The Sniper

“Well, that remains to be seen,” she muttered. “Besides, if someone was trying to kill me why did they kill Sonia instead?”

“She was a witness. No loose ends. If you recall, you were seconds away from sharing the same fate as your friend.”

He hated to be so blunt but he didn’t see the value in sugarcoating the truth, as much as he could tell her, anyway. “Have you been dating?” he asked, steeling himself for her answer. It was important information, he told himself, not for personal reasons but because he needed to eliminate suspects. Well, it was a plausible justification, but when Jaci shrugged and admitted to a few dates his blood percolated. “Who? I need names.”

She shot him a dark look. “No one serious. I wasn’t interested in getting in a serious relationship after what’d happened with you and me. But Sonia convinced me that I couldn’t live like a hermit and I thought the best way to get over you would be to see other people.”

“Did it work?” Why the hell did he ask that? “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. It doesn’t matter. Tell me about your dates. I need to run them through a background check.”

She scowled. “They were normal people. Bankers, a doctor, I think a lawyer or two, I don’t know. But they sure as hell weren’t spies. And none of them worked for the government in any capacity.”

“Jaci, people lie. And you are a very trusting person so your doctors and lawyers, unless you do a full background check on them, may not have been who they said they were. I told you I worked for the FBI. You never thought to look any deeper.”

He detested to throw in her face how he’d duped her but the pain was necessary to get through her head that people were unscrupulous at best, and dangerous at their worst. Jaci looked away and remained quiet for a long moment. Finally she said, “I met them through an online dating service. If I can get to a computer I can log on to my site and show you who I was matched up with. Would that help?”

Nathan did a double take. “An online dating service? Why would you go through one of those sites? It’s not like you couldn’t find a date on your own. Don’t you know those places are ripe for liars? Why would you take such a risk?”

“You don’t get to criticize how I lead my life after you left me. For your information, online dating is something that everybody does. It’s not just for the sad, lonely, pathetic losers that you’re making it sound like. Most people have careers and don’t have time to hang out in bars to meet someone. And frankly, why would I want to meet someone to build a life with in a bar?” She didn’t have to remind him that they’d met in a bar. He remembered quite clearly. He also caught her subtle dig. “Besides, I wasn’t looking for Mr. Right. I was just looking for someone to spend a little time with.”

“So you were just taking home random guys for sex?”

Jaci lifted her chin. “Yes, that’s right. I have needs, too. Are you saying that when we broke up you became celibate?”

How did they end up talking about their sex lives? He hated knowing that Jaci had been with other men after their breakup, but what had he expected? Hell, he’d tried to tell himself that letting her go was a noble gesture on his part so that she could meet someone normal and get married and have a family. He couldn’t have it both ways—let her go, plus expect her to live like a nun.

“Of course not,” he said, answering her question. “I saw other people,” he lied. Nathan didn’t want to admit to her that when he’d become accustomed to steak, the prospect of hamburger simply hadn’t appealed. “My point is, there’s a possibility that someone you dated may be trying to kill you. I can’t discount the possibility. And as uncomfortable as it may be for the both of us to talk about the people who came after us I can’t simply ignore the possible lead just because it hurts to talk about it.”

“Why would it hurt you? You were the one who left me, remember?”

“Yes, Jaci, I remember.” He gritted his teeth, pausing a moment to withstand the surge of defensive anger that followed her pointed reminder. “Very clearly. And leaving you hurt like a son of a bitch.”

“I don’t believe you,” she shot back heatedly. “You can’t rewrite history just because you suddenly don’t like the part you played. I was in love with you. I wanted to get married and have kids and build a life together. I thought we were on the same page but you corrected my assumptions, didn’t you? So, no, I don’t believe you when you say that it hurt you to leave me. And I find it insulting that you would even try to make me believe that lie.”

What could he say? He understood where she was coming from. If the shoe had been on the other foot—if she had done to him what he had done to her—there was nothing that she would’ve been able to say to change his mind. Would it help if he tried to apologize? She deserved at least that but he didn’t know how to formulate the words. “Jaci...I—” he began, but she shut him down quickly.

