by Cathy Pegau
From the corner of my eye I saw the pink blur that was Natalia drag Chaz’s limp body behind the far side of the elevator housing. Had he been hit? The large black-and-silver assault vehicle had set down beyond them. Where the hell was Sterling now?
A pulser shot cracked the corner of the shed, right near my head. I peeked out, holding my fire for a second. The vent tube Willem used for cover didn’t afford him the best shot, but I could see one ice-blue eye boring into me.
Willem leaned to his right, his weapon aimed at me. But I was quicker. I squeezed the trigger and didn’t let up. The tube sang as my shots vibrated the metal housing. From the other side of the shed, Tonio’s pulser fired. Willem shot at him.
I don’t know if it was my shot or Tonio’s that caught Willem. He staggered out, the front of his wool suit erupting with smoke. As he fell to his knees he fired in a sweeping arc, kicking up dirt and concrete at my feet, raking pulses across the shed before he toppled to the ground, his gun silent.
My ears rang and my mouth was dry as I breathed hard. I relaxed my grip on the trigger and the snap-crackle-pop sound stopped, but I kept the pulser trained on Willem.
“Olivia, oh my God, Olivia.” Mom came running out of elevator toward me. “Are you hurt, baby?”
“No,” I said, figuring she didn’t mean the scrapes on my hand and knees that oozed blood and began to sting. “Tonio?”
No answer.
I started toward the other side of the shed, where I’d left him. A figure came around the corner, but it wasn’t Tonio.
Sterling held his arms up to keep me from going past him. “Olivia…” The grim expression on his face said it all.
Nausea and dizziness hit like a fist. “No.”
I dodged his halfhearted effort to stop me. Around the corner, the cold wind ruffling his dark hair, lay Tonio. I stumbled to a stop and blinked away tears.
His eyes were closed, his face smudged with dirt except where a livid burn marred the skin from above his right eye to his jaw. Blood dribbled from his ears and nose.
“Oh, honey.” Behind me, Mom’s voice was pained. “Oh, no.”
My chest felt like it was being compressed in a vise, and I began to shake. This wasn’t right. He’d open his eyes any second, brush himself off, and we’d applaud our luck once again.
Except Tonio didn’t move.
No, no, not again. I couldn’t lose him and Zia in the same morning.
“Nooooo.” My throat vibrated and a keening animal howl came out, but it sounded far away.
Arms wrapped around me. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.”
“No. We need a medic.” I shook her off and knelt beside him. The stench of cooked flesh surrounded him, forcing me to breathe through my mouth. I felt for a pulse but found nothing and started pounding on Tonio’s chest. That’s what you did to restart a heart, right? “Call a medic.” I glared up at Sterling as he approached, not caring if he saw the desperation in my face. “Call them!”
His blue eyes held mine. “I’m sorry, Olivia. It won’t matter. He’s gone.”
I stopped hitting Tonio. Anger knotted in my gut, and I jumped to my feet. “This is your fault,” I shouted at Sterling and shoved him back a step. “You took too damn long. Get the fucking medics here now!”
We both knew it was pointless. It wasn’t Tonio’s heart that needed repair, and no one had figured out how to make a reliable artificial brain yet.
Sterling became blurry as tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. I wiped them away with my open palm, the salt burning into the gritty scrapes. Sobs stopped and started in my chest, and when it hurt too much to keep them in I had no choice but to let them out.
The CMA agent turned away and spoke into his comm.
I sank to my knees again, my entire body shaking and hurting as I said goodbye to someone I loved for the second time that morning.
Chapter Twenty
Numb and drained, I barely felt Mom’s arms around me. Barely heard her words of consolation and sorrow over the roar in my head.
Gone. Zia and Tonio were both gone because of things I’d done. Did I think I could get away with breaking all those rules? Who the hell was I that they didn’t apply? And now look what had happened.
Someone in the black-silver-and-gold uniform of the CMA draped a blanket over Tonio. I started to move it aside, thinking he needed to breathe, but stopped midway, my hand trembling. No, he didn’t. Not anymore.
