Plain Sight Page 9

  Less than five minutes later, she came out with all the washing on hangers and hung them off the table after she repositioned it directly in front of the heater.

  I crawled into the sleep sack she handed me, and watched her prep her own bed. Once she was settled she turned the television down as low as it would go, and flicked the light off between the beds.

  “Vaughn?”

  “Yes?”

  “I always sleep with the gun facing the door. Goodnight.”

  She’d read my mind.

  Q: Still have OG plates?

  007: Yes. OG?

  Q: Cram it. Found my go-bag?

  007: Yes.

  Q: Good. Arranged new plate and registration.

  007: Excellent.

  Q: He’ll be at the QSL at 3X73+3J at 0700

  007: I hope they have bagels on the menu

  Q: Enjoy your steak and eggs.

  007: Don’t know how you eat that shit

  Q: With a knife and fork and ketchup

  007: Ketchup? On steak? That’s criminal.

  Q: Your point?

  007: Nice.

  Q: K and V are waiting for your contact today

  Q: 0900, V office

  007: Roger.

  Q: And Targets? So I can assure G’parents?

  007: Alive and well. Confused.

  Q: Next stop?

  007: Will verbalize.

  Q: KIT

  007: Will do, Q.

  Chapter Ten

  Bridget

  He was pissed.

  I had no idea why he was pissed but the look on his face told me he was really, really pissed.

  I’d brought breakfast back from McDonald’s after my visit to the Quaker Steak and Lube parking lot. Dylan had been in Heaven with his stack of pancakes.

  Vaughn, on the other hand, was quiet and ate his McMuffin, clearly furious. I was impressed that one could actually eat a McMuffin angrily, but there it was.

  I told them we’d leave after the phone calls.

  “Can I have my iPad?” Dylan asked.

  Even though he was pissed at me, Vaughn didn’t unilaterally say yes or no. He tipped his head at me.

  “You can, but you have to keep it on airplane mode at all times unless you talk to either me or your dad,” I said. “Deal?”

  “Deal!” he said, and pulled a pair of headphones out of his backpack.

  Vaughn turned it on and immediately turned the device to airplane. He handed it back to Dylan who was thrilled to be able to play his game.

  “I’m going to call in to Victor and my brother. If you want to make your call to Billings, do it now.” I looked at the door. “I will be outside this door if you need me.”

  “Don’t want me to hear?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I figured you’d want some privacy talking to your therapist.” I didn’t wait for his answer, and stepped out of the room. He was really in a pissy mood and I didn’t have to deal with it.

  I dialed my brother’s phone, and I almost didn’t need the phone to hear him yelling from Pittsburgh.

  “M-I-fucking-Six! Are you out of your fucking mind, Bridget!”

  Yeah. This was going to be fun. He was screaming in Irish already. I put the phone back against my ear. “Killian. Stop it. There’s nothing you can do about this. I was an agent for seven years, and now I’m not. Just stop freaking out.”

  “Do you know you could have been killed?” he growled.

  “Tell that to seven gunshot wounds I have on my person,” I said.

  “You what?” His words were strangled.

  “You think I didn’t get shot at all? Of course I did. I’m used to it. Also dislocated body parts, several broken bones and a couple stab wounds. Next.”

  “I have no idea what you just said,” Victor said in to the speaker, “But I have never seen a pale white Irishman go even more pale and white.”

  “Close to translucent,” Emmy agreed.

  “Are you safe?” Nolan asked.

  “We are for now. We’re going to have keep moving. I’m planning to head out toward Chicago.”

  “Why?” Emmy asked.

  “Well, I can’t go north. There’s a lake up there.”

  She chuckled. “I deserved that.”

  “Nolan, have you got anyone you know who can hack this shit and figure out what’s going on? Why they are after him and D. The guy literally just found a laundering scheme and there’s no reason why these guys should be after him for a simple launder.”

  “You know we don’t think it was a simple launder,” Victor said. “The accounts involved were for overseas. They moved our cash to partners in other parts of the world.”

  “Specifically,” Emmy said, “one partner we’d been considering terminating contracts with because of their ties to China and Sudan.”

  My heart plunged. “Sudan.”

  I could imagine her nodding.

  “Jesus Christ. Gun running.”

  “More than,” Victor said. “The drugs were cover, but they are still in play. We’ve been working with Interpol, the CIA, and the FBI once we realized what might have been going on.”

  “I’m pissed they took the security off Dylan,” Emmy said. “I would not have approved that. The security firm should have alerted us, and I would not have signed off on it.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Nolan said. “So yes, we have someone who is breaking and entering the right computers and is actually gainfully employed here so there’s nothing being exposed from Walsh-Tyndale.”

  “Thank you.” I took a deep breath. “The best I can do is keep moving us here and there. I have enough cash, that I pulled out before I left the vicinity, to keep us going for a few days. But we’re going to need to move some in a few weeks. Nolan…”

  “I can show Killian how to move it. Don’t sweat it.”

  “Thanks. Can I talk to Killian?”

  “What?”

  “Off speaker, Kay.”

