Risky Shot (5 page)

She put her empty glass down on the bar, waved bye to Dave, and went in search of Kenna. She found Kenna and Chad at the VIP table. Kenna had just finished her sparking peach martini that she loved so much.

“The birthday girl can’t have an empty drink!” Kenna laughed as she lifted her empty martini glass.

She saw Chad check his phone and then say something to Kenna. Kenna’s lower lip came out into a pout that quickly vanished into a look of annoyance. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who found Chad a little too much. Chad gave her a kiss and rubbed his hand up Kenna’s leg to... Hello!

“See you later, gorgeous,” Chad whispered as he walked past her toward the door.

Dani ignored the icky feeling she got from him and went to sit down by Kenna who promptly decided it was time to dance.

Two hours later Dani rummaged around her purse as Kenna drove back to the office to pick up a file Kenna had left behind. She was relieved when Kenna had admitted she was going to break up with Chad.

“Dammit! I must have left my keys in my desk. I’ll just come up with you.” She zipped her purse closed and looked out at the city lights. Kenna pulled into her reserved spot near the elevator and they went up to their floor.

“That’s strange. I thought I turned the lights off.” Dani looked around at the brightly lit lobby and shrugged. She noticed none of the hallway lights were on and chalked it up to forgetfulness in her excitement to go party. Dani crossed the marble floor and headed toward her desk.

“I’ll go look for my file. I’ll meet you back here in a couple of minutes,” Kenna said as she took off toward her office. She turned around the dark corner and disappeared from Dani’s sight.

Pulling out her chair, Dani sat down at her desk and opened her top drawer. She rummaged around and pulled out the paperclip box and felt the weight of her keys hidden inside. She pulled them out and placed them on the table. She tapped her foot waiting for Kenna and looked at her stylish heels and sighed. They were sexy alright and could heat up the dance floor, but did nothing for the drive home. Her car had decided it would only blow warm air for ten minutes before turning icy cold. As a result, it never got much warmer than forty degrees in her car.

She bent over and looked under her desk for her warm Uggs. Pulling them out, she slipped them on. She listened for Kenna, but didn’t hear anything. Kenna was famous for the mess she had on her desk, so she wouldn’t be surprised if it took a while to find the folder she was looking for. Deciding she still had a couple of minutes she went to the bathroom and searched the supply closet for a plastic bag to put her shoes in and sat back down at her desk.

Okay, it had been long enough. She decided to help Kenna look for the blasted thing. She got up and put on her coat. She slipped her bags on over her shoulder and palmed her car keys. Walking around the corner, she saw that Kenna’s office was still dark.

"Kenna, where are you? You ready to leave yet?" She yelled down the dark hallway as she walked toward the conference room. She heard a whoosh of air and then a sound like someone hitting something. Before she could investigate, she saw Kenna appear at the end of the hallway running toward her.

As she got closer, she saw blood running down her mouth. Her shirt was torn across the front and left hanging open. Her skirt was shoved up around her waist.

"Kenna!" Dani turned toward the name being bellowed from down the hall and gasped at the sight of Chad with blood trickling down his face and clutching his balls. It didn’t take but a second to figure out what happened.

They took off at a dead run for the stairs. She could hear Chad’s labored breathing and heavy footsteps on the thick carpet as he raced after them.

"We gotta haul ass girl!" Danielle said as she flung open the door to the stairs.

"You have to be careful, he's dangerous and so is Bob. I'll explain when we get out of here. Just get to your car and get home. I'll call you," Kenna huffed as they flew down the stairs heading to the underground garage.

Dani raced down the cold cement stairs and thanked God she had switched to her Uggs. She reached the heavy fire door first and ran through it. She went to the left as Kenna sprinted right to her car. Luckily, she had nabbed the first spot this morning, so she only had a short distance up the ramp to her car and reached it before Kenna reached her own car. With the keys already in her hand, she jumped into her car and prayed it would start on the first try.

