Page 41 of Yankee in the Wind

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Jack took a second to assess the situation. This was what he’d trained for both in the military and at the Farm. He’d been in situations like this many times before, on foreign soil. And he’d always prevailed.

There were no cars in the parking lot, but there were several vans with the Delta Labs logo. In addition, there were trees and bushes, a few benches meant for employees to rest on during their breaks, trashcans, as well as a few sculptures besides the one that had been destroyed by the assassin’s bullet. These objects would have to do for cover so he could outflank the shooter and get behind him.

Had the shooter taken up a position in the parking garage like on the day he’d first tried to kill Lilly, Jack and Lilly’s only chance would have been to get back into the building, where they would have been trapped. But tonight, the shooter was hiding somewhere closer, and not using a rifle with a scope, but a pistol with a silencer. Clearly, he didn’t want to attract any attention. And one other thing was evident: the assassin had somehow found out that Lilly would show up at her lab tonight. Jack suspected that this meant that Smith and his associates had hacked into Delta Labs security system to see if Lilly would use her access card.

The moment Jack heard the pebble hit the ground he was already behind the first Delta Labs van. He heard a second muffled shot. It was aimed in his general direction, not in Lilly’s. That’s why he’d had her throw the stone, to direct the shooter in his direction. And the second shot had also given him a good indication where the shooter was hiding.

Jack peered past the van and estimated the distance between his current hiding spot and his next cover. His Glock in his right hand, he took a quick breath, then sprinted out from behind the safety of the van. He saw movement, the light of a streetlamp reflecting off something and took a chance: he fired in the shooter’s direction, not really expecting to hit him, but at least to make him retreat for a second or two.

Breathing hard, Jack reached a tree with a wide enough trunk behind which to seek shelter. But he couldn’t stay here. There was no guarantee that the shooter wouldn’t discover the ruse and figure out where Lilly was hiding. He couldn’t allow that. He had to get to him first.

Using every cover available to him, Jack made a half circle to get behind the shooter’s position. When he heard a sound, but couldn’t determine what it was, he realized that the shooter had moved too. Closer to where Lilly was hiding.

Fuck!

Staying low, Jack moved as fast as he could without making any unnecessary noise to get closer to the assassin. He was almost there, in fact he could already hear him breathe, when Jack realized that a dim light was suddenly illuminating his arm and gun. A cloud had moved a bit to reveal the moon.

Jack dove behind a tree, just as a bullet whizzed through the air, missing him by a hair. Relying on his instinct, Jack aimed and shot into the darkness. He heard a cry of pain, and knew he’d at least wounded the guy. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Jack charged out from behind the tree and rushed toward the assassin. He saw the muzzle of his gun glint in the faint moonlight. It was aimed at him. Jack fired.

The gun clattered to the ground, and Jack knew his bullet had found its target.

A groan came from behind the bench where the assassin had been hiding. Jack hurried toward it, his gun pointed. The moment he reached the bench, he saw the assassin lying on the ground. A foot away was the gun. Jack kicked it away, before looking at the assassin.

To his surprise, it was a woman. A black woman dressed in dark clothes. A gurgling sound came from her. She was hit in the shoulder and bleeding profusely, but it wasn’t the cause of the gurgling sound. She had a second gunshot wound: a direct hit in her right chest. Judging by the amount of blood and her labored breathing, Jack realized that her lungs were filling with blood, and soon, she’d stop breathing. Already now, every breath was labored.

“Lilly?” Jack called out toward the building.

“Are you okay?” she asked in return.

“Yes. I’ve got the shooter.”

He heard the rustling of bushes, then footsteps, and a moment later Lilly reached him. Her gaze roamed over him, then she looked at the wounded assassin. She crouched down next to Jack, and a gasp came from her throat.

“Deja?” She shook her head in disbelief.

The assassin’s eyes moved, and she looked at Lilly.

“You know her?” Jack asked.

“That’s Deja Lashae, Uncle Will’s home healthcare worker.”

The revelation was shocking. And Jack knew immediately what this meant. He moved closer to Deja and put his hand on her shoulder. “Smith sent you to work for Will Reed so you could spy for him, and find Thomas?”

Deja blinked. “I had no… choice…”

He ignored the excuse. People always had a choice. Perhaps not a good one, but a choice nevertheless.

“Where’s Smith?”

She breathed heavily. “Don’t know…”

Jack pressed his thumb into the gunshot wound on her shoulder. Deja howled in pain, tears in her eyes.

“Smith forced me…”

“And?” Jack prompted. “Did you kill Thomas?”