I tossed my head, hoping I looked like a defiant-but-guilty petty fraud artist. “Of course I haven’t. I’m just taking care of Aydan’s affairs. It’s the least I can do in her memory.”
Paul laughed. “How touching. How did you manage to dodge the investigation? Surely the police asked some embarrassing questions when they discovered such a…” he coughed politely. “…timely transfer of assets.”
I let my gaze drift down to my toes. “They couldn’t pin anything on me,” I muttered. “Her car didn’t show any signs of tampering. And there’s no law against putting all your money in a friend’s name. And it’s not my fault all these hicks keep calling me Aydan.”
“But you wouldn’t want anyone to tell them otherwise, would you?”
I glared at him. “I don’t give a shit. Everybody around here has heard the story about how some sleazy reporter mistook Aydan Kelly for Arlene Cherry. Everybody in this stupid little backwater town will swear I’m Aydan.” I tossed my head again. “They love me. They’ll never believe I’m Arlene Cherry.”
“Except for the fact that they all went to Aydan Kelly’s funeral. Because she was really dead. Killed in a car crash.”
My mouth went dry. “Um… well, funny you should mention that… um… it was kind of funny the way it happened…”
His hard little smile was back. “Is that so? I enjoy funny stories. Do tell.”
God, I couldn’t remember which side of my cover I was on. Aydan Kelly pretending to be Arlene Widdenback pretending to be Aydan Kelly, but actually trying to convince him I was Arlene Widdenback the fraud artist…
I lobbed a silent prayer skyward and started babbling.
“Well, they kind of might’ve gotten the idea that Aydan didn’t really die in the car crash. That somebody stole her car and crashed it and by the time they realized it wasn’t really her who had died, her funeral was already over. So everybody was really happy to have me back. Um, I mean…”
Shit, did I just tell him the truth? Idiot, idiot!
“I mean, um, I didn’t have the heart to tell them I wasn’t Aydan because they were so upset when she died. So when people started recognizing me, I just let them… You know, because I love these people and I’d never want to hurt them…”
“Despite the fact that they’re all hicks in this stupid little backwater town.” His eyes glinted amusement.
“No, no, of course I didn’t mean that, I was just joking, I love everybody here…” I mumbled, hoping I looked like a woman backpedalling frantically to save her own ass.
Hell, I was a woman backpedalling frantically to save her own ass.
This time Paul’s smile looked genuine. And interested. “You’ve set up a very cozy little game here. I’m impressed. My organization may have some… opportunities for a woman of your talent.”
“I’m not looking for any opportunities at the moment. I’m very busy. Thanks anyway.” I straightened, easing my weight off the foot that was slowly falling asleep under my apparently casual posture. “Well, it’s been nice talking to you, Paul. I hope you have a nice trip back to wherever you came from.”
“Oh, I’m not going just yet.” That nasty little smile was back. “I notice you spend quite a bit of time at Sirius Dynamics.”
A hard, cold lump formed in my belly and I stared at him, shivering in the icy breeze. Christ, he’d been following me for who-knows-how-long. At least since Vegas. He probably knew where I lived, too.
And he had made the connection between Arlene Widdenback and Aydan Kelly. Just like the two fake cops from Fuzzy Bunny.
Electric fear jolted through my body.
Oh, God. They’d found me.
The horrible death I’d imagined for Lola would be mine instead. Only much slower and much more painful. And the torture wouldn’t end until I told them everything they wanted…
“Do you suppose Sirius Dynamics would be interested to discover you’re not really Aydan Kelly?”
His question nearly made my shaking legs collapse with relief. He believed my cover story. He thought he was threatening a small-time con artist.
Drawing a modicum of strength from the knowledge, I threw myself into my part with a sullen glare, my mind winding up to maximum RPM.
I had to keep him thinking I was Arlene Widdenback. But he’d never believe I could fool Sirius’s security.
I said the only plausible thing. “They already know, so stick it.”
