Chapter 7 #2
“I have it covered.” Luke tossed a handful of passports onto the desk near where Knox sat. “Emergency IDs in case anyone ever tried to screw us over.”
“A contingency plan.” Knox nodded. “Good thinking.”
“They won’t know we’re gone,” Luke said.
“I, uh, think I have something.” Liam tapped at the keys on the wireless keyboard and approached the screen that occupied a large portion of the wall.
“I have a better angle of the shooter.” He zoomed in on the screen, and Asher could clearly identify Jessica, her gloved hands pressed atop the chest of the woman on the ground.
“That’s definitely Nahla.” His throat grew thick as he tried to keep his eyes on the screen. “Ara,” he corrected.
“Here’s the interesting part,” Liam said as Luke and Knox gathered closer to the screen. “See what the shooter’s doing?” He changed camera angles to offer different vantage points of the crime scene. “He took a photo of the victim, and then it looks like he’s getting a blood sample.”
Crime scene. Asher’s lungs burned again as he thought about Jessica. She’s tough, he reminded himself. He’d have to continue to repeat that thought if he wanted to keep it together.
Teammates had been in danger before, but this was Jessica.
Jessica was different.
“Someone wanted proof of death, especially since the blast would have destroyed her body.” Luke turned to face the guys when the footage showed the gunman dragging Jessica away—no one there to stop him. Moments later . . . the blast.
“If this guy was after Ara,” Liam began, “why’d he take Jessica?”
“Maybe he saw it as an opportunity. Ransom? Or pump her for intel about Ara?” Knox proposed.
“They left in a black BMW X3.” Liam switched to a different camera angle to show the man shoving her body into the trunk of the vehicle before the blast. “He probably ditched it, but this is what we have to work with right now.” He zoomed in on the SUV. No plate number.
“There are way too many black Beamers to try and isolate this one on any cams, but I’ll keep looking,” Liam said, disappointment in his tone.
“The guy killed two people in a public place. He could’ve taken Ara out at her home or somewhere less visible. Why’d he want an audience?” Asher voiced his thoughts.
“Same reason he took the blood sample and photo,” Liam said.
“Evidence the job was done? Worldwide attention? Plus, the blast sure as hell made a statement,” Asher continued Liam’s line of thought.
“He may have used the blast as a way to escape, too,” Liam noted.
Luke positioned his hands on his hips. “I want to know everywhere Ara’s been in the last few months. Every phone call. Message. Who she’s been in contact with . . .”
“I can think of maybe six or seven assassins who’d be willing to take someone out so publicly. Plus, the use of plastic explosives narrows it down even more,” Liam said. “Unless we’re looking at a new player.”
“Show me the list,” Luke said.
Liam deftly worked at the keys and brought up three images with a laundry list of known kills on screen. “The killer wouldn’t have used any known aliases to fly in, so let’s upload their images into Jessica’s program and see if any of them have appeared in Berlin recently.”
The room grew silent for a moment, and then Luke cleared his throat. “Hopefully, by the time we get to Berlin something will pop up.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket and gave a slight nod. “As soon as Owen gets here, and we catch him up, we’ll head for the airport.”
“Did we secure a safe house to work out of once we’re there?” Asher sat in front of his laptop.
They had a few locations set up around the world, but their office in Munich wouldn’t work for this op—and any site associated with their black-ops team would be off-limits since they were going on an unsanctioned mission.
“Yeah. My guy in Berlin pulled some strings for us, and don’t worry, he’s got our six,” Luke answered. “I’m going to call him and see if he’s heard chatter about any of our three assassins being in Germany.”
Asher’s fists settled atop the desk on each side of the keyboard as Luke left the room.
“You okay, man?” Liam came alongside Asher’s chair, his keyboard still in hand. “I mean, I know none of us is technically—”
“No. No, I’m not okay.” Asher’s eyes fell shut.
“There’s more you’re not telling us, isn’t there?” Knox asked. “More to the story between you and Jessica, at least?”
“Nothing that can help bring her back,” he said in a low voice.
“She’s stubborn as hell, and you know that better than any of us.” Knox’s words had Asher opening his eyes.
“I, uh, need a second.” He left the conference room before the guys could say anything else and went into the men’s room.
Bracing his palms against the counter, he stared at his reflection, his heartbeat pulsing in his ears, drowning out the sound of his thoughts.
Slow breaths changed to hard, gasping ones.
And then he dropped his head forward and pounded the marble as rage built inside of him, and his eyes blurred.
This was a nightmare. He felt like he’d been chucked over a high razor-ribbon fence. The sharp metal punctured every part of his body, and he was bleeding out.
The woman drove him nuts, but without her he wasn’t sure he’d be able to remember how to breathe.