her. Impressive, to say the least.

  Isabel studied her colleague. The venom in her eyes. The pure determination to win. Allison Campbell had become a different person, too, like the druggies and the skinheads.

  A small part of her wanted to intervene, but Isabel knew it was a mistake. She needed more information. She needed to speak to Marcus and get clarification about next steps.

  Isabel turned and walked back toward the door out of the parking garage. As she did, she lifted her phone to her ear. After a couple of rings, the call connected. For some reason, her heart pounded in her chest, and she had to lick her dry lips to speak.

  “Hello?” said Marcus Lonsdale.

  “Hey, boss. It’s me.”

  “Good morning, Agent Yang. How is the weather out there in Denver?”

  “Cold. And smells like cow manure.”

  “That means snow is on the way in a day or a week. It happens when the wind changes to come from the north, and it carries the smell of this little cow town named Greeley.”

  It had sounded like mansplaining, but Isabel was still impressed. “How do you know that?”

  “My ex-wife is from Denver. That was the one story she told me every single time we went there. Anyway, update me about your progress.”

  Isabel held the phone to her chest as she passed a couple of people in the stairwell. She exited out onto the ground floor, then resumed the conversation. “I’m coming back to DC, sir. I have bad news.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  XAVIER

  Xavier swept the scope from left to right. He could see some of the action inside the parking garage, but not all of it. Cars and concrete pillars blocked his view of Ember fighting the three Five Points Club members.

  More importantly, they blocked his ability to get a clean shot at her. She was light on her feet and agile, despite the bullet wound Xavier had gifted her a couple of nights ago. He marveled at her ability to dodge and parry and use her attackers' inertia against them. She would knock one into another to take out two of them at once, then focus her energy on the third. When the first two would recover, she would adapt her strategy again to make sure she didn't face off against more than one at a time.

  He could get lost watching her work. But, maybe that’s exactly what she wanted him to do.

  Xavier pivoted his rifle back toward Gabe, who was still sitting outside the smoothie shop, staring at his phone and sipping a straw. The young man stared ahead, glasses hiding his eyes. He didn’t appear to be rushed or excited or have any plans other than sipping and staring.

  “Come on and find me, Gabe,” Xavier muttered to the room. “Come and find me, then let’s do a little dance. I’m sure after I take off a couple of your fingers, Ember would be happy to trade herself for you, don’t you think?”

  Xavier again looked at Ember. A blur of fabric as she waved her knife around, trying to fend off an attacker. She jumped on the hood of a car and launched herself into the air by shoving against the windshield. In the air, she pivoted, slashing the knife down at her attacker. A move like that would require such intense stamina. Xavier didn’t know how she could keep this up. The fight had lasted for several minutes already.

  Xavier noticed something strange. At the far south end of the garage floor, a tall Asian woman in a sharp business suit stood, watching the fight. None of the four engaged had noticed her. This woman watched for about a minute, then she took out her phone and held it to her ear as she walked back toward the stairwell.

  Interesting. Someone calling the cops? The Asian woman hadn’t seemed too upset by the proceedings.

  If she was about to drop a dime, all the more reason for Xavier to expedite this situation. He glanced at his watch on the desk.

  Back to Gabe. Xavier had a clean shot, but the kid was surrounded by dozens of people. And, what did he gain by taking out Gabe? Nothing. Xavier had no reason to think they knew where he was. He had no reason to see Gabe as a threat.

  Plus, killing Gabe from afar would alert the entire mall. Ember would see, and she would escape. Xavier would also have to flee and miss out on his golden opportunity.

  When he moved the scope back to Ember, she had turned toward the parking garage’s exit, sprinting at top speed. None of the three attackers pursued her any longer. But, there was a dead man on the floor, and Xavier thought he recognized the older man lying in a puddle of blood. Was that old assassin Charlie from Boulder Branch? Hadn’t he retired?

  She rushed out the door. It slammed shut behind her, and then the parking garage went quiet. The three Five Points losers rose to their feet, licking their wounds. She’d left them all alive for some reason. Wounded, dejected, the three of them shuffled off toward the northern end of the parking garage to an alternate exit.

  Then, Gabe stood up, pitched his smoothie cup in a nearby trash can, and walked toward the escalators down to the movie theater. Xavier tracked him with the scope as he walked south along the sidewalk. He hadn’t made any sudden moves to disappear. He was not headed toward the building Xavier had chosen.

  He seemed to be wandering for no good reason. But, no sign he had found Xavier’s sniper nest. Obviously, Gabe had to know Xavier was tracking him. Why was he moving toward the movie theater?

