Zane had just begun his search of the bedroom when his phone began to vibrate. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Carmen. That can’t be good.
He answered the call. “Yeah, what’s going on?”
“I think you’re about to have some company.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Someone just entered the building, and I think they may be headed your way.”
“You’re sure it isn’t just someone who lives here?” he asked.
“Negative. This person stopped at the back door and looked around before entering, like they were trying to figure out if it was the right place. It may not be anything, but I wouldn’t count on that.”
“Copy that. Do you have a description?” asked Zane.
“Not much of one. Shorter than average, but I wasn’t able to see their face.”
“Call me back if you haven’t heard from me in ten minutes.”
“Copy that. Over.”
“Oh… Carmen?”
“Yes.”
“Make sure nobody else came with them. If this is Renaissance, there's zero chance we’re only dealing with one person.” Zane ended the call and turned off the bedroom light. He didn’t have long, perhaps a minute or two at most, to prepare for whoever was coming his way. He thought it odd that someone had shown up at the precise time they did, although he was also fairly certain they hadn’t been followed.
After leaving the bedroom, Zane walked back down to the living room and looked around for a place to hide. As his mind ran over several options, he heard the distinctive ding of an elevator bell in the hallway outside the apartment. Whoever had entered the building was about to step out onto the third floor.
With the intruder only seconds away from entry, Zane saw something out of the corner of his eye and realized it was his only option. Turning off the lights, he backed into the coat closet next to the front door. He didn’t close the door completely, as he still wanted to have a view of the room. He also knew a cracked door would allow him to hear sounds coming from the main room.
After settling in, he pulled out the Beretta and disengaged the safety. He then pushed as far back into the closet as he could. If the person decided to open the closet door and look inside, that extra bit of concealment might be the difference between life and death. Zane heard the sound of jingling keys outside the apartment door. Soon thereafter, he heard the lock being turned and the door creaking open. The way in which the person was entering cemented the fact that it was an intruder. A cleaner or someone with the management company would have barged right in.
Once the door was pushed open, Zane could hear the soft pad of shoes as the person stepped inside. The intruder didn’t turn on the light but stepped carefully forward. Soon, the crack in the door darkened as the person paused just inches away from where Zane was hidden.
The operative quickly ran through his options. He thought of simply remaining in the closet to see if he could figure out what the person was doing there but quickly ruled that out. If someone was there to search the place, he or she would eventually make it to the closet, and Zane would have lost some of his advantage. He also thought of slipping out of the apartment once the person went into the bedroom and then joining Carmen to monitor things from the outside but ruled that out as well. He doubted he could open both the closet and then the outside door quietly enough to slip out unnoticed, which would again put him at a disadvantage.
As his mind began to coalesce around another idea, his decision was made for him. The closet door began to move. He wasn’t sure if the person was opening the door or fumbling for the lights, but he couldn’t take any chances.
Gauging approximately where the person must be standing, Zane exploded out of the closet. His body hit the intruder head-on, and they both launched across the room and into the table. Zane heard a loud grunt. There was something strange about the sound, but he didn’t stop to think about it as they spun around and fell back upon the floor.
In seconds, Zane had pinned his opponent to the floor. Realizing he had an advantage, he lifted his gun to make a blow across the head. His goal was not to kill but to render unconscious. Just as he lifted his arm, the intruder screamed, “No, please don’t hit me! Please don’t hit me!”
The operative froze. He hadn’t expected that voice.
Using caution, Zane grabbed both wrists with his left hand. He then set his gun down and pulled the flashlight out of his pocket. After turning it on, he frowned and pulled back, stunned at what he saw.
Staring up at him was Amanda Higgs.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“See, I told you I could survive out here with you guys,” Amanda said.
“You were a second or two away from serious injury,” Zane replied.
Amanda was seated in the kitchen. Carmen had pulled a chair up behind her, and was holding a large ice pack to the back of her head. Amanda’s fall had created a monstrous bump that was not coming down very quickly.
“He’s right, sweetie. You could have been killed,” added Carmen.
Zane leaned back against the kitchen island. “Exactly why did you come here? Carmen is right — you put yourself at serious risk.”
Amanda looked back at him without blinking. “I came because I made a promise to myself, and I always keep my promises. It may seem silly to you, but promises and commitments are very important to me.”
“And what was the promise?” asked Zane. “To find your father’s killer?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what it was. You don’t understand… For the first time in my life, my father and I were starting to get close. Our relationship was beginning to feel like that of a father and daughter.” Zane could see her eyes glistening with moisture. “Which means whoever killed my father took that away from us. They short-circuited the beautiful thing that God was doing. It’s something I had prayed about for a long time.”
“Look, if you truly want the mystery of your father’s death solved, and if you truly want his killer brought to justice, then you need to let us do what we do.” Carmen said. “Trust me, we will get this thing solved.”
“I’m sure you will. But I can help you. I know my father better than you do, and you’re going to see that I can hold my own out here.”
Zane rubbed his chin. “Let me ask you something. How were you going to deal with the men that were following you in London?”
Amanda had been staring at the floor but looked up at him after hearing the question. “What in the world are you talking about? What men following me in London?”
Amanda’s eyes widened as Zane recounted how the two men had followed him into the Tube after the meeting at Founders Arms. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have been killed or something!”
“Fortunately, your life wasn’t in danger that night. Their agenda didn’t involve harming you, at least not at that point. Amanda… I’m going to tell you something. I probably shouldn’t, but I’m going to anyway, and I’m asking you to keep this to yourself.”
“Of course.”
“I believe your father was killed by someone at Renaissance, or people connected to the organization. For what purpose, I have no idea.”
Amanda nodded slowly. “I’ve always thought they were the ones who were responsible for his death. But what does that have to do with me being safe that night?”
“Well, I wouldn’t necessarily use the word ‘safe.’ What I said was that you weren’t in danger of being killed by those men that were following you.”
“Why not?”
“First of all, they could have killed you from the moment you stepped off the plane, and they didn’t. But there is a bigger issue here, so let’s back up a bit. Renaissance is a multi-layered, multi-national conglomerate. They also apparently have a lot to lose; otherwise, they wouldn’t have dispatched some thug to murder your father on the streets of London.