Daniel took a step towards her.

  Yes, come closer, Veronica thought.

  "You're a monster," Daniel said.

  "And you sound like the naive hero you are. You aren't ready for this. You'll never be ready for this. You think you know who I am? You have no idea. I kill for the sheer fun of it. I enjoy it. I dream about it, and I taste it with every meal. What do you say we finish this the old-fashioned way? Hand-to-hand combat—Mano a mano—Or me and mano?” Veronica tempted.

  She sensed that he was trying to take another step forward. That’s when she would make her move. No one ever expected a woman of her size to be their equal. She had been well trained. She had been put through the ringer and came out like a hardened steel rod. She could crush stone with her hands. It would only be a matter of moments before she did the same to Briggs’s head.

  "No," Daniel said, without stepping forward. In fact, he stepped back and grabbed the rifle.

  "Come on, I'm just a little girl," Veronica teased. "You don't need that thing."

  "I'm not going to shoot you," he said. "I'm taking you back to town."

  "I'm not going back."

  "You don't have a choice."

  "There's always a choice, Daniel. Just like you had a choice of whether to talk to Nathaniel. You chose to insert yourself into our lives."

  Veronica was willing to die. But she wanted the time and place to be of her choosing.

  "Put the gun down, Daniel. I promise to not take it easy on you."

  The rifle's barrel rose until it was pointed straight at her chest.

  "We're leaving now."

  Just then, in the distance Veronica saw headlights. Daniel must have seen them too because he urgently said, "Veronica, turn around and start walking down the path."

  She looked at him, the poor damaged hero. He was trying to save the day once again. Little did he know he would be too late. He was trying to do the right thing. While it might be seen as noble to most people, Veronica viewed it as pure weakness. She had spent her life perfecting the art of strength and never, ever showing weakness. It started out as an act, but it now defined her very being.

  All those tests had brought her here to this moment.

  "I wish I could be around to see the new you," Veronica said. "Oh, and to see the look on your face when more of your friends die. But I have to go now."

  "You're not going anywhere," Daniel said.

  "I stopped taking orders from men a long time ago. I'm not going to start again now."

  She locked eyes with him for a long moment. Then she gave him a quick two-finger salute, pivoted, and executed a perfect swan dive over the cliff face.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Daniel ran like he'd never run before. He'd watched Veronica plunge into the darkness, and he could just make out the shape of her body splattered on the desert floor. At that point, he hit the trail, sprinting to the property in the distance. Running all out, he arrived at his destination in fifteen minutes. He recognized the white Cadillac parked out front.

  Only after his breathing had slowed and he had checked the rifle over a last time did he enter the house. He was aware he might be too late to save the rancher’s life.

  The property was eerily quiet, like it had been abandoned for forty years, except for the lingering smells of dinner. There was a light on in the kitchen. It acted like a brilliant magnet pulling him into the house. When he entered, he imagined the rancher slumped in a chair and tied down. That is unless Veronica’s accomplice had already killed him. He peeked inside the kitchen which he found empty.

  Then he recognized his mistake; he’d gone in too quickly. In validation of his concern, a familiar voice asked, "Are you looking for me?" Daniel froze. There was no way beyond black magic. Was this one final test? How could he have gotten it so wrong?

  He had thought maybe it was the owner of The Frisky Filly; she had been much too accommodating. Or maybe it was one of the police officers—Salazar?

  But he was wrong on both counts. He turned to face the person. As the living room light flickered on, he stood staring in disbelief at the woman who had just executed the perfect suicide drop off the side of a cliff.

  "Veronica?"

  She had a shotgun leveled at him, motioning for him to drop the rifle. He did as she ordered, setting it down slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves.

  "Where is my sister?" she asked. Like the first mechanism that clicks in the first of a series of dueling cogs and spinning contraptions, his mind finally caught hold.

  "You’re twins," Daniel said.

  "I asked you—where is my sister?"

  There was no shakiness in the woman's voice, and her body was tense yet relaxed, just the way his would have been in this type of situation.

  Daniel artfully dodged the question. “Your father's dead, isn't he?"

  "He was never our father," she snapped.

  "He was good to both you and Nathaniel."

  “You don’t know anything about our lives.”

  Then the realization hit. “Oh! He found out about you two, didn't he?" The narrowing in Veronica's eyes was the only affirmation he received. "At least tell me how you pulled this off. Did he know you came as a package deal?"

  "Of course not."

  “Let me guess. You took turns playing daughter, while the other one was somewhere else?" He received no answer, not that Daniel needed one. All the pieces finally fit into place, explaining the lapses and the impossibility of Veronica being in two places at once. It really had been an ingenious and deadly plan. “Last question—I promise—and then you're free to do whatever you want. Was Nathaniel yours?"

  Now he got the first hint she was not void of emotion. Veronica's knuckles went white. "Where is my sister?"

