Nick lay in bed next to Julie and wondered if she was asleep. He glanced over at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was only a minute later than the last time he looked. She was turned away from him. He reached over and touched the small of her back.
“Will you find him?” Julie’s voice came out of the dark.
Since she didn’t know about The Russian, he knew she was talking about Barzani. “Yes,” he said.
She took a long breath. “I believe you, Sweetie.”
A few seconds passed while Nick’s mind raced with dire thoughts. He needed to keep Julie safe, physically and mentally.
“Do you think they’ll be more after he’s gone?” Julie asked.
“No. His crew is the last cell they have here.”
“But what about others from Turkey?”
“It would take years to develop enough soldiers to infiltrate the states.”
“But …”
He knew where she was going. It only took one maniacal terrorist to destroy her world and take the father of her baby away from her.
“It’s a long shot, Honey,” he said. “There’s a better chance I’ll get hit by lightning.” Or killed by a Russian assassin, he thought.
His words seemed to hit the proper note, however, because he could sense her breathing slow down.
“You need to sleep,” Julie said.
“I have lots of needs,” he said.
Julie turned to face him. Even in the dark he could see her teeth smiling back at him. “Oh, really. Care to name one?”
“Yes. I have the insatiable need to feel your belly.”
This made her eyes twinkle as she pulled up her sleeping shirt.
Nick placed his hand low on her stomach. She was soft and warm. “I feel something moving.”
“That’s the chicken quesadilla,” she said. “I’m too early to be able to feel the baby.”
“Still,” he said. “A guy can dream can’t he?”
He felt her fingernails caress the inside of his thigh. He tried to turn, but his damaged shoulder kept him on his back.
“I’m a little immobile at the moment,” he said.
“The better for me to take advantage of you,” Julie said as she sat up and pulled off her shirt. A slice of moonlight cut across her naked body and exposed her smooth, shiny skin.
She straddled him, then leaned forward, her lips brushing against his ear. “You just stay right there, sailor,” she whispered. “I’ll do all the heavy lifting.”
• • •
“Who were those girls you were with?” Tommy asked Eddie as he drove the sheriff’s car down an empty two-lane road. Eddie was in the passenger seat pushing buttons on his phone with his thumbs.
“My sisters. I’m sending them a text right now,” he said. His bloody towel sat on his lap and occasionally he would place a clean spot to his nose to check for any new blood. The kid seemed to calm down once he was put in the sheriff’s car. As if it gave Tommy some legitimacy.
Tommy had only been driving a few minutes when a pair of distant headlights popped into his rear view mirror. The roads were extremely quiet, yet the car behind him didn’t seem to gain on him.
“I want you to do me a favor, Eddie,” Tommy said. “I want you to promise me you’ll throw that gun away.”
“Okay,” Eddie agreed too easily.
“Eddie,” Tommy said firmly. “I’m serious. Don’t tell me what I wanna hear. Carrying a gun will get you killed. Especially an unloaded one. You understand?”
Tommy glanced over at the kid. Eddie was nodding, as if to himself.
“Yeah,” Eddie said. “I understand.”
“Good. You’re not a bad kid. You’re just watching too many action movies. Start watching comedies, then go around impressing the girls with your wit instead of your unloaded weapons.”
“Okay,” Eddie said, then glanced down at a text message.
Tommy pulled out his phone and pushed a contact button.
After a couple of rings a breathless voice said, “Yeah.”
Tommy looked at the clock on his dashboard. 10:45 P.M..
“Nicky?” Tommy grinned. “You working out?”
“Very funny,” Nick rasped. “What’s up?”
“Well, I found Eddie Lister,” Tommy said. “He’s with me now.”
“That’s great. Does he know something?”
“I think so.”
“Bring him right over.”
Tommy checked his rear view again and saw the headlights keeping its distance. “Yeah, well, let’s meet at your office instead.”
“Something wrong?”
“Probably not. Just being careful. Go back to your workout and I’ll meet you there.”
Tommy ended the call, then pushed a couple of buttons and handed the phone to Eddie.
“Here,” Tommy said. “See the red beam?
Eddie looked confused. He aimed the beam at his feet. “What is this?”
“It’s a radar detector. I want you to turn around and aim it at the car behind us.”
Eddie twisted in his seat. “I don’t see any car?”
“I know, he’s back there a ways. Keep your eye out for him.”
Tommy took his foot off the gas and the car slowed.
“Who is it?” Eddie asked.
“I have an idea.”
The road was tree-lined and had gentle twists. A few seconds later a pair of headlights popped out around a distant curve.
“Okay, Eddie, point and read me the display.”
Eddie was on his knees completely turned, arms outstretched.
“Sixty-five,” Eddie said.
Tommy let the Sheriff’s car slow to a gentle roll.
“Keep reading,” Tommy said.
“Fifty-nine,” Eddie said. “Fifty-three … forty-four.”
“Shit,” Tommy muttered.
“Thirty-one,” Eddie diligently read the display. “Twenty-three.”
“That’s enough,” Tommy said, stepping on the gas. “Turn around and put your seat belt on.”
The kid listened. His voice got excited. “Are you going to outrun him?”
“Don’t be such a thrill seeker.”
Tommy got the car up to cruising speed again and scanned the shoulder for a place to park. Someplace he could get some quick cover. The headlights temporarily disappeared behind him.
“Hey, you like Coldplay?” Eddie said, browsing through Tommy’s phone.
Tommy snatched the phone from the kid. “Will you pay attention here? I’m trying to keep us alive.”
Eddie’s face turned cold. “You think the terrorists are in that car?”
Tommy frowned at the thought. “I’m not sure. I have an idea, but it’s not fun to think about.”
The sheriff’s car needed some suspension work because the chassis kept bouncing over the winding road like a boat over choppy water. As they swerved from side to side, the headlights came into view again.
“Hang on,” Tommy said, as he tapped the brakes and turned into a narrow gravel driveway. The path was lined with trees and Tommy just cleared a pine as he dashed down the driveway twenty yards before turning off the lights and skidding the car to a stop. He pulled out his gun and turned to Eddie.
“Keep your head down and stay still,” Tommy ordered.
He jumped out of the car and ran back up the path to the side of the road. There was very little moon out so Tommy was practically invisible as he crept between the pines, gun by his side. He was only a few feet from the road and tucked behind a large trunk. Even in the cool night air, he felt a trickle of sweat wander down his temple. He forced himself to take deep breaths and waited. And waited.
No headlights.
As he stood there contemplating his moves, he realized he wasn’t going to track this guy down by himself. Not in foreign territory. Maybe back home he could make a couple of calls and get some lookouts, but not here. Tommy slumped against the tree and shook his head. The guy was a pro, no doubt.
He waited for almost three minutes when a terrible thought entered his mind. He was dealing with a professional. Norm Jennings had appeared harmless because he had that mid-western, fair-haired look. Pale skin. Blue eyes. A mid-western look, but also a European look.
Maybe even Russian.