Trust No One (49 page)

“Why take us anywhere? Why not just kill us here?” Tasha questioned.

“Who said I was going to kill you?”

Tasha rolled her beautiful eyes. “Come on.”

The fear grew in MJ’s stomach. She knew moving locations to an isolated place would give Keith more security and less of a chance of getting caught. “He wants to take us somewhere more remote,” MJ answered, “Because Johnson and Cantrell don’t know our murder was planned.”

“Quite chatty with the hired help, aren’t you?” Keith asked.

“When I started working on cars for a living, I had to do more than just kill the target. I had to learn to communicate, a whole new skill set. You should try it sometimes,” MJ answered.

“I communicate just fine. Me and my Storm here.” He patted his gun on the seat beside him.

In spite of the warm car, MJ couldn’t stop a sudden attack of trembling. She knew she could beat a country cop, and she’d even beat Keith once. Or so she thought. His coming back from the dead like this had her totally spooked.

Keith drove a single lane path higher up the side of the mountain. The car wasn’t designed for climbing, the back wheels slid on loose rocks. He might not have to rely on his Storm to kill them. They’d all be dead when the car tumbled off the mountain.

But Keith handled the precarious road conditions easily enough, and stopped the car at the top, on a flat stretch of ground. The brilliant dusky oranges and blues settling over the horizon would make a lovely backdrop for someone’s murder. Not hers.

Visions of Angelina’s laughing face swam through her mind. She couldn’t give up yet. A new resolve swelled in her. Keith pulled the car to a stop and got out, leaving them trapped in the backseat. He paced in front of the car, then walked to the edge of the cliff, looking at the sharp drop off.

He pulled out a cell phone, made a call.

“Interesting. Do you think he’s getting orders?” Tasha asked.

“Knowing Keith, and the way he’s doing the nervous pacing thing, I’d say he is expecting someone.”

“And that someone is late?”

“It would appear so.” MJ studied Keith, memories from the past bombarding her. He looked so different, and yet his actions were so familiar.

“Interesting,” Tasha repeated again. “What else do you remember about him?”

“He gets cocky when he’s confident.”

“Really? And he survived in this business without getting killed before you shot him?”

“He didn’t make it obvious, just little subtle hints. His weakness though is when he’s thwarted, he can get mean really fast. And sometimes that makes him careless.”

“We’ll have to make sure he gets thwarted then.”

“Gonna be hard to do while we’re trapped in this car.”

“There’s gotta be a way to get out of here. If I could get his attention, I might persuade him he’d be happier if I were outside with him.” Tasha preened in typical Tasha-fashion.

MJ couldn’t believe her eyes. “Woman, is sex your answer to everything?”

“When there’s a man involved, it’s usually a good answer.”

“If you’ll remember, I’ve had sex with that man.”

“Then you get his attention.”

“No, thanks. I have something better than sex.” MJ pulled a four inch pocket knife out of her jacket.

Tasha’s eyes widened, then shone in admiration. “Where’d you get that?”

“Took it off Johnson. Thank goodness Keith was too distracted–”

“Cocky?”

“Or yes, cocky,” MJ agreed. “Too cocky to search us. I suppose fainting does have its uses, no matter how embarrassing.”

“Yes, it was a little wimpy,” Tasha stated, a hint of teasing in her eye.

“Do not aggravate the lady with a knife in her hand, woman.”

“Yeah, so
lady,
what are you going to do with that knife?” Tasha crossed her arms. “Stab the door until it gives in and opens?”

“Something like that.” MJ pointed the knife between the window and the door panel. “If I can pop off this door panel, we can get to the mechanical parts that open the door.” MJ twisted the knife, careful not to let it pop out and cut her.

“Here he comes,” Tasha warned.

“Damn, I only need a few minutes.”

“He knows well enough not to leave you alone a few minutes.”

“Couldn’t something go our way for once?”

“Opportunities could arise later,” Tasha predicted.

“Your optimism is quite annoying,” MJ complained. The constant adrenaline rush from the last few days had MJ’s temper frayed, her body tired and protesting. “There’s a reason I got out of this business.”

“Yeah, you were almost killed.”

“Good reason as any,” MJ noted, realizing that even after almost dying, she would have gone back if they hadn’t insisted on that desk job first. How sick was that? Thankfully she discovered a different life, one beyond living with a daily threat of being killed.

She had something to thank Keith for, she supposed. Except Keith was here. Somehow. Planning to kill her again. What the hell did he have to do with the plot to kill Reagan? He was only a kid himself.

“Makes no sense,” she mused aloud.

“What?”

“Why is Keith here?”

“Working for Jeff probably.”

“That makes no sense. Jeff knows Keith turned, he’s not trustworthy.”

“Maybe Keith is trustworthy to Jeff.”

And with that startling thought, the man whose presence added a nightmare quality to the whole scenario, opened the door.

“Out of the car, ladies.”

MJ’s mind stuck on the thoughts Tasha’s words provoked. Had Jeff known Keith was going to steal that nano information? Had Jeff known he was setting up MJ to die? Why?

Did Jeff have some sort of illegal . . .

Black ops, perhaps?

How long? Had he known when he partnered her with Keith? Had the love Keith professed been a farce from the beginning?

The implications were startling.

MJ met Tasha’s eyes. Tasha had a knowing look that indicated she understood where MJ’s thoughts had gone.

At the moment, MJ felt like sucker had been plastered on her head once again. Perhaps, it wasn’t Keith who had sensed MJ was ready for a relationship, but . . . Jeff?

Did that man have the warped mind necessary to play with people’s lives like a game?

Well, duh, obviously if he had been involved in the Senator Plot. If Jeff were involved, he’d been playing her as nothing more than a game piece for a big chunk of her life.

