Deadly Interpretations

by Andie Alexander

  I narrowed my eyes and clenched my jaw. “I’m no victim and don’t ever call me that. I don’t want anyone’s pity. Ever.”

  “Another weakness. I’m sure Mr. Wing and Boris would love to know this information.” He looked over at me again. “I’d never pity you. You’re too tough. You’d also get out of any situation you’d ever encounter. If I might be so bold, you’d be a perfect agent for the DHS, too.”

  Now he was just ticking me off. “You’re kidding me, right?” He was delusional.

  “No, ma’am. As soon as we get out of this mess—” He shook his head. “Never mind. I want to show you, not just tell you.”

  I had to know. “What exactly do you have up your sleeve?”

  “You’ll see. But I don’t want you to worry about Dr. White. He’s going to actually read your dossier, and if I did my job right, he won’t be bothering you again.”

  “What did you do?”

  His smile frustrated me. “I protected you from all psychologists in the government.”

  “How did you do that?”

  He sat back, acting smug. “I just stated the facts and they speak for themselves.”

  “Why do you have to be so cryptic? Exactly what did you do?”

  “I told your story in easy words.” He took my hand and kissed the back of it. “I do want to date you, by the way. As much as you fight against it, I know you want the same thing, at least.”

  I pulled my hand away from him, once again. “Won’t you get in trouble for dating a client?”

  “Not if you bend the rules and hide it, like I said before. Dr. White’s so stuck on the rules.”

  “What story did you tell Dr. White?” I looked back out the window.

  “I told how you are so tough, and have endured more insane situations than most of us, but are also the most stable personality I’d ever seen. It’s true, because you don’t put up with anything from anyone. Not even me.”

  He’d turned it around so I wasn’t quite as angry with him anymore. He was either telling me the truth or blowing smoke to get on my good side. I told myself he was telling the truth, so I could find out more. “You’re right. The situations I’ve been forced to endure have hardened me. I don’t consider that to be a good thing.”

  He took my hand again, resting it on his leg. “But I do. It’s perfect for the agency, but you might have to soften up a bit.”

  I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to talk about it or not, but had to know more. “Why do you keep talking about the agency like I’d be working there?”

  He sighed and kept his eyes on the road, but continued holding onto my hand. “Once this situation is resolved, you’re going to have to quit your job and go underground. If it’s done right, you’ll have enemies trying to kill you. DHS has already allocated funds to protect you at all costs, if you come through for us.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  He shook his head and grimaced. “You’ll be on your own and I’d assume killed within twenty-four hours. But you might make money in the stock market in those twenty-four hours. It’s just a shame you can’t take it with you. At least you could pay off Billy—partially. I doubt you’ll ever go to bed with multiple partners. It doesn’t seem like your thing.”

  “You’re right about that.” I paused for a moment, letting it all sink in. “Let me get this straight. I have to cooperate with the U.S. government and act like I don’t like the U.S., just to be protected by them, or else I’ll be killed?”

  “Pretty much.” He drove down the road toward a park.

  “How weird is that? I only live if I lie?”

  “Like I said before, welcome to my world.” He parked in a lot and turned off the car. He then moved his hand to his door but didn’t get out. “Now wait for me. I don’t want you out in the open.”

  “But this is a park. I don’t think I’m going to have a choice of being out in the open, will I? By definition, a park is open to everything, right?”

  “Just wait for me.” He got out of his side of the car and shut the door. He walked around the front and helped me out of the passenger’s seat. We went into the park, strolling down the gorgeous path, lined with bushes and roses. I’d never seen or smelled something so wonderful before.

  “Amazing.” I took a huge whiff.

  “Do you like roses?”

  “Love them. Any type. They’re always beautiful to me.”

  Jim took my hand as we walked very slowly down the path. “Tell me about Claus? You never talk about him.”

  “He was a sex maniac. It was tough keeping him away.”

