Next Exit, Use Caution

by CW Browning

  Alina’s lips tightened.

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” she said coldly. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. All you did was send another target into the line of fire.”

  “I’m hardly just another target,” Michael objected. “I’m trained to protect the President.”

  “Yet a shooter made his way into the organ loft,” Damon said, turning his blue gaze back to Michael. “Care to offer an explanation?”

  “Oh, for God’s sake!” Alina exclaimed. “Don’t be ridiculous. He couldn’t lock down a church the size of St. Pete’s without a full advance team, which he didn’t have. Besides, the shooter was dressed as a priest. Even if he had been able to inspect every person who came into the church, a priest wouldn’t have raised any red flags.”

  Damon’s head snapped around.

  “A priest?” he repeated. “You saw him?”

  She nodded, getting up to go into the kitchen.

  “He came out the back while I was in the alley between the church and the school,” she said, opening the fridge. She returned a moment later with another beer for Michael, and one for herself. “He saw me. I managed to hit his car as he was leaving the parking lot. He dumped it on the other side of town.”

  Damon watched as she handed Michael the beer and seated herself across the table from him.

  “Why do you get a beer and I get water?”

  “Because I didn’t just drive four hours on a motorcycle when I should still be in the hospital,” she retorted. “And I’m mad at you right now. So no beer for you.”

  Michael choked back a laugh at the look on Damon’s face.

  “That’s not a good reason,” Damon muttered, but he sipped his water. “Did you find anything in the car?”

  Michael looked at Alina, waiting for her answer.

  “No,” she said smoothly, opening her beer. “It was clean.”

  Damon raised an eyebrow doubtfully but let it go.

  “The funeral was his best chance of you coming to him,” he said. “Now he has to find you.”

  “Wait, you said he was dressed as a priest?” Michael asked suddenly.

  Alina nodded, sipping her beer.

  “Yes, why?”

  “When I went with Angie to the church on Monday, I passed a priest coming out of the side door. He looked surprised to see me.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Dark hair, about five-ten, maybe a buck eighty,” said Michael slowly. “He had dark eyes, maybe brown.”

  “That was him,” Alina said decidedly.

  “Son of a...” Michael glowered. “I was less than a foot away from him!”

  Damon looked at him, a flicker of sympathy in his blue eyes.

  “There’s no way you could have known. Professionals aren’t easy to spot.”

  “He was there the day before setting everything up,” Alina said thoughtfully. “He likes to plan ahead.”

  “That will work to our advantage,” Damon said, looking at her. “He’ll have to improvise now.”

  Alina nodded, lost in thought.

  Michael looked from one to the other and shook his head.

  “I don’t see how that’s a good thing. He’ll be unpredictable now.”

  A brief smile passed over Alina’s lips and Damon chuckled.

  “Trust me, there are only so many options left to him,” he assured Michael. “He’ll be far from unpredictable. If anything, he’ll be easier to pin down.”

  Alina looked up.

  “And I’ll be waiting.”

  Alina looked up as the opening to her command center slid open. Her eyes moved to the security monitor and she watched as Damon stepped into the opening. She returned her gaze to the screen before her and quickly minimized the window. When Damon entered the long room a moment later, she had a generic website open.

  His hair was still damp from the shower, and he had changed into a pair of black sweatpants and an old US Navy tee-shirt. The fresh smell of shower gel entered the room with him, and Alina glanced at him with a smile.

  “Feel better?”

  “Much.” Damon pulled out a chair next to her. “The gunny finally called it a night?”

  She nodded, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn.

  “Not long after you went up to shower. He took his laptop up with him. He said he didn’t want to keep me up while he worked.”

  Damon grinned.

  “Clearly he doesn’t know you very well.”

  Alina shrugged.

  “No rest for the wicked. We’re all busy tonight.”

  Damon leaned back in his chair and swiveled to face her, growing serious.

  “So tell me what really happened today.”

  Alina raised an eyebrow.

  “You know what happened. He took a shot at the funeral and missed.”

  Damon studied her for a moment, his blue eyes sharp and probing.

  “What about the car?”

  “It was clean.”

  “Bullshit. You might be able to sell that to the gunny, but not me. What did you find?”

  Viper stared back at him, her mask impenetrable.

  “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?”

  Damon grinned and winked.

  “So I’ve been told. Were you able to trace the car?”

  “No. It was rented through the airport, paid in cash. The name on the paperwork was a dead end,” Alina said, turning to pick up a half-empty bottle of water.

  “GPS?”

  Alina glanced at him, her lips curving faintly.

  “I’m running it now,” she replied, sipping her water.

  Damon frowned.

  “You didn’t run it earlier?” he asked, his brows coming together. “Why? You could have caught him.”

  “I didn’t need to.” Alina set the water down and turned to face him. “I found a receipt for a parking garage in the car under the seat. It was easy enough to track him down.”

  Damon nodded, his brow clearing.

  “What happened?”

  “He’s staying at a hotel in Center City, not far from Chinatown. He’s been using a parking garage for the car, and he goes to the same coffee shop every day for his morning pick-me-up.”

