Tomahawk (8 page)

She got to the trunk of her car, when he got out of his SUV.  He wasn't able to sneak up behind her with his large feet crunching into the snow.  She turned when he was no more than two feet away from her.  "Thank you, but I think I got it."  She had said and turned back to balancing a gallon of milk in one hand and an overflowing bag in the other. 

Helping her wasn't in the plan, but a woman that strong and independent didn't need to die in a car bomb.  He clamped one hand under her jaw and one arm around her waist and dragged her across the parking lot and shoved her toward his SUV.  And like he thought she would, she tried to scream. She kicked and bucked.  His training had prepared him for this. At the back of his car, out of sight, he punched her in the face.  Her small body jerked backwards hitting her head on the car door.  The girl didn't weigh more than a bag of air. He lifted her in the backseat and drove off.

Movement at the hotel door distracted his attention from the fun he had with Tonya last night.  It was the big guy Andrew, Victor’s teammate.  There goes the plan of going into the hotel room, guns blazing.  He did a swift head count. One was missing.  Oh, the tall blonde. She must be at Victor's house.  A smile slid across his face.  Victor should know by now that you never leave something so beautiful alone.

Chapter 7

"What the hell are you talking about?"  I turned and addressed my boss, Agent Kinney.

Tonya tightened her grip on my arm.  "How did he get in here?"  She was fully aware that the door locked once closed.

"He's good."  I said over my shoulder.  "Who else is dead?"

Turning my attention back to Kinney.  He simply smirked.  "Good afternoon, you must be Tonya.  I've heard only pleasant things about you.  My name is Special Agent Kinney. I'm Victor's boss."  Tonya simply nodded.

There was a knock at the door.  "Didn't know that we were having a party,” I said as I opened the door.

"Try answering your phone sometimes."  Drew barreled through the door.

Ryan was no more than two steps behind him.  "Tried to call you to let you know about all the company."  Looking around the room.

"Ms. Irvine, I have a few more questions for you.  If you wouldn't mind, do you want to go back into the room and we can talk," Stone said, taking a step closer to her.  I blocked him from making another step.  Stone rolled his eyes at me.  "Is this really necessary?"

Drew and Ryan stood on either side of me shielding her from him.  "Matter of fact, it is," Drew said, folding his arms over his chest.

"Guys, it's okay."  Stepping around the human wall, she followed Stone back to the bedroom.

After the door to the bedroom had closed, Kinney put his hand on my shoulder.  "Now I see why you were so broken when you came to work for me.  She's beautiful."

"What are you doing here?"  I looked back at Drew and Ryan. 

"Ryan, it’s been a long time.  Andrew it seems as though we have never met, but I know all about you," Kinney said, sitting down.

Drew pointed at Kinney.  "Who the hell is this guy, Vic?"

This was a nightmare.  "This is my, well our boss.  This is Special Agent Richard Kinney. He is our liaison with the CIA.  He is the guy that basically gives us our targets."  The room fell silent.

"So you are the wizard behind the curtain?"  Drew eyed the agent.

"Don't mind him.  He has some trust issues," I said.  "Now could you please answer me on why you are here. As you can see I am, a little tied up?"

Kinney had a way about himself.  He walked around like everywhere he stepped belonged to him.  I didn't necessarily hate the guy, but he had the uncanny way of getting under the skin of everyone that was around.  Kinney was not looking at me, but at Drew.  "I know you have some trust issues Andrew.  The way that your father treated you, your mother, and your sister. What man wouldn't?”

Ryan had Drew in a bear hug.  "What the fuck?  You don't know shit about me.  That shit in the file doesn't tell the full story."  Drew snarled.

"I know enough."  Turning his attention back to me.  "The reason why I am here, it looks like there are more than a few ghosts haunting you today.  Officer Hightower was found dead this morning.  Still had a cup of coffee in his hand before his head was nearly taken off."

In our business we know people, powerful people.  Kinney looked me in the face and he knew the officer's name didn't register with me.  "Hightower, God rest his poor soul was the officer that had the privilege of escorting our former president's son to his shit hole."