I squeezed my fist closed, fingernails slicing into the scrapes on my palm, as the icy wind froze tears to my cheeks. Mom guided me to my feet, urged me to walk. My legs felt rubbery and leaden at the same time.
Another CMA agent, wearing a pilot’s jumpsuit and headgear, came around the other side and held my arm. She escorted us away from Tonio, toward the vehicle waiting across the roof. I shuffled up the short ramp into the belly of the assault vehicle. The pilot set me on a bench seat along the hull and moved forward into the cockpit. Mom buckled me in, adjusting straps like she did when I was a kid. I stared at the smooth grey hull. Static-filled comm traffic spat from an overhead speaker, more noise joining the pounding in my head.
Natalia sat on the bench across from us and strapped in. She nodded to my mother and caught my eye. “I’m sorry, Liv,” she said over the hum of the idling lifters. Her demeanor held the intelligence and acuity I’d seen yesterday. “He was a good guy.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Who the hell are you?”
“I work undercover for the CMA. We’ve been after Exeter for years. When the Greys’ old partner spilled about the blackmail plan, we jumped at the chance to nail both of them. That’s when I came in.” Natalia jerked her head toward the back of the vehicle. “Sterling’s the AIC, the Agent in Charge.”
Sterling entered with Chaz. The younger Grey brother, hands secured behind his back, stumbled, a dazed expression on his face. The CMA agent kept him upright then shoved him onto the bench beside Natalia.
Chaz blinked at her. “Bitch,” he slurred.
Natalia’s nose wrinkled with repulsion. “After the things I had to do with you, be grateful the boss made me use a stunner. I’d have preferred to fry your ass.”
An involuntary shudder ran up my spine. Whatever she’d done to secure a relationship with Chaz Grey, it had to have been well beyond the call of duty. And I thought my part of the job had been difficult.
Two other agents boarded, one turning to punch a button. The access door rose with a mechanical whine and clanged shut. They sat down and strapped in.
Sterling glanced over at Natalia as he buckled the head-lolling Chaz onto the bench. “I just wish we could have taken Willem alive.” He flicked his gaze toward me and added, “And not lose Calderon.”
My jaws clenched against a wail. Yeah, me too.
“Where is he?” Mom asked Sterling.
“There’s an agent waiting with him and Grey. Coroner’s car will come for them.” He finished with Chaz then buckled himself in. “You can make arrangements after the debriefing.”
The anti-grav lifters engaged. With a gentle wobble we rose from the roof. The small portholes only showed the dark clouds in the distance.
I licked my dry lips. “Then what?”
Sterling leaned back against the hull, arms crossed. “I need your testimony against the Greys and Exeter. Willem’s dead, but baby brother will still have contacts, so you’ll be kept safe.” He focused on Mom. “You’ll be asked some questions as well, Mrs. Montgomery.” He reached into his breast pocket and withdrew the data stick Mom had given me. “Like where this came from.”
Mom stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but when we get to your headquarters I want to contact my husband and our solicitor.”
Even feeling like hell, I couldn’t help but grin as Sterling’s jaws tightened and his lips pressed together. Dealing with Sabine Montgomery? Welcome to my world.
Mom put her arm around me. I laid my head on her shoulder. It felt safe and comforting to be with h
er despite the uncertainty ahead.
“You’re back with Monty?” I asked quietly.
She sighed, but I heard happy resignation behind it. “I never left him, sweetie. Not really.” She kissed my hair. “You can stay with us when all this gets sorted out.”
I didn’t feel that comfortable. I raised my head and our eyes met. “I don’t know, Mom.”
She smiled. “Just for a little while. I think a family reunion is in order. Maybe we’ll look for your grandmother.”
Mom eased my head back to her shoulder, and I closed my eyes until we reached the CMA headquarters.
Sterling and the CMA treated us well when we arrived at HQ. Our various abrasions tended, we were offered showers and a change of clothes, and asked if we wanted anything to eat or drink while waiting for the debriefings to begin. I wasn’t hungry but I took them up on the shower and clothing.
