Chasing the Cure

by Brooke Shelby

  “I’ll grab it and run,” whispered Mason. “All you have to do is follow. Quickly.”

  Dale nodded. This was it. It was so close he could almost taste it.

  They wove through the crowd, trying to remain undetected. Sayid trailed behind them, his eyes like saucers. Dale could feel the young Moroccan almost trembling with excitement.

  But suddenly Carlotta turned her head, and their eyes met. He saw her narrow green eyes widen in recognition. She turned sharply, fleeing through the crowd, the large blond man by her side.

  “Shit,” spat Mason. “Let’s go! We have to get her before she escapes.”

  They were jostling people sideways, causing them to spill their drinks. Dale didn’t even notice. All he could see was Mason ahead of him, on her tail. Her long black hair was flying behind her as she sped through the crowd. Dale cursed under his breath. They were heading towards a back exit that he hadn’t noticed before.

  They were almost to the door, but Mason was quick. His hand reached out to grab her, but she ducked, hurling the briefcase at the blond man. He scurried outside with it, and she followed. Mason was sprinting towards the door, but two bouncers suddenly reared up, blocking his path.

  Dale almost crashed into them. Bitter disappointment corroded his blood.

  She had gotten away. Again.

  20

  Robin cursed under her breath as she navigated the Matrix. All the recently purchased equipment was up and running smoothly now, but sometimes the net was so slow here that it took all her will not to smash her fist into the monitor.

  She stared across at Dale. He was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes, nursing his coffee like it was his lifeline. She had heard all about how close they had been to catching Carlotta at the underground party last night. The bitter disappointment at being so close had left him irritable and surly.

  “What are you looking at?” he barked at her, his eyes narrowing.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled, holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Just thought I’d let you know I’ve managed to intercept emails between Carlotta and Thompson.” She paused. “He’s definitely a potential buyer. In fact, I think that if you hadn’t chased her away last night, the deal might have been sealed.”

  Dale cursed, standing up. “Yeah. I don’t want to hear about it.” He ran a hand through his hair distractedly. “Keep monitoring it.”

  Robin sighed. “I can do better than that,” she said slowly. “I want to catfish her.”

  “Catfish?” He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  Robin took a sip of her coffee. “I can pose as Thompson to lure her into a trap. Do you want me to do it?”

  He sighed deeply. “I suppose. But she won’t buy it. She’s clever.” He laughed bitterly. “She’ll be running scared after her close call last night. It will take a lot to lure her out again.”

  Robin blinked. “Dale, we have to keep trying. Just because she got away last night doesn’t mean that we won’t get her next time.” She hesitated. “Maybe you should rest for a while. You aren’t thinking clearly, and your disappointment is clouding your judgment.”

  He stared at her sharply. “Really? And what makes you suddenly the expert on how I think?”

  She gazed back at him. The air was suddenly thick with tension. It was the only time since their hash -fueled night of wild sex together that he had referred to it, however obliquely. She had barely seen him yesterday, and when she had, he had avoided her like the plague. She bristled slightly. He didn’t need to think she was going to bust him over the fact he had slunk out of her bed like a thief in the night. If he wanted to ignore it then she could do the same. No problem.

  Robin raised her chin, a challenging look in her eyes. He held it for a moment. Then Audra walked into the room, carrying a coffee. She stared at them both, her eyes traveling from one to the other.

  “What’s happening?” she asked mildly, placing her cup on the table.

  “Nothing,” muttered Dale under his breath. “That’s exactly the problem.” He abruptly turned and left the room.

  Audra stared after him, frowning. Then she turned back to Robin.

  “What’s going on between you two?” Her voice was dark. “He looked like he wanted to strangle you … or something.”

  Robin shrugged, turning back to her monitor. “Nothing’s going on between us. He’s just shitty about getting so close to the nanites and losing them again.” Her eyes slid back to Audra. “As you would expect.”

  Audra nodded slowly. “That was disappointing. But it’s not like Dale to let it get to him. When she’s eluded us before, he’s bounced back fine.” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you sure there’s nothing else?”

  “Totally sure,” said Robin, gritting her teeth. “Now, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to get back to work.” She stared at the monitor pointedly.

  Audra sighed. “I’ll leave you to it then.” She left the room.

  Robin stared after her. Audra knew something was going on between them. It was like she could smell it—Audra Gates had a nose sharper than a bloodhound where Dale Michaels was concerned. She just thanked her lucky stars that she and Mason had been out the other night and hadn’t witnessed what had gone on in the house during their absence. Audra probably would have had a meltdown if she had seen Dale skulking from her room, smelling of sex.

  She shrugged. Not my problem, she thought fiercely. She sighed, turning back to the monitor. As if she was flicking on a switch, everything came into sharp focus, and she forgot about Dale and Audra. She forgot about everything except what she had to do.

  Come to me, Carlotta, she thought. Take the bait, you bitch.

  * * *

  Robin’s hands hovered over the keyboard. She frowned, trying to capture Thompson’s tone in the message. If Carlotta suspected for a nanosecond it wasn’t really him, she would shut down communication immediately. This was crucial. She typed quickly, then pressed send, holding her breath.

