Page 102 of The Reluctant Siren
With new purpose he started walking toward the apartmenthe’d survived in for the last several months. He wouldn’t call it home. Homewas where they were.
The helicopter was getting loud, and he wondered if therewas some kind of police activity going. He couldn’t worry about that right now.All that mattered was getting inside his apartment and getting what he needed.Even though it sounded like the fucker was about to buzz the building. If thatwas a news chopper, they were going to get into some serious trouble because hecould see the way the trees in the front grounds were whipping from the guststhe blades made. He rushed to get to his door to avoid that wind.
He had his hand on the knob when he realized it wasn’tlocked.
A chill that had not a thing to do with the wind snaked downhis spine.
He had a security system but it was attached to his phone,which he’d dumped so they couldn’t track him. It wasn’t an expensive one, justa system that would have alerted him to someone going in. It would be easy toturn it off if one knew what one was doing, and he knew damn well Hamiltonwould have someone who knew how to shut off a system.
What he wouldn’t have is someone who knew where Jensen hidthe data. It wasn’t on his laptop or his gaming system. It was hidden in thewall behind carefully smoothed out wallpaper. No one would be able to see it.So if they came, they might still be here.
He was starting to move back, the wind whipping around him,when the door came open and Phil stood there, a pistol in his hands.
“I think you should come in, Jensen. It’s time we had atalk. Where’s the fed?” Phil asked.
Jensen put his hands up, letting Phil know he wasn’t holdinga weapon. Now he kind of hoped it was some kind of police helo flying over thebuilding. Not that they would be here for him. How did Phil know about Jack?“What are you talking about?”
He practically had to shout the question. The noise was thatloud, and then it began to lessen. The helicopter was moving away. Whatever itneeded to do seemed to be finished.
Phil’s head gestured to the apartment. “Get the fuck inside.This place is a hellhole, but someone might still call the cops. And I’mtalking about Special Agent Jack O’Malley. Little fucker tricked me. I neversuspected he was a fed.”
His stomach threatened to turn, but he moved into thedoorway because it wasn’t like there was anywhere to run. There was one pathout, and he didn’t think Phil would miss with those odds. There was nothing todo but hope Jack figured out something was wrong. Hands held high, he movedfrom the light into the gloom of his apartment. It was cramped and nondescript,with nothing of himself in the crappy furniture or neutral colors.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The only Jack Iknow is Jack Cameron, the bartender.”
Phil snorted. “Sure. Hey, Billy, go check the parking lot.If you see the fed, kill him.”
Jensen turned to try to get to the door. He could shout forJack to run, anything to warn him.
He heard a cracking sound and then felt the bite of a darthitting his skin, and then he wasn’t thinking about anything but how his everymuscle seemed to seize. He fell to the ground because his legs wouldn’t holdhim anymore. His head hit the carpet, and he shook and shook, the painoverwhelming him, and he thought for a moment his heart was going to stop andall he could think of was the last thing he would have done for the woman heloved was leaving her. Harlow might never find out what happened to him. Shemight never know the truth. That he wanted to change, wanted to be who sheneeded him to be.
After a moment the fire in his muscles ceased but theshaking didn’t.
“What the hell was that noise above us?” a deep voice asked.“It sounded like a helicopter.”
Jensen knew that voice, and if his muscles would move, hewould be on his feet ready to attack the bastard.
Cliff Hamilton stood above him.
“I don’t know. The traffic is bad today,” Phil said with asneer as he looked down at Jensen. He’d mistaken the gun in his hand. It was ataser, the darts connecting the two of them so Phil could send anothershockwave through Jensen at any time. “It’s probably the local radio station.They’re always reporting on the crappy traffic. They’re gone now and like Itold you, I made sure the surrounding units are empty during the day. No onecares what we do here.”
Hamilton stared down at him with deep-set eyes, a frown onhis face. “I want that fed dead. It was part of my deal. I need to present myfriends with a body. If I don’t, they can bring hell down on my head.”
Shit. They had someone inside the FBI. It explained how theyfigured out where he lived and that he was on his way in. Jack had called andtalked to several people on his team, getting things ready for the meeting thatwas supposed to occur this morning. But Hamilton would know all about it and bedone with him and on his way out of town before they had a chance to miss Jack.
“So this is the asshole who’s been following me?” Hamiltonwas a big guy, at least six foot five, with a dark beard and steely eyes. Hemight have been handsome if his depravity didn’t show on his face. “What thehell did I do to him?”
He didn’t even know.
“He probably can’t tell you. This thing is modified somewhatfrom its original state. It gives it a little kick,” Phil said with a chuckle.
Hamilton looked his way. “Then how the fuck is he supposedto tell me where I can find what he was about to hand over to the feds if hecan’t talk?”
That seemed to flummox Phil, and Jensen knew he had a shotat buying some time. He had to pretend to not be able to talk.
He wasn’t pretending right now, though. He was stillshaking, his gut churning. His knees knocked together, and he couldn’t controlthe way his hands clenched and unclenched.
“Uhm, I thought… He can be dangerous. Didn’t your contacttell you he used to be a soldier or something?” Phil asked.