  “That’s sloppy. Did you get a name?”

  “I got the name he’s using, yes.” Alina turned back to her computer and pulled up a database. “He’s not completely careless. The only place he’s used the name is at the hotel and the parking garage.”

  Damon shrugged.

  “That just means he hasn’t been anywhere else. He’s been looking for you, not sight-seeing. What hotel?”

  Alina glanced at him.

  “Oh no.” She shook her head. “You’re not getting involved. You’re going to relax and finish healing.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Damon said, frowning. “I’m fine.”

  “No you’re not. You’d still be in the hospital if it weren’t for the fiasco this morning. I can’t do anything about you checking yourself out, but I can make sure you don’t throw yourself right back into the line of fire.”

  Damon snorted.

  “I’m already in the line of fire just by being here. So tell me what you know.”

  “Hawk, this isn’t your problem,” said Alina, turning to face him again.

  “This most definitely is my problem,” he shot back. “I took a bullet for all this. That makes it my problem.”

  “No, that makes you collateral damage.”

  Damon’s eyes narrowed and turned icy, his lips pressing together briefly.

  “Did you really just say that?” he demanded softly.

  Viper shrugged.

  “Perhaps it was a bit harsh,” she admitted.

  “Oh, you think?!”

  “My point is that you’ve already been shot over this. You’ve paid your dues. This wasn’t your fight to begin with; you got caught in the crossfire, and now it’s time to let me take care of it.”

  Hawk leane
d forward, his eyes never leaving her face.

  “This became my fight the second they came after you,” he growled. “Now I’m only going to say this once. You don’t have a monopoly on this one. Our Organization is under attack. They’re not just coming after you, they’re coming after all of us. One by one, our assets are being exposed and eliminated. We’re all involved now. Either you loop me in, and we work together, or I walk out tonight and do it alone. Either way, I will be hunting this bastard down, and then I’ll be going after the one in charge of it all.”

  Alina met him glare for glare.

  “I won’t have you on my conscience too. John already died over this. I don’t need another death on my tab.”

  Hawk stared at her for a beat, his face impassive.

  “That’s what this is about?” he demanded. “You think John was your responsibility? You think I’m your responsibility?”

  Her mask slid into place abruptly, and Viper stared back at him silently. Hawk ran a hand through his hair and got up impatiently. He paced to the end of the narrow room, then turned back.

  “You know as well as I do, the odds of us making it out of this alive are getting lower and lower every day we wake up.” He gripped the back of the chair he’d vacated. “We’ve never had much expectation of making it to a grand old age. Hell, we’re lucky we’ve made it this far. I’m not your responsibility, just as you’re not mine. But if we don’t figure out a way to work together, we’ll check out a hell of a lot sooner than if we stick together. Think about it! We’ve both dodged the reaper how many times now? If we’re together, those odds only get better.”

  “If we weren’t together in Singapore, you wouldn’t have been shot.”

  “And you would be dead.”

  They glared at each other for a long moment, neither giving way until, finally, Viper’s gaze wavered.

  “We’re stronger together,” said Hawk softly. “We always have been. They knew it in boot camp, and Harry knew it in the training facility. That’s why they all pitted us against each other.”

  “To control us,” she murmured.

  “Exactly.”

  Viper was silent for a long moment before she finally lifted dark eyes to his.

  “He’s staying at the Hampton Inn, near the Convention Center, in the city. He checked in Friday night.”

  Hawk stared at her.

  “That was before you were here. No one knew you were back stateside!”

  Viper nodded grimly.

  “Exactly. So how did he?”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Michael stared across the white Formica table at Blake, his coffee forgotten in his hands. The early morning diner crowd faded into the background as he tried to comprehend what he’d just been told.

  “What?!”

  Blake nodded, sipping his coffee.

  “Ken called me last night. I don’t even remember the woman.”

  Michael set down his mug and rubbed his face.

  “Sorry. I’m trying to wrap my brain around this,” he said, dropping his hands and shaking his head. “So, this woman you don’t even remember is accusing you of...what, exactly?”

  “Professional misconduct and sexual assault.”

  “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” Michael reached for his coffee. “When did this supposedly happen?”

  “Two years ago. She was a witness on a case I was working. She claims I insisted on interviewing her alone, then followed and assaulted her a few days later.”

  Michael stared at him.

  “And she’s just now coming forward?”

  Blake shrugged.

  “The affidavit states she’s been in therapy for two years and just now came to a place in her recovery where she can face the experience,” he muttered. “The Bureau has no choice but to follow procedure. I’ve been placed on leave, pending a full internal investigation.”

  Michael drank his coffee in silence, his mind spinning.

  “What the hell is going on?” he finally said, setting down his empty mug. “First someone plants drugs in your closet, now this. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?”

  “I have no idea,” Blake said, pouring more coffee into his cup from the thermal carafe on the table. “Believe me, I’ve been asking myself that since last night.”

