The Last Target (5 page)

“Aidan worked very hard to raise money and was the top earner in the area. He did more than sell lemonade. He also solicited donations around town and even hosted a puppet show in our backyard and charged an admission fee.”

“Sounds like he has some of his mother in him.” Uncle Arnold smiled affectionately.

“I always want to encourage him to go after causes he believes in. I’m just sorry he’s not going to be able to get his award. He was really looking forward to it.”

“You should take him.”

Rachel did a double-take at her uncle, sure she hadn’t heard him correctly. “What was that?”

“You should take him, Rachel. You can’t let this place
become a prison. Besides, it could be days—or months even—until Apaka is rounded up. You know I don’t believe in letting fear hold you back. If it does, then the enemy wins.”

“But isn’t there a difference between fear and common sense right now? I should probably just lay low.”

Her uncle shook his head. “Jack should be able to arrange the trip for you. Just use extra caution. You can’t hide out here forever. That’s not living at all.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Jack interjected. He’d been quiet for most of their visit, but now Rachel could see the concern in his eyes. It had to be a very real worry for him to contradict her uncle. “Security will be difficult in that environment.”

Her uncle narrowed his eyes, suddenly becoming all business. “This is what we’re paying you for. Put your best men out there. I’m confident that you’ll be up for the job.”

“I’m not questioning your decision, but—”

“Good, then arrange for Aidan to be able to go on his field trip. He earned it. I like to see good work rewarded.”

Rachel and Jack exchanged a glance. She forced a smile at Aidan, who smiled triumphantly. Jack had less than twenty-four hours to get everything together before the field trip. And Rachel had less than twenty-four hours to try and conquer her nerves before they got the best of her.

A
fter eating dinner, they walked her uncle back out to the waiting SUV that would escort him back to the Department of Defense. As they hugged goodbye, Uncle Arnold grasped her arms and locked gazes with her.

“Rachel, Jack here is the best. I know he’ll take care of you. You just need to listen to him. He knows what he’s doing. Can you do that?”

Rachel reluctantly nodded. The more she was around Jack, the farther away she wanted to be. It wasn’t that he was unpleasant. It was simply that being around Jack caused her heart to do things it shouldn’t. Being with someone like Jack wouldn’t be good for her or Aidan. She needed someone with a safe career, someone she could depend on to come home every evening. Jack wasn’t that man—not that he’d made any offers to the position, even.

Her uncle bent down to eye level with Aidan. “You have fun at the zoo tomorrow, okay?”

Aidan nodded with a grin and then gave his uncle a hug.

Rachel wished her uncle hadn’t brought the zoo up again. She was still Aidan’s mom, and she still had the chance to change her mind, if that’s what she thought was best for her son. Still, Uncle Arnold thought it would be okay if they went—that Jack and his men could handle it. Was she being too paranoid? She realized this complex could become a
prison if she let it. Maybe getting away would be a good thing.

They watched as her uncle pulled away. She was glad he’d come, but talking to him had made everything become all too real. This wasn’t a joke or a misunderstanding or a dream.

Somehow, Rachel Reynolds, a nonprofit director, had become the target of a terrorist organization. Her office building had been bombed. Terrorists had sent her threats directly to the Department of Defense. Her friend Nancy was dead, and her colleague George was the main suspect. She shook her head.

Jack turned to them. “Listen, it’s been a long day. A long couple of days, for that matter. How about we go fishing?”

“Fishing?” Aidan’s eyes danced with joy at the prospect.

Rachel wished she could get that excited about life again. “Would you like that, Aidan?”

He nodded with enough energy to power the entire facility. Jack had assumed as much, because he laughed lightly.

They met downstairs a few minutes later, and Jack had three fishing poles in hand. Aidan chatted nonstop as they walked across the grass, asking questions about what kind of fish they could catch, if Jack had any worms they could use, what they would do with the fish they caught. Rachel smiled as she listened to him, all the while noting how patiently Jack answered all of his questions.

Finally, they settled on the shores of the man-made lake that was used primarily for training purposes. The water looked beautiful and peaceful, a little oasis in the middle of this craziness.

