Renner (In the Company of Snipers Book 19)

by Irish Winters

  Back on the GW, he made good time. Traffic was light this time of night and in this weather. Across the river, Jefferson’s Monument glowed like a golden sentinel. Beyond that masterpiece, the Washington Monument declared America’s rebellious spirit for the world to see. Further along the riverbank, the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts was dark for a change.

  Hooking right onto the exit for I-66, he coasted off the overpass and into Roslyn. The roads weren’t slick, just wet and messy, but it was enough to discourage other drivers. When Renner passed McCormack Industries, a touch of melancholy sneaked up on him. MI was still the lighted complex of a proud, patriot. Jed had always been the common man’s best friend. He’d only ever advocated for stronger armor, better weaponry, had even dabbled in CGI-type outfits that could make every soldier and some combat vehicles, invisible. Every grunt knew his name and his rep. He should’ve run for office; he would have won.

  But now…

  The lights that used to glitter at MI’s grand entry seemed dim tonight. It would be a sad day for civilians and military alike when McCormack stepped down. Witnessing the slow demise of a great man was just plain distressing. Renner parked his ride a block south of Crazy Eights, disgusted all over again at Montego and what he was sure she’d done. The woman seemed invincible, as if she were not only above the law, but as if she delighted in destroying one of America’s heroes. And his wife…

  Renner hurt for his friend. McCormack was just a tired old man being used by a twisted witch. Renner wouldn’t be surprised if Montego sacrificed babies in some kind of devil worship ceremony. She was that kind of ugly, evil, and cruel.

  Renner passed the street that led to his mother’s place. He didn’t have time for dinner tonight. Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten all day. What he had to do couldn’t wait. Like before, he easily accessed McCormack’s high rise, then took the elevator up to the penthouse. He wasn’t certain what he was looking for, but he knew he had to try. Mark was right. Everything depended on him.

  Unfortunately, he found himself in McCormack’s Japanese garden again. Yeah. Lack of food and sleep did that to a guy. He’d no more than turned on his heel to go back down a level, when he heard a noise somewhere off to his right. The trailing vines hanging from every branch in the place shifted in the now chilly breeze, casting shadows from the soft glow of the pagodas. Someone had opened a window. WTF?

  Stealthy now, he crept toward that singular sound, his senses on high alert and his pistol in his hand. His boots made no noise. He stepped around one of the palm trees and...

  There she was. Tara. Damn it. All decked out in her black wingsuit. One foot planted on the windowsill. One hand palming the window. A bag strapped over her shoulder.

  He lowered his firearm. “What the fuck are you doing here, woman? Are those diamonds and crap that important to you?”

  She whirled on him, her usual tight black cap concealing her hair. Tiny black climbing shoes. Velcro straps instead of laces. The only thing different tonight was the Lone Ranger mask and the whites of her eyes staring out from it.

  “Damn it, this has got to stop, Tara. You… Wait a minute. I just talked to Mark and…” Tara’s in the hospital. His pistol came back up. “You’re not Tara! Who the fuck are you?”

  Her chin came up—just like Tara’s. Whoever she was, she turned her face into the breeze coming through that open window—just like Tara. Still no answer. But then she looked down...

  Tara would not have done that.

  “Move away from that window,” he ordered, advancing one cautious step after another, his boots positioned sideways, not making himself a bigger target than he had to. “Give me the bag. Hand it over.”

  She made no move to comply, and he had to assume she was armed and had already pilfered McCormack’s penthouse. But what were the odds that two cat burglars would have come after those jewels within a day of each other? The coincidence didn’t gel.

  Renner cocked his head at what he thought he was seeing. What he thought he knew. Same outfit. Same measurements. Same height, weight, same everything. Hillcrest Heights. Tara’s borrowed phone. The odd coincidence of Jed’s gratuitous donation, Kelsey’s unexpected appearance at the Russell Senate Building. Her quick retreat. It couldn’t be...

  “Kelsey?” he asked, not believing it, but yeah. Who else could it be?

  The cat burglar balanced on her perch, ready to fly, and Renner knew in one second, he could lose her. He holstered his weapon. “Does Alex have any clue you’re up here?”

