Double-Back (Jake Waters Book 3) (5 page)

Jim stared at the drawing and used his finger to trace the various loops as he worked out the sequence in his mind.

"So what about the snipers?" Jim asked finally.

"More of the same," Jake replied.  "When the kidnapping failed, they must have thought that somehow you caught wind of their plan.  They would be concerned and confused about how, and have taken time to ensure any leaks were dealt with.  Then they decided to take a different tack.  They would simply forgo the kidnapping and eliminate Susan."

"Which you said succeeded."

"That's right," Jake agreed.  "Once again you called me, and once I had the relevant information, I traveled back and brought it to you, although this time I came to Washington with the information.  We set up the trap, and according to my memories, we caught the shooters, one of whom was one of the four I recall from the pictures of the kidnappers."

"The man who you think can Back-Track," Jim said.

"Not necessarily," Jake disagreed, "but it suggests the same people are behind both actions."

"If someone Back-Tracked, how come you didn't get caught in the loop just like Jim and myself?" Susan asked.

"Because I immediately Back-Tracked again after we caught them.  I had a suspicion what might be happening, and I wanted to retain my memories, which meant I had to go back far enough not to be affected.  I hoped whoever was doing this wouldn't go farther back than necessary, and I believe I have been proven correct."

"How far did you go?" Susan asked.

"Not as far as before, but close to a month.  I wanted to minimize the chances Karin was right that longer Back-Tracking was having some effect on me.  A month felt safe.  I've done that before in the months since the long loop problem.  And when I came back, and relived the days again, just as before, there was no attempt."

"Wait a minute," Susan said.  "Something about this bothers me.  If you Back-Tracked, then you were back at an earlier time, it would be too late for this other person to do so.  If he Back-Tracked before you, then you would never have a chance to do what you did.  Whoever acts first, wins, or am I confused?"

"I think you are right," Jake said.  "What actually happened is probably far more complicated than I have explained.  I believe that I Back-Tracked, which preserved my memories, and when I reached the day of the shooting once again, Jim and I actually captured the culprits a second time, just as before.  After that, we probably locked them up and at some point their Back-Tracker realized what had happened, and then looped back.  That's when all of us, myself included, lost the memories of that last iteration and what we now all recall is the last attempt failing, because the shooters called it off after they learned from their Back-Tracker that we somehow knew their plans again."

"I'm getting lost," Jim admitted.

"I believe I see what you are getting at," Susan said, her eyes pinched somewhat in thought.  "This has got to be the only time you have experienced what the rest of us always feel with your looping.  Events that happened are gone.  But if this is true, and there is someone out there with your ability, what's to stop them from going back far enough they can loop around all of your memories and redo this so none of us know what really happened?"

"That's the key question," Jake agreed.  "I was lucky the first time to be outside the loops this person is making, so still have most of my memories of events.  I think that's because this person doesn't know I exist, and can't see the reason to make his loops larger."

"Are you certain his abilities match your own?" Jim asked.

"There's no way to know," Jake admitted.  "I think we have to assume they are similar, with the same kinds of restrictions, but that doesn't have to be the case.  We don't know what gave me the ability, and whether someone else could be stronger or more capable."

"This is not good at all," Susan said.  She continued to think about the problem.  "Assuming all this is as you say, if this person were to loop back farther than you already have, they could eliminate all of our knowledge of what has happened.  It's imperative they don't learn about your existence, or they could loop back before you had reason to be cautious, and have you killed.  You are a great risk to them.  Once they eliminated you, they would be free to act as they want.  Damn it, Jake.  We need to find this person and somehow stop them.  I had forgotten just how dangerous someone with your ability could be if they wanted to misuse their gift."

"I don't think it wise for me to attempt to go back farther," Jake said.  "You recall the issues I had the last time.  Karin was already convinced the most recent trip might have been too far and was responsible for my misremembering events."

"I think your current belief is the more likely case," Susan said.  "Especially since your recent loop wasn't as large, and you claim the same thing happened."

"How would we find him?" Jim asked, "especially without revealing Jake has the same ability."

"That's what we need to figure out," Jake said.

Natalie Rineri stepped from her bedroom into the large, expensively furnished living room of her fashionable apartment in one of the more desirable areas of Washington, DC.  It was morning, late for her if she'd been going to work, but she'd taken a couple of days off, so she could afford to linger.  She was alone, which meant Jeff and Paul had had more difficulties than they had planned when they left the evening before.  She hoped whatever had prevented their return wasn't serious.  She'd expected Paul at least, to return at some point.

Suddenly she felt cold.  All she wore over the thin panties was an oversized T-shirt, which wasn't up to the task of concealing or warming a surprisingly curvaceous body on a slender and fit frame.  She stepped back into the bedroom and grabbed a robe she'd discarded the night before when she'd crawled into bed, in which she now wrapped around herself, hugging her arms around her chest after belting the garment in place.  She was cold, and it wasn't because of the temperature of the room, which she always kept comfortable.  She felt a little sick to her stomach with the remaining dull pounding of the headache that had settled solidly into the base of her skull.

