him. “What’s Jeff know that I don’t? Is he afraid Tasha’s going to convince me to join her, or is it something else?”
She narrowed her eyes, and suddenly turned her sharp gaze to him. “What do you know that I don’t?”
“Only the dead guys had no obvious connection to each other except they were all politicians. Jeff didn’t seem to know much more either.”
“And you believed him?”
“Of course not. But it’s not my job to question.”
“My gut tells me he knows something more. Or at least suspects.”
“Like?”
“Like were they all senators at the same time? Did they serve on a committee together?”
“Possibly.” Ben shrugged. “No doubt there’s questions that need answers, but I’m not supposed to solve the mystery. You’re supposed to do the brainwork. My orders are to go with you and bring Tasha back, regardless of her motivation, and I plan on following orders.”
She stared at him, anger radiating toward him. He imagined she was envisioning strangling him or something equally lethal.
“I’m not Keith, MJ,” he said quietly, taking a risk thinking the memory of her last assignment was holding her back from working with him. “And the safety of the world doesn’t rest on this assignment. I won’t betray you.”
“Just because you say so, I’m supposed to trust you?”
“Shoot me if I’m lying.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
“Does that mean–”
“Yeah, you can tag along. We can act like we’re dating. I doubt Tasha’s kept tabs on me to see if that’s true.”
“When are we leaving?”
“I’ll have to talk to Tex.”
“Give him a phone call, and we’ll head out in the morning.”
“No. I’m not going to call tonight. He and his wife are at the Christmas play rehearsal. And I have a valve job to finish tomorrow.”
“See you after work then.” Ben left the apartment, and opted for the stairs to relieve the tension of the evening. Traveling with a baby. He’d rather face a bullet.
Instead of going to the elevator, he turned to go down the back stairs. Though MJ had agreed to have him travel along, Ben made a planned stop in the parking garage looking for her car. He’d been in the business long enough to know better than to trust anyone as well, although his lesson hadn’t been as harsh as MJ’s.
He found her car, pulled the little device out of his pocket, slipped it just under the back bumper. That taken care of, he headed into the night air, to the front of the building where his truck was parallel parked curbside.
Darkness dropped the temperature sharply, and he zipped his jacket. The glowing street lamps showed the street was deserted. No doubt the town rolled up the sidewalks at sundown.
Ben unlocked the door on the dinged and rusty old Ford truck, dreading the next coming days. He opened the door, stepping to get in when a searing pain pierced his arm. He mentally registered the shot before he heard the “thump” sound of a silenced high-powered rifle.
He dove into the truck, scrambling for his pistol in the glove compartment.
A movement in a window in MJ’s apartment caught his eye. He aimed, ignoring the pain and blood he felt running down his arm. When an image came into focus, he realized it was MJ. Holding a gun.
Damn. Had MJ shot him?
Chapter 6
MJ, tempted to sink into a chair, sighed with relief instead. The emotions pummeling her in Ben’s presence left with him. Not allowing any time to dwell on her feelings, she pulled her focus to what she needed to be doing for this unplanned for—unwanted—trip. She went to her safe, unlocked it, and pulled out her Sig Sauer P220 she’d bought to replace the one Keith stole. She had no reason to use it other than the shooting range, but leaving after work tomorrow meant she needed to prepare tonight.
Chances were slim she’d fire a single shot, but she wouldn’t consider going on any assignment, no matter how tame or routine it