Sin (The Waite Family) (23 page)

“Not a terribly trusting sort
,
are you
,
Shipley
?
” David said as he sat down and rubbed his neck.
“I told them you’d spot the others, but no one would listen to me.”

“What the fuck do you want, Patterson?
You thinking of having me re
-
up or some kind of shit like that?
I’m out, just like you’re making the best fucking leader you got.”
Roger reached for his smokes
,
almost forgetting he was
quitting
. “I don’t owe any of you anything.”

“No, you certainly don’t.
But
someone tried to kill
all of
you. And someone nearly killed our friend.”
David nodded to the woman who handed him a file.
“The man there has some connections to
Captain Waite.
He’s her ex-brother-in-law.
Carl Wickett is also the police
captain
in a small
precinct
in
Jersey
.
He has ties, though we don’t know how deep
,
to the mob.
We know he was involved in what went down in that jungle, but not how much.
”

Roger threw the file on the table between them without reading it.
“Sounds to me
like you
don’t know a whole fucking lot.
Send me to kill him then the problem is solved
.
W
hat the
fuck you
need all this cloak and dagger shit for anyway?”

The woman picked up the file and opened it.
“This man here is called Hondo.
He’s from New Mexico.
Three months ago he was put into a position to
kill you.
When he didn’t succeed they sent in someone else, someone who was on your team.”

Roger took the picture and nearly handed it back when he looked closer.
“He was in our unit.
He didn’t last long…sniper took him out about two—fuck
! Y
ou had him killed.
He was killed by a friendly
. W
e couldn’t figure out how
,
but we knew that’s what had killed him.”

“Yes,” David said
,
picking up the story.
“I wasn’t made aware of this until recently. After Captain Waite…Sydney was hurt I started digging.
I found this and some other information as well. But since the attempted murder there’s been nothing.
I figured you’d be willing to help me find more answers.”

Roger sat back in the
chair
and looked around.
There
was another plant there
. He
wondered if David was aware of it and decided to see.
“The man by the desk? He one of yours?”

The woman stood up and straightened her skirt then ‘accident
al
ly’ knocked over a stack of
magazines
.
When she stood up after picking them up she was facing the desk and the man.
When she put
the magazines
on the desk she
tumbled
onto Roger
’
s lap
and looked at
him
first
.
H
er smile was huge.

“No, he’s not.
If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have something in the ladies room to take care of.”
W
hen she started to stand so did Roger
.
He leaned down to her throat and nipped
gently
.
“Sir, I assure you I’m quite
capable
of taking care of myself.”

“He’s not alone.
There’s
a man on the second floor that has a gun on you and another woman that just slipped
into
the ladies room.
They’re
listening to us.
”
Roger glanced at David.
“You armed?”

“Yes.
I’m not going to ask if you are.
So is Sally there.
And she’s right, she is good.”
Roger nodded and put his arm around her waist
as David continued
. “I’ll take the man on the landing.”

Roger nodded
again
and started t
o the ladies room
with Sally
.
“We’re going in there together.
If you can, take out the woman
. I
f I’m right the man at the desk will follow us.
Is there anyone else you see here that shouldn’t be?”

She shook her head then laid it on his shoulder. “I’m
not going to ask you why we’re supposed to be going in the ladies room together.
But I appreciate the backup.”

Roger grinned and walked in the door with her.
The
woman who’d walked in before them was washing her hands. When she turned she had a gun on them and Sally shot her in the forehead.
Seconds passed
when
the
man at the desk
walked
in
,
his gun out.
Roger slammed the door against him and he
dropped
his weapon
.
Sally handed him her gun with
the
silencer and he shot the man in the forehead.
As they were leaving the library they heard scream
ing.

Roger wrapped his arm
around
Sally’s neck and pulled her close enough to whisper.
He didn’t want to take the chan
c
e she would get hurt. He didn’t know this woman and he wasn’t sure of her ability to fight in hand
-
to
-
hand combat.
Captain would have kicked his ass if he had tried this stunt.

“
David will have to get himself out of this mess. You and I are going to get out while the getting is good.”
They were nearly to the door when several people started running toward them, one of them David. “Don’t look at him as he passes us.”

Sally led him to a car and opened the door. She reached inside and opened her tru
n
k. Walking to the back of it
,
she pulled Roger into her arms and with her lips nearly touching his he felt her slip something into his jacket pocket.
“That’s a secure phone.
The only numbers
programmed
in it are mine and David’s.
Call one of us in twenty-four and tell us what your decision is. Things are getting—
”

He kissed her.
Roger felt justified in the action
. S
he was lovely, close
,
and her mouth was right there.
When she opened under
the
exploration of h
is
lips, he leaned her against her car and took full advantage. He felt the bite of a gun in his belly.

When he pulled back but didn’t let go he grinned down at her.
“Can’t blame a man for trying, sweetheart.”

She huffed at him.
“And you can’t blame me for wanting this to be strictly professional. Twenty-four hours, Mr. Shipley.”

He pulled her back for another kiss before answering.
“I don’t need it. I’ll do it. And it
’
s Roger or Shipley, never ‘Mr.’”

That had been
nine
months ago. He’d been told he needed to get closer to Wickett and to make himself invaluable to him.
The people he now worked for gave him all the new
identity
crap he needed. Now instead of Honorably Discharged as he’d been he had a
“
dis
”
added to his honorable part.
And he’d been put out to pasture because he had been a rogue.