Sleight (22 page)

TAKE IT FROM me, it doesn’t matter how many violent movies or video games you’ve seen, witnessing someone being struck at full speed by a truck in real life is a shock, and disturbing to a degree that’s hard to describe.

Those stories about people getting knocked out of their shoes?

Yeah, that’s really a thing.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open, and for a moment my camouflage slipped. My need to escape and not be seen snapped it back in place in a heartbeat.

“Help! Help! Someone call 911!” screamed the doorman, his voice cracking. His breath puffed in small vaporous wisps in the cold winter air. He was down on his knees, hands pressed to the chest of the security guard. Steam rose from the wound while he tried to stop the flow of bright blood that was spreading on the guard’s shirt, dripping onto the sidewalk.

The delivery van had barreled into Silver, throwing him high in the air and into oncoming traffic in the other lane. The squealing of tires, screeching of metal on metal, collisions and horns blaring was deafening.

Then screaming from the onlookers started. Any thought I had of allowing myself to be seen vanished when several people emerged from cars and started pulling phones from pockets and purses. A woman had joined the doorman on the ground, trying to staunch the flow of blood from the bullet wound in the security guard’s chest. A small crowd materialized out of nowhere and several people held up their cell phones and started recording video.

Shaking badly, I started walking slowly, moving in the direction opposite of the one that Justine and Sawyer had taken.

Several mind-numbing minutes later I dropped my camo ansd stumbled onto a bus. The driver looked at me strangely as I slunk by and headed to a seat near the rear doors. As I sat down a woman sitting in the aisle across from me stared at my jacket, and then averted her eyes. I looked down. My jacket was smeared with blood and I remembered the head wound I’d suffered. As nonchalantly as possible I reached up to my head and felt for the gash that had been so painful less than thirty minutes ago.

Other than some crusty congealed flecks, my hand was unbloodied. And no pain. I couldn’t decide if that was good news or not. Keeping my head bowed I tried to be as inconspicuous and inoffensive as possible. I didn’t need anyone contacting the police about a kid covered in blood boarding a bus a few blocks from a multiple car accident and a shooting.

I changed busses three times which wasn’t necessary for travel but it allowed me to turn my jacket inside out and splash water on my head from a public fountain. The water was incredibly cold but it was the only easy choice for a quick rinsing. Afraid to touch my scalp again I just dowsed it with as much water as I could cup in my hands. The reversed jacket looked stupid and I’m sure the water made me appear bedraggled and sketchy, but at least I wasn’t a bloody mess.

I was reluctant to call Sawyer figuring that it would be all he could manage just to keep Justine in line, so I texted him that I was heading to Goodturn’s. I saw that my earlier text to Kenwoode had timed out and failed. We needed to come clean with him, whether it was comfortable or not. Constance would be able to help Justine and Kenwoode could reorient our plans around the mess we had just made. Sawyer didn’t text back. He was probably trying to keep a low profile too. If Justine was still out of it there was no telling what she might say or do.

Thinking about her made me groan. Danton was going to be seriously pissed that I’d been the one to find her again. I didn’t want to outright lie to him. But how could I tell him what had really happened? Answer: I couldn’t. Too many others would have their secrets revealed.

Making my way through the pawnshop and taking the elevator up to what I was sure was going to be a verbal butt-kicking I tried not to feel sorry for myself. Yes, I’d allowed Sawyer to talk me into doing something we should have cleared with Kenwoode, but we’d saved Justine from getting knack-sucked.

That had to count for something.

When I walked into the library they were all there. Justine was sitting on a couch next to Constance, looking more alert and content. Constance looked tired and pale. Sawyer and Brock were as far from each other as they could manage, while Kenwoode sat stiffly in a high-backed chair that had been pulled from a corner of the library. He broke off from what looked like a heated conversation with Sawyer to stare me down as I walked over and grabbed a seat.

“We’ve just been getting a debriefing from Sawyer on your visit to the Pike Place area. Care to further enlighten us?” The muscles of his jaw stood. I didn’t need to use my sensing ability to see how mad he was.

“We shouldn’t have gone off without consulting the team. I accept responsibility for that. But...if we hadn’t Justine might have ended up...” I glanced in her direction, a wide-eyed look on her face, “...she might have been in bad shape.”

His scowl deepened but he didn’t say anything.

“
Yeah
? You’re just as bad as
him
,” snarled Brock, jerking a thumb in Sawyer’s direction.

I held my tongue and so did Sawyer who was giving me a strange look. We knew we were in for some sort of dressing down and I for one didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. Then help arrived from an unexpected source.

Constance coughed lightly. “It seems to me that in this instance, the end justified the means. Other than establishing some rules for the future, I’d recommend giving these two young men a break.”

Hearing her defend us in my mother’s voice, albeit with an accent, made me feel strange.

“That’s right. If it hadn’t been for Benny who knows what would’ve happened,” chimed in Justine.

Kenwoode’s anger didn’t abate but he didn’t start in on me either. Brock was another matter.

“Preston, I’m about ready to bolt this op. If you can’t control these two kids I’m not willing to risk my neck.”

Shaking himself as if from a daydream, Kenwoode let out a long slow breath and checked off on me and Sawyer. “We’ll table this. But, the next unscripted behavior that takes place will result in me rearranging the players.”