Shrugging my little brother off of his shoulders.  "That's why I came over.  I got a call from Manny, the kid was getting out today,"  Drew said.

Fucking ghost. "Mentik is out?"  The little bastard had ruined my life.  "Where is he?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but while driving here it looks like your old charge couldn't take life on the outside.  Slit his wrist."

"I'm sorry, Vic.  I know that once upon a time you loved that kid."  My brother shook his head, if he only knew that I took a since of pleasure in his death.

Clapping his hands loudly, shaking the room, Kinney stood.  "Well, I will see that your team will be put on what you would call a grieve-leave.  If there is such a thing."  Kinney walked past us to the door.  "You take care of that young lady in there,” he said, pointing to the closed bedroom door.  “If what I've heard is true, she has an uphill battle."  With that, we heard the click of the door close.

"What the hell?  The kid is dead?"  Drew's mouth fell open.  He wasn't tasked with guardianship over the first family.  Drew was the guy to make sure that every nook and cranny of the White House was secure.  My soul job was to make sure that the first son, Jacob Mentik, was safe.  I became his shadow, followed the young man, and kept all of his secrets.  I did my job too well.

The three of us were going through every detail of this God forsaken morning and afternoon in our heads.  Tonya, and all her misery.  Now Jacob. 

"Could this day be anymore fucked up?"  Drew asked falling back into the leather sofa.  "And that Kinney guy is an asshole.  Are you sure we work for him?"

"Sure as I'm standing here."  I didn't want to let Drew know that Kinney loved him.  Wanted him more than anyone to be on the team.  If I could recall, Kinney called Drew's reflexes cat-like and his force a step above brutal.  Right now, I was pretty sure that Drew didn't need those compliments.

The bedroom door opened.  "Thank you again, Ms. Irvine.  If there are any developments we will keep you in the loop."  Stone shook her hand.  "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to give me call."

"She won't need to."  Ryan said giving Stone a granite look.  "She's safe with us. Now, if you don't mind, I'm sure Tony would like to be left alone."

"Ryan."  Tonya stood next to my brother.  Her expression rose petal soft as always.  "You don't have to be mean. Detective Stone is just doing his job."  Standing on one tip toe she whispered in his ear.  "I think you should apologize."  Ryan turned, as if she had asked him for one of his testicles.

She gave him a nudge.  "I'm sorry."  He whispered not looking at Stone.

"Apology accepted.  Now I hope that I don't have to see you people again for a while.  I will be in touch."

Before Stone could close the door, I turned to Tonya.  "What did he say to you?"

"Damn, bro give her some room."  Ryan putting a hand on my shoulder, I shrugged it off.

"Did you remember something, anything?  Tonya it's important."

"Don't you think that I know that?  This is my life that we are talking about here.  And no, there was nothing new."  She cradled her broken arm.

I exhaled slowly and took a look at Ryan and Drew.  "Tell me everything from the beginning.  I need to know every single detail of what happened last night."

Ryan gave Drew a nod and the two started for the door.  "Wait.  You might as well stay.  Vic is going to tell you both everything anyway."  My men stopped and looked at me and I nodded for them to come back in the room.

Tonya, must have taken a robe out of the bathroom.  It was stark white, the collar pulled up to her chin as she sat on the sofa facing away from the three of us.

"Vic, you remember when you asked me was there anything strange?"

"Yeah.  What happened?"

She shifted all the way back on the sofa, her little bare feet barely touching the floor.  "There were things in my apartment that were missing or misplaced.  Like the remote control would be in my bathroom.  My student assignments not in my spare bedroom but in the kitchen.  Little things. I thought that I was going crazy.  It must have been him."  Ryan began to pace, his usual sign of rage.  The big guy began to twist in his chair, unable to keep still.  These weren't men that hear a story. They were briefed and heard the gist of things. Then they reacted.  They killed.  Like myself, it was peeling back a scab to a large wound.

I sat on the floor by her swinging feet.  I put my hand on her terry cloth covered knee.  "You have to tell me everything.  I know that it's ugly and it hurts, but you have to tell me." 

