Kill Her Again

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They were on the elevator, somewhere between the first and second floors, when Pope made his move.

The twins had gone ahead to get the car, leaving Sharkey and Arturo to escort Pope out of the building, Sharkey ragging on him the entire ride down from the fourteenth floor.

“You gotta be the biggest fuckin’ fool I ever met. How long you been hanging around this dump, you don’t know what kind of hair-trigger the boss has?”

“Long enough,” Pope said.

“Damn straight. And bringing some FBI snatch into the building? That’s just plain stupid.”

Pope didn’t disagree.

But his stupidity wasn’t the issue at the moment. What mattered right now was extricating himself from this situation as quickly as possible-a feat not easily accomplished when the two men flanking you are skilled professionals.

Not that Pope himself was any slouch. There was a time when he had regularly tortured the speed bag and popped a few curls before heading into the office every morning. Always something of a natural athlete, he’d even taken the LVMPD up on its offer for self-defense training. And while nearly two years of debauchery had undoubtedly softened him, he felt confident that he still had some skills of his own.

Of course, none of this had taught him how to handle two thugs in an elevator, especially when your gut and left kidney felt as if they’d been assaulted by a jackhammer. But in the end, it was the elevator itself that saved him.

As Sharkey blathered on, Pope stood watching the numbers light up on the panel above the door-8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3-wondering when and if he should make his move. Then the elevator made it for him by suddenly jerking to a halt, stalling just before it reached the first floor.

That jerk was enough to throw all three of them off-balance. Taking advantage of the moment, Pope brought his elbow up quick, cracking Arturo’s nose with an audible snap.

The move was so uncharacteristic and unexpected that Arturo hadn’t seen it coming. He shrieked and grabbed for the damage, blood spurting between his fingers as Pope spun toward Sharkey and brought a knee up hard into his crotch.

Sharkey grunted and doubled over, sinking to his knees on the elevator’s well-worn carpet.

While all of this was happening, the car lurched into motion again, continuing its descent, and a moment later the door slid open at the ground floor, inviting Pope to flee.

Hands grabbed at him before he was able to clear the threshold. He jerked an elbow back again, half-expecting to feel the heat of Arturo’s knife sinking into his ribs. But the hands had a fairly good grip on him now and spun him around until he was face-to-face with Sharkey, who was still struggling to breathe.

As Pope tried to pull away, Sharkey slammed him back against the door’s rubber bumper and pinned him there, wheezily sucking air.

“Don’t… even… try,” he said between breaths, then reached around and jabbed the emergency stop button.

Pope stopped struggling, resigned to the fact that he had pretty much shot his wad. So much for all that time in the gym. It was only then that he glanced down at the floor and saw Arturo lying in a heap, out cold, blood pooling around his now-broken nose.

Pope knew he’d caused some damage, but this?

“Jesus. Did I do that?”

“Hardly,” Sharkey said. “I wanted some alone time.”

Apparently past the worst of his pain now, Sharkey released Pope, who considered bolting, but didn’t figure he’d get far.

“I should shoot you just for the knee to the ’nads,” Sharkey continued, “but I’ve never killed a civilian, and I don’t intend to start now. Especially one as pathetic as you.”

Pope looked at him. Civilian?

“Am I missing something here?”

“I could fill a warehouse with the things you miss.”

“So what exactly is going on?”

“What do you think?” Sharkey said. “I’m letting you go.”

Pope was flabbergasted. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“Does it look like we have time for a detailed conversation? Rumpelstiltskin here isn’t gonna sleep forever, and he damn sure won’t be happy when he wakes up. Let’s just say I’m not who you think I am.”

Pope ran that little morsel of information through his head for a moment, completely stymied.

Then it hit him. “Holy shit. You’re a cop?”

It was the only thing that made any sense.

“Just know this,” Sharkey said. “Our mutual benefactor is gonna be pissed when he finds out you’re on the loose. So you need to get low and stay low, because I can damn well guarantee he’ll be sending us after you. And God save you if he unleashes The Ghost.”

“What about you? Will you be okay?”

“I’ll tell him you hypnotized me.”

Pope smiled. “How do you know I didn’t?”

“Ha-ha,” Sharkey said. “Now get out of here, and don’t say a goddamn word to your FBI friend. I don’t want two and a half years of hard work blown because of some second-rate lounge performer.”

Pope patted his shoulder. “Thanks, Shark. Sorry about the balls.”

He was about to head down the hallway toward the rear exit when he suddenly realized he’d forgotten something. Turning, he went for the stairwell instead.

Sharkey said, “Are you outta your mind? What are you doing? I said get out of here.”

“The kid,” Pope told him. “I almost forgot the kid.”

