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Ready.
As she neared the car, she realized Diaz wasn’t there.
She pulled the car door handle, but it was locked.
What the...?She looked around, her eyes scanning the trees around her, but there was no sight of him.
She ignored the hammering of her heart. Something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. She looked over her shoulder again, feeling like someone was watching her, but she didn’t know if that was all in her head.
Her mind reeled. Had he gone back to talk to Ryley without her?
She looked over the woods again.
“Diaz!” she yelled, her voice echoing through the vast darkness.
The sun was quickly fading into the horizon, and soon it would be so dark she wouldn’t be able to see her own feet.
Where are you, Diaz?
JACKSON
“Do you have eyes on the target?” Jackson asked as he watched her through his binoculars.
“Confirm. He looped back around the woods to talk to Ryley. They’re deep in discussion, but his eyes keep looking down the path he walked, like he’s waiting for her to come around the corner,”Will said.
“She’s staying at the car,” Jackson said, though it was getting harder and harder to see her. He needed to switch to night-vision gear.
“Ryley just handed him another envelope. Target is moving. Confirm, target is moving.”
Jackson’s legs were beginning to ache from sitting crouched amongst the trees. An agent had followed Anna’s car from Sloan’s without Diaz realizing he had a tail. For the second time in an hour, Jackson had his finger on the trigger, ready to fire if Diaz pointed his gun at her again.
He’d hesitated earlier, but only because he’d seen Ryley approaching, his alarm evident by his posture and wide eyes.
Despite her resistance in the bar, Jackson wasn’t giving up on her.
He just needed to work out an angle.
It was much like dating, he thought, almost smirking. But this date came with a high cost if he didn’t play his cards right.
Jackson’s eyes strained to see through the haziness that came with nightfall. Diaz walked to the car, looked to Anna and said a few words, then they climbed in without another word.
“Follow the target. Keep a safe distance away,” Jackson said to the agent waiting on the road.
Jackson watched as Diaz’s car drove up to the road, then veered left, out of sight.
They stayed in place until it was confirmed Ryley had returned to his car and driven away. Jackson had a car tail him too.
He yawned, finally allowing himself to get out of the crouched position and sit back against the tree.
Despite the last twelve months and the horrors he’d seen, he missed the woods. Being here reminded him of Redwater, and for a moment he felt a pang of homesickness. He missed the familiarity of the small town and the comradery of his team. He felt alone on this case, even though he had great support from the FBI team.
He took a moment to breathe and listen to the noises of the woods... the swaying of trees, the slight croak of old wood, and the rustling of leaves.
“We’re safe to clear out,”Will said.
Jackson took one last breath before standing, brushing the dirt off his jeans, and making his way back to the cars. He kept his pistol close but he didn’t hear anything that caused him alarm.
“Thoughts?” Will asked as Jackson emerged from the woods.