He laughed. “You don’t seriously expect me to believe they know you committed fraud and they let you keep working there in Ms. Kelly’s place.”
I shrugged. “They’re weird. I went in to… um… help with Aydan’s work load… after, um…”
“After you assumed her identity and were welcomed with open arms by the rest of the town,” he prompted helpfully.
I shot him another surly look. “Whatever. Anyway, they have some kind of fancy security system, so they nailed me right away. They yelled a bit, but then they shut up and asked if I wanted to work for them.”
I pasted on a sneer. “Stupid hicks in a stupid little town. You should see what they’re paying me. And for doing nothing. I sit around surfing the net all day and they throw money at me.”
Which was actually kind of true when I thought about it…
“Why?”
I snorted. “Who gives a shit? They’re paying me for nothing. Duh.”
His brow creased into a calculating frown. “Oh, I’m sure they’re not paying you for nothing. Did they tell you not to use Aydan Kelly’s name?”
A tendril of triumph warmed my blood. He was buying it. Just go easy now. Give him a reason to believe…
“No, I can do whatever I want. They’re keeping their mouths shut.” I let my mouth twist into a sardonic smile. “One of the higher-ups likes me. I keep him happy, and he looks out for me.”
“Is that so?” The hint of contempt in his tone told me I had him. His next words confirmed it. “You do realize they’re paying you to impersonate Aydan Kelly. Setting you up as a target. If nobody else kills you in the interim, you’ll probably have an unfortunate accident as soon as they’re done using you.”
I tossed my hair back. “How stupid do you think I am? Of course I have an insurance policy.”
He leaned closer. “And what might that be?”
“That would be none of your business. Goodbye.” I pushed past him toward the door.
“How does ten thousand dollars sound?”
I turned slowly to face him. He studied me with the eyes of a man accustomed to purchasing souls, balancing avarice against cash on the scales of damnation.
I didn’t know a thing about the going rate for criminal activities, but I was pretty sure he wouldn’t lay out his top offer first.
I barked a short laugh. “Get real. Ten grand isn’t even enough to buy you my used toilet paper. Throw me a hundred and I might bother to ask what you want.”
He smiled, obviously unsurprised. “I see you’re a woman of principle. Fifty is the most my organization is willing to pay.”
Yikes. Whatever it was they wanted, they wanted it badly. And if his ‘organization’ was Fuzzy Bunny, I really needed to know what they were after.
I tried to look like a cheap, greedy crook who was trying not to look cheap and greedy. “Pay for what, exactly?”
“A certain item we believe Aydan Kelly had in her possession before she died.”
“What item?”
“Do we have a deal?”
I gave him a pitying smile. “Hardly. You tell me what it is, and then I’ll decide whether it’s worth my time to look for it or not.”
He returned my smile with one that might have looked pleasant if not for the hardness in his eyes. “You decide if you’d like fifty thousand dollars. If so, we’ll talk.” He extracted a gold case from his pocket and handed me a business card. “Don’t wait too long.”
He turned and strode away.
I slumped against the building for a few moments before tottering
back inside to run my hands under the hot tap in the women’s washroom until I stopped trembling.
By the time I returned to my table, the fries had congealed into cold grease and even the remaining half of the burger had lost its appeal. I stuffed it down anyway before engaging in my usual friendly wrangle with Eddy, who steadfastly refused to let me pay for it.
Smiling again, I headed for Lola’s store.
Outside the small strip mall that housed Up & Coming, I angled into a parking stall and debated for a few moments. I should report to Stemp immediately, but I couldn’t talk on an unsecured cell phone. Should I drive back to Sirius?
But then I’d have to manufacture an excuse for my late arrival at Lola’s.
I hissed annoyance. Note to self: Get more of Stemp’s secured phones and carry one at all times.
Christ, what other dumb mistakes was I making? I had always admired Kane’s abilities as a secret agent, but now I had a more realistic idea of exactly how good he was. Make one little misstep; overlook one little detail, and you’re dead.