The engine roared to life and she headed down the ramp. She saw Chad standing behind Kenna’s car and didn’t know if Kenna would have the guts to hit him. She decided to take the choice away from her and floored her Chevy. Surprised, Chad turned as she narrowed her eyes and pressed harder on the gas pedal. She had known right from the start he was an asshole.

He didn’t have time to jump out of the way. When he turned to look at her speeding towards him, she plowed into him. He bounced off her hood with a surprised look in his cold eyes. She couldn’t help but smile as she honked her horn in communication with Kenna. As she sped away, she looked to see where he landed, but couldn’t find him. Hopefully she killed him, but scum like that was hard to get rid of.

Twenty minutes later, she crept up the dark stairs heading towards her small efficiency apartment. Slowly, she made it to the fifth floor and stood outside her apartment with her ear to the door. She knew from her very active neighbor that you could hear any noise through the walls. Listening for a couple of minutes and only hearing her ice dispenser, she unlocked the door and went in. She threw the deadbolt and plopped on the red plaid couch she had taken from her Mom’s old room at the resort in Maine.

Sagging a couple inches into the sofa she laid her head against the back cushion. What had just happened? She didn’t know if she would ever get over seeing Kenna running at her with her clothes ripped and bleeding from her lip. What was even worse was the look on Chad’s face when he came running after them. She had been frozen in place at the sight of Kenna, but the look on Chad’s face was enough to send her running. His cold, calculating eyes, would be enough to elicit fear in any sane person. However, it was his twisted smile, more like a sneer, that really freaked her out. The smile told Dani that he was enjoying the torment and fear he saw in them.

She nearly screamed when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and answered immediately. “What the hell is going on?” she asked Kenna.

“Danielle, listen we don't have much time. There was this stripper and Chad was going to rape her in front of all the VIP's, including Bob. They were cheering him on. They were going to go next. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. I called 9-1-1, there should be a tape. I barged in and tried to stop it, but Bob just dragged this young girl out of the room. It was horrible. Anyway, Bob sent Chad after me while those bastards dragged the girl out the other door. Chad knocked me around, but with your interruption, didn't get a chance to do anything else."

"Shit. I mean, shit, Kenna! What are we going to do?" Danielle stood up and started pacing her small apartment.

"Bob just called here. We both threatened each other. We gotta get out of here, and I mean now. I am packing right now. Withdraw cash, toss your firm cell phone, and get out of town, Danielle. You have my private email, and I know no one else has it. Email me on that when you get a new address so we know how we're doing. Keep it vague until we know what's happening here."

Danielle grabbed her black book out of the top kitchen drawer that contained Kenna’s personal email. "Okay girl. You stay safe and I will get in touch with you. I will pack up and leave within the next twenty minutes. Legal Sisters?" she sighed. It was their nickname some of the associates called them since they were always together.

“Always,” she heard Kenna say before the line went dead.

“Oh my God. What has happened?” She moaned as she fell back against the old refrigerator. Her phone rang again. She stood up and in one step was across the room and looking at the unknown number on the caller ID. That single moment changed her forever. She knew it when it happened. As the phone continued to ring, she knew it was bad and she knew it would get worse. She also knew she had two options. Run and hide, or stay and track.

Her Grandfather Darin, on her mom’s side, had taught her everything there was to hunting and tracking. While she didn’t like killing animals, she did enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the challenge of finding the animals. By the time she was sixteen, she would spend a week roaming the wild forests of Maine around her grandfather’s resort. While she took her rifle with her for protection, the main hardware she brought was her camera. She had loved tracking different animals and taking photos of them in their natural habitat. Her grandfather had taught her the tracking skills, but it was her mother who had taught her how to blend into nature.

That thought was enough to make up her mind. She wouldn’t run. She would blend in and find out what the hell was going on.

* * *

Danielle stretched and pulled the 9mm Glock from under her pillow. She had allowed herself three hours of sleep after she had packed. In the early morning hours, she had carried garbage bag after garbage bag of her clothes, keepsakes, and other belongings down the five flights of stairs and out to her car.

