High-Caliber Concealer (35 page)

“I want to run a line of det cord across the
driveway,” said Jenny.

“Sure,” said Z’ev. “If we had some det
cord.”

Jane pulled out the container of Super Silk
Shaving Foam and popped open the bottom. “Here you go,” she said,
shaking the det cord out into Jenny’s hand.

“Do we have remotes?” asked Nikki, peering
over Jane’s shoulder into the kit.

“I think so.” Jane began rummaging in the
kit.

“Good idea,” said Jenny nodding. “Meanwhile,
I think they’ll be placing their shooters over in the crushed car
section. I think Z’ev and I should be waiting in there, see if we
can’t flush them toward ya’ll.”

“It depends on how many people they bring
with them,” said Nikki. “And what kind of shape Donny is in. Even
if you flush them toward me, I may not be much help if I’m dealing
with too much fire power.”

Jenny nodded. “I thought of that. Jane, do
we have any of those Viper-12’s?”

“We have three. And I also have three
bottles of Rose Mist.”

“I can work with that. We’ll set up some
pinch points, and hit them with the Rose Mist.”

Z’ev cleared his throat. “Not to ask a
foolish question, but we’re going to hit them with a light,
refreshing body spray?”

“That’s 90% chloroform? Yes, we are,” Jenny
said.

“Works for me,” said Z’ev.

“Where do you want me?” asked Jackson.

“You’re going to be in charge of getting
Donny out of harm’s way. The sheriff will drive in. They’ll be in
one, maybe two cars. He’ll pull Donny out, and there’s going to be
some smack talk. I’ll hold up the thumb drive. He’ll say throw me
the thumb drive and I will. Hopefully, he’ll let Donny go at that
point. Once I extra, extra confirm that there are no other copies,
he’ll say something smart-ass, which will be a signal for his guys
to show themselves. When they don’t, there’s going to be an awkward
pause. That will be your moment, take Donny and head for the
freezers.”

“I would prefer it if there were some sort
of signal,” said Jackson.

“OK, I’ll say ‘eight seconds’ and then you
go.”

“OK,” said Jackson, nodding.

“After that, head for the Buick. Ellen can
cover you from there.”

“Sounds good,” said Jackson.

“And what are you going to be doing while
he’s heading for the Buick?” asked Z’ev.

“I’ll be hoping like hell that you and Jenny
will be covering me as I run for the cars.”

“I’m not sure I like this plan,” he
said.

“Do you have a better one?”

“Well, for one thing I can be the one to
make the exchange.”

“The sheriff doesn’t know you. He’s going to
be suspicious and on his guard if I’m not there. This will
work.”

“You could get shot,” said Z’ev.

“Meh,” said Nikki with a shrug.

“Meh? What the hell is meh? Getting shot is
not meh!”

“Well, no it’s not. I just don’t think I’ll
actually get shot. I mean, if Milt and Pedro are his right hand
guys I feel fairly confident that we’re not facing anyone who
spends a lot of time figuring out how to shoot straight. You know
what I’m saying?”

Z’ev opened his mouth to speak and then shut
it again. “I cannot believe I’m even having this conversation right
now. When this is over, you and I are going to have a long
conversation about,” he waved his hands in an all encompassing arc,
“everything. Come on, Jenny, let’s go sprinkle some fucking Rose
Mist around.”

Jenny hid a laugh behind a cough, took an
armful of equipment from Jane and hurried after him, shooting a
Nikki a sympathetic look as she went.

“What about me?” asked Jane.

“You get the Glock,” said Nikki. “Ellen’s
going to be our eye in the sky on this one, which means that we
don’t need you monitoring any computers or radios. You’re going to
be in the field.”

Jane’s eyes lit up. “OK, what do I do?”

“I want you to find a location out by the
road. You’re going to alert us to any cars that come, and once the
sheriff arrives, I want you to pull back and help cover Jackson and
Donny when they make a break for it.”

“All right,” said Jane, puffing up proudly.
“You can count on me.” She slid the make-up case closed with a
resounding snap and grabbed up the Glock. “Should I go now?”

“Yeah, go now. Jackson and I are going to
wait for your signal at the Fernandez house. Once you alert us that
the sheriff’s first team has arrived, we’ll pull in and pretend
like we don’t know they’re there.”

“What if they don’t send a first team?”
asked Jane, and Nikki laughed.