  Daniel wasn't going to be the one to tell her. She would have to figure that out on her own. Besides, he couldn't shake the feeling that his entire existence had solidified into this very moment. He had endured incredible things with his body, and he probably could have done something sensational to deliver the death blow. Previously, that's exactly what he would have done. But now, as he stared at Veronica, he just wanted to understand. His newfound curiosity and acceptance of both life and death wanted to mine the intricacies of this woman’s mind.

  "Why did you kill Nathaniel?"

  Veronica didn't answer. She had the hard stance of a guard waiting for a commander to walk through the door.

  "She made you kill him, didn't she?”

  “It was the only way," she said, as if trying to convince herself one last time.

  "You're a mother, and you were forced to kill your child. I'm sorry, Veronica. No one should have to do that."

  The shotgun slipped down an inch.

  "I loved him."

  "I know you did.”

  “But he saw us together, just like my stepfather had.” She stomped her foot like an impetuous child. “We tried to play it off, but Nathaniel wouldn't let it go."

  "She had to keep your secret, but she also made you do the dirty work," Daniel guessed.

  "No, we made the decision together. I don't know why I'm telling you this." Her eyes refocused. “Where is she? If you hurt her—"

  "I promise you, I did not hurt her."

  "Then tell me where she is."

  "I'm sorry for your loss."

  Veronica's eyes went wide. "What are you saying?"

  "I'm telling you that your sister is dead."

  "You hurt her?"

  "I did no such thing."

  Veronica was shaking now, "She was the only person I had. She was the only one that understood. We took care of each other."

  "Then let me take care of you," Daniel said. "It won't be easy, but I promise I'll help you."

  Strangely, despite her despicable act, Daniel believed every word he spoke. The woman standing in front of him was a killer, but something had happened to make her a killer. Maybe it was out of necessity, or maybe she had just followed her sister's whims. For some reason, in that moment, Daniel felt empathy toward her and the situation where she now found herself.

  "I don't believe you. I didn't feel anything." Veronica said, as if when her sister died some alarm in her soul would have been triggered.

  "She's dead," Daniel said.

  For the first time, Veronica's eyes left Daniel's. They flitted back and forth, as if she was searching for something. She was murmuring, talking to herself, babbling really. “She said it was done. She said it would be easy. Yes. That’s what she said. That’s it, yes.” Then she looked back at Daniel, her confidence renewed.

  "Tell me where you left her body."

  "I can show you," Daniel said.

  She motioned with the shotgun to the door.

  Daniel had no doubt that if he tried to run, she would take him down with a single shot. Veronica #2 was no longer unglued. She was steadily becoming focused, and the Marine sniper held no illusions about how this would end. At least he felt the consolation that when he walked out the front door, he would not do so alone. The Beast was strangely quiet but present, and he knew the stranger was walking next to him.

  Whatever comes, will come, Daniel thought to himself, feeling oddly at peace with the situation.

  Daniel pointed into the desert, the way he had come.

  "If you head straight for that hill, your sister is at the base of it, on this side." He turned to face her. She still had her weapon pointed at him. Her eyes squinted toward her sister's resting spot. Then her eyes refocused on him.

  "I bet you feel stupid now for helping me at that bus station. You could have avoided all of this, you know. That's always how these things start. Someone thinks they can help, and then we suck them right in. It’s so easy to do, especially with men.”

  "I will never regret trying to help you," Daniel said. "And I don't regret the brief time I spent with Nathaniel. Forever, I'll remember him." Then Daniel thought of the one thing he'd forgotten to ask. "Where's the old man who lives here?”

  “He wasn’t here.”

  That’s strange, Daniel thought. The old man's truck was still on the property. At least he was safe.

  Daniel waited patiently. He didn't know why Veronica didn't shoot. Maybe she was accustomed to getting orders from her sister. Maybe she didn't want to admit it was over. If she killed Daniel, she would have to gather her sister's body, and then she would truly be alone. Daniel knew how it felt to be alone, wandering aimlessly through life with every turn tighter than the one before.

  He made a decision that his last words would be words of kindness, not of hatred.

  "Thank you for letting me spend time with Nathaniel. He was a great kid, and I'm sure he's looking down on us right now, hoping that you'll do the right thing."

  The shaking and emotion from her he'd seen in the house did not make a second appearance. Instead, her lips paled in the moonlight, and she took a step closer to him.

  "Do not say his name ever again. My son is dead."

  Daniel put his hands in the air. "If you're going to shoot me, do it now. I'm sure the police have figured out where I’ve gone and they'll be here soon. Just get it over with. I promise I won’t move. “

  Veronica's finger tightened on the trigger.

  So, this was it—the final showdown. And yet, Daniel did not feel afraid. He was confident in his actions of the day. He knew he'd done the right thing. He could live or die in peace. Peace. That small word had left an indelible mark on his soul.

  "Shoot," he said again.

  Veronica leaned in just perceptibly, poised to end it all.

  Daniel closed his eyes, and he said a prayer.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  The gunshot thundered and Daniel didn’t move, surprised to not feel pain. Maybe he'd already gone. Maybe it was that fast. Life snatched by the reaper in the blink of an eye.

