by Sandy James
She refused to let him be pushed aside. “Anything you can tell me, you can tell him.”
Zach took longer making up his mind this time. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“The Toys use encrypted communication between leaders when things might get...rough. A little crazy. You know, like right after the World Trade Center attacks.”
“Why encrypted?” she asked.
“Because we wouldn’t want the bad guys eavesdropping on our plans. We needed to keep as much secrecy as possible. Encrypting helps, especially my type of encrypting. It’s unique and so complicated even the most sophisticated computer takes a long time to figure out the pattern. Too long to do any good. And if the devices are handheld and self-powered—”
Gina picked up the story. “They won’t be knocked out by attacks on the Internet or cell towers. The guys in charge can talk to each other when everybody else is in the dark, and the bad guys won’t be able to listen in.”
“Yeah. Imagine if the phones to all the Joint Chiefs of Staff went out and every cell tower was down. How could they mount any kind of attack?”
“Shit,” Richard said. “Not good. Don’t the military guys have other ways to communicate? Radios or something?”
“Yes and no,” Zach replied. “Not like they tell everyone about all their secrets.”
“Your Toys were going to be another one of those secrets,” she said.
Zach nodded but didn’t elaborate.
Gina’s radar clicked up a notch, like some bogey had crossed her screen back in the control tower. Zach knew something more—something he wouldn’t share. Why they’d been so in tune since the moment they’d met, she didn’t understand. But she acknowledged that connection, gave it value and decided to honor it. He would tell her eventually the something more. She’d have to wait, probably until when they found themselves alone.
His eyes caught hers then he gave her a brisk nod, confirming her suppositions.
“We need to make some kind of battle plan here,” she said to break the awkward silence. “Zach, you need to give me the code to that cabinet so I can get the other Toy.”
The men both started scolding her at once.
She sighed as she caught snippets of “not on your life” and “not by yourself.” After giving them a few moments of macho protest, she brought their griping to an end by putting two fingers to her lips and letting out a low whistle.
The men fell silent, but a pair of blue eyes and a pair of brown bored holes through her.
“Think about it,” she said. “And use your brains this time instead of your balls. Zach, you’re the target. What are you gonna do, just walk right into their hands?”
He scowled at her.
Richard grinned.
“Don’t get too smug,” she said to Richard. “You’ll be an anchor around my neck.”
“An anchor? You think I’ll be an anchor?”
“Yeah. You’ll weigh me down. If any of the goons waiting there are SOGs, you can’t fight back.”
Zach’s brows knit. “Why not?”
She brushed the question away with a wave of her hand before he could throw an insult about Richard being a coward. “Think about it. If they’re SOGs, what are you going to do? Stare them to death?”
His scowl was as scorching as Zach’s, but his silence answered her question.
“Now,” Gina said, “here’s the plan...”
* * *
Zach blinked. Several times.
He couldn’t be seeing what he thought he was seeing. No, it was a trick of the night, of the shadows that enveloped them in the deserted alley.
“Is she Spider-Girl or something?” The ridiculous question slipped out because he was so stunned, the filter between his brain and his mouth failed him.
He believed her now. He believed every word of her mind-boggling story.
Richard chuckled. “Yeah, she’s something all right.”
After watching Gina jump to the ledge of the second floor, Zach agreed. She’d made a smaller leap back at his apartment—one hop from asphalt to the top of the fire escape ladder. This time, she’d just crouched and sprang straight up, all the way to the second-floor ledge as if gravity had been no obstacle.
Richard gave him a condescending pat on the back. “My Gina’s full of surprises, isn’t she?”
“Your Gina?”
Fuck that.
Richard’s nod urged Zach to pound the guy into the pavement. He swallowed his hostility when she drew his attention with another of her low whistles, even softer than last time. She pointed at the window directly above her, the one leading to the old office he’d converted into a storage room. The glass was covered in the garish brown paint he’d sworn he was going to replace. Now, he was thankful he’d never followed through. That window was a way inside HanTel’s offices that few people knew about. The panes had probably been painted over before he bought the building, because the view it offered was nothing but the trash bins in the alley. No one paid it any attention, making it perfect for Gina’s covert entrance.
Zach nodded to let her know she’d found the right place. With a slight bend of her knees, she jumped up, landing easily on the third-floor ledge like some sort of video game character advancing to a higher level.
* * *
Gina smiled down at Richard, satisfied she’d easily made her way to Zach’s office window. With the exception of her Amazon sisters, the Sentinels and Richard, no one knew what she could do or what she was capable of when she put her mind to it. Richard shared those achievements with her. The pride his eyes reflected back to her swelled in her chest.
And her powers were still growing. They blossomed inside her more each day. She could jump higher. She could hang in the air a few seconds longer. She could make lightning slam down with more force and accuracy.
God, she loved using her Air powers.
Then she saw Zach gawking like he’d just seen an alien come out of a flying saucer and ask to be taken to his leader.
Shit.