  She no longer needed to deny or confirm. He knew she was as scared now as he’d been last night. That was why Kelsey looked down. She wasn’t good at just dropping off tall buildings and flying away, either. Damn. That happened just last night. What a day.

  Renner offered his hand and lowered his voice. Smooth and easy. “Come on, Kels. Hop down. I’m not going to tell Alex. Maybe I can help.”

  She hesitated.

  “Come on, don’t cry. Stop biting your lip.” He fluttered his fingers at her, not daring to take his eyes off her for a second. “And were you born in a barn? Shut that window. You’re freezing Jed’s pretty garden, and you’re letting snow in. You’re also scaring the hell out of me. Come off that ledge. Please? Get down, honey. I do not want to be the one who gets to tell Alex I let you fall to your death. That’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it? Dying? That Tara’s stupid wingsuit won’t work in this cold weather?”

  Her fist went to her mouth, and Kelsey slinked off the ledge to the floor.

  Renner ran to the window and closed it, bolting the decorative handle before he turned to her in the dark and blew out a breathy, “Jesus Christ, you—”

  She crashed into him, her arms around his neck and her heart beating like crazy. “I had to do it,” she breathed.

  “Do what? Scare the shit out of me?” he half-chuckled even as he held onto his boss’s sweet wife. She was freezing. Shaking almost as much as he was. Jesus! “What the hell, Kelsey? What are you doing up here? Does Jed know? Is that why you’re here? Are you trying to save him or something?”

  She shook her head, panting, her mouth opened into an ‘O’ as she sucked in breath after breath, trembling with adrenaline. “I… I…”

  “Settle down,” he said encouragingly. Gently. “It’s okay. It’s just me and I don’t bite. Take as long as you need to catch your breath. We are in a meditation garden after all.”

  She stepped away from him then, her fingertips tapping her chest. Off came the cap, releasing her chocolate tangles. Damn, it was hard not to fall in love with this daring woman.

  “I’m so glad it’s you,” she finally said. “I thought maybe it was…her.”

  “Who? Montego? Nah, she and McCormack took off together after the press release ended.” Which left Renner with an ugly taste at the back of his throat. McCormack was once again alone with that bitch. Tonight could be his last. Maybe Renner should’ve been tailing him instead of sneaking in here again. Yeah, no. Kelsey might have done something really crazy stupid then—like fall.

  She turned on her heel to the still waiting elevator. “Quick, Renner. We have to get out of here.”

  “Then let’s go,” he agreed as they ran onto the waiting elevator. “How’d you get up here?”

  “I have Jed’s code.”

  Renner smirked to himself at that. Didn’t everybody?

  He pushed the button for the ground floor and the doors closed.

  “Oh, hurry,” Kelsey breathed, watching the floor numbers diminish as they dropped lower and lower. “Hurry. Please hurry.”

  “Only a few more to go.”

  “I’ve never done anything this stupid in my life,” she hissed. “Oh, man, hurry!”

  Renner put a hand on her shoulder. “Not stupid. Maybe brave, maybe daring.” She shot him a wild look and he had to laugh. “Okay. You’re right. Stupid.”

  “But I had to do it. You’ll see. It had to be done.”
/>   “And you are going to tell me precisely what had to be done as soon as we get out of here, understood?”

  Her head bobbed. “Yes. Oh, yes, yes, yes.”

  The poor thing was close to hyperventilating. “Breathe, Kelsey. Just breathe.”

  “Can’t this elevator go any faster?”

  They were on the ground level by then. Renner put his hand on her back as together they hightailed it out of the elevator and away from the penthouse. She all but ran across the street, and Renner followed close behind, keeping watch on his surroundings. Not going to lose track of Kelsey. “Three blocks east, take a left,” he called to her.

  She nodded as she began jogging in that crazy wingsuit. Had to be Tara’s. That had to be what was in her bag also, a change of clothes. At last out of sight and safe inside Crazy Eights, she headed for the women’s restroom with her bag, then returned wearing just a sleek black tank and matching running pants. No jacket.

  “Man, you look like someone I know.”

  She nodded. “Yes. Tara Tumulty. She’s just my size.”

  He frowned then. “Except for that bruise on your jaw…”

  Kelsey pressed her palm to her cheek but offered no explanation.