“You think that’s gonna stop them?” scoffed Brock. “Why don’t you ground them and send them to bed without supper while you’re at it? This is all—”

“Brock you can leave anytime you want,” said Kenwoode in a low voice.

That brought the blowhard bastard up short. “
What
? Really? You’re going to just excuse them on this?” he blurted.

“You’re kinda full of yourself aren’t ya?” offered Justine who was looking decidedly less dopey.

“What?” spat Brock.

“People, please!” said Constance. “Decisions made in anger...” she made a point to not look in Brock’s direction, instead focusing on me, “...are seldom good decisions. Can’t we move on to another topic or reconvene when everyone has had a chance to take a breath?”

Narrowing his eyes Brock snorted, and folded his arms across his chest. He stared at the ceiling.

“Thank you Constance,” said Kenwoode. “Why don’t you tend to Miss Winters elsewhere. I’m afraid we’re out of bedrooms or I’d offer her a bed for the night.”

“She can use the room I was sleeping in,” I said. “If I’m back in my apartment there’s no reason Justine can’t stay there.”

Justine favored me with a Cheshire grin.

“No,” said Kenwoode. “You should be here. Everyone should be under one roof this evening.”

“She can sleep in my room. There’s a day bed in there,” said Constance. “Provided that she’s okay with that.”

“Better here than back home,” said Justine, offering Constance a smile.

“Good. Then ladies, we’ll see you later.”

Constance stood and offered a hand to Justine who waved it off and stood on her own looking pretty steady while she did it.

We all watched them leave the library. Glancing at Kenwoode I wondered if the tense conversation was going to resume without the girls being present.

“We’re going to be forced to move more quickly now that one of Sonja’s new hunters has been incapacitated,” Kenwoode began.

I had a bad case of dry mouth going on, but they all needed to know what had happened. “Uh, Mr. Kenwoode? I have some news on the hitman that you should know about.”

“Yes? What is that?”

As quickly as I could without leaving out too many details, I recounted the disaster with Silver when he had tried to get away. Sawyer looked green and I began to wonder why he had been asked to join this whatever-it-was. He seemed like a good guy but his impetuousness and nervousness didn’t mesh with Kenwoode’s obsession for precision and structure.

For his part Kenwoode nodded and listened quietly. Brock alternated between shaking his head, frowning and then smirking when I described Silver’s violent end.

“That actually couldn’t have worked out better,” he said. “He’s toast and any witnesses will only be able to report what happened to him.” he frowned. “Wait. How exactly did you avoid anyone seeing
you
?”

Now I had no other choice than to divulge another of my knacks to the group. Considering that both Sawyer and Justine had seen me invoke my camouflage I figured that it wasn’t really a secret anymore. I allowed my disguising knack to flicker on and off for a second rather than explain it out loud. I enjoyed Brock’s shocked expression.

“Interesting,” Kenwoode said. He leaned back and relaxed slightly. “We will have to change plans.”

Brock was still staring at me with a weird look on his face. Sawyer was sitting with his shoulders slumped, deflated and quiet.

Kenwoode continued, “Because the results of your ill-advised activity downtown ended in our favor we’ll move past debating your questionable judgment and try to capitalize on it. The assassin’s violent and highly visible death provides a temporary cover for Miss Winters’ escape, but if any details, video or photos of her and Sawyer leaving the area together should surface, Sonja will go to ground and become difficult to find.”

Glancing at Sawyer he continued, “Mr. Nance, you will try to use your skill with a computer to ferret out any media that connects us to the area.” Sawyer nodded.

“I was considering bringing in a few other associates from out of town to help us with this. People experienced in complicated operations,” Kenwoode added.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Brock crowed, clenching a fist and pumping it up and down.

“But I can’t. At least not at this juncture.”

Brock waved his hands in the air. “What? Why not?”

Favoring him with a cold stare, Kenwoode went on, “Because the network of Shades in this area might track my reaching out to associates. I tried to contact a local medical professional to assist Dr. Santome and haven’t heard back from him.”

“So what? One person doesn’t get back to you right away and you think we’re made?” Brock spat.

“Yes, I do. Because I made that phone call yesterday on a secure line. This contact has never failed to respond and always gets back to me within hours. Not days.”

Brock closed his mouth, cutting off what was probably going to be another complaint.

“And due to that development I am now concerned about anything we undertake that affects Sonja. She has been so recklessly active for so long that we must assume that the local Shade community is aware of her as well. If we take her out it has to be quick and clean. We need to move on her quickly.”

“When?” I croaked, my voice hoarse from talking so much.

“Tonight would be ideal but we need some information before we proceed. Early morning at the latest,” Kenwoode said.

“Good. I agree,” snapped Brock. As if there would be any doubt as to his opinion.

“What do you want me to do?” asked Sawyer.

“As I said, attempt to eradicate any evidence of you and Benjamin visiting downtown today, including your restaurant experience. And any information you can dig up on the other person she may have hired. Beside that I want the two of you to stay here. Brock and I will handle this alone. Have you brought equipment?” he asked, looking at Brock.

“Finally!” Brock said, rubbing his hands together, and standing up. ”Yeah, I’ve got my bag with me.”

Kenwoode nodded. “Excellent. Let’s collect your tools and plan this out.”

“What about the doctor and Justine?” I asked. The conversation was moving so quickly it made me nervous.