Jack explained to Aidan how to bait the hook and cast the line into the water. Aidan ate up every moment of it. Within moments, Aidan was eagerly holding onto the pole, kicking his legs on the edge of the pier and singing to himself.

“He loves this,” Rachel confided to Jack.

“I’m glad. Fishing is one way to have a few moments of quiet reflection. I’ve always loved it.”

“I wanted to thank you for letting my uncle come up today and for being such a good host. I mean, I know he hired you, so it wasn’t all out of politeness, but still, it means a lot.”

“I’m glad he could come.”

“As I’m sure you know, Vice Admiral Harris isn’t actually my uncle. He and my father were best friends, and he became like part of the family. I’ve always called him uncle.”

“Tell me about your parents.”

“They worked for the Department of Agriculture doing work for farms and foreign agricultural services. I probably told you that already when I went through the massive information dump about life, didn’t it?”

Jack smiled. “You might have mentioned that. But I’m not asking about them for that reason. I’m just curious about you, about how you turned out so well. Not everyone would be handling this situation with so much grace. Your parents must have done something right.”

Rachel felt herself blush and looked away. “They were great parents. They both worked a lot, yes. But in the process, they taught me about the value of working hard and earning my keep, keeping my word.”

“What did they think of Andrew?”

“They liked him well enough. They thought we got married too quickly, of course. But they’d gotten married equally as quickly when they met, so they couldn’t exactly argue with my decision.”

He cast the line into the water again. “So, the more I talk to you, the more I realize how out of character it seems for you to have gotten married so quickly. You don’t seem like the impulsive type.”

“I used to like being out of my comfort zone because I
thought it made me grow strong as a person. I tried to make decisions based on my gut.”

“That was all in past tense.”

Rachel nodded. “Now, I just want things to be stable and safe. I want to make a good life for my son.”

“It’s an honorable goal.”

Quiet fell for a minute. Aidan continued to drop the line and jerk it back up, not too concerned about actually catching a fish.

Rachel turned to Jack. “What do you think of the zoo tomorrow? I’m not feeling one-hundred percent about it. I know what my uncle said, but—”

“I agree. I know your uncle feels confident that we can handle it. I’m just not sure I want to put you and Aidan in that situation.”

“He has been looking forward to it all summer. I hate to not let him go. But I don’t want anything to happen to him. And for nothing to happen to him, I have to make sure that nothing happens to me.”

“I’ll tell you what. If you decide to go, I’ll make sure every base is covered while you’re there. I’ll station my best men around the premises. We’ll take every precaution possible.”

“Jack?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. For everything. I mean, I know you’re not exactly doing this out of the kindness of your heart. You were hired for the job.” What did she just say? She frowned. “That didn’t come out right. I’m fumbling my words here.”

His smile reassured her. “It’s okay. I think I know what you’re saying.”

“I’m just trying to say thank you. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”

How could Jack tell her that even if he wasn’t getting paid to do this, that he would have volunteered to do the job? He
couldn’t tell her that. Rachel would ask too many questions. It was just easier if she thought they were strangers with no connections up until yesterday.

“I’m glad I can be there, Rachel.”

“Mr. Jack, Mr. Jack, I think I’ve got something!”

Jack reached for Aidan and wrapped his fingers around the fishing pole. He instructed Aidan on how to slowly reel in the line. The line emerged from the water empty.

“Where’s the bait?” Aidan asked.

“Those fish must have been hungry. But there’s good news.”

“What’s that?”

“The fish are biting. That means you might catch something yet.”

Jack baited the hook and helped Aidan cast the line again.

When Jack settled down beside Rachel again, she turned to him. “Are you sure you don’t have any kids hidden somewhere? You seem like such a natural.”

He chuckled. “I’m quite certain.”

“Have you been married before, Jack?”

Rachel’s question, for some reason, made him feel like ice water had been tossed on his face. His marriage was the one subject he didn’t like to talk about. Yet, after all Rachel had been made to talk about, how could he avoid the question without making her feel like a heel?

