Wild Justice (Nadia Stafford 3)

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 f

riend 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?"

CHAPTER 49

The door opened as he was talking. The first thing I saw was Jack and my brain stuttered. There were people I could imagine sauntering into a standoff. Evelyn, for sure. She'd stroll into the room and throw her opponent for a loop and shoot him before he recovered.

But Jack didn't have the ego to take such an unnecessary risk.

That's when I saw the man behind him, with a gun pointed at the back of his head, and my brain didn't just stutter--it seemed to shut down altogether.

Not possible. Not fucking possible.

Wasn't it? Jack's been distracted. Off his game. Was it impossible to believe he was so caught up in worrying about you that he forgot to pay attention?

Yes. It was.

Koss laughed and I glanced over to see him watching me. Watching me react to Jack being brought in. Watching Jack react, his gaze down, ashamed.