  “You got it,” Emmy said. “Keep in touch, please.”

  “Do what you have to do to get the three of you back here in one peace, please,” Victor said.

  “You got it.” I smiled.

  The phone was picked up off the table and I heard the phone click off speaker and Killian walked out of the room. “Birdie?”

  “Deartháir,” I answered.

  “I could choke the fucking life out of you right now, Deirfiúr,” he sighed, picking Irish again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Well, partly because I couldn’t,” I laughed, “and even if I could, I wouldn’t because I wanted to protect you. I did a lot of stuff, Killian. A lot. And my hands are dirty. I didn’t want you to think you had to do something more than you’d done to protect me.”

  “I hated sending you to Dublin.”

  “I know you did, but it was the right thing to do. After Mom and Dad were killed and no one found their killers, all you wanted to do was protect me. And you did. And that’s all this was. Me protecting you.”

  “What happened that you got fired?”

  “That’s…not a story I can tell you on the phone. I’m still working though everything myself,” I said. “Just know that the guy who hired me was amazing, and the guy who fired me was arrogant prick.”

  “They’d be fools to let someone like you go, Birdie. Wait. Is this why you had my wife teaching you shibari?”

  “Another tool in the box, Deartháir.”

  “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.”

  “That didn’t sound too much like Aunt Katie.”

  He laughed. “Fine. Fine. I love you, Bridget. Keep your charges safe and come home. You need to be doing something bigger than just being a personal assistant. We can brainstorm.”

  “Love you, Deartháir.”

  “Love you, Deirfiúr,” he answered.

  I clicked the end button and leaned against the wall. I had never wanted to lie to Killian, which was why I never told him. I finished out school in Ireland and by that point I’d been recruit
ed and just stayed. The man who had killed our father and his mistress—who Killian and I loved like she was our real mother—had been found a few years before, and was now dead.

  I took a deep breath, and turned back to the door after one more look around to make sure that nothing was out of the ordinary.

  Dylan was on the bed, engrossed in his game, and Vaughn was still on the phone. He glared at me before he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door.

  Tapping Dylan on the shoulder, he pulled out his earbud and looked at me.

  “We’re going to get going as soon as your dad is off the phone, okay? I need you to help me pack up.”

  He nodded and put the tablet to the side. We folded up the sleep sacks and I showed him to look for bedbugs on them, and once they were clear how to put the go-bag back together. I had him repack his backpack and told him that we’d put his schoolbooks in the truck. The woman who had met me that morning with the new plate and registration had also given me a booster, so Dylan and I set up his wonderland in the backseat.

  Finally we were ready to go, and it was time to get the go-bag and get going.

  Vaughn walked out of the bathroom just as we were walking back in, and still looked pissed. I chose to ignore it.

  “Ready?”

  He nodded once.

  “Dylan, go pee,” I said.

  He ran into the bathroom and closed the door.

  “Do you want a shoulder harness or hip holster?” I asked.

  “What?”

  “You’re carrying a gun.”

  “I don’t have a license for concealed. Or any gun.”

  “Yeah, they also don’t have license to kill, but they will if they catch you. So. Hip or shoulder?”

  “Hip.”

  I pulled out the holster that would sit inside Vaughn’s pants at the top of the hip. I fastened it quickly and adjusted it so it wouldn’t poke him in the back, or inhibit his walking or sitting.

  By the time I had it fastened and had shoved the Ruger in the holster, Dylan was back out.

  “Did you wash hands?” Vaughn asked.

  “I just peed.”

  “Wash.”

  He grumbled and walked back in.

  “My son does not need to know I have this.”

  “You think I’m going to tote around a massive Beretta like that where your five year old can see it? That thing scares grown men.”

  “How do you plan to hide it?”

  “I have a shoulder holster. He won’t see it.”

  “He’d better not.”

  The water went off and he traipsed back out. “Okay, all done.”

  “I’ll get the bag, you and your father head out to the car.”

  Vaughn took his hand and they headed for the door. I pulled the curtain back and watched them walk to the SUV as I quickly put on the bigger shoulder harness. I strapped everything on and grabbed the bag and my purse, and slammed the door behind me.

  The screech of tires at the driveway jerked my attention there and as I did, I caught the man running between the cars toward Dylan.

  “Vaughn! Run!” I screamed.

  He might have been pissed at me, but he didn’t question me. He grabbed Dylan and ran for the SUV. He leapt into the back seat and slammed the door.

  I jerked out the gun and aimed fast. I hit the running man’s foot, which was not great since I’d wanted to hit his knee. Still it stopped him and I looked at the truck that had been skidding around the corner.

  The windows were rolling down and I couldn’t find a good shot from the second floor. I jumped the railing and landed halfway down the stairs, and then another railing before landing on the grass.

  I ran in the most direct line I could to where I’d be able to intercept them before they got too near to the SUV.

  This was going to be close.

  Darting out from between the two cars and into their direct path, I held up the gun.

  They weren’t interested in stopping.

  All of the muzzles I could see hanging out the window aimed forward.

  I shot the front driver’s side tire.

  They were still barreling at me.