  “Huh? Keeping him away?”

  “I didn’t want his diseases.”

  Jim shook his head, looking rather confused. “Diseases?”

  “From sleeping with too many ladies of the evening. No, I never got physical with him. But he was kind of nice to me. At least he was nicer than Dieter and kept me safe. That was my main goal—a bodyguard.”

  “So you never slept with Claus. Did you sleep with Dieter?”

  I chuckled. “He couldn’t. Remember me telling you that?”

  I saw the wheels turning in Jim’s head. “So, that means you’re a—”

  I looked at him, to show him that I didn’t consider it a fault of mine. “Yes.”

  “You never dated any other man.”

  “Besides Billy? Nope.”

  “And never slept with him, either?”

  “No, like I told you before.”

  His grin looked sappy and I thought he was going to cry. “It’s like a dream come true. Marry me?”

  I chuckled at him. “Not until we’re in love, psycho. And you know it. I also don’t sleep around and won’t.”

  “I think you’re already in love.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek, then whispered into my ear. “Last night I could’ve done anything I wanted to do. That’s only the beginning.”

  “No, you couldn’t have. Besides, both of us have to be in love or it’ll never work.”

  “You’re playing by those rules. Now I know what to do.”

  I had to admit I didn’t hate him as much as when I’d first met him, and it might have been that I wasn’t PMSing any more, drinking as much, or smoking at all. I just missed having that cigarette between my fingers. It was a great prop and a super weapon if lit.

  As soon as we took a different path lined only by tall bushes, he pulled me to the side. “Follow me.”

  I squeezed through two bushes after him. He walked around a tall wall behind the bushes and pushed on a brick that protruded from the rest. He glanced around us, but we were surrounded by trees and many bushes.

  The wall opened from the bottom up, revealing stairs. Within seconds, he pulled me inside and pushed another button that lowered the door.

  “We were being followed,” he whispered.

  “We were?”

  He put his hand over my mouth and leaned up to my ear. “Come with me.” We walked down a few flights of stairs that led underground and entered a hallway guarded by four armed men.

  “Dr. Bond.” Jim flashed his badge. “I’m with DHS and this is my mark, Harley Black.” The men let us pass, smiling at me.

  I leaned closer Jim’s ear. “Why did they smile at me like that? It’s kind of creepy.”

  “They think you’re pretty,” he said. “You’re all the buzz down at headquarters. Your picture’s everywhere and you’ve been protected more than you think. Men are clamoring to get you as their mark, even leaving their wives and children at home for hours of overtime.” He touched my hair. “I think it’s your look or something. You’re beautiful.”

  I had to ignore his attempt at flirtation. “Were they following even when we were shopping for diapers?”

  “They were watching, but weren’t in the area. That was my fault. I should’ve told them where we were going before we went.”

  We approached a large door. Jim put his badge into the reader then looked into an eye scanner. The door opened to a big plush room, fill
ed with well-dressed people working on computers in cubicles. Red carpeting covered the floor and everyone seemed very busy.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “An office for DHS,” he said. “No one knows it’s here, so this is a secret. Right?” He stared with such determination that I almost gulped. The secret hideout for agents. How cool was this?

  “Yes, sir.” I looked all around. How did these people work underground all day long and function? Wouldn’t family members hunt for them or try to meet them for lunch? This was definitely not the norm.

  A very pretty, tall blonde woman ran up to Jim, blushing as she approached. “Dr. Bond, I have something for you.” She handed him a big white envelope, glancing at me, then back at him. “It’s For Your Eyes Only.”

  He smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Movie title,” I whispered as the woman winked at him then walked away. “And she has the hots for you. Don’t let her get away. She might be your soul mate.”

  “Very funny. She’s not my type.” He touched my hair. “I like long black hair, light blue eyes and attitude, but you probably already know that.”

  “No, but I’ll see if I can find you someone like that. Wish I had a sister.”