Mom hadn’t provided more than her name and stuck to me except for the time I was in the shower. I was grateful for her support but glad when she finally decided I didn’t need minute-to-minute guarding. Her transformation from absent parent to overprotective mother was a little unnerving. She followed Natalia to another office while I was shown to a windowless interview room.
Weary, I sat in one of the two hard chairs and laid my head on my crossed arms on the table. My oversized shirt with the CMA logo on the left breast and soft, tie-at-the-waist trousers were boring but comfortable. Plain black shoes finished the ensemble.
The silver dress, now-heelless black boots and my coat were in a bag on the floor by my feet. I’d keep the dress, even if it was a bittersweet reminder of the last twenty-six hours.
The door clicked open. I straightened and waited for Sterling to sit in the chair on the opposite side of the table before speaking. “How long is this going to take?”
He set a small black-and-silver cube on the table and slid a glass of water in front of me. “Depends on you, Olivia. Answer all my questions honestly, and you can be out of here in a few hours.”
“And where will I be going after that? A correctional facility?” The thought made me quiver. Sterling had said that wouldn’t happen if I gave him the files, but what if he’d been lying just to get me to cooperate?
His blue eyes bored into me, and I noticed the scar on his forehead was paler than the rest of his skin. It’d been a long morning for him too. “If you lie, yes.”
I swallowed hard and decided now was as good a time as any to ask him for a favor. “Zia Talbot.” Her name burned in my heart and dried my mouth. I picked up the cool glass and took a sip of water. “She was…she was hurt earlier today at the Hub Station.”
Nothing showed on Sterling’s ruddy face. “You want to know if she survived.”
My hands started to shake at the thought she hadn’t survived. I set the glass down and nodded.
He leaned forward and tapped the top of the cube. “Let’s get started here first. Please state your full name and any aliases.”
Bastard. He knew something but wouldn’t tell me until he got his information. An effective tactic. I’d answer his questions for any crumb of news about her. But if he wasn’t going to tell me about Zia, I wasn’t about to hand him everything I knew on a platter. Felon’s Rule Number Five: Insurance. Mine sat safe and sound in my comm and in my head.
The interview took over three hours as Sterling had me repeat the events from my first meeting with the Greys and what I’d agreed to do for them in six different ways. I recognized it as a technique to suss out lies, but when you’re telling the truth it gets tedious. A small part of me ached to toss in some fabrication just to keep things interesting. Besides, it’s much easier to keep your story straight when you stick with the truth. So I did. Mostly.
In regard to my feelings for Zia I told him I’d slept with her, but as far as the official report, it was all for the job. When he asked me about being in her flat last night, Sterling never let on that he suspected there was more. When he questioned why I’d followed Zia to the Hub Station to tell her I had the files, he nodded when I said I’d done so because I’d grown to admire and respect her and left it at that. Nothing in my voice or manner revealed the truth that ate at my guts with every glossed-over word.
After my butt had gone numb for the third time and I sighed for the thousandth, Sterling scooped up his cube recorder. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” On his way out, he held the door to allow my mother and Monty in.
Mom immediately came over and hugged me when I stood. “Are they treating you okay, sweetie?” she asked, brushing an errant strand of hair out of my eyes. She had changed her clothes, fixed her hair and put on some makeup. Monty must have been given detailed instructions about what to bring when she’d called.
I shrugged. “As well as can be expected.” I turned to my stepfather and held out my hand. “I’m Liv.”
We’d seen each other back at my flat in Pembroke, when he’d come wailing for Sabine, but we hadn’t been properly introduced.
Not much taller than I was, Monty Montgomery wore a thick, real-wool sweater, crisp khaki trousers and a genial smile. “I’ve heard good things about you,” he said as we shook hands.
I cocked an eyebrow at Mom. “Really?”
She tsked with indignation. “Of course. You’re my daughter, and I’m proud of you.”
A rush of emotion filled my chest and closed my throat. Reconciling with her had been worth it. Tonio said I’d be glad I did, and he’d been right. Maybe we’d have a normal mother-daughter relationship after all. Well, normal for us, anyway.