And yet . . . here was Keith, what was his connection? Just another dispensable game piece?

And then, MJ knew. It wouldn’t matter which of them died; either way Jeff had a plan to come out on top.

Tasha climbed out of the car first, stretched her long limbs. Keith took time to appreciate the view, but made sure he stayed out of Tasha’s reach should she make a sudden move.

When MJ exited the car, she asked, “Jeff running late?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

MJ moved over to stand by Tasha, who stood where Keith had indicated with his weapon. “Don’t play dumb,” MJ said. “We know Jeff’s behind everything.”

“Whatever feud you two have going with Jeff, I don’t know and I don’t care. I agreed to do this, because I have my own agenda.”

Odd thing for him to say. “Okay, I’ll bite. You agreed to do what, exactly? And what’s your agenda?”

“I agreed to kill you both, of course. Not hard to do since you tried to kill me.” He turned to Tasha. “Though I have nothing against you personally. It’s just business.”

Tasha only raised an eyebrow in answer.

“You were going to kill me before,” MJ reminded him.

“Back then it was business with you as well.”

It’s business, baby.

“And now?”

“Now, it’s personal.”

“Because I nearly killed you?” Damn, she wished she’d done a better job.

“No, that was business. It’s personal now because of our baby.”

The air sucked out of MJ. It took her a moment to recover. “Our . . . baby?”

“Why so surprised? Did you think because her father was dead, she had no father?”

“No, she’s not ours,” MJ protested, still unsure how he could consider he was the father. “She’s mine.”

“It takes two to tango, baby, and this brain injury you gave me didn’t make me forget we did the deed.”

Disbelief and confusion made her brain sluggish. He thought . . .

“Who told you she was yours?” Tasha jumped in while MJ was still processing Keith considered himself a father. “Oh, never mind, stupid question, Jeff did, of course.”

It clicked together then, and MJ wanted, needed to hear the answer. “You were the one trying to kidnap Angel?” she demanded.

“It was a simple plan. Kidnap our child, and bring you running, and then kill you.”

A simple plan all right. It worked quite well for Ben, MJ thought bitterly. And now here they were. With Keith. Too ironic to contemplate that both men in her life had her figured so well.

“Jeff played you. Angelina is not our child.”

Tasha added, “Don’t you wonder why Jeff wants us dead?”

“Really none of my concern, I do what I’m paid for. No scruples at all.”

And wasn’t that the truth.

He turned to MJ. “As for the baby, why are you denying it? Wouldn’t you prefer for her to be raised by her father if you’re dead?”

“Not if the father was you, not in a million years,” MJ spat. “But you’re not her father. She’s adopted. Your gunshot took out all my baby-making equipment.”

Stunned silence met her announcement. Keith looked confused, and then regretful. Compassion from him? She must be imagining things. Had he had some wish to be a father she hadn’t known about? And yet, what had she really known since all he’d presented was an illusion.

Why would Jeff had perpetuated such a lie, wouldn’t he know MJ would tell Keith the truth? “Did Jeff tell you she was ours?”

Keith didn’t answer, but it was clear his thoughts had gone in the same direction as hers.

“He knew I’d tell you the truth, he knew you’d be madder than hell. Obviously you liked the idea of being a father and I never knew. But Jeff knew.”

“He doesn’t intend for you to survive,” Tasha pronounced flatly. “He knew we’d tell you the truth about Angel, and you’d be mad. But it doesn’t matter. Because he doesn’t plan for you to live.”

Keith laughed. “And how does he plan for me to die?”

Tasha shrugged. “Us?”

Keith laughed harder. “You two women? Against me and my gun?”

“I dunno,” MJ said. “One woman took out two men and severely wounded another with nothing more than a hoof knife.”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes, I’m aware of your capabilities. Don’t think I’m going to be so stupid to underestimate you twice.”

“Maybe Jeff has an unfortunate fall off the top of the cliff planned for you then?” MJ suggested.

“When is Jeff going to be here?” Tasha asked.

“Who said he’s coming?” Keith countered.

“What are you waiting for then? Kill us already.”

MJ shot Tasha a look. She wasn’t ready to die yet, thank you very much. However, having worked so closely with Tasha these last couple of days, MJ realized Tasha had a plan. And it didn’t involve dying.

Chapter 29

Or at least MJ didn’t think it involved dying. But Tasha seemed suddenly tired of the chatter. The last words she spoke still hung in the air. Keith simply stood staring, obviously taken aback at Tasha’s boldness, when she made an even bolder move and lunged for his gun. He and MJ reacted simultaneously. With no time to aim, he pulled the trigger and the gun exploded. At the same time MJ brought her hand down in a hard chop on his wrist.

The .45 clattered to the hard dirt. But Tasha dropped to the ground, sinking to her knees.

MJ kicked Keith hard in the stomach. He bent double in pain. She followed with a slamming kick to the back of his head. He dropped as hard as Tasha.

“Take that,” MJ said, “as payback for our jaws.”

She snatched up the fallen weapon in case Keith recovered before she expected. She shoved the gun in her waistband before turning to the fallen woman.

Blood poured from Tasha’s lower chest. Memories from her own wound close to that area, made MJ stiffen with resolve. Tasha would live, she would be normal. She wouldn’t suffer more than she had already from these bastards who stole so much from them both.

Tasha was still breathing. Shallow whisper quiet breaths. At least there was no sucking noise, the bullet missed her lungs, and God willing, anything else vital. “Stay with me, Tasha. I’m not the best field medic, ask Ben,” she muttered inanely. “But you are not going to die, do you hear?” Gently, she rolled Tasha to her side. The bullet had gone through. A bullet that caliber, at such a close range left a big hole. Tasha was going to need medical help fast or she would bleed out. She only had minutes.