  He shot me a dirty look, and then stared back toward the leggy blonde. “They’ve been warned not to use any of those movie titles near me, so she’s in trouble.” He opened the envelope and reached inside. He pulled out the necklace Boris had given me along with a note, which he read. “This necklace not only had a GPS and a listening device, but two capsules of cyanide activated by remote control, delivered by a needle from the back of the necklace. We’ve fixed it so it’s just a necklace and you won’t get in trouble while wearing it.”

  My hands flew to my neck as I backed away. “Cyanide?”

  He stepped behind me and put the necklace back around my neck. “Yes. I saved your life, once again.”

  “Thank you?”

  He leaned toward my ear from behind, his warm breath teasing my lobes. “You’ll thank me, all right. Someday, and very properly.” He chuckled and I almost laughed.

  I reined in my amusement as we headed down the long hallway and approached a door with the word ‘director’ on it. There were no windows to the office, and there was no way to know if anyone was inside. Jim knocked but I was sure the place was empty.

  “Come in.” The voice seemed to be attached to a huge man, sounding like he’d been in the military. I sucked in a breath, worried I was in trouble. Best to get it over with. At least in jail, I wouldn’t be killed by the Russians or Chinese—I hoped.

  Chapter 24

  Jim opened the door and ushered me in before him. The chair behind the desk swiveled around, and there before me, sat my boss, Kent, from the United Nations. My mouth fell open and my eyebrows hit the ceiling. I was dumbfounded.

  “Harley,” he said. “I’m so glad you found time to visit me.”

  It took me a moment to find my voice. “Visit you? But we’re in Vermont, right?”

  “My part-time job.” He chuckled. “Have a seat.” He looked toward Jim. “You can stay.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jim sat down just as I did. “Wait,” I said to Jim. “You knew Kent before you met me on Thursday, right?”

  “Yes, I did,” Jim said.

  “And you never told me that?”

  He raised one eyebrow as he grinned. “You never asked.”

  I couldn’t believe this. “Was Ali really translating the dialogue wrong?”

  “Yes, and he’d done so before,” Jim said. “But that’s beside the point. I had to get in there legitimately, and Kent knew Ali couldn’t be trusted. That’s why I could go in without all the required tests. I knew it would happen before I even went to the U.N. to meet with you. Kent had even had the meeting staged for all the Arabic interpreters so there was only one option to take Ali’s place—me.”

  I’d never understand this as long as I lived. I turned toward Kent. “So you knew Jim was going to be at the U.N. on Thursday?”

  “Yes, I did.” He stared at Jim. “He saved us by getting rid of Ali. I’m just sorry that the Chinese delegation didn’t like the man, although it doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

  “We’re not sure it was the Chinese delegation,” Jim said. “Mr. Wing didn’t seem to know anything about Ali last night, but Boris was a different story.”

  “I see,” Kent said. “I didn’t think the Chinese would be so stupid to use a diplomatic car for a body dump.”

  I felt like I’d come in at the end of a joke and only got the punch line for some reason. “Do you want to explain all of this to me?”

  Kent turned to me. “Some of it. I’ve been with DHS since it was formed back in 2001. I was recruited because the powers that be thought it would be a good idea to have someone in the United Nations listen for subversive chatter from other countries. It was thought that the United Nations would be a hotbed for gossip, and since I knew all the languages they offer and more, I got my job there. Before that, I was with the FBI.”

  “Does the United Nations board of directors know this?” I asked.

  He leaned toward me with a serious face. “No, and it’ll stay a secret, right?”

  “Yes, sir. It will with me. So why am I here?”

  “We heard about all of your problems.” He glanced toward Jim, then back at me. “We’ve been updated as much as possible about what’s been going on. We wanted you to know we’re on top of everything and you’re not alone. You’re a very stable person, and when you came over from Geneva, I wanted to hire you as fast as possible, because you’re a fantastic interpreter and have a photographic memory. That’s why the offer from the New York office came to you the second you got off the plane.”