  I took out the other front tire.

  Still coming. Fuck. I was going to need ammunition.

  Taking a dangerous minute to aim, I shot the driver right between the eyes.

  The truck made a hard right and slammed into two parked cars.

  Finally.

  The side of the truck facing me had two men climbing out. I shot one in the knee and one in the thigh. The third man, running around the back appeared with a Tec 9.

  Jesus Christ.

  He started spraying before he was fully around the corner, and now I could hear screaming from the hotel. Aiming, I shot the hand on the gun, and he lost at least two fingers as the gun jumped out of his hand.

  He ran for the loose gun.

  “Don’t do it,” I snapped.

  “Fuck you, bitch,” he growled, grabbing it.

  It really bothered me that this guy was not reacting to the fact that he’d just lost part of his hand and was only interested in getting that gun.

  “Don’t touch it!”

  He still didn’t listen and dove for it.

  One bullet, right in his brain. He dropped on the gun he wanted so badly.

  I looked at the other two on the ground, holding their wounds.

  Fuck. I hoped it was true that my license never expired. Turning, I ran for the SUV. I was glad I hadn’t changed the plate that morning. I jumped in the front seat and threw the bag and purse in the passenger’s seat. I started the engine and squealed out of the parking spot, away from the mess I had created and out of the parking lot.

  I drove at least a mile before I slammed my hands on the wheel in frustration and let out a scream.

  Dylan started crying.

  Fighting my instincts to keep screaming, I looked in the rearview and the poor kid looked terrified. Vaughn had the gun in his hand, though his son couldn’t see it.

  “Shit!” I screamed again.

  Barreling down the road, I finally found a side road I jerked the SUV down, and went on for another mile until there was a dirt track that I took. I only went as far as it took for me to lose sight of the road.

  I slammed the door open and jumped out, walking to the closest tree and punched it. I slammed my shoulder into it, and kicked it for good measure.

  “Bridget?”

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Are you okay?” Vaughn was standing in the door of the SUV, holding the gun loosely in his hand.

  “No. Frankly, I’m really not okay. That—” I pointed back the way we came “—was a fucking disaster. They were close! Too close!”

  He glanced down at the ground and back to Dylan. After he turned so his son didn’t see him holster the gun, Vaughn leaned against the side of the vehicle. “We’re still really close to Pittsburgh. We have to go further. A lot further. So that commands and manhunts take longer to disburse and can more easily be delayed and distorted.”

  I wrapped my arms around my middle, all the tension in my body practically making me vibrate. “Is Dylan okay?”

  “Just upset, he’s fine otherwise.”

  “We need to move. And move far. You’re right about that. I need to swap the plate on the SUV. I might have to think about finding a new vehicle if there were cameras. Damn it!”

  I tried to walk past Vaughn, but he grabbed my arm to stop me.

  “Wait. Hold on. No one followed us. Let’s take a minute here. We were ducked down in the seat, I have no idea what happened in that parking lot.”

  I stared at him. “Dylan. Headphones.” I slammed the door and moved him to the back corner of the vehicle. I kept my voice low. “What happened back there was an unmitigated disaster. I shot four men probably caused a hell of hospital bill. I killed two others and that’s going to bite me in the ass. I’m a little—” I pinched two fingers together “—fucked in the head right now and I’m trying
to figure out how to salvage this.”

  “You killed them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Just like that, yes?” He was horrified.

  “No, not just like that! I tried to stop them. I hit the wheels and they were still coming with guns out! I couldn’t stop the truck, so I had to kill the driver. And the other guy ran around with a Tec 9. Like who the hell has a Tec 9 to try to kill a target who’s better at manure than munitions!?”

  Vaughn

  I had no fucking clue what a Tec 9 was, but I was kind of reeling from the fact she had just put bullets in people. She’d killed people. And she was mostly composed and collected. Her demeanor, despite the screaming, was disarming and I had the feeling that was the way it was supposed to be.

  But right now, I could see she was having trouble not being in charge of exactly what had happened back there. I swallowed my feelings about her use of the gun.

  “Can you text Nolan for help? Like not to have him actually go there, but can you text him and tell him to see if he can help from a distance?”

  “Cleaners don’t work in this case. It was daylight and there were five of them as well as three wrecked vehicles.”

  “He can still help. What if there were cameras? Could he block and check those? Clear data if they have to.”

  She waved her finger at me. “Yes. That they can do. We’ll swap the plate, and get going. There’s nothing here that can help us figure this out.” Shaking her head and closing her eyes, Bridget looked very angry. “This is why we avoided running missions in the U.S. There’s so much fucking red tape and yahoo-wild west justice I’m terrified I’m going to get caught up in it, and can’t do shit about getting out from under it.”

  Spinning herself around, she opened the gate in the back and I saw the change of plates. “They are all good, with all the papers and plates.”

  I grabbed her hand. “Wait. Bridget.”

  “Hello?”

  It was a woman’s voice.

  “Is Doctor Billing’s available?”

  “Hold on.”

  The phone was muffled in her shirt and there was a bunch of fabric noises.

  “This is Billings.”