Tentatively I stepped forward and hugged her. She stiffened for a millisecond then relaxed in my arms. “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”
Returning the hug, she stroked my hair. “Love you too, baby.”
We parted and I sat again. She took the chair Sterling had occupied. Monty stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders. Mom glanced up at him and when their eyes met it was so obvious they loved each other I had to fight a flare of jealousy and look away. I was happy for her, but felt just as miserable for myself.
Mom was right. I was a chip off the old block. We’d both blown Rule Number One, but at least she’d have a chance to see how a normal couple lived.
“Are you sure you don’t want my solicitor, Liv?” Monty asked.
I shook off a threatening swell of despair and smiled at him. “No need, but thanks.”
Sterling returned, leaving Natalia in the open doorway. She’d removed the pink jacket and appeared a bit haggard.
“I’d like to continue the interview with Miss Braxton,” Sterling said. He gave Mom a significant look. “Agent Hallowell is ready to wrap up your interview, Mrs. Montgomery.”
Mom got up; Monty tucked her arm under his.
“We’ll be right outside when Sabine is done,” he said. He ushered Mom into the hall to follow Natalia. Mom waved to me over his shoulder. I felt a little sorry for Natalia.
Sterling shut the door behind them then sat. He removed the cube from his pocket, put it on the table once again and tapped the top. “Ready?”
I scrubbed my hands over my face and raked them through the tangled curls of my hair. “I’ve told you everything half a dozen times. What else do you want from me?”
“What was in the files you took from Talbot’s SI?”
His question startled me. I lowered my hands. “You have the data stick.”
I’d told him how it worked, that I’d copied files on the failed filters. Natalia had heard the part about the K-73s being artificial organs. I figured that’s why Sterling hadn’t asked me for details. Until now.
He reached into his shirt pocket and tossed the black stick onto the table. “One of the shots Grey took fried it.”
The seed of a new tactic began to take root in my brain as I stared at the stick. I looked up at Sterling. “What about Zia’s computers?”
His blue eyes—even the fake one—burned with frustration. “Talbot’s home and office units have been wip
ed.”
I wasn’t surprised the CMA had descended upon Exeter and Zia’s flat so quickly. And I wasn’t surprised they’d found nothing there. Exeter probably cleared the SI I used at the office, as well. But my gut told me even though I hadn’t discovered hard copies or data sticks, Zia had taken precautions. She was too smart not to. Which was why Connor had been assigned to her.
“According to Agent Hallowell, Talbot’s assistant had provided information to the Greys,” Sterling continued, “but not enough. He withheld something they wanted.”
“Not smart.”
“No,” he agreed. “James got cocky. Demanded a larger cut. Chaz took exception. With his pulser.”
“And Zia fired Natalia before she could get anything.” Which was why I was brought in.
He nodded. “But you can help me, Olivia. What else is there about the filters?”
Sterling knew I had something. James had died for his cockiness. Was Sterling warning me away from the same folly?
Without the files, Exeter might squeak free. That wouldn’t be good. On the other hand, Zia might squeak free if I played this right. My insurance just might pay off. I contained the thrill of having something—anything—to my advantage. “I don’t remember.”
My first outright lie all morning. If you didn’t count lies of omission.
Sterling narrowed his eyes. “Olivia.”
We stared at each other for several moments, his willpower almost palpable as he silently urged me to reconsider my reply. But I was my mother’s daughter. Probably more than I cared to admit. I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back in the seat.
He touched the cube, shutting off the recorder. “Help me get Exeter, and I can give you a whole new life anywhere you want to go.”
He wanted me to turn over evidence against Exeter, which meant evidence against Zia. If there was a chance I could get a new life and keep Zia out of the correctional mines I was going to grab it.
“What about Zia? How is she?”
Sterling didn’t respond, just stared at me with his lips pressed together. Was he trying to figure out a gentle way of telling me she had died? Oh God, please, not that. Sweat broke out on my chest and back.