  Dale walked in, coming to stand behind her. She glanced back at him quickly. He looked like he had taken her advice, even if he had told her off for it. He looked rested and was freshly showered; his thick brown hair slick and wet. She shivered slightly at his close proximity, remembering his touch. It was as if it had burned itself onto her skin, like a brand. It was all she could do not to lean back in the chair and press her face into his stomach. What would he do if she dared?

  But as tempting as the thought was, she knew it wasn’t the right time. He didn’t want to acknowledge what had happened between them. And now he was filled with a furious anger again. Carlotta was obscuring everything … as always. Had seeing her at the underground party last night reawakened his desire for his ex-fiancée, even just a little bit? He had been wildly in love with her. Audra had told her. You couldn’t just turn off those feelings like you were turning off a tap. Or so she imagined. She had precious little experience to draw from to understand what he was going through.

  “What’s happening?” His voice was low. “Have you made contact with her?” His hands tightened on the back of her chair.

  She frowned, chewing her thumbnail. “I’ve just attempted contact posing as Thompson, asking her for a private meeting. We’ll just have to wait and see whether she jumps.”

  He exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry about before.” His grip tightened on the chair again. “Being so close to getting the nanites back and then losing them like that … well, I was pretty angry. And I took it out on you.”

  Robin held her breath, staring at the monitor. “Hey, it’s okay. I get it. There’s no need to apologize.”

  “Thanks, Robin.” He reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “You are amazing. And brilliant. Posing as Thompson to lure her out is another genius move, as always.”

  Robin laughed lightly. His touch on her shoulder was doing crazy things to her. But just as quickly as he had placed it there, he removed it. She felt its loss keenly, as if she had suffered
an amputation.

  “Tell me everything.” His voice was brisk and businesslike now.

  One part of her was grateful that he seemed to have recovered from the disappointment and was acting more like his old self again. But another part still mourned the fact that he seemed determined to ignore what had happened between them.

  She chewed her thumbnail viciously, almost tearing off skin. She was way out of her depth here. What were these strange feelings? Yes, she had a crush on him. A bad one. But she had slept with guys she really fancied before and walked away with no hard feelings. She hadn’t taken it personally. It was just life.

  But that philosophy wasn’t working in this case. She was taking it personally. It was insane, but there it was. She didn’t think that she could go back to being just friends with him again. If they ever had been friends, of course.

  But that was all that Dale Michaels obviously wanted. He regretted the sex, and she couldn’t really blame him. Perhaps Dale Michaels would never get over Carlotta. And perhaps he didn’t want to.

  21

  Robin gazed around, smiling slightly, as they entered the subterranean room. Looping, trance-like dance beats were pulsing through the air, so loud that she felt it beneath her skin. She didn’t usually frequent clubs like this back home—live bands were more her style—but she had been to enough to know what the score was in them.

  Her smile widened. It seemed it didn’t matter where in the world you were, some things were the same. The same women in their itsy bitsy sequined dresses trying to bag a rich guy. The rich guys sizing up the women like they were cattle in an auction yard. And then there were the drugs, of course.

  They entered the room and headed towards the bar for a drink. It had taken her a while to get the invite code to this place on the Matrix. Sayid had been lucky the first time—a large bribe had gotten them all through the door. Dale knew it wouldn’t work again. And they were larger in number this time, too. Audra and Mason, as well as Sayid and Rami. And Dale and her, of course.

  “What will it be?” Dale’s voice interrupted her reverie.

  “Gin and tonic,” she said slowly, still staring around. “Don’t forget the lime.”

  “Yes ma’am.” He turned to the others. Mason was already placing his order. “Audra?”

  Audra pursed her lips. “Why don’t you surprise me, Dale? Something fruity and frothy.” She smiled widely.

  Robin couldn’t stop herself rolling her eyes as she took her drink. Audra was so … obvious. And Dale was so oblivious. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him ordering Audra’s cocktail. Or was he? Was he playing with his secretary, as well as her? Did Dale Michaels have some kind of a guru complex—did he enjoy having a harem of women sitting at his feet, gazing up at him adoringly? Women who he could pat on the head now and then and promptly forget about?

  She shuddered slightly at the thought. Not me, she thought fiercely. I am so not going down that road. She pulled slightly at the skirt of her short white silk dress, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. She didn’t usually wear stuff like this and she felt exposed. Not like Audra over there. The other woman wore her short midnight-blue lurex dress like a second skin, blending in seamlessly with all the other women in this club.

  Suddenly, she spied the hookahs in a corner. Taking a long swig of her drink, she made a beeline for them. She could feel Dale’s eyes boring into her back questioningly, but stuff him. She needed something a bit stronger than a gin and tonic to take the edge off this night.

  * * *

  Dale frowned, watching Robin plonk herself down on some cushions surrounding a hookah. A waiter materialized out of nowhere, and she made her purchase. The next thing he knew, she was puffing away on it like a pro, sending a stream of smoke into the air. His frown deepened. At least it was hash she was smoking—the opium smokers seemed to have an exclusive arrangement in the private booths.

