CL Hart -From A Distance Read online

  Kenzie was careful to leave the apartment just as she'd found it. She paused on the front stoop of the apartment building and looked around for her best position, somewhere high and out of sight. She scanned her options and then made her way across the street and onto the rooftop, unseen. Within minutes, her rifle was together, sighted, and ready, then she made herself as comfortable as possible. Hours passed in the heat and she felt the fatigue of the last week grow heavy on her eyelids. The Middle East and back, and now Mexico - a lot of miles and a lot of thinking. The heat radiated off the brick ledge and she did her best to ignore it, but she couldn't ignore the memories replaying in her mind. Kenzie shook her head, more to eradicate the thoughts swirling in her head than a weak attempt to stay awake. Stay focused - stay on target.

  Wiping the sweat from her face, she watched and waited, but there was no sign of Cori Evans. She checked her weapon, tweaked the sights slightly and then peered through the scope. The rim of metal rubbed against the fresh stitches on her cheek. It didn't hurt but it did remind her of what had happened on her last assignment. Repressing the memories, she pulled the picture from her pocket and then looked over the smattering of pedestrians in the area. Cori Evans, what are you doing in Mexico? Why does someone want you dead? The thought furrowed her brow as her fingers traced back and forth along the raised ridges of the skin on her cheek.

  She reached for her bottle of water and took a long drink, then wiped the excess from her lips as she spotted her target. Cori's bright honey-colored hair contrasted sharply against the brown streets and sea of dark hair surrounding her. Dressed in a soft pastel green, cotton, sleeveless top and matching pants, Cori was easy to watch as she walked toward her apartment. She was taller than Kenzie had envisioned and a lot more athletic looking, with broad shoulders and narrow hips. She carried a bag in her arms and laughed as several of the local children playfully ran circles around her.

  A deep breath in...a long breath out as Kenzie focused on her target, her finger lying in wait on the trigger of her rifle. She squeezed in the slack, then waited as Cori stopped and talked to the children. Kenzie pursed her lips in irritation as she moved her finger off the trigger. She would never fire with the children there, no matter what her training. There was time. As she watched and waited, Kenzie concentrated on her firing sequence and her escape plan. She prided herself on being the ultimate soldier - no muss, no fuss, and no screws ups. Mistakes, mental or physical, could not happen. Her training had taught her that. She was a professional, someone who killed without thought and without remorse, but... Her mind's eye took her back to where she didn't belong: that night in the desert.

  Kenzie shook her head but she couldn't rid herself of the past. She had to focus, she had to get her head back in the game, but it was not a game and she knew that better than anyone. Opening her eyes, she steeled herself against any thought that might distract her. Kenzie pulled her rifle in closer, leaned into her sights, and adjusted the crosshairs. This job needed to be done. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out slowly as she brought Cori Evans back into focus.

  Watching the interaction between her target and the local children, she found herself questioning the validity of her orders. There was nothing here to convince her that Cori Evans was a threat to national security, or to anyone else, for that matter.

  "What the hell am I doing?" Kenzie pulled back from the scope and watched Cori enter her apartment building. Kenzie was questioning orders, something she could ill afford to do, but nothing about Cori Evans gave any indication that the woman was a threat.

  Your opinion doesn't matter. You do what you're ordered to do, or people die. Get it done, LeGault. It's why you're here. You're a soldier. Now...do...your...job.

  Sweat trickled down her back, and she was aware it wasn't just because of the heat, but also the pressure of her fraying ethical fiber. The voice in her head kept telling her this was wrong. Kenzie looked around the small collection of apartments and something caught her eye. A cool breeze blew over her as the sun caught the glass and reflected a flash of light from a silhouette across the way. Someone was scanning the rooftops with binoculars. What the-?

  Kenzie dropped out of sight, pulling her rifle with her. She rolled away from where she had been lying, and scurried across the rooftop dragging her bag and gun. Unclipping her scope, she used it to peer over the edge of the roof.

  "Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?" she whispered as she looked back and forth from window to window. The sun was now casting long shadows, as the sounds of the street below grew louder and louder in Kenzie's ears. "There."