  What the hell were they doing? Where was Gabe going, and why was Ember running? Was she panicking?

  It seemed random and unplanned, but Xavier knew better than to trust his eyes.

  He again checked the watch sitting on the desk. If one of these two didn’t make a move within four minutes, he would pack up and leave.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  ZACH

  Zach pushed his chair back and stood so he could stretch. He'd only been in the company lab for a couple of hours, but the intense squinting and focus made him feel like he'd been on his feet all day long, operating a jackhammer. At least, the hangover rolling around in his brain made it feel that way. This room had always reminded him of a high school science lab. Same layout.

  When he looked around, he noticed that most of his coworkers had already left. Only Wanda was still there, wiping down her workstation. How had he not noticed everyone else finishing up and leaving? Head down over a microscope, he had become lost in time.

  But, he noticed at the far end of the room, Thomas Milligan and his driver were still there, too. Thomas, in his office, clacking away at a laptop keyboard with his feet
up on the desk, and the stoic guy standing outside the door.

  Zach put the lids on his sample containers and then stacked them as he’d been instructed. He tried to do this quietly so he wouldn’t attract Thomas’ attention. So far, the boss seemed occupied.

  Zach then slipped off his lab coat and put it on a hangar at the far end of his table. He keyed in his personal code into the login terminal, occasionally glancing toward the office.

  Wanda waited behind him for her turn to log out. A purse clutched in front of her waist.

  “Productive day?” she asked him when he turned around.

  “Sure. You?”

  “My microscope seems to have good days and bad days. Today was a good day, so it seems like I’m having a streak. Thanks for letting me borrow the saline.”

  “Sure, no problem. They never seem to have enough of it in the supply closet.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.”

  A brief moment of awkward silence sprouted between them, and Zach felt an urge to ask her about her strange soup analogy from before, or her furtive glances toward Thomas Milligan during their conversation. Instead, he spread a flat smile and said nothing. Wanda returned the expression and logged out at the terminal.

  Zach took his coat from the peg next to the lab coats and slipped it on. But, as soon as he did, a throat cleared across the room. Thomas, his laptop now closed, a hand in the air to catch Zach’s attention.

  “Hey Zach, do you have a second? I’d like to talk to you before you leave.”

  Zach gritted his teeth and moped across the room to Thomas’ office as Wanda marched through the door toward the exit. Only Zach, Thomas, and his driver remained in the room.

  The older man smiled and waved Zach inside. Zach tried not to think about the gun he’d seen in the driver’s shoulder holster. He had figured out by now that “driver” probably wasn’t the accurate term to describe what this guy did to earn his salary. Zach guessed “bodyguard” would be more appropriate. Did Thomas have enemies that required him to have protection?

  “Hey, boss,” Zach said, forcing himself to smile.

  “Have a seat. I haven’t been in town for a while, so I was hoping we could catch up.”

  “Sure, but I do have to be somewhere.”

  Thomas pointed at the chair. “This will only take a second.”

  Zach sat and folded his hands. He felt a slight tremor in his fingers, so he tried to push them down in his lap, which only made them shake harder.

  “You okay?” Thomas asked.

  “I’m good, Mr. Milligan.”

  "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Thomas?" the boss said, spreading a wide grin. "And I detest 'sir.' I know I'm old enough to be your dad, but you don't have to treat me like it. I like hiking and video games and craft beer. Big 49ers fan. There's no reason to address me like a scary uncle."

  "No, you're right. I get it. It's just a little weird because you're the boss, you know?"

  “Absolutely. I was exactly the same way when I was your age. By the way, I saw you chatting with Wanda.”

  “She’s nice.”

  Thomas nodded. “Where did you work before this?”

  “I waited tables at a pizza place by campus.”

  “You’re probably used to hanging out with your coworkers, going out for drinks after your shift, all the little inside jokes you drop back in the kitchen.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is like that.”

  “Grownup jobs can be different. Some places, there’s little time for chit-chat. You haven’t been here long, but if you want to be friends with your coworkers, maybe our part-time lab isn’t the right fit.”

  A pulse of fear hit Zach’s spine. “I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?”

  Thomas leaned forward. “Not at all. I’ll get right to the point. You, Zach, are something special. You have a kind of intuition that’s rare in the technicians coming through here. Given the right resources and coaching, you could create amazing things. You could do great work.”

  “Thank you, Thomas. I don’t really know what to say.”

  “I mean it, Zach. Let’s step you up to the next level. I want you to come work for me at Firedrake headquarters in Sacramento.”

  “California?”

  Thomas laughed. “Yes, that’s the Sacramento I mean. Technically, we’re in Rancho Cordova, but it’s close enough to the city.”

