Page 17 of Safeguarding the Witness

“Why will you rethink?”

“When I picked you up in Denver, I didn’t expect the gunmen who ambushed us.” He stopped at the light on Commercial Street. “They were dangerous but not exactly a state-of-the-art threat. Not like a sniper with a high-tech weapon. That rifle had to be military-grade, accurate up to three hundred yards. More than likely, it included a built-in sound suppressor.” He checked his rearview mirror. “We need to be prepared for a well-financed, sophisticated enemy.”

“That doesn’t fit with what I’ve learned about the Peligro Cartel,” she said. “They’re pretty much out of business.”

He crossed Commercial and drove into a residential area on Madrona. “If you’re not being attacked by the cartel, who else could be after you and your father?”

“Nobody.”

“From what we saw at the airport, that ‘nobody’ is plenty dangerous and has access to insider info. For example, how did the sniper know where to find you in Salem?”

“Maybe he wasn’t after us. He seemed to be aiming at the marshal.”

“Maybe, but I don’t believe in coincidence.”

“The only person who knew where we were going was Marshal Tim Youngblood.” In their phone call to him, they mentioned the charter service. He knew where they were headed from Denver. But why would he work with a cartel? She stroked the envelope with the tip of her finger. The answers might be written inside. “Why would he arrange to shoot another marshal? Was it a misfire?”

“Once might have been a mistake,” Spence said as he checked his rearview mirror. “Another hit in the other leg indicated highly accurate shooting. Might have been meant as a message.”

“Like what?”

“Something about the legs. A warning not to chase after the sniper. Or an example of how easy it would be to cripple us.” He looked at the mirror again.

She swiveled in her seat and peered through the back window. “Is somebody behind us? Do you think we’re being followed?”

“Yes.”

Chapter Six

Adrenaline flooded his system and sharpened his senses. Instead of defending himself and Mollie from a sniper, Spence played the role of predator, stalking a less-prepared opponent. His Ranger training taught him strategy, his time in the field gave him experience and his work with security for the family law firm developed his skills. He congratulated himself on thinking ahead and having a plan.

“Don’t worry, Mollie.”

“Oh, sure,” she muttered. “Somebody’s following us. Nothing to be concerned about.”

“Ever heard that old saying ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…’”

“‘…shame on me,’” she concluded. “How does that apply?”

“Earlier tonight, our enemy sent a sniper to the airport. Fooled me once. After that, I suspected we might be followed. I’ve taken precautions.”

“Care to share?”

He couldn’t miss the sarcasm in her voice and was tempted to launch into a full-scale explanation of security procedures his team practiced on a regular basis. Sounded cool but was actually boring. He kept his explanation simple. “I set up this action with Rossi, who happens to be a top-qualified sharpshooter, black belt in martial arts and defensive driving expert. He’s been following us from the airport. As soon as he spots the tail, he’ll initiate a tactical vehicular maneuver to divert whoever is tracking us. It’s Rossi’s job to take them out of the picture so we can proceed to the safe house without being detected.”

“A tactical vehicular maneuver, huh?”

“Try to say that three times fast.”

“I’m impressed, Spence.”

She seemed satisfied, and he warned her, “Don’t get too relaxed.”

“Why not? What else could happen?”

He shot a glance into the heavens. “Drones.”

While she stared up into the starry night, he activated the hands-free intercom device in his earbud so he could speak directly to Rossi. “Silver sedan. Two cars behind us, I think. It’s hard to tell in the dark.”