Kade glanced over at Hannah to make sure she had taken cover. He didn’t know where the gunshot had come from, but he suspected whoever had shot at Renee was the same sniper who had taken out José.
He kept one hand on Renee’s head to make sure she didn’t put herself in the line of fire before he and Ace could neutralize the threat.
Renee shifted her gaze to him, clearly still trying to process what was happening.
“Gunshot through the window,” Kade informed her. “Stay down.”
“A gunshot?” she repeated, fear now creeping into her expression. “Was someone shooting at me?”
Kade rolled over enough to check the location of the broken window. He calculated the angle and confirmed his suspicions. “Yeah. You were the target.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, but she quickly blinked against them as though refusing to let them surface. He admired her reaction and was surprised by his own when he put his hand on her arm and said, “Don’t worry. He won’t get the chance to try again.”
Kade’s phone vibrated, and he pulled it free of his pocket. The message from Ace was simple and straightforward. Shooter across the street.
Kade drew his pistol and motioned for both women to take cover against the wall so they would be completely out of the line of fire.
“What now?” Renee dared to ask.
“Are either of you armed?” Kade asked.
Renee shook her head as Hannah responded, “I am.” She held up the weapon she had retrieved from the back of her waistband.
Kade drew his spare weapon from his ankle holster. “Do you know how to shoot?”
“Yeah,” Renee said.
“Here.” Kade handed Renee the gun and said, “If anyone comes through the back door, shoot them. I’m going to help Ghost clear the area.”
Renee released the clip of the semiautomatic weapon, checked to make sure it was full, and snapped it back into place.
Feeling a little more confident about Renee’s abilities, Kade crept toward the main entrance. With a final look at the two women, he pushed the door open and slipped outside.
* * *
The moment Kade left, any sense of security that remained disappeared. Renee gripped the weapon in her hand, her eyes focused on the door across the room.
Hannah shifted closer. “Renee, I am so sorry. I honestly never thought anyone would know you were helping me.”
The words sent Renee’s mind whirling. Several seconds passed before her thoughts caught up with her friend’s words and clarity crept into her brain. “Why would I be the target? If they’re after the guardians, why didn’t they shoot at one of them?”
“Maybe they didn’t realize we were the ones you were meeting with.”
“But how did someone find out I was here?” Renee asked.
“I don’t know. Probably through the GPS on your phone or your car.”
“That might be how someone knew my physical location, but how did they know to look for me in the first place? I only agreed to work with the guardians two days ago.”
Hannah appeared to be working through her own sense of shock. “I didn’t put in the request for your transfer yet, so it didn’t come from my end.”
“Could someone have traced our communications?”
“No. We only talked on the phone once, and I bounced the signal all over the world. And even if someone could break the encryption on our text messages, there wasn’t enough information to identify either of us.”
Renee listened for any sign of activity outside but heard none.
Silence enveloped the room as a minute stretched into two. She kept her weapon aimed at the kitchen door so intently the muscles in her arms trembled, the weight of the gun wearing on her. Realizing she couldn’t maintain her ready position indefinitely, she lowered her weapon but kept her hand firmly around the grip.
“Tell me about your suspect,” Hannah said, breaking the silence. “What was his name? Roland Sava?”
It took her a moment to overcome her state of shock and fear. As Renee tried to process Hannah’s question and formulate an answer, her heartbeat gradually slowed and the adrenaline rush subsided.
“He’s been with the agency for nine years. Before that, he did five years with the army.”
“And he’s a program analyst,” Hannah prompted.
“Yes. He’s worked most of his career in operations, including tours in Russia and Egypt.”
“When did the red flags start going up?”
“Last year. It was his first polygraph since returning from Egypt.” Renee tried to recall the details of the file, her attention now split between the lack of sound outside and her conversation with Hannah.
“If he really is involved, I have to think someone recruited him while he was overseas. The gambling problems apparently started about six years ago while he was still living in the States.”
“What are his skills?”
“He has advanced weapons training and speaks Russian and Arabic.”
Footsteps sounded outside, and her heartbeat quickened. She and Hannah lifted their weapons. They breathed twin sighs of relief when Kade pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“Did you find the shooter?” Hannah asked.
“No.” Kade didn’t offer any information beyond the single word.
The older ghost followed him inside.
“What happened?” Hannah pressed.
“Shooter was gone before we got there,” Ghost One said. “He must have taken off right after he shot.”
“Do you think he knows he missed?” Renee asked.
“Oh yeah,” Kade said. “Snipers are funny that way. They like to know if they got their kill.”
Renee was silent for a moment before she asked, “Now what?”
The two guardians looked at each other. Ghost’s eyebrows lifted as though he were posing a question. Kade scowled and shook his head. Ghost’s resolve appeared stronger than Kade’s because as the seconds ticked by, Kade slowly appeared to agree with whatever it was Ghost wanted of him.
