Chapter 3 #2
“He was set up by someone who needed to flush him out. Used his connection with the governor,” Dane said. Then he asked the key question, a bump in his heart signifying the moment of breakthrough sending a pleasant adrenaline rush through him. “Who called the governor?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say. The meeting got derailed once we were focused on the whole sniper thing,” Acer said.
“I see your comrades in arms do not share your talent for investigating,” David said, giving Dane an eye of approval.
Shana scoffed, “Don’t give him fuel for a larger head than he already has.”
Acer laughed.
David said, “I’ll talk with Peter when I get back to Boston and get to the bottom of the meeting and what it was about. It’s possible it wasn’t related, but odds are Dane is right and it may help lead us to who sent the sniper.”
“In the meantime,” Shana said, “how many snipers do you know with a grudge?”
“That discussion calls for another round of shots,” Acer said.
“After we brainstorm some names. Plug us into the old service records. We need to see who washed out and who had sniper skills and cross-reference them.”
“And who fits the physical description,” Acer said.
“I wouldn’t put too much stock in that—other than the unusual height. Hell, I don’t even fit the description from my old service photo. It’s been too many years—”
“Too many bullets under the bridge,” Acer finished their old saying.
Dane remembered Acer the way he’d been then, the way the man had picked him up off the ground and carried him the first leg of the journey back to their safe spot after Dane had been shot down. Melancholy threatened—probably the booze. He sucked in a sigh.
“Can you access the appropriate database from here?”
Acer pulled the computer in front of him. “On it, boss. Funny calling you boss, but if the shoe fits.” Acer turned to the keyboard and screen, and tapped away.
“Anything else?” Dane asked David.
“Yes, a couple of things.” David held up his glass. Dane poured him a shot. There was only a half a shot left. He looked at Shana.
“Go for it,” she said. “I’ll remain the calm, cool-headed one. We know I’m not a target after all. I’m only an honorary member of the unit.”
“Funny you should say that. It was one of my first concerns,” David said. “Of course Peter—the governor—claimed that was rubbish. If this were a grudge shooting against the unit, they would have started with him. Nevertheless we have Joe on high alert.”
Dane said to Shana, “Joe is the governor’s chauffeur slash bodyguard. Damn good at his job.”
“Let me guess—he’s from the unit.”
Dane couldn’t help smiling, giving in to her resigned attitude and having mercy on her.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. We’ll let the sniper know you’re one of us.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “What about Acer’s clients or more recent possible enemies?”
“I printed out a list,” Acer said, still intent on the computer screen. “Only one copy and it needs to stay that way. Very sensitive information.”
David pulled the list from his pocket and gave it to Dane. Then he turned to Shana and said, “I’ll switch seats with you and you can share the list.”
Dane noted the twinkle in David’s eye.
“Thanks a million.” She exchanged seats in spite of what he assumed was feigned reluctance.
Dane held the list in front of him, forcing her to lean close to see it. She leaned close so that her right breast brushed against his arm and rested there like a taunt. He felt his jaw muscle tic and realized his mistake.
He shifted the paper in her direction. She smiled, but didn’t take her eyes off the page.
She also didn’t shift her body position.
Dane simmered and tried concentrating on the list of clients, dates and short descriptions of the work, the results, and most significantly the amount of money he was paid by each.
He blew out a whistle. “Jesus H. Christ, Acer. Looks like you make more money than I do.”
Acer smiled from behind his screen, but didn’t comment. Dane’s suspicions tilted more to the likelihood of a client being behind the shooting. Acer had been responsible for more than one client serving jail time.
“What about this one?” Shana pointed her glossy cotton-candy-pink-tipped finger at the third name on the list. “He went to jail a while back and he could be out by now.”
“I don’t like him. Too old. Too much of a loser. We’re looking for just the right amount of ‘loser.’ I like this guy.” Dane pointed to the sixth and last name on the list. “Sebastian Whitaker of Bryant Enterprises. The son-in-law of the client company’s owner.”
“I like him too,” Acer said.