  “She looks at home,” remarked Mason, grinning slightly. “Do you want to join her?”

  “We shouldn’t, Dale,” said Audra nervously. “What if this place is raided? Hashish smoking might be commonplace in Marrakech, but it’s still illegal.”

  Dale shrugged. “We have to sit somewhere.” Before he knew it, he had picked up his drink from the bar and walked over to her, sitting opposite.

  She was blissing out on the cushions, her green eyes almost slits. He couldn’t stop his eyes trailing her body in the short silk dress. It suited her. He felt a stirring deep inside as his eyes traveled up her legs, coming to rest on the outline of her breasts through the thin material. Her nipples were hard. It was all he could do to stop himself from reaching over and tracing one beneath his finger.

  Get a grip, he told himself firmly. But another vision of their night together suddenly flashed into his mind. Robin, above him, moaning in pleasure. They had been a good fit together—almost as if they were two missing pieces of a puzzle. It was probably just the hash, he thought. But still. He had been running from it, telling himself it was for the best if they both forgot it. She was working for him. He was an emotional wreck. And besides, they had nothing in common.

  He shook himself out of the reverie as the others joined them, placing their drinks on the table. Sayid and Rami both looked alert, as if they were waiting for something. Audra still appeared nervous, sitting down gingerly, but Mason leaned back into the cushions as if he belonged here.

  “A smoke?” Robin passed the hookah to Sayid. He grinned, taking it from her. Dale couldn’t help but notice that the Moroccan could barely take his eyes off her. They had almost jumped out of his head when she had appeared in the dress, he thought sourly.

  And then, suddenly, he saw Jeremy Thompson, weaving through the crowd. He was surrounded by his bevy of minders, as always. Dale turned his face to the wall, but he mightn’t have bothered. Thompson was intent on getting to his private booth and didn’t even glance their way.

  “He’s twitching,” drawled Robin. “He can’t wait to get his opium fix. I can always tell.”

  “You are correct,” said Sayid, handing the hookah back to her. “My sources say he frequents these parties for the opium.”

  “What else do your sources say about him?” Dale leaned forward.

  “That he has a private-walled house in the Medina.” Sayid’s eyes were hooded. “Built like a fortress. He is very popular at these parties. Splashes around his money. But he also conducts … under-the- table business at them, as well.”

  “He is a bad man,” piped up Rami. “We know. Everyone knows him on the streets.”

  Audra sighed, turning to Robin. “Carlotta never responded to your catfish trick, did she?”

  Robin blew out another puff of smoke. “No. She’s obviously crawled back under her rock or wherever it is she’s hiding. She didn’t take the bait.”

  Mason took a deep swig of his drink. “I think we should focus on Thompson and forget about her. She’s too slippery. She knows we are close and on her tail. We could be chasing her in circles forever.”

  “I agree.” Dale sat up, suddenly alert. “I think Thompson has privately outbid any other potential buyers and they are just waiting to make the exchange now.”

  Robin didn’t say anything. She packed the pipe silently, handing it to Dale. They all turned and looked at him, seeing if he would take it. Audra was frowning.

  Their hands touched as he took it from her. It was all he could do not to jolt backwards. The spark of electricity between them was so strong, it was a wonder that it wasn’t visible to everyone. Shaken, he turned away from her. He really had to get a grip on this thing between them before it bolted.

  22

  Robin shook a couple of aspirin out of a bottle into her hand, then downed them quickly, chasing it with water. She had a thumping headache, courtesy of too many gin and tonics at the underground party last night. The hash probably hadn’t helped either. Still, the combination had worked the trick, distracting her from the weird tension between her and Dale.

  Suddenly
, she leaned towards her computer monitor, alert. Her heart started hammering. She had information. Information that might just end this once and for all. Just as she was about to run out of the room to find Dale, he walked in, looking about as fresh as she felt.

  “What is it?” he asked quickly. It was as if he knew just by looking at her that she had something.

  “Jackpot.” Her voice was breathless. “Thompson is meeting Carlotta to exchange money for the briefcase. I just intercepted an email from him to her.”

  Dale sank into the chair next to her. “When?”

  Robin looked him in the eye. “Tonight. And I’ve got the location.”

  * * *

  Dale watched Mason placing his men into position. They were on the top of an old riad rooftop, staring down at a narrow alley. He felt strangely alert, almost strung out with tension, as if he was just about to abseil down the building. In just under ten minutes, Thompson should be here to meet Carlotta.

  Mason returned, crouching down next to him. His eyes glanced over towards Robin and Audra, who were peering over the rooftop. “They shouldn’t be here,” he muttered, his eyes glittering. “And neither should you. My men and I can take care of it.”

  Dale stared at him. “Mason, you know as well as I do that I would have had to tie them down to stop them coming tonight.” He paused. “And you would have had to tie me up as well. This is it. All of our hard work, finally paying off.”

  Mason swore under his breath. “Well, just stay out of the way, okay? And make sure they do as well. If the shit hits the fan, I don’t want anyone hurt.”

  Dale nodded, but at that moment they were distracted by three cars cruising down the narrow alley. He blinked rapidly at the bright headlights.