  “You were at Hillcrest Heights with her,” he stated, now sitting in the same back booth he’d shared with Tara only the night before. “And lose the act, Kels. I know she’s Tara Shanahan. Tumulty was just a good Irish name.”

  She nodded. “Oh, good, I’m glad you know. Yes, I was with her at Hillcrest Heights. She had my phone because we were talking, and she needed to make a call, but then…” Kelsey licked her lips, then pursed them, still breathing hard. “All of a sudden, her ex showed up. He must’ve been following her, but he hit her, and when I tried to stop him, he punched me and…” Another trembling breath. “He had a gun, Renner. I thought I was going to die, but by the time I got to my feet, he and Tara were gone. I had to run to the strip mall on the highway to use their phone to call you.”

  “The creep who took her is a very bad man, Jorge Poerbatjaraka.” Renner signaled his mom, holding up two fingers for two glasses of water—or beer. He was okay with whatever she brought, but he suspected after the way he and Kelsey had run past the bar to the very back booth, his mom would know what they needed.

  “You’re right. It was Jorge.” Kelsey dropped her head onto her folded arms on the table. “Oh, Renner, what am I going to do? Alex already knows I’ve been up to something. I can’t hide this mess from him forever.”

  “Speaking of Alex…” Renner debated asking. He already knew the answer, just not all the details. “Wasn’t one of his USMC buddies caught up in this mess with Montego way back when?” Better question, had Montego contacted the guy since she’d come back into America? Was he assisting her now? And just how much did Kelsey know?

  “Yes. Aaron Pope. She took off the fingers on his left hand. Left his thumb, that poor man.”

  “What happened to Pope? Wasn’t he charged as an accomplice?”

  Kelsey shook her head vigorously. “Oh, no. Alex retained a good lawyer, and Aaron ended up on probation for a year, and I…” Her tongue ran a quick lap around her mouth. She sucked her bottom lip in, then licked it before she bit it and said, “I gave him a job. No one would hire him, Renner, and he’s suffered so much. He didn’t want to stay with his parents, and honestly, they didn’t know how to help him. So yeah… I gave Aaron a full-time job. He’s not a convicted felon and…” Her head was bobbing by then, either trying to convince Renner or herself, he wasn’t sure which. “He’s, umm, seeing a good counselor at the VA, and he’s honest. He works hard. He stays in one of the dorms that we, that I—”

  “Well, be still my Irish heart,” Renner’s mother drawled as she offloaded two glasses of water, two mugs of beer, and her usual giant bowl of pub mix to the table. “’Tisn’t often me boy visits me two nights in a row, and with two different but very lovely ladies at that. Good to see you again, Mrs. Stewart.”

  “Brenda. You run Crazy Eights?” Kelsey fussed with her hair like women were prone to do. In a bun, it had more tendrils spiraling out of it than pins could hold together. “I had no idea. I must look a wreck.”

  “You look as pretty as ever,” his mother said, “and yes, I actually own this place. It keeps me busy now that the kids are grown and on their own. What’ll you be eating tonight, me darlings?”

  “Thank you, but nothing for me,” Kelsey answered. “I have to get home.”

  “Just the drinks, Mom.” Renner made a sweeping gesture with his fingertips, hoping she’d take the hint and walk away before she started asking questions he wouldn’t be able to answer.

  “But you haven’t been eating right, son. I can see it in your eyes.”

  Which he rolled to high heaven. There was nothing to do but match her nosy questions with dead silence. After a few seconds of that, she knew to mind her business. Brenda sauntered away, grumbling about wayward sons and disobedient children, lucky stars and Killarney, though what one had to do with another, he never knew.

  “She’s worried about you,” Kelsey whispered once they were alone.

  “Yes, and she’s a good mom,” he admitted as he sipped from the nearest frothy mug. “Just a little bossy sometimes and wishing she had a dozen grandchildren, which isn’t going to happen unless Mo gets married again. Now talk. You had to do what?”

  “You’d make a good father,” Kelsey whispered, her gaze off-track on his mother at the bar, listening to some other more obliging, weary soul’s problems.

  Renner huffed and held up his left hand. “In case you haven’t noticed… No ring. No girlfriend in sight. Not going to happen.”

