He slipped the papers into his pocket, started up the car, and raced past the guard on his way out of the small government complex. As he retraced his route back to Virginia, he thought about Connors in his little cage back there. Connors had taught Robie pretty much everything he knew. The man was a legend in the field of sanctioned assassinations. When he’d officially retired and Robie had gone full throttle, operating all over the world, he and Connors had lost contact. Yet Robie could still vividly remember the first mission the two had performed together. After the kill was done, Connors had kissed the barrel of his rifle. When Robie asked him why he had done that, Connors had replied simply, “Because it’s the only thing standing between me being here and me not being here.”
There were a few men who could not be bought under any circumstances. Shane Connors was one of them.
Robie made sure he wasn’t followed and zigzagged the last ten miles of his trip just to be certain.
He got back to the farmhouse early in the morning. Vance was awake with gun in hand and a serious expression on her face. Julie was asleep on a couch in the back room of the first floor.
Vance had seen the car pull up. “Where’d you get it?” she asked when he came into the house.
He held up the pieces of paper. “Same place I got these.”
As they stood in the doorway gazing at the sleeping Julie curled up like a cat on the couch, Vance said, “She didn’t want to go upstairs. I don’t think she wanted to be that far away from me.”
He walked into the kitchen. Vance followed.
They sat, looked over the names and current addresses.
“Three individuals. Two guys and one woman,” said Vance. “How do you want to do this? Split up again?”
“Don’t think so. They’ve been warned by Julie’s comments. They probably know what we’re going to do.”
“So they’ll anticipate we’ll go after these folks and they’ll be waiting?”
“Maybe something a little more efficient.”
“Like what?”
“Like maybe they’ll make all three disappear.”
“You mean kill them?”
“If they kill two, then they’ve done our work for us. They left the one who really matters. If they make all three go away, we’re in the same boat as before.”
Vance set her gun on the table and rubbed her eyes.
“You need to get some sleep,” said Robie.
“Look who’s talking,” she shot back.
“I’ll take the first watch. You can catch a few hours.”
“It’ll be eight a.m. You won’t go to sleep then.”
“I actually feel pretty rested.”
She squeezed his arm.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“Just checking to see if you’re actually human. Despite your ability to bleed.”
He said, “So we go after these people one by one, knowing that they’ll be waiting.”
Vance added, “So they really have the upper hand. Like you said, they could just make them disappear.”
“They could, except for one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“If they need one of them for some reason to do something.”
“Like what?”
“If I knew that I wouldn’t be sitting here trying to figure it out.”
“What do we do with Julie? We can’t leave her here. And it would be really stupid to take her on something like this.”
“It might be stupid, but I’m going anyway.”
They glanced over to see Julie standing in the doorway looking at them with sleepy eyes that still managed, at their edges, to look angry and even betrayed.
Vance said, “Boy, you’re really good at eavesdropping.”
Julie retorted, “It’s the only way I find out anything with you two.”
Robie said, “It’s dangerous.”
“What else is new?” Julie replied in an even tone. She sat at the table. “I’ve been shot at, nearly blown up, seen my parents killed. Chased on foot, chased by car. So really, your ‘dangerous’ argument falls pretty flat.”
Vance glanced at Robie and a smile tugged at her lips. “At certain levels her logic is awfully compelling.”
“So the logic is, since you’ve nearly been killed a few times, the smart thing is to put you in another situation where you’ll probably get killed?” said Robie.
“Don’t feel you’re responsible for me, Will, because you’re not,” replied Julie. She tucked her hair behind her ears and glared at him.
Vance’s smile faded. “Okay, you two, the last thing we need is to turn on each other.”
Robie said, “I am responsible for you. I’ve been responsible for you ever since we walked off that bus.”
“Your choice, not mine. I’m a victim of circumstance.”
“But you’d still be a victim.”
“I want to find out why my parents were murdered. That’s all. Anything more than that I don’t care.” She looked at Vance and then at Robie. “So don’t feel you have to care about what happens to me. Because you don’t.”
“We’re just trying to help you, Julie,” exclaimed Vance.
“I’m not your little do-gooder project, okay? Foster kid off the street you want to make all well and good. Forget it. That’s not what this is about.”
“You’re stuck with us, Julie, whether you want to be or not. And if it weren’t for us you’d be dead,” added Robie.
“I feel like I’m already dead.”
“I can understand that. But feeling dead and actually being dead are two totally different things.”
“Why should I trust anybody?” she retorted.
“I think we’ve earned your trust,” Robie snapped.
“Well, think again,” Julie shot back.
She stood and left the room.
Robie said to Vance, “Can you believe that crap?”
Vance stared across the table at him. “She’s just a kid, Robie. She’s lost her parents and she’s scared.”
Robie immediately calmed and looked guilty. “I know.”
“We have to stick together to get through this.”
“Might be easier said than done.”
“Why?”
“Events might conspire to tear us apart.”
“Events?”
“Your loyalty should be to the FBI, Vance. Not me.”
“Why don’t you let me decide that for myself.” She put a hand over his. “And me being here shows exactly where my loyalties lie, Robie.”
Robie stared at her for a moment and then got up and walked out, leaving a surprised Vance staring after him.
CHAPTER 80
Robie went out into the barn, uncovered a box on the workbench, and took out a pack of Winston cigarettes. He popped one out, lit it up, and put the filter to his mouth. He drew in the carcinogens and then exhaled them.
Lung cancer slow or bullet fast. What’s the real difference? Time? Who gives a shit?
He took another pull on his smoke, stretched out his neck. He took one final puff, ground the cigarette out on the workbench, and left the barn, locking the door behind him.
He stared up at the small farmhouse. There were two lights on inside.
One room where Julie was.
One room where Vance was.
He was separated from them by about fifty feet.
He was actually separated from them by about fifty light-years.
I am a killer. I pull triggers. I end lives. I do no more than that.
He turned and pulled his gun so fast she threw up her hands to shield her face.