I groaned and dragged myself out of the car, belatedly realizing that a real agent would have carefully surveyed her surroundings before popping up like a brainless gopher.
Casting a jittery glance around me, I scurried for the shelter of the building.
Inside the store, there wasn’t a penis in sight.
That couldn’t be good.
Worry seized me as I surveyed the shelves, taking in the tasteful and innocuous displays of lingerie and candles and CDs. Movement caught my eye, and I hurried over to the cash desk as Linda straightened behind it.
“Hi, Aydan!” She dusted off her hands on the seat of her gaily-patterned nurse’s scrubs and tucked a couple of wayward wisps of hair back into her shiny brunette ponytail. “What do you think? I just got it all rearranged.”
I studied her perky features for any sign of distress and saw none. “Hi, Linda. It looks great. Um, where’s Lola?”
Linda laughed, looking like a mischievous twelve-year-old despite her twenty-some years. “Why, do you think she’ll disapprove?”
I forced a chuckle. “Probably. Where did you hide Big John the Wonder Horse? She’ll miss him.”
“Oh, he’s still here.” She shot me an impish grin that was an exact replica of her grandmother’s. “I wouldn’t deprive Granny of his company.” She waved a hand in the direction of the shelves behind me. “I put him and his buddies on the back side of the display units so they aren’t the first thing you see when you walk in. I know Granny loves the shock value of a giant silicone penis, but she promised we could try things my way for a while.”
I grinned down at her wholesome, makeup-free complexion. “If you two didn’t look so much alike, I’d never believe you were related.”
“All short people look alike to you,” she teased. “All you can see is the tops of our heads.”
“True, but I’m pretty sure I’d recognize Lola’s purple hair.” I hesitated. “So, um, is she around?”
“She should be in any minute. I’m picking up some extra hours at the hospital this week, so I’ll be heading over there soon.” Her blue eyes sparkled. “I’m saving up so Spider and I can buy ourselves something special together when we move into his new house.”
I briefly considered asking what she was saving for, but decided I might not want to know, given the nature of her business. I gave her a smile instead. “That’s great! Congratulations.”
She gave a happy little bounce, her ponytail bobbing. “Thanks!”
I only had to fake absorption in the books for about ten minutes before Lola arrived. She was rather conservatively attired in a snug pink leather pantsuit, and she rubbed both hands briskly over her butt as she hustled through the door.
“Holy cats,” she growled in her throaty voice. “I just about froze my tutu off out there. Hi, Aydan!”
My relief burst out in a grin, the tension releasing from my body. “Hi, Lola. Nice leather.”
“Thanks.” She shot me a wicked grin. “It’s not quite as nice as the chocolate-scented stuff…”
I clapped my hands over my ears. “La, la, la, la… I can’t hear you. La, la, la…”
After a few more minutes of indelicate and thoroughly enjoyable banter, I turned my attention back to the books, finally able to concentrate now that I knew she was safe.
I had been working steadily for nearly an hour when the door chime sounded. Hunched over the desk engrossed in a bank reconciliation, I paid little attention as Lola moved out of my sight line to greet the customer. A moment later I snapped upright, fear flash-freezing my blood.
I’d know that nasal voice anywhere.
Lunging to my feet, I peeked out into the shop just in time to see Doytchevsky direct a spine-chilling smile down at Lola.
“I’m looking for personal recommendations,” he said. “Why don’t you show me some things you like?”
Chapter 30
My hand closed convulsively over my holster, and Doytchevsky’s gaze jerked up from Lola’s face to meet my eyes.
He smiled.
A slow, deliberate, poisonous smile. Then he turned back to Lola, nodding encouragement while she engaged him in her usual flirtatious sales pitch.
The pop of my knuckle and a jab of pain from my arthritic thumb prompted me to ease my grip on my gun. Frozen in the doorway, I watched with sickness coiling up in my stomach while Lola extolled the virtues of her products.
Doytchevsky shot me another malevolent glance. “What about restraints?” he inquired in a voice clearly intended to carry to my ears. “Do you have any handcuffs? And I’ll need spreader bars, too.”