  “I don’t know, it’s just… I’m not done with school yet.”

  "This is everything you've wanted. A real lab, dedicated assistants, the freedom to do the real work you've only dreamed about — no more soil samples. We can work on the stuff you've shown a passion for: viral mutation. You can do profound and meaningful work with us, Zach. You can make a difference. Plus, I know Colorado is great, but you have to see our home. Northern California is the best California, hands down."

  Zach’s eyes landed on a sheet of paper sitting on the desk. Even though it was upside down, Zach could read the letterhead at the top of the page. It read Draconis Industries.

  Thomas picked up the papers and stacked them, then slid them into the top drawer inside his desk. When he was done with that, he leaned across the desk again. A twinkle in his eye. “What do you say, Zach? Want to come to California and help us save the world?”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  EMBER

  The parking garage fight was still far from over.

  The man with the knife sprinted at Ember. Blade forward, venom on his face. He roared as he raised it high to stab down. She backpedaled a step and connected with the hood of a car.

  Ember jumped up onto the bumper and then onto the hood itself. Knife Man still coming. She used her foot to launch herself into the air. Her own knife pointed down. She slashed at him, but pivoting in the air cut her leverage, and she couldn't push power to the swipe. The blade barely grazed the side of the man's face.

  She landed awkwardly but stayed on her feet. The adrenaline in her system was waning, and she could now feel pulses of pain to her thigh from Xavier’s bullet.

  Knife Man spun, still coming for her. She let him reach within three feet. Ember sidestepped, and as the man tried to course correct, his body twisted in an awkward position. Legs forward, body to the side. His weight carried him toward where she used to be.

  Ember swept out a foot, jabbing it between his moving legs. He tripped and landed face-first onto the concrete floor. A hard smack and a splatter of blood spread out from his face. He moaned, a raspy wail of a sound.

  As he turned over, she didn't give him time to rise to his feet. She smacked him in the face as soon as he tried to lift his head. The back of his skull thudded onto the hard floor again. His head lolled to the side as he went out cold. But, his chest still rose and fell.

  Now, all three of her attackers had been dealt with. The other two gave no intention they were interested in coming after her. One had a broken collarbone, and he was still clutching both hands over the stab wound high up on his chest. The other, the one who had vomited down his shirt, had scooted away from the fight.

  Time’s up, boys, she thought. I need to be somewhere.

  Vomit guy looked up at her, his chest heaving. “You’re going to die.”

  "And you're going to pee blood for a couple of days. Come for me again, dipshit, and I'll do a lot worse than kick you in the nuts. I told you people I don't have time for this. There will be a reckoning for what you did to Charlie. But not today.”

  On the floor, the older man lay in a pool of blood. And, although it broke her heart, she knew she had to leave him. She had avoided being covered in blood from this fight, but she couldn't handle a dead body and then expect to mingle with civilians in the mall. No, Charlie had to stay, and Ember had to be somehow okay with that.

  She turned and raced for the parking garage door. She waited until she was in the stairwell before taking off her hoodie. Xavier had probably watched the whole parking garage exchange, although she couldn’t be sure if he had a view
of the entire area. Not too clear of a view, at least, or else he would have already shot her.

  She stripped off her hoodie and bulletproof vest, then she pulled the green raincoat from one back pocket, and the brown baseball cap from the other. By the time she had exited the parking garage on the east side, she looked like a completely different person. Running without a clear direction of where she needed to go.

  Her phone rang. She plucked it from her pocket and came to a stop, panting.

  “Hello?”

  “Marissa?”

  She paused for a moment, then remembered. “Yes,” Ember said, “This is Marissa.”

  “I think I have the information you asked for.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  XAVIER

  Xavier swept the nose of his sniper rifle over the 29th Street Mall, looking for either Ember or Gabe. North to south, checking every pedestrian. He also aimed his scope at 28th Street, and what he could see of 30th from here. It wasn't much, but he knew they weren't in the mall any longer.

  But, they had to be there. Had to.

  Back to the mall. He focused on the escalators, where he had seen Gabe disappear two minutes before. A stream of pedestrians appeared and then filtered out into the mall. Another stream disappeared down into the bowels of the parking garage next to the movie theater.

  And, Xavier saw Gabe now coming up the escalator. Hands in his pockets, sunglasses still covering his eyes.

  “What are you doing, kid?”

  This wasn’t the plan. Gabe was supposed to disappear while Ember kept him occupied. That’s what she’d said in her bugged car. Had the run-in with the three thugs in the parking garage ruined their plan? If so, why was he still hanging around?