  Michael took the carafe from Blake and refilled his own cup.

  “Someone is trying to discredit you, and it’s someone who doesn’t know you very well. They’re picking things completely out of character for you.”

  “They’re picking things that will ruin my career.”

  “You pissed someone off,” Michael agreed. “Any idea who?”

  Blake gave him an exasperated look.

  “Would you like a list?” he asked. “I can think of any number of people who aren’t happy with me. I’m sure you could do the same. We’re Feds in DC, for God’s sake!”

  Michael grinned.

  “Good point. Ok, let’s start with this woman. What’s her name?”

  “Tina Ricci. She’s a political consultant.”

  “Of course she is,” Michael muttered. “What firm?”

  “She has her own practice, The Ricci Group.”

  Michael nodded.

  “We’ll start there,” he decided. “Can you think of any reason she would have a bone to pick with you?”

  Blake shook his head.

  “None. This is all so surreal. How can I defend myself against a woman I don’t even remember?”

  “You don’t,” said Michael firmly. “You let your attorney defend you. You do have one, right?”

  Blake nodded.

  “I called him this morning. He’s coming up tomorrow morning.”

  “Good. In the meantime, I’ll add this Tina Ricci to my list and see what I can find out.”

  Blake looked at him, his face grim.

  “For God’s sake, be careful. We don’t need you coming under fire as well. I can only handle one catastrophe at a time.”

  “Have you told Stephanie yet?” Michael asked after a moment.

  “No. I’m going to the hospital after breakfast. I’m not looking forward to telling her. What if she believes it?”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Michael assured him. “She’s not stupid. She’ll realize someone is attacking you.”

  “I hope so.”

  Viper glanced around the deserted hallway before bending over the door handle. A second later, she was rewarded with a faint click, and she slipped inside silently. She closed the door behind her and reached into her back holster to pull out the Ruger, listening intently. No sound marred the perfect silence.

  When she left the house just after dawn, Hawk was still sleeping. Despite their conversation last night, Alina didn’t tell him of her plans for this morning. What he didn’t know couldn’t bother him.

  Viper flipped the safety off and moved forward, holding the gun near her shoulder. Kyle had checked into a spacious two-room suite, and the sitting area faced her at the end of the tiny entryway. Coming to the edge of the wall, Viper glanced around the sitting room, then peeked around the corner to see into the rest of the suite. It was empty.

  A sofa was in front of her, facing a flat screen TV mounted on the wall across the room. Two arm chairs flanked a coffee table in the center of the sitting room, and a full wet bar and mini fridge were next to the TV. Wide double doors stood open on the other end of the wall, giving Viper a clear view into the bedroom. The bed had not been slept in.

  Moving forward slowly, Viper crossed the sitting room to the bedroom, pausing at the open doors. There was no sound from within, and she scanned the bedroom slowly. The dresser was bare and the small desk in front of the window was clear.

  Viper put the safety back on and crossed the bedroom to look in the empty bathroom. Plastic still wrapped the cups on the sink and the shower curtain was pulled back to expose a sterile tub. A basket on the vanity held an assortment of unopened shampoos and soaps.
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br />   Alina pressed her lips together and tucked her gun back into her holster, turning to gaze around the large bedroom.

  Kyle was gone.

  She wasn’t really surprised. After she followed him out of the parking lot yesterday, he had to have known she would hunt him down. The problem, of course, was now he was in the wind again.

  Alina crossed the room and systematically began to go through every drawer and closet, looking for anything that might have been left behind. She was just closing the last drawer when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Pulling it out, she glanced at the screen and frowned at the number displayed. Her eyes narrowed and she hesitated for second before sliding the phone back into her pocket, ignoring the call.

  Turning to the king-size bed, Alina bent down to peer underneath. A moment later, she straightened up again. Even under the bed was spotless. She shook her head and went back into the sitting room. Housekeeping was not this good. Kyle had sanitized the place before he skipped out.

  Less than ten minutes after she entered the suite, Viper was slipping back out the door. The sitting room was just as sterile as the bedroom. There was nothing left of the assassin who caused such a stir at John’s funeral yesterday morning. He had disappeared.

  As Alina closed the door behind her, her lips tightened grimly. While she would love to think Kyle had fled, Viper knew better. He had simply changed locations. His goal remained the same.

  And now she had no idea where he was.

  Stephanie looked up from her laptop as Blake came into the hospital room carrying a cup carrier with two large coffees in one hand and a large bouquet of flowers in the other. The Go Bag from the trunk of her car was slung over his shoulder.

  “I’ve got coffee and the bag from your car,” he announced, walking over to set the cup holder down on the side table near the bed. He dropped her bag onto the bed. “I stopped and got these for you. I thought they might cheer you up.”

  Stephanie accepted the flowers with a large smile.

  “They’re gorgeous!” she exclaimed.

  Blake grinned and lifted one of the coffees out of the holder.

  “I’m glad you like them,” he said, taking them from her and handing her the coffee. “I didn’t know if you like flowers, but I figured the room could use some color.”