He pulled up the line again and saw the fish had eaten the bait but still managed to get away. “I was married for a couple of years.”

“What happened?”

“I…I failed her. I should have been there for her and I wasn’t.”

“You don’t seem like the type who fails at anything.”

His jaw tightened. “You only know one side of me, though.”

And that was the only side she was going to know, because failure wasn’t ever an option again.

Rachel wondered about Jack’s reaction but didn’t ask about the look of dismay that crossed his features. His marriage was obviously something that he didn’t want to talk about.

She bit her lip, stopping anymore questions from pouring out.

She was hardly an expert on marriage, since most of her short one had been spent apart from her husband. But Rachel truly couldn’t imagine Jack failing at anything. He just seemed like the type who would have been voted Most Likely to Succeed in high school.

“Mommy, Mommy, look!” Aidan shouted. At the end of his fishing line dangled a fish of some type.

“Excellent, honey!”

Jack helped him take the fish from the line. Rachel again marveled at how good Jack was with Aidan. It warmed her heart to see how Aidan had taken to him, also. Aidan wasn’t the most outgoing kid, but he acted like he’d known Jack for much longer than he actually had.

As Jack helped Aidan over at a nearby deck, Denton sauntered over. He crossed his arms as he watched Aidan squealing with delight over his fish, and a grin flashed across his face.

“So Jack took you guys fishing?”

“He did. Aidan even caught one little guy, but I don’t think he has the heart to keep him. If I was a betting woman, I’d bet you he’s going to let him go.”

“Count yourself fortunate. Jack only takes people who are close to him fishing. It’s his getaway when he needs to clear his head.” For some reason, his statement caused Rachel’s
heart to swell a little with…what was that emotion? Pride? Joy? Whatever it was, it made no sense.

“I’m sure he has a lot of pressure on him. He said a lot of the assignments here are pretty high octane.”

“He does have a lot of pressure on him, but he handles it well. Lives are at stake, so there’s always a cause for pressure. But he loves this work and does a great job at it.”

She cleared her throat. “Did you come out here with an update, by chance?”

“I did. I wanted to let you know that your friend Nancy was shot in the back. Most likely, she didn’t even know what was coming. There were no defensive wounds or anything to indicate she put up a fight. The shot came from outside the window.”

“Outside the window? Like a sniper almost?”

He nodded. “Like a sniper.”

“Has anyone found George Anderson?”

“He appears to have disappeared off the face of the earth. We’ll find him eventually, though. Don’t give up hope.”

“I haven’t.” Rachel’s gaze scanned the trees, almost as if she expected to see George there, his face camouflaged with paint.

That was a crazy thought, though. Why would George be hiding in the trees?

Rachel knew the answer. He’d been a sniper in the military.

A
farmer, a professor, a scientist.

Rachel’s mind tried to connect the dots as she blew her hair dry the next morning. Nothing made sense.

An entomologist, an engineer and a nonprofit director.

Could it be a college that connected them? A birth date? Did they all visit the same website? What could they possible have in common?

She sighed and put the blow dryer down. Today was Aidan’s field trip and award. Aidan smiled up at her now, beaming in his Superman shirt. This field trip was all he could talk about last night.

A crisp knock sounded at the door. It was time to go.

Rachel looked down at her son and ruffled his hair. “You ready?”

He nodded.

The question was—was Rachel ready? Not really. But if she had to spend her whole life here, she might as well just be dead. They had to get out eventually. Jack had assured her that every precaution possible would be taken.

Rachel hesitated a moment before turning the door handle. She continually second-guessed herself about the wisdom of doing this.

Jack waited on the other side of the door, his customary slacks and button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the
elbows, gone. Instead, he wore shorts, sneakers and a T-shirt. He looked much more human in the outfit and less G.I. Joe. Still, his eyes held that serious, focused look that Rachel had become accustomed to.

“Everyone’s ready,” Jack said.

Rachel nodded and took Aidan’s hand. “Let’s go then.”