  Whoever it was had moved back into the cover of darkness deep within the room. She could make him out, but she couldn't see his features.

  "Hello, and just who the hell are you? And what are you doing?" As if to answer her questions, the dark figure moved closer to the window and laid a hand on something next to it. With a slight adjustment to her scope, Kenzie could make out the long, black barrel of a rifle.

  She rolled over onto her back, and quickly reattached her scope to her rifle. It's a goddamn sniper convention! What the hell is going on? She moved to a new location before she dared to look over the edge again, fully aware that she was making herself an easy target, as she sized up the other sniper. The dark figure was now standing next to the window. The binoculars were gone and this time his hands held a rifle - trained on Cori's apartment.

  "What the..." So many expletives went through her mind she couldn't put her tongue on just one. Someone sent a backup. Someone doubted my ability to do the job. Looking back at the other gunman, Kenzie knew the time had come for her to get off the fence. Systematically, she rechecked the bullet in the chamber, the fit of the scope as she dialed in the approximate distance and wind, and then brought her weapon up for the kill. It was her job and she was going to finish it.

  Finger on the trigger...breathe in...squeeze in the slack of the trigger...breathe out and...

  She couldn't do it. Her mind was too unsettled by the voices screaming inside her head. Pulling back from the roof edge, she tried to sort out the conflicting echoes inside her. The only thing she knew was that she couldn't pull the trigger until she knew the "why" of this assignment, even if it went against everything she'd been trained to do. If being ordered to kill an innocent person was a test of her allegiance, then it only confirmed her earlier quandary. That was no longer who she was or wanted to be.

  Looking across the way, she found no sign of the second gunman. She was not sure whether that made her feel better or not. A decision had to be made, and she was making one. Without even realizing it as she quickly disassembled her rifle. She slung her bag over her shoulder, and moved toward the fire escape on the far side of the roof. She didn't have a plan and didn't have time to stop and think about it. The soldier in her was simply acting and reacting.

  Quickly and quietly, she descended the flimsy metal staircase until she made her way down into the heat at street level. No one paid her any attention as she slipped into the back entrance of the apartment building, away from the prying eyes of whoever else was watching. Kenzie stopped in front of Cori's door and paused for a moment to think about what she was going to do. She reached into her bag, pulled out one of her 9mms, then knocked loudly on the door. She glanced both ways down the hallway, thankful she didn't have an audience as she waited.

  "Ola," a cheerful voice called from the other side of the door.

  Kenzie grasped the cool metal doorknob and waited for the lock to be disengaged. The moment the handle moved, Kenzie pushed the door open and forced her way into the apartment.

  The young woman from behind the door fought back, screaming in fear. They struggled for a moment, smashing into the cheap kitchen table. Kenzie had to drop her bag as they wrestled on the floor amongst the splintered wood. The young woman was surprisingly strong, but no match for Kenzie's strength and training. The end came quickly as Kenzie overpowered her and brought her gun up and into the young woman's fri
ghtened face. It was Cori Evans and it was all she needed to know.

  Pull the trigger, LeGault, and get the hell out of here, the voice in Kenzie's head screamed, but those were not the only words she was hearing.

  "Quo listed quiere...que listed quiere?" Cori screamed in Spanish.

  Kenzie rose to her feet and motioned with her gun for her intended target to rise. "Get up."

  "What do you want?" Cori pleaded, this time in English.

  "Shut up!" Kenzie ordered, pressing the gun against Cori's forehead. Her own head was pounding with second thoughts. One could not do that in the military. It just did not happen.

  Cori seemed surprised Kenzie spoke English. "Who are you? What do you want?"

  Kenzie grabbed Cori by the hair and Cori held her tongue.

  Pulling them out of the line of sight of the window, Kenzie dragged her hostage along with her as she crossed the room and pulled down the blinds. Whoever was out there would no longer have a view inside, or a target. Shifting her eyes away from searching the outside, Kenzie looked down at her captive.