My brother stood next to me.  "Maybe we shouldn't do this now.  Give her some time to rest, get her thoughts together.  It's been a long day."  He looked at Tonya and smiled.  "And the baby solider here needs to lay down."

Grabbing my brother's hand.  "Ryan, it's okay.  Baby Solider is going to be okay."  She released his hand and it fell to his side.

"Tonya, just take your time.  You can start whenever you are ready."  She rubbed her little feet together and cleared her throat.

"It was Friday, so it was grocery day for me."  Her shoulders sagged.  "You all know that."  She winced.  "There was this guy behind me while I was putting my groceries in the car."  Her eyes were wide with fear. Her hands twisted at the tie of her robe. 

I put my hand over hers.  "Whenever you are ready."

"He pulled me or dragged me to his car."

"What type of car was it?"  Ryan said standing in front of the fireplace, trying to keep still.

"It was big SUV, dark color--black or dark blue.  Not sure on the make or model.  Then he hit me with his fist. I fell back.  Next thing I remember I was hog tied in the cargo area of the SUV."  I opened my mouth.  "I don't know how long I was out, Vic.  And I don't know where we were."  She took in a deep breath.  It was dark, so maybe an hour. I really don't know.  Then the car stopped.  I tried to get loose but the ropes were too tight." 

We all looked at her raw wrist.

"Then he opened the hatch.  I saw his face, then I knew that he was going to kill me.  I knew he wasn't going to let me live after I saw his face."

Ryan grabbed the stationary on the writing desk by the door.  "Describe him to me.  Everything."

"That's the funny thing.  He looked normal.  Average everything.  Shorter than all of you.  Maybe six foot, 175 pounds.  Dark brown hair, not a crew cut not long either.  Just close on the sides, brown eyes, white male.  Someone you would see and not pay any attention to.  Not ugly or attractive. Just normal."

"Face round or angled?  Nose wide or narrow?  Deep set eyes?"

"Rounded features.  He looked to be maybe in his early to mid-twenties.  Baby faced.  Wait, he had a dimple on his left cheek.  He smiled down at me."  Her body trembled at her own words.  "Perfect teeth, the way he spoke he wasn't a common thug or just a plain....rapist."

"What did he say to you to make you think that?"  I said with my hand over her shaking knee.

"He drew out his words.  But not like a southerner.  He wasn't from the East Coast.  I have a child in my class that talks the same way. He’s from Washington State.  They both speak very proper English. No slang."

"What did he say to you?"  I pressed on.

"He said that he was sorry for what he was going to do, but it had to be done."

"So we are looking for a psycho. He’s been stalking you, Tony," Drew said. All of us found a small sense of relief that we are narrowing her attacker down.

"He said that he would stop hurting me if I could answer one question for him."  We all took in a deep breath.

"Tonya."

She swallowed.  "He asked me did I know who and where could he find the Tomahawk."

Melissa removed her boots and placed them at the end of the couch.  Grabbing a throw that laid on the back of the sofa she put it over her lower body and closed her eyes.  There was no more information she could recover about this girl.  Her body and her mind were tired.  Exhausted to be honest.  Pulling the throw over her shoulders she drew her knees to her chest and exhaled.

She didn’t know how long she was out, but she heard the soft footsteps on the carpet before a shadow crossed her covered eyes. Withdrawing her gun, “Really?  You just don’t get enough do you?”

Taking his eyes off the gun and back at her.  “Glutton for punishment I suppose.  May I?”  Pointing at the sofa cushion that was occupied by her legs, she didn’t move.  “Well then.”  Grabbing her ankle jerking it till it was parallel to the floor. 

“You’re crazy; the gun could have gone off.”  She screamed half on the couch.

Pulling the legs up on his slacks, Kinney sat next to her.  “Well, if it had I would have fired you on the spot.  I don’t need an agent that can’t handle her weapon, and if you would have shot me I would haunt you forever.”  He couldn’t hide his pleasure in looking at the young woman.  He could only guess what was going on in the pretty little blonde head of hers.  But he knew it wasn’t unicorns and rainbows.