“We’ll hold on to this for safekeeping.”
“I need my cell phone.”
“Not where you’re going.”
“Where to now?”
The smaller of the two pointed to a narrow opening in the trees. “Follow that route. Ten minutes due south, up the trail. You’ll arrive at a log cabin. She’ll be waiting outside for you.” The man cocked his head in the direction of the trail. “Go on, get!”
Forbes took the hint and moved on, quickening his pace. He hadn’t expected such a welcome party. His shirt clung to his sweaty back. He hiked hard, wishing he had his backpack to take a drink of water. Eventually he came to a clearing, and the log cabin, and the woman.
Standing, hands on her hips, was Karen Feinstein.
“What took you so long?”
Forbes wiped his brow with the back of his hands. “I got lost somewhere around God knows where.” He walked up to her and hugged her tight. “What’s with the goons half a mile back?”
“Don’t worry, they’re my guys. They’re just not house-trained.”
“They need to lighten up.”
“That is them lightened up.”
“What’s this all about?”
“Loose ends. I wanted to give you an update in person. Things are getting trickier than we anticipated.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“We had a situation last night. We thought we would nip this McNeal character in the bud.”
“I thought this was supposed to be a slam dunk. Send in the girl and blackmail him. What happened?”
“Jack McNeal is way more dogged than we anticipated. He’s smart. And I’m worried about him.”
Forbes shrugged. “What do you mean? What the fuck happened?”
“Apparently McNeal pulled a gun on our girl. A fucking gun. She’s done it a hundred times before. Best in class. But this time . . . this time, she got her comeuppance.”
“So, hang on, this Internal Affairs cop, McNeal. He’s got the story?”
“Not exactly. He’s got a version of the story. Francesca told McNeal who had paid her. Said it was a woman. But it might be only a matter of time before McNeal figures out that it’s me.”
“Fuck.”
“This is not good.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Forbes wiped the sweat from his brow.
“We paid her in cash. So, that’s gone.”
“The money is the least of our problems.”
“We have to deal with this. And that’s why I wanted to tell you face-to-face.”
Forbes struggled to keep up. “What if someone starts digging into Francesca? I mean really digging into how you two go way back.”
“Then we’ve got a major problem.”
“Where is she?”
“We brought her here.”
Forbes looked at her face, half-expecting this to be a joke. But there was no punchline. No laughing. No smiles. “Here? What do you mean, here? Are you fucking with me?”
Feinstein shook her head. “She’s two hundred yards from here. We’re going to ensure she doesn’t talk anymore.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“What would you suggest? Leave her to her own devices? Allow McNeal or the cops to pressure her into talking?”
“You’re going to kill her?”
Feinstein shook her head. “No, you are.”
“I don’t do stuff like that. That’s why we hired you guys.”
“I’ve got skin in the game. So does Henry. What about you, Andrew?”
Forbes swooned, light-headed, then fell to his knees and was sick.
“That’s okay, perfectly natural.”
“This isn’t how it’s supposed to work.”
“Things change. Circumstances change. You have to go with the flow.”
“I’ve never killed anyone.”
“Not directly. But you are involved. Deeply involved. By the way, I admire that. You’re a patriot.”
“Isn’t there anyone else who can do it?”
“I’ve chosen you. I want to see that you have blood on your hands too. It bonds us together.”
Forbes began to pace the clearing in the woods beside the cabin. “I work for the fucking President.”
“We dug the grave. No one will know. The gun was bought in Slovakia from a gun dealer for cash. Untraceable. Serial number filed off.”
Forbes closed his eyes for a moment. He thought of his father. He was so proud of his son’s position at the White House. His boss had been his father’s closest friend since college, and now he was the President. “I’m not doing it. Absolutely not. Go to hell.”