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The tourniquet was in place, and no more blood lost.
The essential information was that the sniper didn’t aim for the judge’s center mass. And he didn’t have Nutsbe’s head as the target, though he was right there, upright and the most exposed of the three.
Kennedy called it; sniping was not the Russian way.
And again, while Olivia thought the wind buffet caught the bullets, these holes weren’t random. From the sniper’s vantage point, the car bodies had to be blocking the three of them. The bullets peppered the windshields of the vehicles around them.
Nutsbe was confident that the sniper was trying to unnerve the group and get them running for cover farther away, or even for the shelter of a nearby business.
And after walking this through, Nutsbe was even more confident that Olivia was the target.
The driver fobbed Olivia’s car unlocked, then held the back door open.
Nutsbe pointed his finger to the back. “Beowolf, load.”
Beowolf stopped to consider the back bench seat, sniffing and tipping his head before finding a way to get into the space. Poor guy didn’t quite fit on her back bench seat and had to put one of his back paws on the floor.
Walking around Olivia’s vehicle, he saw there were no bullet holes. He also didn’t see anything easily located that would make the noise that Olivia had described. He opened the passenger door and climbed in.
As the driver pulled out slowly, they both listened closely. “You?” Nutsbe asked.
“Nada,” the guy said. “Maybe when we get some speed.
The driver was right. As soon as they hit the highway, Nutsbe heard the tire thwack. Not like a flat, just something bizarre and loud. The driver pulled off on the shoulder and put on his hazards.
With his phone flashlight, Nutsbe lay on his back and inched himself under the trunk. There, he discovered half of a bungee cord. The hook was stuck in the wall of the tire and the cord would smack the undercarriage with each rotation.
He called Olivia and told her he was stopping by the tire shop to get it patched.
“I got called into the office, puke suit and all. Can you text me when you think you might be back home so I can be sure to be there? I’ll try to time the dinner arrival. Italian? I need a heavy dose of calming carbs.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nustbe
After having the tire repaired, the team was on the last leg of their task. As they drove past his house, Nutsbe saw two Iniquus vehicles pulling into his drive. One SUV would be left in place for Nutsbe, and the other would take the other Automotive guys back to Headquarters.
It was a complicated shuffle of vehicles.
His driver rounded the block and up Olivia’s drive.
Since her garage was open, Nutsbe pointed. “How about you pull in there?” After they parked, the driver handed Nutsbe Olivia’s keys and headed over the lawn to catch his ride.
“All right, Beowolf,” Nutsbe turned to let Beowolf out. “We’re going to see Olivia. And you’re going on a blind date with Olivia’s pupper, Henrietta.” Nutsbe cleaned off the drool and then gathered the lead as Beowolf made his way out of the back, lifting one back leg and then the other to stretch and kick. “I expect you to be a gentleman.”
Nutsbe strode up the walk and stood outside the raspberry door, pressing the bell that could be heard outside. The door color was even brighter and more obnoxious close-up, to the point of being comical. A tickle of laughter curled his lips as Olivia opened the door.
“Oh!” she said, stepping back. “You’ve changed already.”
Nutsbe stood on the porch while Beowolf sniffed around and got comfortable. “I have a shower at my office, and I keep changes of clothes handy.”
Olivia turned with a come-on-in swoop of her hand. “I’m obviously not as lucky.” She walked down the hall past the formal living room on the right and the dining room on the left, decorated with simple lines and muted colors. She headed down the hall toward the back of the house. “How is it you have Beowolf with you? I thought he lived at the kennel?”
“He’s having a sleepover, in case the docket updates, and we’re on for the morning. It’s just easier.”
“I have dinner keeping warm in the oven.” She stopped by a child’s safety gate and squatted. “Hi, Beowolf.” She scrubbed his sides. “Come meet Henrietta.”
She let them sniff each other through the child gate.