Less than a minute later, he was pushing open his hotel room door. Evan was still fast asleep on the bed, but Kelly was curled up in the armchair, Pope’s pipe and lighter in hand, glazed eyes staring at the miniature Metamorphosis disco ball that sat spinning on the table next to her.

“These things really trip me out,” she said, then looked up at Pope, offering him the pipe and lighter. “You want a hit?”

Pope immediately crossed the room and snatched them away from her. “What the hell is wrong with you? There’s a kid in the room.”

“He’s asleep and I was bored,” she said. “You ever heard of cable? Books maybe? Magazines?”

She was twenty-four years old and all woman, but sometimes acted as if she were still sixteen. She’d never made a secret of the fact that she was attracted to Pope, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to close the deal. It just didn’t feel right.

“First,” he told her, “a kid’s a kid, asleep or otherwise. Second, you shouldn’t be rummaging around in my personal stuff. And third, I need to borrow your car.”

The last one threw her for a loop. “What?”

“Your car. Right now.”

“You’re kidding, right? You haven’t left this place in-what? Like a year?”

“Things change. And I’m in a hurry.”

“What about your car?”

“I signed it over to Troy, remember?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

“Hey, what can I tell you? I like breathing.”

Speaking of which, time was wasting. In his mind’s eye, Pope could see Arturo coming awake on that elevator floor. He needed to get the hell out of here.

Moving to the bed, he lifted Evan into his arms. The boy stirred, but didn’t awaken, instead laying his head on Pope’s shoulder, snoring softly against his neck. The move was so familiar and natural that Pope was immediately flooded by memories. He felt the heat of emotion rise, settling in his chest and behind his eyes.

Fighting to turn it off, he said to Kelly, “I really do need that car.”

She eyed him coyly. “And what do I get out of it?”

“How about a year’s worth of cable and a subscription to your favorite magazine?”

“Really?”

Pope sighed. “The key, Kelly. Give me the goddamn key.”

It was a fourteen-year-old Toyota Tercel with faded paint that had once been cherry red. She kept it parked in the employee section at the far end of the south lot. Getting to it was tricky, especially with the sky growing lighter and a kid in his arms, but Pope managed to make it without running into Sharkey and crew.

That could change, of course.

Glancing around, he popped open the passenger door, tossed a backpack in back, and carefully strapped Evan in. The boy stirred again, murmuring something Pope didn’t catch, then settled against the seat and got quiet.

Pope closed him in, then moved around the car and climbed into the driver’s seat, which he quickly adjusted for his longer legs. It was an odd sensation, sitting behind the wheel after so long. Especially in a car he wasn’t used to.

He was about to turn the key in the ignition when he saw headlights in the distance.

A Lincoln Town Car. About fifty yards away.

It could be anyone, but Pope knew the twins drove a Lincoln and wouldn’t be surprised if the alert had gone out and they were cruising the lot, aisle by aisle, in hopes of catching a glimpse of him.

He reached over, adjusting Evan’s seat back to full reclining position, then followed with his own. A moment later, the Town Car approached, moving slowly.

Did they know this was Kelly’s car? Had someone gone to the room and confronted her?

He’d find out soon enough.

Pope held his breath, listening to the low rumble of the Town Car’s engine as it came close, then, thankfully, rolled past. He was tempted to take a peek, see if it really was the twins, but he’d been foolish enough for one morning and saw no point in compounding his troubles.

Once it was gone, he waited a full minute before putting his seat upright again. Glancing around, he saw no sign of the Town Car. They must’ve headed over to the north lot. Quickly starting the engine, Pope shifted into drive and pulled away.

He was nearing the parking lot exit when Evan stirred again.

“… watching her,” he murmured.

Pope looked at him. The boy’s eyes were closed.

Talking in his sleep?

“… watching…,” Evan said.

Could he be dreaming about Kimberly? Was he remembering what happened? Pope reached over and gently stroked the boy’s forehead.

“What was that, kiddo?”

Evan said nothing for a long moment and Pope returned his attention to the road.

Then the boy spoke. More clearly this time.

“He’s watching her… been watching her all morning.”

“Who’s he watching?” Pope asked. “Kimmie?”

Evan’s brow furrowed, but his eyes remained closed. “No… Anna…,” he murmured.

Pope had no earthly idea who Anna was.

Another sister?

No. Wait a minute.

Wasn’t that Agent McBride’s name?

They were approaching the freeway now. Pope took the westbound on-ramp, heading toward Ludlow. If he floored it, he could be there in less than twenty minutes.

“ Who’s watching her, Evan? Who’s watching Anna?”

“The man,” Evan said.

“What man?”

Evan didn’t respond, his brow continuing to furrow as if he were battling some unseen force that was trying to prevent him from talking.

Then he said, “The man in the red hat.”