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Jessie Hunt has toknow that if she violates this agreement, if she betrays me, then I will sic myrabid dogs on her again. This is a sincere offer. You know it is. I’ll say onalert, just as you will. But I have to take it.
His Jessie, stillhovering next to him, didn’t respond. Mark knew she wasn’t happy. But she wouldcome to accept this.
“We have a deal,”he said.
“Wonderful,”Jessie said from across the table. “I’ll coordinate the video shoot with thewarden and the prosecutor’s office. If everything moves quickly, you and I willbe working together very soon.”
She stood up,grabbed her coat, and headed for the door. Just before leaving, she turnedback. "I think this is the beginning of, well maybe not a beautifulfriendship, but at the very least, a productive relationship.”
Mark got thefeeling that she was paraphrasing something, perhaps a movie or a book, but hedidn't get the reference. It didn't matter anyway. He could always ask herabout it the next time he saw her as they laid the groundwork to team up andstart solving cases. He felt positively giddy as the guard instructed him tostand up, leave the room, and shuffle back toward the cells.
As he made his waydown the hallway, he saw the other guard at the end of the hall, muttering tosomeone on his cell phone. Mark couldn’t totally make out what he was saying,but as he got closer, he did hear the words “leaving now…. outside in five… darkblue sweater.”
Mark stared at theman, whose quiet tone and furtive demeanor suggested he was up to no good.
“Who are youtalking to?” he demanded. “What’s that about?”
The guard lookedat him as he hung up and put the phone in his pocket. Then, without warning, hepunched Mark in the gut. He dropped to his knees, coughing, gasping for breath.
“None of yourbusiness,” the guard growled, before turning to the other guard. “Drag him backif you have to.”
As the other guardripped him to his feet and yanked him down the hall, Mark wasn’t concerned forhis own welfare. All he could think was one thing: Jessie Hunt was in dangerand there was nothing he could do about it.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Jessie walked outof the main doors of Twin Towers and headed down the long walking path towardthe street. The temperature had dropped precipitously after the sun set twohours ago, and she quickly zipped up her jacket, pulled the hood over her head,and texted Ryan.
Leaving TwinTowers now. Headed back to the car. See you in two minutes.
His response camequickly.
Got tired ofsitting around. Went around the block to that burrito place. Got your favorite.Headed back now. If I’m not there when you get to the sidewalk, hang out by theofficers in the squad car.
Okay. See you soon, she typed, thenput her phone away before shoving her hands deep in her pockets to protectagainst the chill. As she approached the street, she looked around for thesquad car with the officers that Parker had the dispatch sergeant assign toher. She didn’t immediately see them.
She became brieflyconcerned until she registered the cacophony of sirens coming from about sixblocks away. Something was clearly going on, and if it was serious enough,they’d likely have been called away from some boring protection duty to helpout. Jessie knew where she stood in the pecking order.
She reached theend of the pathway and turned left onto the sidewalk, walking along the chainlink fence and looking for a free spot between cars where Ryan could pull inand pick her up when he returned. As a precaution, with the squad car gone, shereached down to undo the snap on her gun holster. Suddenly, she froze in place.
She was an idiot.She remembered turning the weapon in to the guard at the gun locker window whenshe went to see Haddonfield. Not only that, but her taser too. But when sheleft, she was so excited to finally be on a path to keeping her loved onessafe, that she had forgotten about retrieving them. And now that she thoughtabout it, she recalled that the guard wasn’t there to remind her when shewalked past him. He must have been on a break. Now, she had to go all the wayback to retrieve it.
Jessie turnedaround. That’s when she saw him. Coming toward her on the sidewalk, aboutthirty yards away, was a hulking man in a hoodie. His head was down, focused onthe ground. Even if he’d been looking up, it was much too dark to see his face.He was walking slowly but with a sense of purpose. He didn’t seem to haverealized she’d turned his way.
As casually as shecould, Jessie turned on her heel and headed back in the direction she’d justcome from, away from him. She reminded herself not to jump to conclusions. Itcould just be some guy, any guy.
But something deepin her gut told her who it was. She forced herself to breathe as she continuedwalking, moving at a brisk pace but not breaking into a run. She consideredpulling out her phone to call or text Ryan but feared that would reveal to thehoodie guy that she was aware of his presence.
Instead, she justkept walking. As she passed a pickup truck, she glanced in its sideview mirror.It was clear that the man behind her was closer now and moving fast. Sheguessed that he’d made up half the distance between them since she first turnedaround.
She picked up paceto get to the next car. As she glanced in its mirror, she saw something thatmade her blood run cold. The man, now less than ten paces behind her, wasreaching for something in his pocket. In the dim glow of the streetlight, thething flashed. It was a knife.
Jessie forcedherself to think. She was alone. She had no weapon. And a man she was almostpositive was Hank Costabile was coming up behind her with a knife. Maybe if shehad the element of surprise, she could get in a quick kick or blow and make arun for it. But he was ready for her. He was stronger than her. He was armed.And he was almost on her.
She passed by awhite van, hoping to get one last bit of help from its mirror when she heardthe footsteps behind her break into a run. Without looking back, she did thesame, passing by the hood of the van and then darting in front of it. Stayinglow but not stopping, she rushed around to the street and the passenger side ofthe van and peeked through the window. The man had stopped by the driver’s sidedoor, lingering there.
It occurred to herthat he didn’t know she was unarmed and was proceeding with caution in case shewas waiting in front of the van, gun drawn, ready to fire. She took advantageof his uncertainty and made her way to the back of the van, quickly but quietly.
She was near therear doors of the van when he stepped out into the street in front of the hood.Apparently, he’d gotten over his concern about being shot and checked, findingthat she wasn’t there. Now, he had a clear path to her, and she was without a vanto hide behind. The vehicle parked behind the van was a Subaru station wagonthat offered nothing in the way of concealment.
