The female agent nodded, then knocked on the door and announced herself. “Agent Taylor, CIA. We need to speak with Jeremy Farrell.”
No response. She tried again. Still no response.
She leaned against the door and opened her mouth to try again but the door creaked open. She glanced at the doorknob then drew her weapon as Logan saw what she did. Scrape marks around the keyhole.
With a nod to the other agents to let them know she was going in, she held her gun in a two-handed grip, the barrel pointing up, and she pushed the door open and looked inside. The room was a disaster.
“Either Jeremy Farrell was a very bad housekeeper or this room has been turned,” Taylor muttered.
She ordered Logan to stay but when the agents cleared the room, he followed them inside. The bad feeling in his gut magnified as he saw the house’s condition. Chairs turned over, cushions off the chairs, lamps on their sides with the bottoms torn out. Someone had been looking for something.
Taylor’s voice came from just down a short hallway. “I think we may have found your hacker.”
Logan hurried down the hall behind another agent, and then looked into the room that Taylor was now standing in.
Jeremy Farrell lie facedown on the floor, his head to the side, his throat slashed, a look of terror frozen on his face.
And then Logan’s body went cold.
Last night when he’d held Carla in his arms he had seen Tori standing over Jeremy’s dead body… Only he hadn’t known it was Jeremy then.
But it had been this very room. The body lying in the exact same position. The same stain of blood.
Agent Taylor rolled Jeremy’s body over so that he was on his back. In his shirt pocket was a thick bulge. The agent had pulled on rubber gloves and she eased a red leather wallet out of the pocket.
Logan didn’t need to be told who the wallet belonged to, even before Taylor opened it and looked at the driver’s license.
“Carla Winston,” Taylor read. She looked at Logan. “You know who she is?”
“She works for my company.” He nodded and cleared his throat. “She and I have also had a personal relationship.”
Everything hit him at once.
Carla. She’d left in the middle of the night. She’d been here.
All along his visions had been pointing to Carla. They’d been warning him.
Carla had killed Jeremy Farrell. She was the leak in his company.
Chapter 13
Carla’s tight silver dress came up to mid-thigh. With the woman’s long legs, the short dresses she preferred to wear looked exceptional.
She studied her reflection as she finished putting on makeup. Today she’d picked out a deep pink lipstick and two shades of eye shadow that made her gray eyes seem bigger. She liked putting on makeup as Carla, liked wearing her slinky dresses. More playing dress-up.
She paused for a moment as she stared in the mirror.
Last night she’d had a nightmare about Jeremy. So real…
For a long time this morning, Tori had lain in bed and had stared up at the ceiling. She tried to get Jeremy out of her mind, the way she’d seen him last. His blank stare, the expression of fear, and all that blood…
When she tried to picture him as the vibrant person he’d been, all she could see was his dead body in her mind.
Tears had been backing up behind her eyes and one had escaped. Then another. And another. He’d been a good kid and hadn’t deserved to be murdered. Why had they killed him? What had Jeremy done?
Ultimately it was her fault. She’d led the PIA straight to him.
At this moment, after the way they’d murdered Jeremy, it didn’t feel so good working for the PIA. It didn’t feel good at all.
Tori took a deep breath and turned away from the mirror. She brushed her hand down the exquisite silver dress, feeling the slinky material beneath her palm.
That morning, after she had climbed out of bed and taken a shower, Tori had skimmed through all of the shows that were being performed in local theaters tonight. She’d found one that looked as good as any other. The musical, Cinderella, sounded okay—if one was crazy about musicals.
She would have preferred some action-adventure flick, but as Carla she supposed she had to act thrilled about going to the theater. Logan had called and she’d told him she’d purchased and downloaded the tickets. They would have dinner first, so he would be here soon.
Her mind turned to how Logan had sounded over the phone. He’d seemed almost distant. Likely he had a lot on his mind considering he’d discovered that his company had been hacked into.
The doorbell rang. Despite herself, a sense of excitement went through her. She was going to be with Logan again tonight.
She closed her eyes and paused before going to the door. Maybe she should let Janice pull her off the job. Maybe she didn’t belong here.
No. She could do this.
With a deep breath she opened her eyes, walked to the door, and opened it. Logan looked good enough to eat… But she didn’t think he was quite dressed up enough for the theater. Well, considering that she never went, what did she know?
He looked preoccupied as he kissed her cheek. After grabbing her silver purse and a wrap, she closed the door behind them and they went to his Jag.
When they got in the car and he started it, she tilted her head to the side. Her cop-radar was telling her that something was wrong.
“What’s going on, Logan?” she asked quietly.
“Nothing.” He gave her a smile, but it didn’t feel genuine. “That hacker who got into our system is getting to me, I guess.”
She studied him, not sure he was being entirely honest. “How far did he make it? Was anything compromised?”
His expression darkened. “Yes.”