She’d let pride get in the way of common sense. Exactly like her Sentinel had always warned her, Gina found herself in a sticky situation because she’d literally leapt before she’d looked. How many times had Johann warned her to be more careful?
“Stop being so brazen, Gina,” he’d barked time and time again.
Now what was she supposed to do?
Later, damn it. She’d think about what she’d tell Zach Hanson—about how she could explain the unexplainable—later. Right now she had a job to do.
Gina turned to the window as she pulled the Key from her pocket, thanking the Ancients that the window actually opened and wasn’t one of those built-in things that had no latch. How people stood being locked in a room with no air was beyond her. She slid the Key over the lock and listened for the soft click as the latch opened.
Pushing the Key back in her pocket, she pressed her ear against the painted glass, making sure no one would be inside to greet her. Confident the silence meant she was safe to enter, she threw one last glance down to Zach.
He swallowed hard enough his Adam’s apple bobbed, then he nodded. She thought he mouthed the words “good luck.”
With a nod back, she tried to pull the window open.
Painted over, damn it.
Gina balled her hands into fists and punched at the four corners as quietly as she could, hoping to break up the dried paint. Biting her lower lip, she tried to lift the window again. This time, it cooperated. She took a peek inside. Seeing nothing but big boxes and file cabinets, she crawled through the window.
Once she opened the door leading to the corridor, she would know whether this was a “sneak and snatch” operation or a “have to kick a few asses and try to get out alive” mission. Rehearsing in her mind the floor’s layout Zach had drawn for her, she took a few steadying breaths. She loved the adrenaline rush, but Johann had taught her to control what it did to her emotions. She had to be able to think, not just react. With
one more slow inhale and exhale, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
Silence and dim light greeted her. No workers, but, then again, it was almost midnight. Even Zach would have left for home had he been working that day and not sleeping off a SOG shock. Cautiously making her way to the double doors leading to his office suite, she listened for anything that might alert her to any SOGs who waited for him. Did they know the second Toy was in his office? Would they know a person needed both of them to get the Toys to work?
The blessed quiet continued as she opened the door and peeked inside. The secretary’s desk was the first thing Gina passed. She glanced over the doodles and notes left on the message pad. Jenny had been worried about Zach. A list of where she thought he might be lined the left side of her memo pad. A few of the items had been crossed off. Jenny was searching for her boss. Gina wished she could leave something to reassure the woman that Zach was safe, but she couldn’t risk it. Nor could she waste precious time.
Get the damn Toy and get out.
Zach’s office was dark, but the moonlight kept her from tripping over anything. She crept inside and made her way to the locked cabinet.
Punching in the numbers, she couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder a dozen times. The hair on the back of her neck was tingling. This had been too damned easy. She took the Toy from the cabinet when the door popped open, then jammed the gadget into her back pocket. Turning as she shut the cabinet back up, her only reaction at what she saw was a quick hissing inhale.
Three men stood right outside the double doors leading into the office. They hadn’t seen her or they would have already been after her.
She backed into the shadows, hoping to make her way to the office window. It led directly to the street running in front of the building, but she had no choice. Despite the cloak of darkness, should she jump from there, someone was sure to see her. Even at midnight, there were always people around. Weighing that possibility against finding out one of those three gorillas was a thrower SOG who could break every one of her bones with an attack, she made her choice.
Gina opened the window’s latch as quietly as possible. The fucking thing didn’t cooperate. The click echoed like a peal of church bells through Zach’s office. Before she could get the window opened, three angry SOGs piled into the dark room.
She had to grin at them, thinking it might be close to a fair fight if they were all shockers. Close because there were, after all, three of them. Four might have at least given her a bigger challenge.
She savored the spill of adrenaline into her body, taking a few quick breaths and feeling her heart pounding in her chest, giving her that burst of energy she craved. Gina smiled, clearly confusing them as their glances darted between their brothers and her. Hell, she almost crooked her finger before realizing it was starting to be a bad habit since she’d seen The Matrix.
Cliché, she was not. So she took a fighting stance instead.
“Come and get me, boys.”
* * *
Zach jumped when the first sounds of a scuffle filled the alley. “Damn it, she’s in trouble.” He ran for the back door, Richard close on his heels.
Instead of letting him open the door, Richard grabbed his upper arm. “Gina can handle herself. Give her a few minutes. She’ll yell if she needs us.”
“What are you? Some kind of chicken shit? She’s just a woman, and it sounds like she’s got lots of company.” Zach’s words were closely followed by the shattering of glass.
“She’s not just a woman. She’s an Amazon. Give her some time.”
How could Richard be so fucking calm? And what the hell did it matter how high she could jump? This was a fight. She was still alone, and she needed help.
Zach opened the door. Richard might not care about Gina, but he did. More than he probably should. Jerking his arm out of Richard’s grasp, he hurried inside. He took the stairs two at a time, trying to reach his office and get to Gina. By the time he burst through the double doors, he was ready to take on anyone or anything. Instead, he skidded to a stop, amazed at what he saw.
Three men—three rather burly sons-of-bitches—were lying on the floor, out cold.
