“I’ll see she gets your message,” the voice said, and then disconnected.
Jake stood and paced. He was certain he wouldn’t hear from her for at least the next several days. That would mean he would have to live through the trip to Reno again, trying to be patient, which was not one of his more established traits. When she finally contacted him, he’d have to back-track, then do it all a third time. He briefly considered back-tracking an additional week right now and getting in contact with Susan before she left on whatever task had taken her away. He still was reluctant to do that. Last night had been special, and he knew he would be forfeiting that experience if he were to back-track beyond that time. He’d still have the memories of the first time around, but Karin wouldn’t, and that would taint the experience.
The more he thought about the situation, the less comfortable he became. What could Carlson do if he warned her? Given the information that had been available before he back-tracked, the only thing she could do would be to move the Senator someplace else to protect him. That would almost certainly mean whoever was after him would make another attempt before too long, unless something developed to reveal who was behind the attack. They could go in circles for a while, which could easily interfere with Jake’s plans to join Karin back East.
He wondered if he could handle this one on his own, much like he used to. There would be no casualties, so Karin wouldn’t be too upset. He didn’t know who was responsible. From what he had learned, a man properly positioned could get a shot at the drones as they approached the hotel. That would save the Senator, accomplishing the same thing as moving the Senator, but providing more evidence to aid their search for the instigators.
He knew he’d made up his mind when he stood and walked across the room, rotating aside the section of bookshelves that hid his gun safe. While most of the operational firearms he’d used in the past were in Nevada with Nate, he still had his personal collection. There were several weapons he’d acquired with no records that traced to him. Jake reached in and pulled out a compact shotgun with a variable choke. Just the thing, he decided.
He carried the shotgun into their bedroom where his own suitcase was waiting, nearly packed for the trip to Reno in the morning. He separated the stock from the action, and found he still couldn’t fit it inside the suitcase. He had to remove the barrel, and then the three pieces fit. He added the rest of the clothing he would need in Nevada, then zipped up the bags and carried them out to the car.
Returning to the house, he made a call to the Ritz-Carlton, and made reservations for a two-night stay. The reservation was made using the phony ID in the Mathews name. He didn’t want his actions to be linked to either himself or the Trask identity. Then he locked up the house and climbed into the BMW, and headed into the City.
Once checked in, he spent the day exploring the hotel to verify what he’d learned on the internet matched reality. He was able to find the back stairway that led to the roof, finding the door at the top locked, but with a simple tumbler lock he knew he could overcome. Twice he had to back-track a few minutes when his explorations were discovered by hotel staff, but by the time evening rolled around, he had figured out how he would get where he needed to be. He had dinner in the dining room, then retired to his room, talking for half an hour to Karin who had arrived safely. He felt guilty not revealing to her what he was doing, but he didn’t want her to worry.
As dawn approached, he was in place on the roof, the shotgun lying out of sight on the roof beside him. He wore a dark jacket that kept out the chill and hid him against the roof, although he could think of no reason why anyone would be looking for someone out here tonight. The attack that had killed the Senator wouldn’t happen until later in the morning.
Forty-five minutes later Jake checked his watch for the tenth time. Five minutes until the drones would arrive. Carefully he picked up the shotgun,