“Don’t. Whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear. I just want to put all of this behind me and forget I ever met you. I was close to having closure when you burst back into my life. I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to cry, I don’t want to wonder, I don’t want to think of what might’ve been. I just want to be free of you.”

Oh, God, that hurt. Nathan’s jaw tightened as he willed the pain away. She’d said her piece and he had to respect her for it. He understood her need for closure. And if that’s what she wanted from him, he’d give it to her. As soon as he knew she was safe, he would walk away and never bother her again. But until then, until he knew there was no one who wanted her dead, he would stick to her like glue. Anyone who wanted to hurt Jaci would have to go through him first. And he was one hell of a moving target with an even deadlier aim.

* * *

Damn him. How dare he try to rewrite history as if he hadn’t set in motion everything that had taken place. He wasn’t allowed to be hurt or express pain over their breakup because he was the one who had shattered her heart into a million pieces. He didn’t get the option of sharing his regret. And if that seemed unfair, so be it. She didn’t care.

She blinked back tears. No, she wouldn’t cry. She refused to be that weak, weeping woman who fell apart at the slightest sign of a crisis. She was stronger than that. At least she wanted to be. She had to be strong for Sonia. Her best friend had died for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If Nathan thought he could figure out who was after her, then she had to let him try. But first, she needed a few things. “We need to stop by my apartment. I’m not going on the run wearing nothing but club clothes that smell like stale cigarettes and alcohol.” Not to mention blood splatter, Jaci thought, fighting the rise of nausea and grief. “And I want to know what happened to my friend. I don’t care who you have to call or what you have to do but I need answers. I need to know that my best friend is being taken care of.” Tears stung her eyes. “Do you understand? I need to know that Sonia was properly put to rest.”

Nathan didn’t look happy with her request but he seemed to understand her need for closure. “If you promise to stick to my side, as in no running off doing anything crazy or reckless, I’ll tell you what I know of what happened after we left the scene.”

She made a face. “You’re negotiating?”

“I’m securing your cooperation. Make your choice.”

She crossed her arms. “Fine. I agree to stick to your side like glue if you tell me what happened after you forced me to leave my best friend lying in a pool of her own blood,” she spat, hating him.

He scowled. “You mean after I saved your pretty head from sporting the same wound, which is what would’ve happened if we had stuck around a minute longer,” he corrected her sharply and she blinked back angry tears.

Why couldn’t someone else have been her savior? Anyone but him! She knew she owed him her life but she was fairly choking on the gratitude she was supposed to feel.

But then a fleeting expression of remorse passed over his features as he added, “Jaci...if I could have saved your friend, I would have.” And she knew she was being harsh.

She looked away, acknowledging. “I know,” she whispered but she could almost taste the bitterness in her tone. “I can’t believe she’s gone. She always had my back. Always. No matter what. She agreed to walk down that alley because I didn’t want anyone to see me throw up. She was the best friend a girl could ever want.”

He sighed. “I made some calls and your friend’s murder is currently on the desk of a detective who is known for closing cases. The nature of the case is enough to stir interest—young woman with no criminal record with a single bullet wound to the head—because it’s not as if she were connected to any kind of criminal element that might’ve put her there. Not to mention, the second body of the thug, which won’t make sense at all.”

“So, won’t the investigation lead to your organization at some point?”

“No. As far as the government is concerned, we don’t exist. The investigation will fall short of leads and eventually get thrown into the cold case file.”

Jaci stared, not happy with his explanation. “Sonia’s family deserves some kind of closure. Not knowing why their daughter died will kill them.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t do anything about that.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He held her accusatory stare. “In this, I have no reason to lie. If there was something I could do, I would. If it helps any, Sonia’s death was quick. She felt no pain.”

