Long Road Home(52)

Her mouth rounded into an “O” of shock when she read the name of the man she was supposed to kill. Senator Adam Denison. What was Northstar playing at? Did he know of Manny’s meeting with the senator? Of course he would. He had been monitoring their movements at all times. Her heart sank. It was further proof of the impossible situation she and Manny were mired in. There was no way out, no matter how hard Manny tried to save her.

She frowned. Manny had said the senator wanted to bust the NFR. Could it be that Northstar feared what the senator would find out if he delved too deep into the organization? It was one possibility. The other was that Northstar was retaliating for Manny seeking the senator’s help. A show of power and a sign to Jules that he owned her soul and could get to Manny any time he wished. Maybe it was both. So now, instead of removing a threat to U.S. security as her hits had been in the past, she would be assassinating a man who had the power to expose Northstar and his connection to the U.S. government.

She closed her eyes and replayed the last lines of the e-mail in her head.

Don’t think of backing out, Magalie. You wouldn’t like the consequences.

She opened her eyes and looked coldly at her reflection in the mirror. “What are you waiting for, assassin? You’ve got a job to do.”

She left the bathroom then went to the window to see if their babysitters still resided in the spot they had been in when she and Manny had gone to bed last night.

The same unmarked car sat across the street. She knew the two agents would alert Tony and Manny the minute they saw her, so first she’d have to make sure they were out of commission.

In this case, there wasn’t a whole lot of need for subterfuge. So she’d take the direct route and just approach the agents.

She let herself out the front door and walked across the street to the car. The street was mostly dark. The street lights were spaced far enough not to illuminate the entire area, but she could see clearly. The agents were either sleeping or they didn’t think she was a threat. Only when she was staring into the window did they see her.

She drew her gun and pointed it directly at the man in the passenger seat and motioned for him to roll his window down. He looked at her in shock but readily complied.

“Hands where I can see them, gentlemen.”

They both raised their hands.

“The radio, cell phones and any wires you have. Out the window.”

Reluctantly, they reached down and picked up a collection of cell phones, radios and other devices then pitched them out the window at her feet.

She stepped back then motioned with the gun. “Get out. Both of you.”

With exasperated sighs, they stepped out of the car, their hands still in the air.

“We were supposed to be protecting you, not protecting ourselves from you,” one of them said acidly.

“Your mistake,” she said with a shrug. “Now move. Around back.”

She prodded them around to the back of the townhouse. Out of sight of the street, which would be bustling with cars in a few hours. Once they were in the small enclosed backyard, she made them kneel down.

She could see the fear in their faces. Fear that she would kill them. In the past she would have. Would have killed anyone who could compromise her cover. But it didn’t matter. After today, there would be no need for anonymity. Manny would know who had assassinated the senator, and she wouldn’t be safe anywhere.

“Get it over with,” one of the men growled.

She struck him on the back of the head with the butt of her pistol. He slumped forward, unconscious. She registered the surprise on the second agent’s face seconds before she rendered him unconscious as well.

She put her gun away and hurried around front. She wasted no time getting into the agents’ car and starting the engine. She had two hours to collect her clothing and credentials, reach the target location and get set up for the hit. She wouldn’t think beyond that.

Manuel woke with a roaring headache and a swollen tongue. He stumbled from bed into the bathroom and stuck his head under the faucet to wet his mouth. After taking several long swallows, he turned the faucet off and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. What the hell kind of truck ran over him?

A prickle of unease raced up his spine as he processed the fact he had woken alone in the bed. He stuck his head back out of the bathroom to confirm that Jules wasn’t there.

He raced down the stairs, looking left and right into the living room and kitchen.

“Jules!” Damn it, she wasn’t anywhere to be found, and his head felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.

He went to the back door and flung it open to see if she was out on the small patio. What he saw made his blood turn to ice.

He ran over to the two men lying on the ground. He placed his fingers to the first man’s neck and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a strong pulse. After doing the same to the second man, Manuel determined he was alive as well.

After a moment’s hesitation, he ran back inside and up the stairs to retrieve his cell phone. He punched in Tony’s number as he ran back down to the unconscious men.

“It’s early,” Tony complained in a bleary voice.

“I need an ambulance,” Manuel bit out.

“What?” Tony’s voice lost any semblance of fogginess.

“The two agents. They’re out cold in my backyard. And Jules is gone.”