“They’ll send a first team. Don’t
worry.”

“I’m off to the Buick,” said Ellen. “Good
luck, everyone.”

Nikki nodded and gestured to Jackson to get
in the car. Taking a last look around the junkyard, she felt the
deep twist of fear in her gut. Their strategy was sound, they had
taken as many precautions as they could and she had every faith in
her team. Why was she so nervous? She watched as Z’ev and Jenny
disappeared into the crushed car section and realized that her fear
had nothing to do with the mission. Z’ev was an uncontrollable
factor in her life—always had been from the moment she met him. Was
she really ready to trust him?

Nikki and Jackson parked behind the shed and
watched the Fernandez clan pull away. The Impala didn’t receive a
second glance and Nikki couldn’t tell if it was because they were
so used to extra cars on their property or if they really hadn’t
noticed it. The sky across the river was dark with smoke and
Jackson watched it nervously. She figured it was probably better to
have him worry about that than it was to worry about Donny.

“So,” said Jackson. “This really is what you
do, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Nikki.

“Huh. I always figured you’d get some sort
of office job and marry a lawyer.”

“Some sort of office job? I got a degree in
linguistics, I speak four languages and you thought I’d turn out to
be some sort of secretary? Wow. Thanks for believing in me.”

“That’s not what I meant,” said Jackson.
“And you hadn’t even picked a major when I left. I just thought you
were more of an office person than an out-in-the-field person.”

“Guess you were wrong,” said Nikki.

“What I mean is that I always thought I was
holding you back,” said Jackson. “My interests were more
blue-collar and I wanted a job where I could be outside. I always
thought that if we had stayed together, eventually you would have
been embarrassed by me.”

“I would never be embarrassed by you,” said
Nikki, shocked. “Did you really think I was that shallow?”

“Not you, but the crowd you ran around with,
yeah. And your mom always pushing you up the social ladder didn’t
help any.”

“That is not fair. Judging me by Mom is a
total low blow.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Jackson. “But it sort
of creeps into your head.”

Nikki’s earpiece chirped. “Go ahead for
Nikki,” she said toggling the earpiece on.

“Sheriff’s first team has arrived,” said
Jane, sounding breathless. “They’re heading for the crushed car
section, just like you said.”

“Good. Jenny, are you and Z’ev good to
go?”

“Five by five,” said Jenny, her voice
hushed.

“Ellen?”

“All set,” said Ellen. “You are cleared to
move.”

“We’ll give them a few minutes to get
situated and then we’ll go in.” Nikki checked her watch. It was
6:15.

“How did you know that’s what the sheriff
was going to do?”

Nikki shrugged. “It’s not my first
dance.”

“So you really think we can get us and Donny
out of this alive?”

“Barring any unforeseen elements, yeah, I
really do. What, did you think I was stringing all of you along and
hoping it was going to work out?”

“Kind of.”

“What the hell? Are you crazy? Why would you
even go along with my plan if that’s what you thought?”

“I couldn’t think of a better plan,” said
Jackson with a shrug. “And your friends didn’t seem worried.
Besides, I figured I’d rather go down with you and Donny than a lot
of other people.”

“You’re crazy,” said Nikki.

It was Jackson’s turn to shrug. “We all
gotta die sometime.”

“Well, it’s not going to be today,” said
Nikki starting the car.

They pulled into Crazy Cooter’s and Nikki
pulled a u-turn, facing the car back up the drive. the rear end
pointing toward the RV / shed / office.

“Sometimes, I can’t believe that our parents
let us play here,” said Jackson. “It is like one giant tetanus shot
waiting to happen.”

“I don’t think they knew we played here as
much as we did,” said Nikki. “OK, remember, talk loud and look
confused and helpless. We’re playing to the cheap seats.”

“I don’t know that confused and helpless is
in my repertoire,” said Jackson.

“Shoot for sad and stoic then. I’m pretty
sure that’s in your repertoire.”

“What are you trying to say?” asked Jackson
as they got out of the car.

“I don’t know, how about the fact that you
were Mopey Emo Cowboy our entire freshman year.”

“I was not… There is no such thing as Emo
Cowboy!”

“That is what you say now.”

“Cowboy’s cannot be Emo. Their very essence
negates each other.”

“Mopey Emo Cowboy,” repeated Nikki.