“It doesn’t,” she snapped, wiping at the tears that escaped to roll down her cheeks. “Nothing helps.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” Jaci’s shoulders bowed as another wave of pain rocked her body as Nathan watched. He didn’t have the right to gather her into his arms and hold her tightly, murmuring words of comfort against her hair, but for one second she wished he would ignore all that and just pull her to him. Jaci wiped away her tears, drawing a halting breath. “Thank you for at least making the call to find out,” she said grudgingly, but then added, “When this is all over, I will explain to Sonia’s parents what really happened. I won’t let them suffer for the rest of their days. It’s bad enough they lost their daughter.” Nathan opened his mouth, looking intent on shutting her down, but he let it ride. Some of the tension left her shoulders and she no longer felt as if someone’s hands were around her throat. She rolled her neck, ready to focus and said, “At some point you’re going to have to level with me. I have to know what’s going on.”

“When I feel it’s safe to share more information I will.”

She accepted his answer. She supposed that was the best she could get at the moment. Everything felt surreal. Was she really sitting in the passenger side of Nathan’s truck, running for her life? Twenty-four hours ago she’d been a normal girl, someone who dreamed of a home and family. Someone who dreamed of meeting the one person who would love her above all else.

After Nathan, she wasn’t sure that person existed. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She’d been so positive that Nathan had been The One for her. She hadn’t wanted anyone else. She hadn’t been open to finding a replacement, either. All of the blind dates, endless dinners and soulless quickies that’d only satisfied a physical need but hadn’t come close to satisfying the emotional void that existed in her heart—they’d all been her desperate attempt to erase the one person who had done so much damage.

And now he was here again. Saving her life, supposedly. How did she know that he wasn’t simply a psycho who enjoyed playing with her mind and heart? There were people like that out there; she’d watched an episode of Law and Order where this guy pretended to be someone he wasn’t simply because he got off messing with other people’s lives.

Oh, God. Now she was considering conspiracy theories. Maybe she just needed food so she could start thinking rationally again. “I’m starving,” she announced. “Is food on your agenda today?”

“There was food back at the cabin.”

She fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

He sighed. “Yeah, we can pick up some food.”

Good. Apparently she didn’t need to remind him how peckish she became when her blood sugar plummeted. She thanked him with the tiniest pinch of gratitude necessary for his concession and returned her gaze to the dense forest surrounding them. He’d been right; she would’ve been lost and tumbling into a ravine if she’d struck out on her own. Damn. She hated how directionally challenged she was. Right about now she was wishing she’d paid more attention in school.

Silence filled the cab as neither seemed interested in attempting small talk. Not that she would’ve been capable of rambling on about nothing in particular. Her mind was a fractured landscape as her thoughts bounced from one thought to the other. Jaci didn’t know what was safe to think about, as each memory seemed suspect, or worse, painful.

Maybe she should’ve asked Nathan to drug her again. Blissful oblivion might’ve been a better option than this agonizing reality. She closed her eyes.

Please let this be over soon.

Chapter 5

“Hey man, what’s going on? It’s like the whole world’s been turned upside down and suddenly you’re the main characters in an Alias episode.”

Nathan edged past his friend George, not interested in having this conversation in the hallway. “What have you heard?” he asked, once George, a weapons expert who dabbled in conspiracy theories, closed the door and began the laborious process of flipping the intricate locking system he had in place. “What kind of chatter is there?”

George shook his head as he flopped into his swiveling chair that looked a lot like a throne encased in black leather, and immediately appeared distressed. “Something’s going down, man. Something big. When you told me to start nosing around I said, yeah, hey man, that’s cool. I don’t mind poking my nose where it don’t belong. But I think I’ve uncovered some serious shit. I’m talking movie-plot, James Cameron–grade, Hollywood-type espionage. Bourne-Identity—”

“I get the point,” Nathan interrupted, moving George along. “What’d you find?”

“You know that kill order you intercepted for your lady...”

“I’m not his lady,” Jaci corrected George stiffly, shooting Nathan a dark look. “We aren’t together. Haven’t been for two months.”

“Right. Whatever. Anyway, the kill order for your ex, well, it was supposed to go deeper than that.”

“What do you mean?” Jaci asked before Nathan could. “Deeper than what?”