A line of SUVs waited outside, and Jack shuffled them inside one. Denton sat on one side of Rachel and Aidan, while Jack sat on the other.

“Why the convoy?” Rachel asked.

“We want to make sure if Apaka knows you’re leaving today, that they don’t know which SUV you’re leaving in. We already had another convoy leave fifteen minutes ago.” He paused. “With everything that happened yesterday, we’re not taking any chances.”

Rachel tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. Aidan talked on and on about the trip, oblivious to the tension in the air as they pulled out of the gates. Rachel tried to listen to him, tried to nod and smile. But her gaze was drawn to their surroundings. Her thoughts hovered on Nancy, on the destruction of her nonprofit’s office.

She waited, holding her breath, to see if a gunshot would splinter the glass behind them, or if flames would explode nearby.

Instead, they rolled forward, going down the road. The SUVs in their convoy slowly split apart. She knew why. If someone were following them, they wouldn’t know which SUV to follow. Hopefully they’d pick the wrong one.

Rachel glanced behind them, out of the tinted rear window. From the distance, she saw a red car approaching. She watched as the vehicle came closer and closer.

Jack squeezed her shoulder. “Relax. We’re okay.”

Again, she tried to swallow but couldn’t. Instead, she attempted a nod. The red car passed them and Rachel spotted a
mother with two toddlers inside. She wanted to laugh. She’d been scared over a woman who probably lived a life very similar to hers. The driver had been oblivious to anything happening in the SUV, carrying on with what was probably a normal morning activity.

Jack leaned toward her and said in a low voice, “Agents are covering the park. You won’t see them or recognize most of them because they’re dressed just like us. But they’re watching everything. The zoo has been informed about what’s happening. Everyone will be on full alert.”

Rachel nodded, but she could feel the bulletproof vest underneath her shirt. She knew that it didn’t matter that safety precautions were taken. There was an inherent danger in them simply being there.

Perhaps they were putting the other children’s lives at risk. What if something happened to one of them because of her? Maybe they should just go back to headquarters and for the good of everyone involved simply stay there for as long as it took, even if that meant years.

“It’s going to be fine,” Jack said. Why did he always seem to know her thoughts before she expressed them? Was she that transparent?

Before the zoo, they stopped at a restaurant. Jack got in the driver’s seat and Denton climbed into an awaiting vehicle. The remaining five minutes it took to get to the zoo were silent, except for Aidan. Rachel tried to keep her thoughts positive. It seemed an impossible task.

At the zoo, they found a parking space. Rachel held tight to Aidan’s hand as they crossed the parking lot. She walked with baited breath, half expecting to feel a bullet whiz by. Instead, she heard children’s laughter, the sound of the wind brushing across the maple trees in the parking lot, the splash of fountains in the distance.

Aidan’s teacher, Patricia, smiled when she spotted Aidan
and Rachel. Aidan ran to greet her with a hug before skipping on to join his classmates in line by the entrance. Rachel’s gaze remained on him except for an occasional glance at Patricia.

“I’m so glad Aidan could make it. I know it means a lot to him.” Patricia’s gaze traveled to Jack, and her eyes glinted with curiosity. “And who is this?”

Rachel looked up, her tongue suddenly tied. How did she explain Jack? She’d been so preoccupied with Aidan’s safety that she hadn’t even thought that far ahead. Before she could even butcher some type of response, Jack’s arm went around her waist. He reached forward with his other arm. “I’m Jack. Nice to meet you.”

Patricia’s eyebrows shrugged. “Lovely to meet you also. You’ve got yourself a good one here. We all just think the world of Rachel.”

Rachel’s tongue felt like sandpaper. She wanted to reject Patricia’s idea that they were together. But what could she say? That Jack was the CEO and founder of Iron, Inc., and he’d been hired to protect her? That wouldn’t exactly be the best route to keeping this whole thing under wraps. Besides, the area where Jack’s hand met her waist seemed to be firing neurons that she didn’t even know she had, making it hard to think clearly.

Jack grinned beside her. “You all think correct. Rachel’s great.”

