Wild Justice

CHAPTER 48

Jack’s curse whispered through the earpiece.

“You need me?” Jack asked.

“I’ve got it,” I said. Then I paused, so Jack would know I was really answering him, before continuing with, “My hands are going up, and I’ll walk to the table as long as you do the same.”

My heart was hammering, but there was no need for Jack to jump in. Not as long as Koss was willing to talk. I just needed a moment to get my mental footing. Get him talking. Give me time to regroup and refocus.

“I was wrong,” I said as we sat.

“Oh, I’m sure you were wrong about a lot of things. I presume you mean about who killed Amy.”

“I knew you did. I just misunderstood the circumstances. I thought you were pulled into it by Aldrich, partying with a couple of teenage girls, things went wrong, and it was all a terrible mistake.”

“I don’t make mistakes.” He leaned forward. “Who are you, Nadia? Who are you really? Not just some screw-up ex-cop hiding in the forest. That’s clear. What are you?”

“Is that why we’re having a conversation? Because I’m not the only one with questions?”

“I’m curious. As an expert in double lives, yours seems fascinating. Admittedly, I still haven’t confirmed what that double life is, but I have an idea. Am I correct in believing you’re armed?”

“I am.”

“With what?”

I said nothing. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if annoyed. Here he was, so clearly willing to communicate, and I was being difficult. My brain was still trying to reconcile this man with the Sebastian Koss I knew. I might lead a double life, and there might be sides of me that I hide from the world, but nothing like this.

“You came here to kill me,” he continued. “But there are so many easier ways to do it. Safer ways. You’re taking this risk because you can’t kill me until you have your answers. That’s rather pathetic, don’t you think?”

“This coming from someone who wants answers himself?”

He shrugged. “Mine is pure curiosity, and the moment I feel an honest threat, I’ll kill you, regardless of whether I have my answers. You won’t, because you need a reason. Once you have it, you’ll put a bullet in my brain.” He paused. “That’s what you do, isn’t it?

“I’ve never denied I killed Wayne Franco.”

“That’s not what I mean. What happened to the man you met last weekend, Nadia?”

“I met a few men last weekend. I was at my lodge.”

“This wasn’t a guest. It was a man sent to kill you. I don’t know exactly when you met him. Or under what conditions. Or the outcome. I only know that he went to see you and was never heard from again.”

“It’s beautiful country up there. Maybe he decided to stay.”

“I’m sure he did. I’m sure he’ll stay until he rots and becomes part of that beautiful country. And then there’s the matter of the man who hired him. A fellow named Roland. He’s missing, too. Do you know anything about that?”

“Nope.”

“Do you see the pages beside you, Nadia?”

I looked over. There were sheets on the table.

“Turn the top one over.”

I did. It was a blown-up photograph of one of the shots from the park. Jack and me, making out. My heart started to thump, but I told myself not to panic. I should have known there was a chance the hitman passed these along to his client before his death. And it was just a blurry shot of me kissing someone with his back to the camera.

“It’s a photo of me kissing a guy,” I said, so Jack would know what was happening.

“Do you recognize him?” Koss asked.

“Vaguely. I had a few drinks the other night. I picked him up in a bar. He was hot.”

I expected a reaction from Jack, maybe a chuckle. The earpiece was silent. Not really the time for jokes, I guess.

Koss flipped over the next picture. It was Jack and me walking into the park. A close up. Of Jack’s face. Without any disguise.

I tried not to react. Oh, God, I tried not to. I know I did. I could tell by Koss’s satisfied smirk.

It was all right. Sebastian Koss wasn’t walking out of this room alive, so it didn’t matter if he knew who Jack was, no more than it mattered if he knew what I was. He’d killed Amy. I was ready to put a bullet in him at the first chance I got.

Except I couldn’t. Not now. Because I had to make damned sure he was the only one who knew about Jack and me.

“Jack,” Koss mused. “A boring name, don’t you think? Particularly for a hitman.” He turned to the next shot, the one of me straddling Jack. “You don’t seem to find him boring, though, do you, Nadia?”

How do I play this? Dear God, how do I play it?

I treat it like an interrogation. I exercise my right to remain silent.

He shoved the picture in front of me. “Seeing this, I have to think maybe Drew’s dream wasn’t as crazy as I thought. It seems he did leave a lasting impression. You’ve developed a taste for . . . I would say ‘bad boys,’ but that sounds like punks who screw around and toke up a little on the weekend. This is a whole other class of bad, isn’t it, Nadia?”

I swore I could feel him tensed there, watching me hungrily, waiting for a reaction, for any flinch. I didn’t give it. If anything, I had to fight the impulse to laugh at the very thought that I’d see a link between Jack and Drew Aldrich.

“So how did it happen, Nadia?” he continued. “Did he come to take a break at your lodge? Needed a little R&R after blowing up innocent people? It’s a stressful job. But you know that, don’t you?”

He paused only a split second now, as if he wouldn’t wait long enough to give me any satisfaction.

“It wasn’t easy finding out who your friend was,” he said. “When you managed to outwit two hitmen and disappear a middleman, I started suspecting you had some experience in the field. It was a long shot, but it paid off . . . after employing all of my extensive resources and a good deal of money. I tracked down a rumor about a hitman and a woman he’d taken under his wing.” Koss glanced down at the photos. “Or maybe that’s not the right phrase.”

He looked over at me. “Is that what happened, Nadia? Your new boyfriend shows you a way to make some extra cash? You’re an ex-cop. You’re a champion distance shooter. You already had the skills. And you already had the experience, with Wayne Franco.”

I just sat there, letting him talk.

“I caught a lucky break the other night.” He paused. “Well, not so lucky, given that you’re still alive. And, I’m sure, not so lucky for that poor sap you killed. But before he disappeared, he sent me those photos. And after he disappeared, I passed them to my contact to confirm that this did seem to be the Jack he’d heard the rumor about. He also very helpfully told me where I could go for more information. Another middleman. The same one, it turned out, that I’d hired here in Chicago.”

Duncan.

He continued, “I tracked the old boy down, but he really wasn’t feeling chatty. Fled to his cabin. I followed. We had a talk. He didn’t give quite as much as I’d hoped for. A tough old bastard. Loyal to his friends. You don’t see a lot of that with these criminal types. Admirable, even if it didn’t help him, in the end.”

He fingered the photos again. “So I know who your friend is, Nadia. And I’m pretty sure I know who you are. Dee, that’s your professional name, isn’t it? Nadia—Dee—not terribly imaginative.”

A rap at the door made me jump. Koss only smiled.

“It seems we have guests. Should we invite them in?”