“And that’s the question, isn’t it?” George replied with cryptic flair. He startled Jaci when he leaned forward suddenly but then eyed Nathan. “Whose cereal have you pissed in lately, ’cause this job was a twofer.”

“What are you talking about?” Nathan asked. “I saw the kill order—it was only for Jaci.”

“No, you saw the dummy order. The real order was a murder-suicide twofer. So, that makes me wonder, who the hell did you cheese off that they wanted you out of the way, and taking the blame for some heinous crime?”

“Good question,” Nathan agreed with a scowl. “Who indeed?”

“Are you telling me that someone in your own organization wants not only me, but you dead, too?” The incredulity in Jaci’s voice mirrored how Nathan felt, as well. The situation had soured more quickly than milk left out overnight in the heat of summer. “This is just fabulous. So, now, I’m not the only one with a price on my head for reasons unknown but the man who is supposed to protect me is also wanted dead by the very people who sign his paycheck. Fabulous. We’re so screwed.”

“Shut it down a minute, Jase,” Nathan warned, needing a minute to think things through. He looked to George. “Where did you find the real order?”

“I cashed in a few favors. I know a guy who knows a guy who heard some chatter in certain circles,” George answered, clearly proud of himself for digging up such a find. “But here’s the thing—my skills weren’t able to uncover where the order originated. Whoever created the order must be someone important because no one’s naming names if they want to live to see tomorrow. I know stuff like this happens in the movies, but in real life? Makes me glad I don’t trust no one and I’m armed to the teeth.”

“Focus, George,” Nathan muttered, thinking hard. “You might want to lay low for a while. You might be in danger, too, for poking around. Whoever buried this order isn’t going to be pleased that someone uncovered their dirty laundry. And if they have the skills to bury this order that deep, don’t you think they know how to follow your trail right to your padlocked door?”

George sobered and sat straighter, his gaze suddenly serious. “I didn’t think of that. Aw, man, I don’t want to move. Do you know how hard it was to find this apartment in a rent-controlled area?”

“George, you live in a run-down apartment building that was built in the ’50s. Let’s get real.”

“Yeah, but my neighbors don’t bug me and they mind their own business. You can’t put a price on that.”

“You can’t put a price on breathing, either,” Nathan pointed out dryly.

“Good point. I’ll keep my eyes open.”

“Anything else I should know?”

“Just that you might very well be screwed,” George admitted with a chagrined expression. “That sucks, dude. I wish I had better news. So what’s your plan? Leaving the country?”

“Leave the country?” Jaci gasped. “I can’t leave the country. I have a life here in this country. I have a job...I have...well, reasons to stick around like plans for the future and stuff like that.”

“Good luck with that,” George retorted. “The guy they sent after you? There’s more where he came from.”

“Who the hell do you work for?” Jaci stared in horror at Nathan. “The Mafia?”

“Worse,” he answered. “The government.” He dug into his pocket and pulled a few hundreds free and tossed them to George. “For your trouble. You didn’t see us and you haven’t heard from me, either.”

“No problemo, mi amigo,” George said, scooping up the cash. “Seriously though, dude. Watch your back. Someone’s gunning for you big time.”

“Thanks.”

George let them out and then as the locks slid back into place, Nathan and Jaci booked it for the truck. He’d been uncomfortable being out in the open before, but now he felt downright suicidal walking around in the light of day knowing a sniper could have them in his sights at any minute.

Hell, the situation just went from bad to worse.

Jaci was going to freak.

* * *

“A framed murder-suicide? Does that actually happen in real life? I mean, that’s a movie plot, not something that happens to real people who live normal lives with regular jobs like me. I’ve never even fudged my taxes before. Lots of people do it but not me—I’m terrified of being audited so I walk the line and give away gobs of potential write-offs because I don’t want to take the chance and now I have a killer, sanctioned by the freaking government, who wants me dead. Am I the only one who finds this remotely crazy to even consider as a possibility?”

Nathan shot her a look but otherwise didn’t respond to her frantic rambling, which only spurred her to ramble more as her panic hit a crescendo.

