Sniper

Jason hears Nate come up behind him, but doesn’t move, still keeping his eyes on Con, not wanting to make any wrong decisions.

Con holds his glare at Jason, though shifts slightly as Nate enters the room. His eyes blaze with a deep anger. “Y’all just had to come, didn’t you? Reese just couldn’t let good be good,”

Nate’s words hit him below the belt as images of Jamie flash through his mind. He wanted to find her so badly…he wanted to hold her in his arms…he wanted to know she was safe. He knew he didn’t want to kill anyone…he knew that the consequences of such were great enough to keep him from pulling that trigger. Nate was right. But he was so desperate.

Wyatt looks back and forth between the other men, his gun held down. He’d never dreamed he’d be seeing this…what was happening? “Come on, Con…Nate’s right.”

Con’s jaw tightens as he weighs his options. Finally he uncocks his gun, setting it on the table, aimed towards Dirk. He turns his attention back to his captive, the anger unresolved. “You’re dang lucky they showed up,” he hisses. “But you better start talking before that luck runs out.”

“I told you I don’t know nothing!” Dirk insists, now looking to the other men, hoping they’ll stop Con.

Con sends another backhanded blow to Dirk’s face, fresh blood spurting from Dirk’s mouth.

Wyatt takes a step forward to stop him, but Jason puts out his arm to hold him back. As much as he didn’t want to see Con beat the life out of anyone, if they interfered now, Dirk’s fear would be gone, and if he didn’t have any fear, he wouldn’t talk.

Dirk recovers from the blow and tries to get up from the chair, only to be shoved back down so hard that the chair almost tips over. Con takes him by the collar, threatening another punch. “You tell me all there is to know right now, or so help me I’ll kill you with my bare hands in front of three witnesses without so much as blinking.”

“So just kill me then!”

“Oh, did I say it would be quick?” Con takes hold of Dirk’s right arm, putting pressure on the joint until Dirk squirms.

“No, don’t break that one too!”

“Then talk!”

“Alright, alright!” Dirk’s eyes are wide with fear. “The Agency just hired me a month ago. I don’t know all them details or nothing. They just wanted me to get you poisoned, and that’s all I’ve ever done, I swear!”

Con applies more pressure to the arm. “And Jamie?”

“I don’t know!” Dirk winces in pain and squirms until Con puts a knee to his ribs to hold him still. “I knew they were going to take her, but I don’t know where she is. Honest! They didn’t tell me!”

“You sure about that?”

Dirk cries out as more force is used. “Yes!” He hurls a curse in Con’s direction. “There’s only a few places they would have taken her around here, but they didn’t tell me where it was. My job was over when I caught you at the auto shop. End of story.”

Con can tell that Dirk is telling the truth, and finally releases his grip. “You’re a wise man, Dirk. Now…how about you telling us where these few places are, hmm? Then you can go on your merry little way and you’ll never have to see the likes of me again… But if you resist…or lie…I’ll hunt you down like a dog, and you can believe that when I get through with you, you’ll wish you were dead.”

Jason looks to Wyatt and Nate, not knowing what to do. They couldn’t take Dirk to TJY for security reasons…they had their own work they were supposed to be doing, but they couldn’t just leave Con alone again. He glances at them with question.

…Outside and across the street, a dark figure lies on the roof of the abandoned brick building. The rifle scope zeros in on the target, the house’s windows giving ample sight for a clean shot. All he needed was the ‘ok’ to pull the trigger and Con would be out of the way.


Reese sighs deeply. “I’m not sure what you can do, Katie, other than pray. If you want to sift through some computer files on your laptop, feel free…if Con finds this guy he was looking for, we might get a location on Jamie, but if you want to hunt out some prime targets for holding someone…abandoned buildings, that sort of thing, go for it. I’m really at a loss here until one of the boys calls me back.”


Carson receives Jamie’s spit to his face without flinching. He takes a hand and slowly wipes it off, just looking at Jamie for several moments. “Bold move…very bold, missy. I’m surprised you’d let your friend die…but if you want it that way…” He waves to Joe. “Get back up there and call Troy. Tell him to take Conrad out. I’m tired of playing games.”

As Joe leaves, Carson runs the back of his hand over Jamie’s face before grabbing the back of her head his fingers latched onto her hair as he pulls her closer towards him. “People like you don’t live very long, Jamie…If you care about you friends, I suggest you tell us everything you know. Otherwise you’re gonna have an awful lot of funerals starting to attend, starting with Con’s, and ending with your parents’.”