Her bare feet sunk into the rich carpeting as she made her way to the large window at the front of the main room.  The sun shone golden through her rich blond hair as she pushed aside the thin sheer curtain that masked the view outside.  The sun was high enough to shine into the room, and the street outside showed the early morning bustle of those who were hurrying off to their day's activities, be it work, or school, or in some cases early shopping.  She spotted Angie, making her way back from the fresh bakery she visited every morning with a bundle that was certain to contain bread and a number of still warm muffins.

Today looked to be another very nice one, with the sky clear of clouds and the already sun bright in the sky.  It was spring, and the oppressive heat and humidity of the Washington summer was still weeks away.  Of course, Natalie had known what kind of day it would be, but despite the cheery look there was an ominous overtone to the morning she couldn't set aside.  It was due to far more than the absence of her brother and her lover who had set off together late the evening before.

She let her eyes roam the street all the way to the distant corner, scanning the sidewalks and the cars parked along the side of the thoroughfare for anything that looked amiss.  She wasn't certain what she was looking for, or expecting to see, but whatever it might have been she didn't spot it.  A few cars were parked along the far side of the street, two of which she thought she recognized, but truthfully she had paid little attention in the past so she couldn't be certain.  In addition to Angie she spotted an older woman walking a small poodle, and two men hurrying in opposite directions as they headed to some destination that demanded their presence.  Otherwise the street was empty.  Looking the other way, she saw much the same.  It was that kind of neighborhood.  Those that lived here were well off, and those who worked, had their vehicles securely parked in the special garages under the apartments that lined the street.  The exits from those garages let out on the back streets on the opposite side of the building, leaving the street below unmarred by unsightly ramps leading into the darkness below. 

She let the sheer curtain drop back into place, muting the light from the bright morning sun as she stepped back into the center of the room.  She wasn't hungry, but needed something to settle her throbbing head and sour stomach, so she made her way toward the gourmet kitchen, a room she used only sparingly.  Her brother Jeff had prepared more meals in the well laid out and fully equipped facility than she had. 

As she passed the large mirror hanging on the wall she examined herself critically.  There were slight bags under her eyes, not surprising her.  The light brown eyes flecked with gold looked dull this morning, in part because of her restless night, but mostly a sign of the stresses the day before had brought.  Even so, the face that looked back at her was still stunningly beautiful.  The gene pool had treated her well, and her looks had always made her path easy.  Men had noticed her at an early age, and she'd taken advantage of what they offered.  Why not?  She liked sex, and if it opened doors, then why not use the gifts she'd been born with?  Until Paul she'd usually had a couple of men on the line.  But that had changed.  Paul wouldn't accept sharing her, and he was, despite his cultured outward appearance, a rough and dangerous man.  Sometimes she wondered if she'd made a mistake becoming so involved with him, but at the moment his talents were important to her.

Returning to the living area with a tall glass of cold mango juice, she considered her situation.  At thirty-two years of age, beginning from a family of modest means, she had done remarkably well.  While many would believe she'd brokered her looks into the position she now enjoyed, it was her brains that had really been responsible.  As attractive as she was, as generously as she'd been endowed with good looks, her greatest asset was her mental ability.  She'd advanced through the lower grades effortlessly, and had won several well paying scholarships to the best colleges.  In the end she'd chosen Harvard, and had graduated at the top of her class in biochemistry. 

Now, less than eight years since graduation, she was a partner owning a full third of the firm where she was employed.  As head of their medical research division and a key member of the board, she influenced the direction the company was moving, and shared generously in the profits being made by the firm, which marketed a couple of very lucrative products.  If her expectations proved correct, within a year, two at the most, they would release the most important product yet.  That would change everything.  The new product would be worth hundreds of millions to her alone.

That was unless something happened to upset the carefully managed path she had set in motion a couple of years before.  One didn't rise to such a fortunate position on the basis of talent alone.  Natalie had manipulated her way into her present situation, and despite what everyone believed, the product that was in the final stages of testing was not really the product of her fertile brain.  She'd used all of her talents, and been quick to take advantage of a situation that provided her with the opportunity to move into her current lucrative position.  People had paid for her advancement, and even in her current firm, where she'd moved carefully, she'd made enemies.  Some of that was simply envy on the part of others, but not all, and she knew that Anne Barker, the CFO, distrusted her and was the cause of her current predicament.  A dilemma that was proving far more difficult to resolve than she'd believed possible. 

Natalie checked her watch, noting the time.  Why didn't they call?  They must know she was awake and would be concerned.  She picked up her cell, and was about to call Paul, when she remembered that she shouldn't use that phone.  She set it back down in the padded basket where she left it along with her keys while in the apartment, and hurried back into her bedroom where she'd left the other phone in her jacket.  A burner, Paul had called it.  Something that couldn't be traced back to her.

When she pulled out the phone she realized that Jeff had tried to call her several times, but the ring was still muted, and she'd been away from the cheap cellular device and unable to sense the vibration.  She checked the times of the call attempts and realized Jeff had called most recently while she'd been in the other room.  Quickly she activated a call back.

Jeff answered almost immediately.

"Where in hell were you?" he asked harshly.

