Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
NOW
The cabin in the woods was surrounded by glittering cop cars and ambulance lights.
The crisp night air nipped at Zoe’s skin.
The forest around her felt vast, with towering trees standing like silent guards.
She sat on a boulder, watching the paramedics carry out a body on a gurney, covered with a sheet.
She didn’t know if it was Jeff or Viktor.
She dug her elbows into her knees and stared at her hands. Flecks of dried blood were buried under her fingernails.
“Agent Storm?” a burly detective said. “We need to take your statement?—”
“Not right now.” Simon stormed out of a car, his coat swishing behind him and his eyes blazing. “This is FBI business.”
The detective rolled his eyes but Simon pulled him aside and whispered something to him, showing his badge. The detective flattened his mouth and shook his head, walking away.
“What happened?” Simon was on his knees in front of her, his eyes searching hers. When she shivered, he draped a coat over her shoulders.
“Jeff was a federal prosecutor. He sent me that riddle about Annabelle in Pineview Falls. But I guess Viktor Axenov followed me. He started shooting at us and the next thing I know…” She dropped her head in her hands. “Well, it was a shootout. He killed Jeff. I killed him.”
“Viktor from Red Trigger?” He lowered his voice. “Z, why the hell is someone from Red Trigger following you?”
She shrugged. She hadn’t thought this through. But now there would be an official investigation and inquiry and then a report. This was going to go on the books. An official record of her shooting Viktor dead.
Her scalp prickled. “Simon… this is a private matter.”
“What the hell, Z?” he said, aghast. “You call me and tell me you’re in a shootout and it involves a shadow organization and you expect me to just let it go?”
Her head was pounding. There was no time to think.
She just wanted to get out of here without the detectives harassing her.
An idea came to her. “It’s related to that undercover assignment in Lakemore.
I think Viktor was involved there and recognized me.
He was following me. Developed a sick obsession.
I have nothing to do with Red Trigger. Had no idea what it even was. ”
His eyes narrowed. “So he was just stalking you? A suspected hitman.”
Not just a hitman. A hitman dispatched to kill Rachel—who, ironically, was also a hitman. Zoe didn’t even know how to begin absorbing that information. “Yes. Hitmen can also develop an obsession with women. They have personal lives too, you know. Twisted fantasies. Bad dates.” She rambled on.
He let out a chuckle. “Jesus, Zoe. Trust you to try to make light of a situation like this.”
“Well, the thing is that because he’s involved in Red Trigger, I’m worried if word gets out that I killed him?—”
“They’ll come after you,” Simon whispered.
She nodded. “That’s why I called you. I’m not asking you to cover this up but… I’m just worried.”
His face hardened. “I’ll take care of it. Are you okay, though? Killing somebody isn’t easy. Even when it’s someone who probably deserved it.”
If only he knew just how easy Zoe had found killing Viktor. Power surged through her veins. A long-awaited satisfaction that made her blood sweeter. It felt surreal. She closed her eyes and relived that moment over and over again. The last bullet that went through his skull.
How his blood had sprayed like red mist behind his head. How his body had fallen to the floor with a thud. How his skull had cracked from the impact. Zoe wished she could forever hook herself into that moment and stay there. Keep breathing in Viktor’s last breath.
She’d killed the man that had murdered her mother. The outcome she chased in fights, that pain she sought, her unfinished business, it had all culminated tonight.
Her phone rang. It was Lisa. “Hey.”
“Agent Storm, are you coming to the station tonight?”
“Yes.” She gestured Simon to give her a moment. “I was running some lead.”
“Okay, because remember those shady transactions into Adam’s account? I just found out where they’re coming from.”