“That’s not cool.”

“I call them like I see them,” said Nikki
laughing.

“I’m glad you came back,” said Jackson,
looking at her affectionately. “I didn’t realize how much I’d
missed you guys.”

“I’m just glad we get to be friends again.
Sometimes it feels like being an adult is all about losing
people.”

“Jeez, talk about Emo Cowboy. That’s super
depressing.”

Nikki shrugged and sat on the trunk of the
car. “I don’t know. Sometimes I think Val was right. Maybe going it
alone and looking out for number one really is the sensible way to
live. Can’t lose people if you don’t have people.”

“I don’t know who Val is, but that’s some
depressing bullshit. Stop listening to her.”

Nikki’s earpiece beeped again, and she
toggled it on. “Go for Nikki.”

“Second team is in the driveway. I didn’t
see Donny in the car. I’m pulling back to my second location.”

“Thanks, Jane.” She kept her eyes on the
driveway as she spoke to Jackson. “We’re on.”

“OK,” said Jackson. He shifted nervously
away from the car.

“You go when I say eight seconds.”

“Got it.”

“Stay calm. You’ll be fine.”

Jackson looked at her and she watched him
breathe out, watched the nerves leave him.

“Yeah,” she said, grinning. “You’re going to
be fine.”

She watched as the Sheriff’s car bumped down
the drive in his county vehicle, followed by a black four-door, and
pass under the archway of horns and bumpers. She paced out to the
middle of the parking space and waited with her arms folded across
her chest.

“Miss Lanier,” Sheriff Smalls said, exiting
the car. Milt got out of the passenger side, his eye still black
from his fight with Nikki. The second car pulled to a stop and
Pedro got out of the driver’s seat.

“So nice to see you again,” Merv said. “Mr.
Tyrell, I see you’ve decided to involve yourself in these high
jinks. I can’t say I think that was a smart decision.”

“Where’s Donny?” Nikki demanded.

“Mr. Fernandez was uncooperative. He got to
ride in the back.” He glanced at Milt, who sniggered. Milt snapped
his fingers at Pedro. Pedro glared at one of the rent-a-henchmen
he’d been riding with. Finally, one of them went to the trunk of
the four-door and opened it. Donny was dragged out. His hands had
been duct-taped together and he was sporting a black eye. He also
looked pissed.

Nikki’s earpiece beeped and she
surreptitiously rubbed her ear to turn it on. “First team has been
taken care of,” said Jenny. “You are clear to move.”

“You know, Miss Lanier,” said the sheriff,
“I don’t know why I’m surprised at the way you turned out. You are
Phillipe’s daughter after all. But I am surprised. You’re a lot,
well, harder than most women are. Are you sure you and I couldn’t
work together?”

Nikki’s earpiece beeped.

“I’m not here for a job interview,” said
Nikki. “I just want to make the exchange and get the hell out of
this town.”

“Yes, but you see, what concerns me is that
once you do leave this town, your friend is going to tell his other
little cop friends and then I’ll have problems. I don’t like
problems.”

The earpiece beeped again.

“Donny is a narcotics cop,” said Nikki,
raising an eyebrow. So much could be said with facial expressions.
“Do you really think this is the first… sticky situation he’s been
in? Or the first one that required a little discretion? Why do you
think we’re still friends after all these years? Don’t worry about
your little pot smuggling scheme. We’ve got our own plans to get
back to.” The wind was picking up. She could really hear it in the
trees down by the river.

“Little? I smuggle tonnage, sweetheart. I am
the direct Canadian pipeline from here to the heartland.”

Beep.

“Yeah, and if Congress ever passes
immigration reform your pipeline implodes.”

“Well, fortunately, we all vote Republican
out here, so that’s not going to happen now, is it?”

“Can we make the trade?” said Jackson. “I
hate talking politics.”

“The man has a point,” said Pedro.

Beep.

“Fine. You have the files?”

Nikki reached in her pocket and managed to
hit her earpiece with the other hand. “Yeah,” she said. “I’ve got
it right here.”

“Nikki! Get the hell out of there!” yelled
Ellen. “The fire has jumped the river!”

Nikki held out the drive and watched a
burning ember, drifting on the breeze, land on the ground at the
foot of a radiator being used to hold up a potted plant. A small
fire immediately started, licking up the sides of the radiator
consuming old chemicals greedily.