Her furniture would have to stay, but she planned to leave it there for the landlord in lieu of rent payment. The landlord wouldn’t care and she was sure some of it would end up in his first floor apartment.

The hours she had spent packing and climbing one painful step after the next gave her time to formulate a plan. She had called hospitals and found Chad had been admitted for a broken nose, stitches to his eyebrow, and a fractured leg. Posing as his primary physician in D.C., Dani discovered he was out of commission for at least 4 weeks while the leg healed.

At least she didn’t need to worry about him coming after her. What she did have to worry about was the private investigators the law firm had on retainer. They were sophisticated and mean as sewer rats. Most importantly, they didn’t care what side of the law they fell on, as long as they got paid their outrageous fees.

She pulled on her jeans and a black sweatshirt. Tying her long dark hair into a ponytail, she slipped her feet into the Uggs and calculated the time it would be in Italy. It was five in the morning in New York, so it would be eleven in the morning in Italy. Her parents would be getting lunch ready and seeing to customers. Looking around her bare apartment, she spotted the firm’s cell phone by the microwave. She picked it up and dialed her parent’s number at the winery.

“Ciao” Her mother’s American accented voice said in Italian.

“Ciao, Mama.” Danielle smiled as she heard her mom yell for her father to pick up the extension.

“
Buongiorno mia bella figlia
,” her father’s deep voice came on over the phone.

“
Buongiorno, Papa
.” She was fighting back tears thinking this could be the last time she talked to them. Shaking her head, Dani clenched her hand into a fist and reminded herself to stay positive. “I am sorry I can’t talk long,” she looked at the clock on the microwave and recorded the time she placed the call in an old spiral notebook she had found while packing. “I am meeting Kenna and we’re going on a trip to some spa for a couple of days.”

“You’ll miss work for this spa?” her father asked in heavily accented English.

“Yes. It’s a reward of sorts. Kenna just settled a big case and gave us this spa trip as a thank you. I just wanted to tell you so you didn’t worry when you couldn’t get in touch with me. I’ll give you a call when I get back.”

“Oh, I am so jealous. Have a great time dear. We love you.” Her mother was always so kind and gentle. You would never know upon talking to her that she was such a competitor and expert on survival skills for the wilderness. Skills Dani was already adapting for the City.

“Thanks, Mama. Love you and Papa. I’ll talk to you soon.” After hanging up she recorded the time. It had taken three minutes to place the call and talk to her parents. She shoved the spiral notebook along with pens, pencils, markers, and an old digital camera into an oversized bag and headed down the rusted out fire escape.

She slung the bag over her shoulder as she stared down to the ground, one story below her. Stupid fire escapes. Why couldn’t they ever go all the way to the ground? She took off her gloves and shoved them into her back jean pocket. She quickly swung a leg over the rusted red rail and bent to grab the lowest rail. She slowly moved her feet off the edge of the fire escape and felt the cold of the rail bite into her hands when all her weight was transferred to her hands. She dangled off the escape and looked down. She was only about five feet off the ground now. She took a deep breath and let it out. Then, she let go of the rail. As soon as she hit the ground, she rolled to reduce the impact. She stopped and listened to the sound of her impact echoing off the surrounding brick buildings. When she didn't hear any footsteps running toward her or windows opening to see what was going on, she stood up and dug her gloves out of her back pocket.

Rummaging around her bag, she pulled out a pair of fake black-rimmed glasses all the athletes wore. She put them on and pulled out a mirror and black eyeliner. She drew bigger eyebrows and gave herself moles on her face. The simple changes, along with hiding her hair under a knit toboggan, made her appearance much more masculine. If they had a picture of her, she might be able to walk by them and not be noticed. They might look, but would then dismiss. Blending in, she thought, is the goal of a good tracker.

Dani started the long trek at a quick clip. She had parked her car six blocks away. She circled around to her car and pulled out a basketball. She didn’t look around as she bent over to tie her shoe on the car next to her. Slipping out a screwdriver from her sleeve she unscrewed the license plate of the Toyota Prius parked next to her. She let out a breath when she didn’t hear anyone scream at her.