She and Jeff were nothing alike.  She had the brains and beauty, and he had been granted neither.  Big, strong, and rugged, but far from handsome, her brother had made his way based on the loyalties their father had made.  Chance, and their father's position in the Organization had made him a friend of Paul's.  Paul was the son of the Organization leader's brother.  The Mob, the Mafia, Organized Crime, whatever one chose to call it, those involved were more circumspect than their ancestors, but no less heavily involved in illegal and profitable ventures than their kin had been in the past.  Their father had been a soldier for the Organization, and Jeff was one now.  Paul, of course, was being groomed for something more, and had met Natalie through Jeff.  He had been immediately interested, but it had taken time before she'd decided he might be useful to her and accepted his advances.  As it turned out he was an aggressive and experienced lover, a pleasing side benefit.

"I forgot this phone was on vibrate only," she replied, annoyed at his tone, but uncharacteristically admitted she'd been in the wrong.  "I expected you back last night."

"It's taken longer than expected to get matters under control," Jeff said.  "The second shooter was already traveling, which made contacting him difficult.  Paul had to talk to one of his uncle's lieutenants, which meant his uncle must have learned that something was up.  I'm not sure how that's going to work out yet.  There might be some fallout from him.  Paul didn't exactly advertise he had contacted one of the group's best hit men. I wouldn't be surprised if he's getting an ass reaming."

Natalie cursed softly.  She might have to take action to reverse this situation if it turned out to be a problem.  She didn't want Paul to be in trouble with his family.  She might need him, and frankly she discovered she cared more about him than she'd realized.  She hadn't considered the possibility when she acted to turn off the proposed killing.

"You could have told me about this earlier," she chastised her brother.

"Screw you," Jeff replied.  "I tried to call you.  It's not my fault that you didn't think to have your phone at hand like we agreed."

"Why didn't you come back to check on me?" she asked.  "It doesn't sound like you are busy like Paul."

"You kind of spooked me with what you told us earlier.  I don't know if I believe you or not, but if you told the truth, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea."

"I showed you how it worked," Natalie protested.

"Parlor tricks," Jeff protested.  "I don't know how you managed them, but it has to be that.  I can't figure what your game plan is, but I don't want to be in the middle when Paul's uncle decides to shut down whatever you are really up to.  Just don't expect any more help on this from Paul.  Once his uncle gets done with him, I don't think he'll be agreeable to playing this game any more."

Natalie was immediately concerned.

"Paul wouldn't tell his uncle what I revealed to you, would he?  I made you both promise to keep it secret."

"I don't know what he'll do," Jeff admitted.  "What's so important about keeping such a ridiculous claim secret?"

"What I told you is the truth!" Natalie almost shouted.  "I can understand that you don't believe.  Just get Paul to come back here and I'll prove it to you.  We have to decide what we can do."

Jeff muttered a series of curses, and said he'd look for Paul, but couldn't promise what the other would agree to.  Then he hung up the phone.

Natalie looked at the cheap device, and carefully reactivated the audible ring in case Jeff called back, or hopefully Paul.  A quick check through the missed calls directory showed only Jeff's number thus far.  Then she put it in the pocket of her robe and went in search of some more aspirin.

The call had left her agitated.  She didn't want anyone else to know about her unusual ability.  She hadn't wanted to tell her brother and Paul, but until she did, they weren't agreeable to terminating the project.  She'd hoped the story she told would get them to stop, but in the end they wouldn't really believe in her strange claims.  That had apparently worked with her brother, but who knew what Paul might reveal under the circumstances.

Natalie rubbed her temples. Her head still throbbed from the effort she'd needed to expend, and she could consider what it would be like if she'd tried to do more.  This had seemed like it would be back far enough, especially since the day they activated the plan to shoot Carlson was beyond her reach.

"Nobody can do what you claim," Jeff had countered, expressing his doubts.

Natalie didn't know how she'd gained the ability, and probably wouldn't have believed such a claim if someone else had told her in the past they were able to do what she now could, but her ability was real.  She'd been forced to perform a Backslide, as she called it, once she'd discovered that once again Carlson and her people had known about their intentions and had captured both Paul and the second shooter before they could take any action.  Once they had Paul, it would have only been a matter of time before they figured out it had to be her behind the whole thing.

She couldn't understand how matters had come to this.  Initially she'd wanted to kidnap the FBI agent.  She'd asked Paul to arrange for a place they could interrogate her and find out how much she knew and who she might have told about her suspicions.  Natalie had hopes that Carlson really hadn't been told very much, and more importantly hadn't revealed any of what mattered to anyone else.  There was a good chance that was the case, since the agent's involvement was not through official channels, but through an old friend asking for help.  If Carlson, who hadn't actually visited the firm yet, had spoken to no one, then they could have killed her, and also eliminated the witch who had called her, and no one would have been suspicious of her.  With those two out of the way, there would have been nothing to point toward her.

But it hadn't worked out as she'd expected.  After convincing Paul she was serious, he'd reluctantly agreed to help her.  With her brother, Paul, one of his tech savvy soldiers, and another gunman they'd planned to take her unaware in her apartment.