“Damn.” She glanced out the window as the streetlights sped by and she frowned and looked at him. “This isn’t the way to the theater.”
“I need to stop by the office,” he said. “It won’t take long.”
Something cold slid through her but she brushed the sensation away. “All right,” she said.
He didn’t seem inclined to talk so she didn’t say anything as he drove. When they got to the office building, he gave a nod toward the entrance. “Come in with me.”
She hesitated a moment, the feeling that something was wrong growing inside of her. He came around the car and assisted her in getting out and then after locking the car door he touched her back with his fingertips and they headed toward the building’s entrance. He swiped his card in a reader at the door and they walked in.
A night watchman nodded to Logan. “Good evening, Mr. Savage.”
Logan inclined his head toward the watchman. “We won’t be long, Jerry.”
When they were in the elevator, Logan pressed the button to go to the floor above his office. The floor where the CVP lab was. She glanced at him, but he seemed focused on the floor numbers passing by. Once they reached the floor, they headed out and down the hall.
Her heels clicked on the floor as dread grew in her belly. “What’s going on, Logan?” she asked.
Outside the CVP lab stood a man and woman in suits, clearly waiting for something. Or someone.
Tori’s stomach pitched. Something was wrong. Really wrong.
Logan said nothing to them as he used his card to enter the outside steel doors to the CVP lab.
When they went through, they were on the other side of a lab with glass walls. She’d never gotten this far before in all of her time undercover at Savage Industries.
“This won’t take long.” He was looking ahead as he spoke. When they reached the door to the lab itself, he identified himself with the handprint and retinal scan.
Alarm bells started ringing in her head and she started to back up and bumped into the two agents who were following them in. Logan grabbed her by her upper arm, his grip tight. And then she was through the glass door.
“Logan?” She tried to pull her arm away but he practical
ly dragged her toward a chair that looked a lot like a dentist’s chair only much more high-tech. it appeared to be made of titanium with a black leather seat and back, along with black accents.
She knew exactly what they were going to do. They were going to use the CVP on her.
With a long practiced move, she elbowed Logan in the gut and pulled herself free. She swept her foot behind his to take him to the ground but the man and woman were already on her.
Tori elbowed the man to the face and slammed her fist into the woman’s gut. She rammed her high heel into Logan’s thigh then slid onto her knees between the man and woman and hit them both behind the knees at the same time with both of her arms and her fists. They went down, hard.
Logan grabbed Tori from behind, dragging her up and she slammed her head back and into his face. He cursed as she followed up with both elbows to his gut.
She started to roll to the side but the man and woman grabbed her, to either side, and Logan had her from behind. He hooked his arm around her neck, her throat at the inside of his elbow.
“This will be a lot less painful, Carla,” Logan said in a growl, “if you just do what we say. I’m not afraid to hurt you.”
Tori couldn’t even move her arms as they dragged her to the chair. Two of them held her while one patted her down to make sure she didn’t have any listening devices or other on her body.
When they were finished, it didn’t take them long to have her cuffed to the chair, her ankles cuffed, too.
Adrenaline pumped through her body and her breathing was harsh and fast. Satisfaction went through her at the fact Logan’s nose was bleeding. A bruise was starting to develop around the man’s eye from her getting him in the face with her elbow. The woman just looked pissed.
“That’s Agent Mallory.” Logan wiped blood from his face with a paper towel he had grabbed by the nearby sink, and he nodded toward the male. Then he looked toward the female. “Agent Taylor. Both are with the CIA” His gaze rested on Tori, anger in his eyes. “And who the hell are you?”
She glared at Logan but didn’t say anything.
“Doesn’t matter if you volunteer the information.” Logan went to a clear box set on a pedestal with blue light glowing from beneath it and above it. Inside the clear box was a device that she recognized from the holographic image that Janice had shown her. It looked like a slender, small camera, close to the same size of the holographic image she’d seen—about the size of a playing card but an inch thick.
Logan took his keycard and inserted it in the pedestal below the box and out from the pedestal popped a fingerprint and retinal scanner.
It took only a moment before Logan had the device in his hand and he walked toward her. “Cerebral Voices will get it out of you regardless, Carla. Of course, that’s probably not your real name.”
Anger and fear swirled through Tori. Anger at herself for getting caught and put in this situation. Anger at Logan and what he stood for. Fear of what was going to happen now that she was caught. Maybe this was why Janice hadn’t given her more information.
He turned his gaze toward her as he pointed the CVP device in her direction. His jaw was set, anger in his eyes. He was looking at the back of the device when he spoke. “Before we get started, do you have any listening devices or tracking chips on your body that we were unable to locate?”
Tori clamped her mouth shut, but “No,” came a computerized voice from the CVP. “I am clean.”
“What is your real name?” he asked next
Almost instantly, a clear computer voice said, “Tori Adams.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. She wouldn’t be able to hide anything from this machine.