  Then he opened his eyes at the sound of another gunshot and he saw that Veronica was no longer in front of him. In fact, she'd been thrown a good five feet to his right. Her arm was still moving, trying to push her body up when the third shot hit her square in the side of the face. The movement stopped.

  Where did the shots come from? A large caliber weapon. Maybe a .30-06. It had the effect of sounding like a cannon at close range. Daniel turned to see where the shots had come from and then there they were: the old rancher, Tom and his father and even the owner of The Frisky Filly. They rushed out as one. An M1 Garand was cradled like a baby in the rancher’s arms.

  "Daniel, are you okay?" Tom asked.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. You guys sure know how to make an entrance."

  "I'm sorry it took us so long. Abraham called us and luckily we were on the way."

  "How did you know I was here?"

  "Lieutenant Salazar called me,” the owner of The Frisky Filly said. “He asked why you might be coming out this far in the desert, and I said I didn't know. I put two and two together and I figured you were coming out to Abraham's place. The next thing I did was call Tom.”

  "Abraham—your name is Abraham," Daniel said to the old rancher.

  “The name my mother gave me."

  Daniel stuck out his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Abraham. I apologize for never asking your name before."

  "It never came up so I never thought to offer it myself, but apology accepted, Daniel Briggs.”

  The five of them just stood there for a long, long moment. Each digested what had happened both in the preceding minutes and in the preceding days. As Daniel stood there, he couldn't help but think that these people, these friends who he’d met not long before, had made the rash decision to come to his aid. His aid. A stranger. What was he but a stranger to them? And yet—

  Daniel marveled at this, and that when he'd cast down his weapon, relinquishing the warrior inside and taming the frightening Beast who had allowed him to do so many vengeful deeds, that this had finally opened up the space for something else. Trust? Trust in his friends. Trust in the world that things would come out the way they should—or maybe it was just faith. Yes, that was it. Faith in all things.

  "What are we going to do about that body?" Tom's father asked. And then, as if to accentuate the point, the first wails of sirens sounded in the distance followed by the flashing lights of a line of police cars coming down the single lane road.

  “You all saw what happened. I'll take the fall if I need to,” Abraham said without hesitation.

  "It won't come to that," Daniel said reaching into his pocket. He held up a black object for the others to see.

  "What's that?" Tom's father asked.

  "It's a digital recorder. I may have swiped it from the doctor at the hospital. It's got everything."

  "But how could you know?" Tom asked.

  Daniel shrugged. "Something told me to grab it, so I did."

  They all shared a relieved laugh as the caravan of police cars pulled onto the property. It was a night none of them would ever forget, least of all Daniel.

  Epilogue

  The next few days were a swirl of emotions and endless activity. Once the police arrived at Abraham’s property, they searched the stolen Cadillac, revealing the plastic-wrapped bodies of Jay and Benji. Lieutenant Salazar was ready to pin the murders on Daniel. Luckily, the sniper produced the digital recorder that contained his conversation with both Veronicas. After that, it just took some good old-fashioned police legwork to confirm the story of the twins.

  Margaret Taylor was found stumbling drunk in her hotel room. After sobering up, she told the police that Veronica had been adopted at the age of nine. It was supposed to be a package deal. During that time, Veronica’s sister, Violet, was dealing with multiple run-ins with both the law and the orphanage’s staff. Margaret and her then husband made the painful decision to not adopt Violet. They had, of course, promised to come back if she got her act together. But that never had happened. Veronica’s sister disappeared. It was if she had been wiped from the face of the earth, as far as the authorities could determine. It was rare that many resources were allocated to look for an runaway orphan.

  Now that both sisters were dead, it could only be assumed they had kept in touch. At some point, it was suspected, they’d made a pact to stick together. When examined side-by-side at the morgue, it was uncanny how similar they looked. The coroner confirmed both women had undergone multiple identical plastic surgeries to ensure they’d pass as carbon copies of each other.

  The scope of the investigation widened. The images of the sisters were circulated, and their movements were tracked all over the world. Their presence was confirmed in Germany, the Middle East, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and even Japan. In their wake, many deaths (mostly men) were attributed to the nomad assassins. Witnesses said they’d only seen one sister at a time. They were unaware twins existed. Veronica was described as a thrill-seeker. She pushed the limits of what her body could achieve and endure. She engaged in activities like weapons training and martial arts, windsurfing and heli-skiing. It was obvious the twins enjoyed living their lives on the razor's edge. Most recently, their adventurous life had led them to Las Vegas. They had attempted to extort The Frisky Filly after learning the owner was selling delicate information on the black market.

  The run-in with Daniel had been mere happenstance. When the sisters discovered they might be able to lure a future Medal of Honor recipient into a duel, the temptation must have been too much for the siblings to pass up. The lies piled up, including the story about the cancer and the one about Nathaniel being sick. Two separate physicians confirmed that the opposite was true. No one had been sick, except for maybe the sisters, in their heads.

  After completing the questioning and finding what answers could be unearthed, the case was closed. Tom, Daniel, and Abraham sat around a table at the bar where Tom and Daniel had first met. They each had a shot glass in one hand.

 

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