Gina turned on Zach, whirling around with a roundhouse kick.
He caught her foot before the blow she intended for his groin connected. She stood there as he held her, leg still extended, gaping at him with wide eyes. He caressed her calf through the thick, dark denim. “I guess you don’t need the cavalry.”
“Oh, God... Zach, I’m so sorry,” she said as he released her leg. “I was just... I’m in fight mode. Thought you were another—”
“SOG?” He glanced at the three unconscious men. “Is that what they are? SOGs? I guess I thought they’d look like the terrorists in movies. You know, camo and scruffy beards.” He couldn’t help but be impressed. How many women could take on three big guys like those and drop every one of them without getting winded?
Winded?
Hell, she wasn’t even sweating. Instead, her face glowed. Pink cheeks. Cocky smile. Bright red hair. Hands still clenched in loose fists. She was smart enough to keep from tucking her thumb inside her fist so she wouldn’t break it when she punched someone.
Between the adrenaline running through him, the way she was eyeing him like a hungry predator and the pride he felt in what she’d accomplished, he’d never been so turned on in his whole life. He wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless.
“I think they are, but...” She shrugged. “Not sure, and don’t want to wait around long enough to find out.” Gina took his hand and tried to drag him out of his office.
“I need to get my other phone, too.”
“We don’t have time for that. I got the damn Toy, so let’s go.”
He shook his head and headed back into his office. It was clear he wasn’t going to be able to come here again anytime soon, and that cell phone had all his important contacts. While he might be able to remember some of them, not even his strong memory could bring them all back accurately. As he made his way to his desk, he created a mental list of what he’d have to do to keep the rest of the HanTel employees safe.
More security. He needed some major muscle. A check-in desk in the lobby. Every HanTel employee was going to get photo identification badges. All the locks would be replaced with something more sophisticated, something that needed a code to open. And cameras. The lobby needed—
Before the thought could reach a conclusion, his world went black.
Chapter Eight
“Son of a bitch.”
Gina kicked the shocker SOG’s arm with enough force the bone made an audible crack. No less than he deserved for sneaking up behind Zach. She followed the kick with a sweep that knocked the guy down. Dropping to her knees, she punched him hard enough in the face that he’d be out for a good long while.
Crawling over to Zach, she felt for a pulse, rehearsing CPR rules in her head and praying to the Ancients that she didn’t need to use them. A strong, steady heartbeat thumped against her fingertips. She had to fight the urge to throw her arms around him and weep.
Since when had she let her emotions run so hot in a fight? Her typical clearheaded nature had all but deserted her when she saw his eyes roll back in his head and his body crumple to the floor.
He might be a mere mortal, but he sure was a strong one. His heart could take a shock—two, actually—and keep its rhythm. She didn’t think the SOGs wanted to kill him. Not yet. But as long as Zach stayed here, as long as the SOGs knew where to find him, he was nothing more than a sitting duck.
There was only one place he’d be safe.
About to haul him up and throw him over her shoulder, Gina remembered why Zach had come upstairs. Torn between getting his damned phone for him and getting the hell out of there, she groaned, went to his desk and rifled through the drawers. The largest was locked. Not for very long once she used the Key. Another groan slipped out when she saw the drawer was crammed full of all kinds of electronic equipm
ent. Gizmos galore. A geek’s dream. Which one was his stupid phone?
She finally snatched the one that looked the most like the Toy, shoved it and the Key into her pocket and went back to Zach.
Like a firefighter rescuing a victim, she hoisted him over her shoulder. She made it all the way back to the file room when the movement outside the suite’s door caught her ear.
This just keeps getting worse and worse.
Richard couldn’t be the one making noise. Not only was he smart enough to stay away from other SOGs, but she’d trained him better than that. Johann had taught her and Sarita to move as silently as wraiths, and Gina had passed that skill on to Richard. No, that telltale noise could only be coming from another SOG.
Please, Ix Chel, don’t let him be a thrower.
She ducked inside the file room, knowing she’d never make it to the stairwell, let alone the elevator. The window was her only way out, but could she make the three-story drop with an extra two-hundred pounds of solid muscle weighing her down? The continued rustling from right outside the room took away her choice. She awkwardly moved out to the ledge and peered down.
Richard was pacing around like an animal kept in too small a cage.
She made a clicking sound, much like the crickets she loved to listen to when she sat on her porch some peaceful nights at Avalon.
He looked up. Then he frowned, probably thinking the same thing she was—it was too damn far to jump with Zach on her back.
“Someone’s in there,” a man shouted.
When the door burst open, Gina didn’t check to see how many SOGs were coming in. She stepped off the ledge as though she were being forced by pirates to walk a plank.
Her landing was awkward. Unaccustomed to bearing so much weight, she couldn’t manage her normal grace. The instant her feet hit the pavement, her right knee buckled, twisting so hard she almost cried out. She rolled Zach off her shoulder and then pitched forward, hitting her mouth against the asphalt. She tasted blood, so she ran her tongue over her lower lip. The stupid thing was split wide open.
