Chapter 32
Jack made an anonymous call to the police about Holly. She was an enemy of the state, but he’d rather the police get a hold of her than the other guys. He’d call Nick when they got to the safehouse and see if he had a contact that could intercept her.
They drove in silence for the next twenty minutes as Jack navigated through traffic to his safehouse.
He had one set up wherever he was assigned in case things went sideways.
When he saw the car pull up in front of Andrea’s house, he’d been worried about her even though she was now considered the enemy.
Maybe even an accomplice with her sister.
It hadn’t stopped him from jumping into his car and chasing her down. It hadn’t been that hard to find her. Her pursuers were not hiding their tracks. Then he’d heard the gunfire. He’d never been so afraid in his life for someone’s safety.
It had been a relief to find her alive, but then his stomach dropped when he saw her sister lying on the ground. It didn’t take a coroner to tell him she was dead. Jack had seen enough death in his life to recognize it when he saw it.
Jack pulled into a garage space and turned off the car.
“This is your safehouse?” Andrea asked, looking around the vacant space.
“No, this is the garage. There’s an elevator straight ahead that will take us to the safehouse.”
Jack got out of the car and waited for Andrea. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything was alright, but he knew she needed time and space. She was no doubt confused about what was going on and had just watched her sister die in front of her. She was in a delicate state.
Andrea stepped out of the car, her eyes still traveling around the space. It wasn’t the prettiest, but he hadn’t chosen it for looks. It was in a good location with multiple exit routes.
“This way.” He waved his hand toward the elevator in front of them.
Andrea walked forward, then had to stop to readjust. She held something in her fist, a phone in the other hand, and her grip on the gun she’d taken from her sister sat awkwardly in her arms. Jack doubted she had ever fired a gun before let alone held one.
“May I take that?” He indicated toward the gun. The barrel aimed right at Andrea’s stomach. He was willing to bet it was loaded. He wanted to reach for it and pluck it away before she hurt herself, but he didn’t want her more leery of him.
Andrea looked down at the gun, as if just now realizing she had it, then back at him. It twisted his gut, the look of fear in her eyes directed at him.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Andrea. I know you don’t have any reason to believe that right now, but you have a gun pointed at your body that is most likely loaded. Allow me to take it. Once we are upstairs, I’ll set it down where you can get to it. I’ll even show you how to use it if you’d like.”
Andrea stood in indecision a moment before nodding. He took the gun. It was an impressive piece. Colt .45 1911 with a pearl inlay on the grip and an engraved design down the barrel of scrollwork.
“It’s beautiful.”
Andrea didn’t say anything. He guided her to the elevator, and they rode up in silence. It was a freight-style elevator. The wooden outer door had to shut for it to lift up or down. One could see the shaft through the slats as it ran.
As soon as it stopped, Jack lifted the gate and stepped out, allowing Andrea to come in at her own pace.
Once again, she walked into the space silent but with her eyes taking in everything.
It was as sparse as his house had been since it was only a temporary space.
It was loft-style with floor-to-ceiling windows taking up much of the wall across from them.
A living room in front adorned with a couch.
There was a small kitchen to the right with a few cabinets, a fridge and sink.
To the left was a hallway leading to two bedrooms and a bathroom.
He didn’t have any women’s clothing since he hadn’t planned on company, but he had a few outfits he could let her borrow until he went to the store.
Jack walked straight to the kitchen and set the gun down, making sure to empty the magazine and clearing the barrel before leaving it unguarded. At least now it wouldn’t cause harm unless she knew how to load it again.
“Bathroom is this way, and you can use whichever bedroom you want,” Jack said as he moved through the space with efficiency to gather towels and clothes for her and put them in the bathroom.
“I’m afraid these are the only clothes I have here, but we can get you some later. Take as long as you need.”
Andrea ducked her head down and stepped into the bathroom. He winced hearing the clicking of the lock effectively shutting him out. Though he could unlock it if he so chose.
Jack stepped away from the bathroom to give her privacy and called Nick. He wasn’t going to be happy with the turn of events.
“Did you get a confession?” Nick asked without preamble.
“No, sir, a situation arose.”
“What?” Nick asked, his voice deadpan.
“An associate of the sister located them. They were pursued, and the mark was killed.”
“Fuck,” Nick hissed. “So we have nothing is what you’re telling me?”
“At this moment, no, but I have Andrea in my custody. I’m confident she knows something.”
“Meanwhile the sister’s body is rotting somewhere that could have information on it.” Jack was used to Nick’s course words. They weren’t meant to be cruel, but the sister was the enemy, so he didn’t have much care for her other than the information she could provide.
“I called the police to pick her up.”
“I have a contact in that area. They can get to the body and check it. Good thinking.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Do you honestly think the girl knows anything?”
“She’s distrustful, but she knows she doesn’t have many options at this point.”
“Distrustful? I thought you were close. Damn it, Jack, that’s what I sent you there for.”
“The sister must have said something to her, or she’s shellshocked.” He still remembered her words when he’d found her. And why should I trust you? He had a feeling the sister had said something, undoing his past two weeks’ worth of work. “I’ll get something from her, sir.”
“For your sake, you better hope so. Otherwise, you have been a goddamn waste of my time, and we are back at square one.” Nick hung up, leaving Jack with his thoughts.
Jack sat down on the couch, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck. His eyes strayed to the hall where Andrea was. He really hoped the sister had given Andrea something or that she knew what her sister had been up to; otherwise, he might not have a job after today.