Page 36 of Once a Killer

“I’m guessing he’ll be there,” Jameson answered immediately.

“I’ll take that bet,” Bree shot back.

He frowned at her. “That was quick.”

“I don’t think he’ll show up tonight. He probably figured out that I’m your bodyguard. It would be a logical assumption -- I show up right after an attack. I’m with you all the time. I’m not a girlfriend -- why would I go to work with you? I’m not a work associate -- why would I live with you? You’re pretty focused on your job. What else would I be?”

He frowned. This was completely outside his experience. His expertise. It was a problem he’d never encountered. “So how does he respond?”

“He’d try to find out who I am. He’d need a name or a photo to do that.” She scowled. “If he’s working for someone in your lab, he probably already has that.”

“If he knew who you were, would he be able to figure out your background? In the military and your agency?”

“I’m not sure -- that’s all classified. But who knows? Maybe he has connections.”

He pushed away from the table and walked to the refrigerator. “I still think he’ll be back tonight. Keeping tabs on you. On us.” He took out a beer. Popped off the cap, then saluted her. “To my future winnings.”

She laughed as she filled a glass with ice water. “I love that you’re so cocky about our bets. I stand to make a lot of side money on this job.”

He leaned back in his chair, took a long pull from the bottle. “Any requests for dinner tonight?”

“How about Mexican? Any good places around here?”

“Several good ones. What do you want?”

“Cheese enchiladas. And chips and salsa.”

“You got it.” He pulled out his phone and pressed the contact number for his favorite local Mexican joint. “Hey, Oscar, this is Jameson. I’d like an order of cheese enchiladas, four al pastor tacos and lots of chips with a few different salsas. And can you have Javy deliver it? Thanks,” he said when he got an answer. “Put it on the card I have on file. Thanks, Oscar.”

Bree raised one eyebrow. “You know the guys in all your local restaurants?”

“Yeah, I know the people at the places I order from all the time. I used to go into the restaurants. But after my near-accident with the monster, I started ordering out instead.”

“Smart,” she said. “Keep a low profile. Don’t give them any more chances at you.”

“Exactly.”

* * *

At two a.m., the alarm Bree had set beeped at her. She stood up and threw on a baggy tee shirt and a pair of loose pajama pants. Wrapped her holster around her waist and slid the Glock against her hip. Then she grabbed her night vision binoculars and eased her door open, inch by inch. She didn’t want to wake Jameson. Didn’t want a repeat of that middle-of-the-night intimacy that still played on a loop in her head.

She padded silently across the cool wood floor in her bare feet. When she reached the windows at the front of the apartment, she knelt where she’d been the night before. Teased the curtain up enough to wiggle the binoculars into place, then she bent and peered through them.

No black SUV parked in front tonight.

When she was sure it wasn’t parked south of the building as it had been last night, she moved to the other side of the radiator and inserted the binoculars beneath the curtain. Scanned the whole street, again, but didn’t see the SUV to the north, either.

She’d been right.

She sat back on her heels, staring at the binocs, wondering if he’d gotten that classified information and managed to identify her. How would that change things for Jameson? For the job? What would his next move be?

She took one more look, which confirmed that the black SUV wasn’t on the street. Then she looked at all the cars parked at the curb, trying to see if anyone was sitting in a different car.

Nothing. No one on the south side, either.

Standing up, she stared at the binoculars, thinking. An uneasy feeling shivered through her. Did he have a new plan? Was he going to try something different?

She’d need to be extra alert for the next few days.

---