  Cori's fear flooded face stared back at her. Kenzie was unsure of what to say as she watched the rapid rise and fall of her chest. It was easy to see her heartbeat pulse just below the surface of her neck. Kenzie looked away. Everything felt unreal, distant, almost as if she were watching some else's life.

  "You're an American, so what are you doing in Mexico?" Kenzie asked, as she turned back to look into the young woman's eyes. Cori gave her no answer, returning the stare with a staunch air of defiance. This not only surprised Kenzie, it also annoyed her. She pulled back on Cori's hair and pushed her gun within inches of her face.

  Cori stared into the black hole at the end of the gun's barrel. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if waiting for the gun to fire. Instead, Kenzie pressed the cold metal hard against her forehead.

  "I'll ask you again - once. What are you doing in Mexico?"

  "I'm...I'm a student at the Universidad Autonoma De Guadalajara," Cori answered as calmly as she could.

  The information surprised Kenzie, and she didn't like surprises. "Taking what?"

  "Why? What does it matter?"

  Without a thought, Kenzie responded as she would have with any other person she was interrogating. She struck Cori hard in the face, splitting her lip. Cori lifted her hand to the corner of her mouth.

  "Don't make me ask again," Kenzie said, releasing her grasp on Cori's hair. Walking to the window, she pulled back the blind and searched for the other gunman. She scanned the area to no avail. Where did he go? Has he gone? "What are you studying at the University?"

  Cori gingerly touched the corner of her mouth and looked down at the bright blood on her fingers. "Computer programming."

  Computer programming, Kenzie pulled away from the window. Why would someone want a computer programming student dead? The whole situation was taking a bad turn and all Kenzie wanted was out - finish the job, then find out who the other shooter was and why they were there.

  Kenzie saw Cori watching, swallowing with difficulty, as Kenzie tensed and tightened her finger on the trigger. Her conscience tugging at her, Kenzie stopped. She lowered the gun and Cori dropped her head into her hands. Kenzie couldn't hear her crying but she was certain she was.

  Reluctantly, Kenzie realized she would have to take Cori with her. "We need to get out of here, now."

  "We...what? Why?" Cori appeared panicked. "I'm not leaving here," she added boldly.

  "We are leaving!" Kenzie reached down, grabbed a handful of Cori's hair and dragged her to her feet. "It wasn't a suggestion. Do you own a car?"

  "No." Kenzie pushed the barrel of the gun harder against the flesh of Cori's face. Then Cori reluctantly acknowledged, "Yes."

  A hardened glare formed on Kenzie's features as she struck Cori's cheek with the back of her hand. "Don't lie to me again." She holstered her gun and went to her bags on the floor.

  Cori raised her hand to her face and glanced quickly at the door.

  "Don't even think about it," Kenzie warned, seeing the consideration of flight on the young woman's face. "I could have killed you, but I didn't." Pausing for a moment as if to reflect on her own comment, Kenzie sighed loudly before walking over and crouching down in front of Cori. She was tired and needed time to think, but there was no time to think. There was someone else out there hunting Cori Evans and Kenzie had no idea where he was.

  "Look," Kenzie said as she licked her lips, "I don't want to hurt you, but I need answers."

  Cori looked incredulous. "You don't want to hurt me?" she echoed, as she touched the cut on her lip that Kenzie gave to her. Cori's eyes quickly flicked around she room, as if searching frantically for a way to save her life. "I don't have any answers for you. Hell, I don't even know what the questions are. I don't know who you are or why you're here, but I'll give you whatever you want...just, please don't take me with you."

  "Believe me, you're safer with me than you would be staying here. We need to leave - now." Kenzie rose to her feet and placed a hand on Cori's shoulder. She felt Cori instantly pull away.

  "You're crazy. I'm not going anywhere with you. You bust into my home, shove a gun in my face, split my lip open," she touched the corner of her mouth as if to emphasize her point, "and you think I'm going to leave with you. No way. Whatever it is that you think I have, or whatever answers you think I can give you, you have the wrong girl."

