“Oh, shit.”
He’d radically changed his appearance. Different clothes, longer hair. A pair of wire-rimmed glasses. He’d even changed his walk.
But she’d recognize Vaughn anywhere.
The foul tang of betrayal churned in Essie’s gut. Damn it, she should have known better than to trust the word of a man who’d faked his own death. She’d bet every last dollar in her checking account that there was more than just water in those glasses. Poison perhaps, or a nerve agent designed to kill within minutes.
More likely than not, Vaughn had spiked both drinks for the sake of being thorough. In his mind, he only cared about completing his mission, and Petrov’s husband was nothing more than acceptable collateral damage. He walked away without a backward glance and disappeared into the restaurant.
Essie’s pulse pounded in her ears. She was too far away to shout a warning. There wasn’t enough time to reach the couple before one or both of them drank from the glasses.
That left her with only one option.
Jaw clenched, she raised her rifle and lined up the shot. She fired on the exhale, and one of the glasses shattered. To drive the point home, she fired another round, and the bullet tore into the wall not far from where the couple sat.
In the blink of an eye, the man sprang from his chair, hooked one arm around Petrov, and dragged them both to the ground. With his free hand, he flipped the table onto its side, using it to provide cover.
The sound of screams filled the air as Essie flattened against the rooftop. Staying low, she scooted away from the ledge, disassembled her rifle, and stored it in her bag. She drew a couple of deep breaths to settle her nerves, and then took the stairwell to the ground level and walked right out the front door.
The sound of approaching sirens drowned out all other noise. Essie slanted a glance at the restaurant as she passed, and some of the tension in her muscles relaxed at the sight of Petrov, safe and sound. Her husband had crowded her against a wall and was using the table and his body to shield her from danger.
The rain had stopped, but the air still felt heavy. Little by little, Essie’s pulse returned to normal as she walked a few blocks to where she’d parked her late model Honda. Petrov was safe. For now. With police arriving on the scene, Vaughn wouldn’t dare to make another attempt on her life. But with five million dollars on the line, it wouldn’t take long for him to try again. In all likelihood, he already had several backup plans at the ready.
And now that she knew his intentions, she felt a responsibility to make sure he failed.
Chapter 5
Trust no one. Verifyeverything. Expect the worst and you’ll never be disappointed. Those three simple rules had kept Essie alive for more than a decade of covert operations.
And yet she’d still been foolish enough to buy into Vaughn’s bullshit. Even worse, a tiny sliver of her clung to the hope that she’d overreacted and his motives had actually been noble. That he’d meant no harm to Antonina Petrov. That he merely wanted to get close to the target just in case Bazarov made a move.
Yeah, and maybe aliens would land on the fifty yard line at the next Super Bowl with promises of peace and a cure for cancer.
Lunch and a long drive to the coast and back had given Essie the opportunity to reflect. Losing Vaughn all those years ago had been hard enough. This time would be gut-wrenching. Sick as it sounded, she kind of wished that she still believed he was dead. Then her memories of him wouldn’t be tainted by the knowledge of the man he’d become. Perhaps he’d always been that kind of man, and he’d just been exceptionally good at concealing his true nature.
The possibility churned in her gut like a ball of razor wire. She’d looked up to Vaughn. Respected him. Most important, she’d viewed him as a father figure. Her biological father had failed miserably in the role, and she’d liked having someone who actually gave a damn if she lived or died. From day one, Vaughn had taken her under his wing, taught her everything he knew about the art of espionage, and watched her back while she rose through the Agency ranks.
Now he was just another disappointment. Like her family. Friends. Colleagues.
Jackson.
Essie forced the grim thoughts from her mind as she passed a truck hauling an overloaded trailer. Nothing good ever came from picking at old wounds. At best, they served as a convenient distraction, but most of the time they only poisoned her mood and made it more difficult to come up with a solution to her current problems.
At the red light, she slowed to a stop and fiddled with the channels on the stereo until she found an old favorite song from her high school days.
Rush hour was beginning to rear its ugly head, and it wouldn’t be long before traffic slowed to an inexorable crawl. It came as no surprise when her phone chirped with a security alert for her apartment. Took him long enough. Honestly, she would have been more surprised to find Vaughn waiting outside her door. Did he realize that she was responsible for ruining his plans? If not, he’d find out soon enough.
That’s when things would really get interesting.
Moments later, her phone rang—unknown caller. Fourth time in the last half hour. More likely than not, it was Vaughn, wanting to know why she hadn’t returned to the designated rendezvous point. They’d agreed to meet at her place after the op, but she’d needed time to get her head screwed on straight and figure out the best way to handle the situation.
Like the calls before it, she let it go to voice mail. Eventually, she’d have to deal with him, but she preferred not to do it over the phone.
Sure enough, as she pulled into the cul-de-sac for her building, she spotted a light shining from the living room of her apartment. At least Vaughn knew not to bother lurking in the shadows this time around.
There weren’t any unfamiliar vehicles in the lot, which meant she still had no idea what kind of car he drove. Knowing him, he’d parked at a nearby shopping center and walked the short distance here.
Essie backed into a spot by the mailboxes, shut off the car’s engine, and stared up at her apartment. The blinds by the front window moved a fraction, and then went still again.