Though no words were spoken, Renee suspected volumes were communicated in the space of thirty seconds.
Finally, the older guardian said, “I’m going to escort Hannah back home to make sure no one follows her. Ghost will go with you back to D.C.”
“Do you think I’ll be safe if I go home?”
“No.” Kade glanced at Ghost. “Looks like you’ll be staying with me.”
Renee didn’t know what she had expected him to say, but that definitely wasn’t it. “I don’t even know you.”
“All you have to know is that now it’s my job to keep you safe.”
Before Renee could protest further, the older Ghost intervened. “Renee, you’ll stay with him while he monitors your place. If we get lucky, he’ll be able to catch whoever targeted you.”
Hannah shifted toward her. “Let them protect you. We need your help, and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me.”
The sincerity in Hannah’s words swayed her. “Okay.” Renee retrieved her purse from where she had dropped it on the floor and withdrew her keys from the outside pocket. “Do you want me to follow you?”
“That’s another thing,” Ghost said. “Your car stays here.”
“What?”
Kade motioned to her purse and added, “And I’ll need your cell phone.”
“Why?”
“Because those are the two electronic signatures you brought with you. We need to make sure they can’t be traced to your new location.”
Recognizing the wisdom of Kade’s words, Renee dropped her keys back into her purse and retrieved her phone. “Let me at least write down some of my key phone numbers.”
“I can transfer your contacts.” Kade held his hand out and took the phone from her. After he powered it off, he stuck it in his pocket. “Let’s go.”
Feeling as though she were living in an alternate reality, she let her gaze linger on the bullet hole in the window. Her body still shaking from the residual adrenaline rush, she shifted the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “Lead the way.”
* * *
Kade still couldn’t believe he had been cornered like this. From the moment he had entered the guardian program, he had drawn a line between his personal space and the people he helped. For seven years, he had never crossed that line.
The footsteps sounding beside him reminded him of the woman causing the problem today.
He didn’t look at her, nor did he slow his pace to compensate for the six-inch difference in their height. Renee appeared determined to keep up, and he figured she might as well learn how to deal with him now.
He really didn’t like people, especially beautiful women who smelled like sunshine. At least Renee hadn’t found it necessary to jabber at him with a bunch of small talk.
His eyes continued to sweep the nearby buildings as he wound his way through downtown Richmond. He had parked his rig at a truck stop three miles away from their meeting place. With the crisscrossing pattern he was currently taking, he suspected his return route would exceed four miles before they reached their final destination. He hoped Renee was wearing comfortable shoes.
A flash of movement in a second-story window caught his attention. He reached out and took Renee’s arm, pulling her into the doorway of the nearest storefront as he kept the window in his peripheral view.
The curtain shifted again. Not willing to take any chances, Kade pushed open the door and escorted Renee inside.
Finding himself in a coffee shop, he guided Renee past the ordering counter, where several customers were waiting in line. He paused briefly at the restrooms and looked at his traveling companion to see a combination of confusion and anxiety in her expression.
“Follow me,” Kade said in a low voice. “If anyone says anything to you, ignore them.”
He continued past the restrooms in search of a back door. He pushed open a door, not paying any heed to the sign that said employees only, and walked into a small storage room. He closed the door and continued down a short hall. This time when he pushed open the door, it was a small kitchen where two employees were washing dishes.
Ignoring them, Kade walked past and led Renee out the rear exit and into a narrow alley. Satisfied that they could remain hidden for the rest of the block, Kade picked up his pace once more.
He was nearly to the road before he realized Renee’s footsteps had slowed and she had fallen behind him. He turned back to see her limping toward him.
His gaze swept downward, and he noticed the low heels she wore. Though they were probably on the comfortable side for women’s shoes, they definitely weren’t designed for trekking several miles at a time.
The tug of guilt caused him to scowl. “It’s not much farther.” He slowed his gait enough to let her catch up. A quarter mile later, they cut through a copse of trees that separated a residential area from the truck stop.
He made a quick scan of the area before he led her inside and motioned to the back of the convenience store portion of the building. “The restrooms are through there. It’ll be awhile before we stop again.”
Renee headed in the direction he’d indicated. He watched her go before letting his gaze sweep the interior again.
Two burly truckers in their forties sat at a table near the deli counter. Three others milled through the aisles in search of snacks.
His own stomach grumbled. He glanced at his watch. Two o’clock in the afternoon. No wonder he was hungry. He’d missed lunch again.
He approached the deli counter, ordered two sandwiches, and paid the tab.
When Renee emerged from the restroom a minute later, he handed her his paid ticket and said, “I’m going to the restroom. Grab our sandwiches when they call my number.”
“Okay.”
Kade left her at the counter and headed to the back of the building. He had a feeling this was going to be a long day.