  Kenzie leaned down to within inches of Cori's face. "I don't care. I said I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to." She spoke slowly and clearly as she pulled her gun from her holster. "Now, get the keys to your goddamn car, pick up my bag, and let's go."

  "But you-"

  Cori never got a chance to finish as Kenzie grabbed her by the neck, shoving her thumb into a pressure point just behind Cori's ear. The pain brought instant tears to her eyes and Cori fought back. Bringing her elbow up, Cori fought to turn her body away from the pain. The maneuver didn't surprise Kenzie, as Kenzie turned her wrist, driving her thumb deeper into the soft tissue behind Cori's ear.

  "I know more ways to hurt you than I do to kill you, so just do as I say." Kenzie released the pressure point.

  Cori gasped as the pain was instantly released, holding her ear and jaw.

  "Let's go." Kenzie gestured toward the door. Cori silently complied without further resistance. Kenzie pulled her second gun from her holster, quickly checking the rounds in both. Holstering one gun, she turned to Cori. "Where's your car?"

  "It's in the lot across the street, a red Honda," she said, frustration apparent in her voice.

  "Okay, this is how it's gonna work. We're leaving here. You're going first and I'll be right behind you." She nodded toward the door. "Don't do anything stupid or heroic. I saw how you enjoy the neighborhood children and I'd hate to have to come back here. Understood?" Kenzie aimed her gun at Cori's side until she saw Cori nod. "Once we're in your car, I want you to go east on Anillo Periferico, and then out of town on the 54. Understood?" Cori nodded again.

  "All right, grab my bag there and let's go." Cori picked up the duffle bag and the two left.

  Kenzie was on edge. If she were the shooter, now would be the perfect time to take the shot. The sun was about to set. They would be in the light and the shooter would be in shadows. One shot and then he could easily dissolve into the darkness and be gone. Alert and observant, her eyes swept quickly over the neighborhood.

  Shuffling out and away from the apartment building, she kept one hand on Cori, the other tightly gripping her gun. Though her attention was on their surroundings, she also watched the frightened woman with her. Everything in her told her she had done the right thing, so why didn't she feel better?

  "It's over there." Cori pointed out the small older Honda parked in the vacant gravel lot across the street.

  Cori's direction pulled Kenzie's mind back to the moment. Her lack of focus concerned and annoyed her. Silently scolding herself, she kept her eyes moving like she had been trai
ned. Rooftops, open windows, and the busy streets of Guadalajara, it was all too much for her to take in. Feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable, she gave Cori a nudge with her elbow as they crossed the street. "Hurry up."

  They reached the car and Cori struggled to get the key into the slot as she shifted the bag on her shoulder. Kenzie knew she had brought more than she'd needed for this job. It was Mexico, fifty bucks could buy her just about anything, but the merchandise was not always up to her standards.

  Cori seemed to delay getting into her car. Fumbling with the keys and the lock, her head looked around desperately.

  "Come on," Kenzie demanded, aware of her delay tactics.

  The shot was not audible, but a millisecond before it was fired Kenzie saw the red line from the laser sight refracting on the car. Instinct took over and she tackled Cori to the ground just as the side window of the Honda exploded. "Stay down," Kenzie ordered as they huddled together, the shattered glass raining down upon them. Moving away from the side of the car, Kenzie brought her guns up and fired rapidly in the direction of the source of the laser.

  The loud noise of the big guns echoed through the neighborhood, filling the streets with screams from frightened people, including Cori who was crouching down, her hands over her ears, looking too stunned to move.

  "Open the car door," Kenzie yelled as she ducked down to reload.

  Cori didn't move.

  "Open the fucking car door, now!"

  Cori reached through the shattered window, unlocked the door and pulled it open. With the car door now open, Kenzie holstered one of her guns and pushed Cori forward. "Get in, get over, and get down."

  Kenzie picked up her duffle bag, and threw it into the back seat just as two holes exploded into the frame of the car. Kenzie hurtled into the driver's seat and then emptied her handgun at the muzzle flash in the shadows. Quickly switching guns, she holstered the empty one as she reached for the keys gripped tightly in Cori's hand.