Rachel’s cheeks flushed. What was going on? Why was she suddenly clamming up, losing her words? All because Jack was pretending to be her date?

Patricia winked at her before hurrying back to the kids. “I know Aidan’s glad you could all make it. This is going to be a great day!”

Rachel could only hope.

Rachel found Aidan in line, talking happily with his
friends. She looked back up at Jack, whose closeness was doing nothing for her nerves. “They think you’re my date.”

She couldn’t see what his eyes were doing beneath what must be agent-issued sunglasses. “Let them think what they want to. What would you rather them think? That I’m your bodyguard?”

A date did make the most sense. And she was a grown woman. She was allowed to bring dates with her. Still, the idea seemed so foreign to her.

“They’re going in.” Jack offered her his hand. She stared at it a moment. “I don’t bite. I promise.”

She laughed airily. “I know.” Hesitantly, she reached forward. His strong fingers gripped hers and suddenly her legs felt like jelly. Despite that, she followed the class through the gates and into the zoo.

Her gaze shot around the benches at the zoo entrance, looking for agents stationed around the perimeters. She spotted couples sitting together, a maintenance man picking up trash, someone lugging a cart of weeds from the garden area. Were any of them agents?

She couldn’t get rid of the knots that went down her back and across her shoulders. What happens when you’re out of your comfort zone? You grow. That’s what she used to tell herself, at least, and that’s why she had pushed herself to constantly try new adventures. She was going to have to think of this as an adventure, one where she’d come out stronger.

Right now, she was just praying that she’d come out of it at all, though.

They reached the petting zoo area, and Aidan rushed over to touch one of the goats. Rachel and Jack hung back with some of the other parents who’d come today. Rachel felt more tightly wound than a jack-in-the-box. She was quite sure that
if Jack hadn’t insisted on holding one of her hands, she would be wringing both of them together with anxiety.

He leaned toward her, his breath brushing her hair. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, her eyes never leaving her son. “Aside from feeling like I could pass out from anxiety, I’m doing fine.”

He squeezed her hand. “You’re doing great. Aidan’s having fun. And we have eyes on this entire park. At the first sign of danger, we’ll be on alert and you’ll be whisked away.”

“What about the kids? Am I putting them in danger by being here?”

“Apaka won’t hurt the kids. They only want to hurt you.”

Her gaze remained focused on Aidan. He squealed in delight as a goat gobbled some pellets of food from his hand. She smiled, but only for a moment.

“He’s a good kid, Rachel. You’ve done a great job with him.”

Rachel glanced up at Jack in surprise. “Thank you. That means a lot. I worry about him more than I probably should.”

“I’m sure being a single parent hasn’t been easy.”

She shook her head, her throat burning. “No, I just do the best with it that I can.” Rachel noticed him staring in the distance. “What?”

He remained silent a moment before lifting his collar and whispering something into it. Of course he’d worn a wire. It had just been carefully disguised, just like everything else about the day.

“What?” Rachel repeated.

“There’s someone acting suspicious over by the Africa exhibit. Denton is keeping an eye on the situation.”

Rachel tensed. “Maybe I should get Aidan. Leave.” That’s all she wanted to do. Grab her son and get out of here. Her gaze shot through the crowd, looking for signs of danger.

“Calm down. It could be nothing.”

“Calm down? That’s easy for you to say.”

“No, it’s not.” His serious eyes cut through her. “The minute I think you’re in danger, we’re out of here.”

He paused again, as if listening to someone in his earpiece. Rachel felt like she might come out of her skin as she waited to hear what was going on.

“It was nothing. Just a photographer setting up a photo op. Everything’s fine.”

“You say that a lot.”

“Then we have something in common.”

“What do you mean?”

“Every time I ask you how you’re doing, you say you’re fine, even when you’re obviously not.”

She didn’t say anything. Jack was right. She automatically went on autopilot whenever she was asked how she was doing. She kept her real emotions bottled up all too often as she tried to remain in control.

The only problem right now was that she was in a situation where she had absolutely no control. Her only choice was to rely on God…and Jack Sergeant.