Lola twinkled up at him. “Oh, aren’t you the naughty one? This way…”
Nausea wrenched my guts into knots, and I clung to the door frame. He wouldn’t… couldn’t… try anything here in plain sight. Would he?
I couldn’t take the chance. Swallowing hard, I watched his every move with my hand hovering near my holster. Even though I knew he was deliberately tormenting me, I didn’t dare leave him alone with Lola.
His performance went on and on, discussing the details and uses of each item with Lola at length, punctuated by pointed glances at me. At last he finished paying for his purchases, and an oily smile spread over his face as he stepped away from the desk. He hefted the bag and met my eyes.
“See you back at the office,” he said, and strolled out.
I gulped down burning bile. Gulped again.
Dashed for the bathroom, my guts wrenching.
Sweating and shaking, I leaned my elbows on the toilet seat and breathed carefully.
Do not throw up.
Just breathe.
Do not throw up.
“Aydan! Honey, are you okay?” Lola’s anxious voice called from the other side of the door.
“Yeah. Just an upset stomach.” My voice was a feeble croak.
Breathe.
“Should I call Linda?”
“No, I’m fine.”
I would kill him. I knew that now.
My guts twisted again and I dry-heaved.
“Aydan, open the door.” Lola tapped gently. “Come on, honey, open up.”
Breathe.
“Just a sec.” I hauled myself to my feet and wobbled to the sink to stick my mouth under the tap for a sip of water.
Sip.
Breathe.
I sipped one more time before opening the door.
“Come and sit down.” Lola wrapped an arm around my waist and guided me to the desk chair before perching on the desk to study me.
“Thanks, Lola, I’m all right now. I guess I must have eaten something that disagreed with me.”
She stroked my hair back from my damp forehead, her sweet wrinkled face set in lines of concern. “Aydan, honey. Tell the police.”
“Uh… what?” I eyed her in confusion.
She slid off the desk to put her arms around me. “I know it’s scary, honey, but you have to tell them. Don’t let him
hurt you anymore.”
“Um, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She placed firm hands on my cheeks and looked into my face. “I saw what he was doing to you. How he raped you with every word. Aydan, it isn’t anything to be ashamed of. You haven’t done anything wrong. You can make him stop. Just tell the police.”
I pulled away. “No, Lola, you’ve got it wrong. I wasn’t… he didn’t…”
Her wise gaze held me. “Aydan, I’ve seen that look on a woman’s face before. When he picked up those handcuffs and looked at you, you went as white as paper.”
Tammy’s memories. I closed my eyes and drew a long, slow breath. Then another.
Lola’s arms closed around me, rocking while she murmured a half-lullaby that brought back a heart-piercing memory of my mother, dead for over thirty years.
I determinedly rerouted my mind. Now I understood why Doytchevsky’s threats had upset me so much. The impact of Tammy’s memories had diminished considerably since I’d first acquired them, but I still knew first-hand what Lola would suffer if Doytchevsky took her. That, and much worse.
Drawing on long-ago counselling sessions, I put my feelings into perspective. I knew how to deal with this. It was just a matter of identifying and reframing that emotional reaction.
I drew a deep breath. Now that I understood, I’d be fine. And Lola would be fine. I would protect her. No matter what.
Another deep breath.
All better now.
But I kept my eyes closed, treasuring Lola’s comforting embrace just a few short minutes.
At last I sat up, promised Lola I’d deal with the situation, and tottered outside to collapse into my car. I sat trembling while I contemplated the double meaning of that promise.
I’d deal with him, all right. It was just a matter of when and how.
And the sooner, the better.
Parked in the lot at Sirius Dynamics, I slumped in the driver’s seat, preparing myself.
I wouldn’t let Doytchevsky hurt Lola.
I would do what had to be done.
I took a deep breath and retreated to the dead place inside my heart, still bastioned by the old cold scars of my first husband’s abuse. That place would serve me now.
A Spy For a Spy Page 22
