Page 119 of Wrecked
He didn’t answer at first, warning her she would not like what he was thinking.
“Tell me, Sam. I need to understand what is happening.”
“Remember when I was hesitant about the last intel drop you got?”
“Yes, I could tell you didn’t trust my guy.”
“Wrong. I believe you have an enviable resource, but I think we were right the first time when we believed Kovac had figured out that someone had hacked his system and was feeding you information. I believe Kovac set us up to be seen at the marina meet. Then when he lost his guy, Crusher, Kovac came up with a new plan.”
“I was played twice.” She shook her head, disgusted with herself. “I never gave him that much credit.”
“I don’t think Kovac came up with this second scenario. Based on what you’ve told me and him sending that first lone shooter, I think W must be involved now. That hit squad fits W more than Kovac.”
“I still got played and need to tell my techie to close up shop in case they can find him.”
“Maybe, but I don’t see W expending resources for so small a threat in his mind, but it still wouldn’t hurt to give your tech guy a heads-up when the time comes.”
All of this weighed her down. How many people had she put in danger? She’d never been one to quit or get beat down but trying to save Phoebe might be her greatest challenge.
If she failed, she’d live with the horror forever.
Sam stepped on something, hopped, then kept going. His voice remained low, a steady reassurance they were still safe. “Our team went to the arms dealer’s place to start tracking down the leak. Didn’t take long to figure out that was a dead end for us. Then we had to fight our way out. We were ambushed. Whoever sent killers to take out Esteban stayed to wait for us. That has to be W’s people. I haven’t figured out how W would know to send someone to stake out Esteban’s place. But that group would have gone back to the mansion and discovered just the three bodies of the guards.”
She could see that, but not exactly. “No one would have known I was there. They thought if they killed me that would be the end of anyone coming for Phoebe.”
“If W is doing business with Kovac and discovered your identity, which is easier than finding mine if they had cameras in the main house, which they likely did, he would have contacted Kovac to threaten him over sending you.”
“Kovac would deny it and tell them to do as they wished with me,” she replied, looking at his point logically.
“That could mean Kovac was trying to kill you to please W then needed help when his assassin failed.”
She’d been so careful, sure that she’d been written off as dead after that explosion in Venezuela.
Sam’s thinking was right. Kovac knew nothing about her or her life, but he’d have enough information to give a killer to find her. She used a second set of ID and credit cards she’d had Coop’s team create for her a long time ago.
The fastest way for an assassin to track her down had to be by using facial recognition to capture her in the airport.
She sighed and stopped.
“What?”
“If Kovac sent that killer, would he know by now the guy had failed?”
“Sure. The killer would have had to contact Kovac to deliver confirmation. So Kovac is pissing in his pants about you still being alive.”
She grinned. “That’s a lovely thought.”
“Come on, badass.” He took her hand again and moved around the far end of the building where pieces of light flicked in and out between trees. Sam whispered close to her, “Think we’ve found a parking lot. May not be the spot, but we’ll give it a look. We have to be silent the closer we get.”
Hallene moved carefully to keep from making noise. Sam could be a shadow with as quietly as he navigated unfamiliar grounds in the dark.
They covered another hundred feet and reached the edge of the parking lot. It was large enough for a couple hundred cars plus a row of long lanes for tour buses. Most vehicles had been parked neatly in rows starting nearest the resort building, meaning valets likely handled the parking.
Probably no one coming or going this late at night. Her watch was not working. Evidently not waterproof. She tugged Sam’s neck close to her lips. “Did your watch survive? How much time is left?”
Sam turned his head and barely whispered, “A little over fifteen minutes until the meet. I can see no other place for it to happen.”
Still speaking softer than the forest noises, she pecked a kiss on his cheek and said, “I understand. Let’s hope this is it.”