“You like him?” Shana said to Acer and then turned to Dane with a raised brow.
“I like the chances that he could be our guy. Worth looking into.” Dane scraped his chair back, escaping the warmth singeing his arm.
“I know what you meant by like.” Shana rolled her eyes. “Why?”
Dane took a beat to enjoy her exasperation and then shrugged his shoulders.
“If you don’t know, I can’t explain it.”
Shana popped up from her chair, knocking it backwards, flipped her middle finger at him and stomped into the kitchen.
Her backside swayed in a tighter pattern than usual, but the effect of watching her walk away was always the same.
Pleasure, a kick of adrenaline to up his heart rate, followed by an inexplicable plummeting of his mood and then, finally, a return to his cool calm demeanor, the one he’d counted on for survival ever since he could remember.
David looked at him with an eyebrow raise and expectation of an explanation, or maybe it was an expectation of an apology or other change in his behavior. Dane shrugged. Business as usual.
There may have been a glint of disapproval in David’s eyes, but he said, “I’ll dig up everything I can get about Sebastian Whitaker from the official files and you three can run with that ball until and unless we come up with anything more.”
“Like a connection between the shooter and Whitaker,” Dane said. He was hyper aware of Shana filling a glass with water at the sink and then taking her time sipping at it while she stared out the kitchen window at the harbor as if it held all the answers.
The only answer that lay there was escape.
That thought caused another tic in Dane’s jaw.
He stood and, without thinking, went into the kitchen and stood behind her, intimately close, and put an arm around her.
He felt her muscles coil under his touch as if she were preparing to strike—and he prepared himself for the possibility that she actually would.
“I’m an ass,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t let it get to you.”
She remained silent and still, unwavering in her stare out the window. He felt a roll of nausea in his gut.
Then Acer spoke up.
“Bingo. I got a guy—almost certain it’s him. A wash out with exceptional sniper skills.”
Dane and Shana turned to see Acer slide the computer monitor around to show them a picture and a document.
“Any current address?” Dane asked.
Acer shook his head. “Last known whereabouts was Maine. Up in the boonies.”
“Run the people search program. It’ll have more recent information if there’s any to be had.”
Acer smiled. The program was his. He’d developed it for his personal use and given Dane a copy too. No one else had it as far as Dane knew and it was a masterpiece.
“First I’ll replace the version you have with my latest.” Acer dipped into another pocket, slipped out a flash drive and plugged it into the USB port.
David shook his head.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s all legal,” Dane said.
David laughed.
Then the doorbell rang. Someone was at the front door. While everyone else froze in place, Dane spun and headed for the back door, picking up his favorite Glock from a kitchen drawer on his way by.
Shana said, “I’ll check the front through the blinds” and then headed for the front of the house in a low stoop, hugging the interior wall.
David gave him a quizzical look, checked his expensive watch again and said, “I’m sure it’s the meal I ordered, but I admire your precautions.”
Dane nodded and slipped out the back door which closed behind him without a sound.
* * *
Shana watched the front stoop from her vantage point against the wall near the front door side window.
A young man stood with boxes and bags and she was fairly certain he was the food delivery David spoke about.
But then it wouldn’t be the first time someone posed as a food delivery guy to get inside somewhere.
She remembered a time back in the day—back in Sydney.
Her thoughts were short-circuited by the sight of Dane looping around behind the unsuspecting boy and coming behind him with his gun drawn.
Dane must have said something because the boy jumped and dropped everything he’d been carrying when he spun around to see Dane with a gun aimed at his head.
His hands flew up and he plastered himself against the door. Shana could no longer see the kid.
She had a momentary pang, knowing that Dane would have no such pang and would treat the kid mercilessly, pat him down, make him pick up all the food and bring it in the house. Then maybe he’d pay the kid for the food.
Shana sighed and opened the door, practically causing the kid to fall inside. She’d almost been right. Dane stood there with the gun, but he wasn’t by himself. Another man with a gun stood directly behind him, aiming his gun at Dane’s head.