  “But I am right. I can tell.”

  He shrugged at that womanly prognostication thing that all women did. “Stop distracting me. Come on. Out with it. Why were in you Jed’s penthouse?”

  She tugged her bag off her shoulder, unzipped it, and pulled out a large, flowery cosmetic bag. “Here,” she announced like he already knew what it was. “This is all the DNA you need.”

  He opened the zippered bag. “This is Montego’s? You were in Jed’s bathroom? You took her… her…”

  “The bag’s mine, but I took some of her stuff, yes,” Kelsey murmured. “There’s hair from a brush in there, old lipsticks and tubes of face cream, deodorant, a toothbrush. I even dug used tissues with lipstick on them out of the waste can. Cotton swabs, soiled fresh wipes, and icky cotton balls. Even nitrile gloves in one of the bottom bathroom drawers. I’m sure there’s plenty of dead skin cells inside those fingers, maybe more. How much DNA do you need to convict her?”

  Ah, so that’s what this was about. Renner hated to let Kelsey down, but he told her anyway. “That’s not how it works. This is all fine and good, and I’m sure there’s plenty of DNA on everything you collected. Most of it might even be Montego’s, but now of it’s admissible in—”

  “Stop it,” she snapped. There was fire in her eyes. “I know the laws on illegal search and seizure, Renner. Don’t patronize me, and don’t treat me like I’m stupid. Don’t you get it? This alone isn’t good enough. I know that, but I have faith, and now you guys have got something to compare against the real evidence you’re going to find. Most of this is garbage. You can say you dug it out of the trash receptacle; I certainly did. I have faith in you and Alex and everyone on The TEAM. You guys are the best. You are going to find evidence to link Montego to every despicable thing she ever did. You are going to bring her down. And when you do, this—” She held the bag out to him and shook it. “—this will help you nail her skinny ass to the wall.”

  It was hard not to grin at this ferocity of Alex’s woman. What he wouldn’t give to see the day Montego got what she had coming to her. Better yet if it came at Kelsey’s hand.

  “She does have a raunchy, skinny ass,” he deadpanned.

  But all this DNA was useless. It certainly proved Kelsey’s heart was in the right place, but the
re’d be plenty of time to get Montego’s DNA after the medical examiner picked her brains off the sidewalk—or wherever she was when Renner ended her. Which he meant to do.

  DNA was not the problem. Everyone had it. Finding it at her crime scenes was the challenge. And now that she’d moved in with McCormack, she’d isolated herself yet again. Her DNA was all over his suite. Even in his bed.

  “She’s an asshole,” Kelsey shot back at him, “and I’m sick of people like her using America’s courts and justice system to hurt good people. For all we know, she’s torturing another Marine or soldier right now, damn it. It’s not right, and this whole ugly mess is killing Alex. You may not know it, but he blames himself every time anything goes wrong. That’s why he’s sick. He’s wearing himself out trying to fix everybody. If I could... Oh, I’d strangle her myself before she hurt anyone else.”

  Renner had to smile. It was only hours ago that he’d offered to shoot Montego on sight, legal or not. Made it difficult to fault Kelsey for her energetic belief in her husband and in him.

  “You’re something else, Mrs. Stewart,” he said evenly.

  She shook her head, sending more tangles cascading out of that messy bun onto her shoulders. Alex lived with a queen. There was no other way to describe her. Made a man humble and proud to be serving good people like Kelsey.

  Her eyes brimmed. “I’m an idiot is what I am. I’ve used my husband’s business helicopter without his knowledge. I’ve told him more half-truths this last week than I have in our entire life together. And my baby’s sick. I should be home taking care of my family instead of up on some high-rise playing Wonder Woman.”

  Which reminded Renner. “Tara taught you to fly, didn’t she? That’s why you two were over at Hillcrest Heights. You were practicing—”

  “Ha! Practicing, nothing. She pushed me! From the top floor of that derelict building!” Kelsey leaned over the table toward Renner. “Can you believe that? I’m not sure I would’ve been brave enough to try that wingsuit if she hadn’t pushed me, but still. It was a loooong way down, and I’m such a chicken when it comes to flying. I think I screamed. I still can’t believe I did it.”