  “I always wondered about that,” I said. “That guard running toward me in the airport when I was mourning my parents’ deaths seemed a bit odd.”

  “I knew your background, as told to me from Guillaume, in the Geneva office.”

  I smiled, thinking back to my old boss. “I liked him. He was like a father to me, even though he was my boss.”

  “Nice guy,” Kent said. “He told me what he knew about you and even that you went to China to learn Chinese for six months. He was impressed with your drive, so I wanted you on my team. I’m glad I did, too, because I don’t know of anyone else who could handle the Russians and Chinese like you have.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “We have people on the inside, and from what we’re hearing, they’re going to ask you to be the interpreter between them tomorrow night. Jim can’t go with you and we can’t bug you, because they’ll suspect something if they find out. You’re on your own, but we do have one guard who’s in there, by the name of Anatoli. He’s working for us, but is a Russian citizen. If you’re stuck or in a difficult situation, find him and he’ll get you out. He knows your background as well and is a good guy.”

  “Nice to know.” I touched my necklace. “Could you bug this necklace?”

  “I don’t think so,” Kent said. “They’d figure it out. We left the GPS in it, but took out everything else. Sami throwing it to the ground was a good thing, because now we have our cover for why it won’t work.”

  “I understand. If questioned, I’ll tell them that.”

  “We think they’re going to be talking about some sort of terrorist plot, and need to know when and where.”

  “They’re going after Felix first,” I said. “You have to do something to save him. He’s a nice guy.”

  “There’s not a lot we can do about it. If we tip our hand—”

  I hopped to my feet and slapped my hands down on the desk, leaning forward. “But he’s my friend. They’re doing this to find out if I’ll tell anyone, but I can’t let him die because of me. Aren’t you going to save him?”

  Kent looked at Jim. “We can’t. He’s a casualty of a bigger war.”

  I couldn’t believe it. If he died, I’d never forgive myself. I didn’t
want that to happen. I fell back to my seat, but sat up on the edge. “What if I say no? What if I want to walk away, leave the United States, and hide?”

  Kent sat back, studied my face, looked at Jim, and then back at me. “We can’t let you do that.”

  “Why? I don’t want Felix to die and I don’t want his blood on my hands. I can’t kill people like you guys can. I actually have a conscience.”

  “If you walk away, you’ll be charged with treason,” Kent said. “It’s been decided in congress and other high level offices that you’re our only hope. If you run away, we’ll find you, so don’t even try. We’re keeping a close watch on you, and if we think you’re a flight risk, we’ll put a GPS locator under your skin, because you’ll probably ditch the necklace.” He leaned up to me. “Harley, I know you can do this. All I’m asking is that you tell us what you find out, and then you’re done. We’ll hide you after tomorrow night and you’re out. One night, an hour, tops, to be the interpreter between these two people. Then you come home, tell Jim, and you’ll both be relocated to another town with different names and essentially disappear.”

  “Together or apart?” I asked, crossing my arms.

  “Your choice.”

  “Where will I work?”

  “Where ever you want to work, if you even do want to work. We’ll keep your secret and I can guarantee you’ll be safe and will always have money to live.” He looked at my hair. “We might have to change your appearance, but you’ll be safe.”

  “I’m not happy. I don’t have a choice in this matter, you know. I don’t like not being in control of my life.”

  “I know.” Kent sat back. “But you’ll be saving millions of lives.”

  “Except for Felix,” I muttered. “Why did they kill Ali?”

  “We’re not sure. It might have been from his own people, hiring someone else to do it, or maybe even the Chinese. Mr. Wing also might have reacted like that to throw us off. The Chinese and Arabic delegations are friends to some degree, but deep down are terrible enemies. We’re working on the papers from your pen, and that might be related. If it is what we think it is, Ali was deep undercover for a nasty group.”