“What are we supposed to do? Pack up our lives and go on the run, changing our names every few months, living in rat-infested apartments so we can go off the grid? I don’t want to live like that. I can’t live like that. I can barely remember my social security number, much less a new identity every few months. I’d trip up and inadvertently give out the wrong information and probably get us killed! Oh, God. We’re living on borrowed time, aren’t we? Unbelievable. I was a good girl! I was honest and kind and compassionate. I donated to animal shelters and even adopted a village in Kenya because I read that five dollars a day could provide clean drinking water for an entire village and now...? I’m being hunted like a dog! Whatever happened to good karma? Surely I’ve banked a little by now!”

“Jaci!”

“What?”

“Take a deep breath and shut up for a second. I will not let anything happen to you. I promise,” Nathan assured her, gripping her chin and forcing her to look at him. If she hadn’t been bordering on a nervous breakdown, she would’ve slapped his hand away, but as it was she was trembling on the edge and needed someone to take charge and tell her it was going to be all right even if it was total crap. “I’m going to figure out what the hell is going on and I’m going to stop whoever is trying to kill us both. In the meantime, we’re going to hole up and lay low. Okay?”

She jerked a short nod as her eyes filled. “I don’t want to die,” she whispered.

“I don’t want to die, either,” he said, his mouth twisting in a subtle grin that did something undesirable to her insides. “Who says we never had anything in common?”

She wiped at her eyes. “Not funny.”

“Too soon?”

“Way too soon.” She pulled away. “So I’m guessing a trip to my apartment is out of the question.”

“It’s the first place they’ll expect you to go. Sorry. You’ll have to make do with what we can find at the cabin.”

“Fine.” She glanced down at her dirty skirt. “I can always hand wash what I’m wearing.”

Nathan eyed her skirt with open distaste and she bristled just a little. “You don’t have to look at me if I’m so offensive to your sensibilities.” She winced privately at the memory of his mocking her when he’d broken her heart. He’d had plenty to say about her long, coltlike legs. For the first time ever, he’d made her feel as if having long legs wasn’t something to be desired. She pulled at her skirt, trying to cover herself better.

“You’re not offending me,” he admitted, but his gaze said otherwise as it seemed he couldn’t bear to let his stare drift to her bare legs.

“Good, because I don’t really care what you think anyway,” she snapped before she could help herself. Okay, take a deep breath. Like it or not, Nathan was all that stood between her and some crazy person’s agenda, which included her death. “I’m sorry,” she amended. “My nerves are a bit jangled and I’m not myself. I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t have some unresolved issues about the way we broke up but I know that’s not important right now. I’m trying desperately to hold on to the big picture, but let’s just say that I’m not as emotionally mature as I’d like to be under the circumstances.”

“No need to apologize,” he said gruffly. “I get it.”

A man of many words. She bit her tongue to keep from snapping again. Here she was trying to be the bigger person and he was uttering small quips and sound bites. Would it kill him to express a deeper thought? Particularly when they were facing mortal peril? What if this was their last possible chance to share their feelings?

What feelings? A nasty voice reminded her. Nathan Isaacs wasn’t human. She settled her thoughts firmly before she completely lost control of her mouth again. Neither of them were overjoyed at being in forced proximity but both enjoyed breathing so they’d just have to make the best of things. She could handle being around Nathan for a short time, right? She’d just have to wrap her brain around the fact that he was her protector, not her ex-lover who broke her spirit and heart in one fell swoop.

And she’d also have to ignore the memories of what it felt like to be beneath all that straining muscle, clutching at each other like love-drunk monkeys.

Yeah, piece of cake.

Chapter 6

Nathan didn’t trust a silent woman—particularly one who had a history of being chatty. They’d returned to the cabin and Jaci had started to search for alternate clothing but the subtle frown etched on her brow told him her thoughts were elsewhere. Should he try and talk to her? Did she need to vent or something? The thing about being an assassin was that no one had ever accused him of being warm and sensitive. He pulled triggers for a living; he didn’t do touchy-feely unless it was of the naked variety.