When she opened her eyes, Logan was looking at her with shock. “Tori Adams?” he repeated. “How can that be?”
“I’m a Changeling,” the computer said. “The real Carla is in a coma.”
The agents looked at each other.
Tori never cried, but tears bit at the backs of her eyes. She had never felt so helpless as her secrets spilled out for anyone to hear. She could have withstood any kind of torture but this…she didn’t have a chance.
“A Changeling.” Logan’s look grew hard. “We know now you’re not Carla. You might as well show yourself.”
Tori stared at Logan, saw his furious gaze. Her heart ached that she’d deceived him while at the same time she was angry that he knew who she was and furious for who he was.
But he was right. She might as well show herself.
She shifted from Carla to Tori. Long blonde hair that had been resting on her shoulders slid up and vanished as her dark curls appeared. She knew her eyes were morphing from gray to hazel-green, her body going from tall to petite. She shifted out of Carla’s slinky silver dress into jeans, T-shirt, and athletic shoes. Even what had been in her silver evening purse was now in her jeans pockets.
Logan sucked in his breath. “It is you.” His expression hardened. He looked at the back of the device again as if reading something there. “Did you plan this from the beginning?”
“I was recruited after meeting you,” the computer said.
The computer only seemed to respond to direct questions. She was still able to think without every word coming out.
Logan narrowed his eyes. “What happened to Carla?”
Tori shook her head but the computer answered for her. “I don’t know. She was already in a coma when I was given the assignment. I don’t know what caused it.”
With a scowl, Logan asked, “Who do you work for?”
Tori tried not to answer, but it came out clearly. “I was recruited by the PIA.”
Logan frowned and looked at the agents. “What’s the PIA?”
“Paranormal Intelligence Agency,” the computer answered even though the question had been directed at the CIA agents. “A branch of the government.”
“It’s a faction that claims to be a branch of the government.” Taylor looked at Tori. “But it’s not.” She returned her gaze to Logan. “Our intelligence tells us that this is the group that is trying to steal the technology to sell to China or the Middle East.”
Tori glared at him as she spoke, “That’s not true. The PIA is a branch of the government protecting the CVP. Logan Savage is the one who plans to sell the technology.”
Logan’s gaze kept going to the back of the CVP as he asked questions. Was he reading something there?
He looked grim. “Is that what you really believe?”
“Of course” the computer said for her. “You are working against the government. You are an enemy of the United States.”
“So instead of trusting me, you decided to work against me,” he said.
“Why would I trust you?” the computer said. “You are the enemy.”
“Why did you kill Jeremy Farrell?” Logan’s voice grew hard.
“I didn’t kill him. But someone from my agency did.” Horror at what was coming out of her mind made her shake. “But it might as well have been me.” Tears threatened to force their way out.
“What do you mean?” Taylor asked. “Your wallet was on the victim’s body. How did it all happen?”
Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought, but fortunately that didn’t come out. Tori wanted to bang her head back against the chair. She’d forgotten to check Jeremy’s clothing.
“I went to Jeremy’s apartment earlier in the day and dropped it,” the computer said. “I returned after midnight for my wallet. When I came back, I saw my partner come out of the building, although he didn’t see me. I went up to Jeremy’s apartment and found him dead.”
Logan braced his hand on her chair. “What were you doing in Jeremy’s apartment to begin with?”
“I convinced him to show me how to break into Savage Industries’ computer system to get to the CVP for the PIA.” Tori raised her chin as the computer answered the question aloud. “It wasn’t his fault. He thought he was showing me the hole in the security so that I could let you know since his boss wouldn’t list
en to him.”
Logan narrowed his gaze. “Who didn’t listen?”
“Michael Demitri,” came from the device.
Logan frowned. “Aimy,” he spoke aloud to the computer, “Any luck in tracking down Demitri?”
“After multiple attempts I have been unable to locate him,” Aimy said.
“Send James McKnight to Demitri’s home to check on him,” Logan said. “Tell McKnight that it’s urgent.”
“Yes, sir,” Aimy said.
Logan turned his attention back to Tori. “Why did your agency kill Jeremy?”
“I was told they forced him to make a second attempt.” She looked down and waited for the computer to say it for her. “They killed Jeremy to keep him quiet.”
Quiet filled the lab for a long moment and Tori stared at her hands.
“When did you take Carla’s place?” Logan asked.
She swallowed and looked up again as the computer answered. “The day after you spent the weekend with me.”
“Two weeks ago.” Logan shook his head. “I should have known better than to believe Carla had changed the core of who she was.”
Tori didn’t volunteer anything.
“So everything you said was a lie.” Logan’s gaze didn’t waver. “Wasn’t it?”
The computer took it as a question and Tori’s response came out clearly. “Not everything. I truly fell in love with you.”
Her face went hot and she knew she’d gone red. She hadn’t even acknowledged to herself that she’d really fallen for him. And here it was, stated for Logan and the agents to hear.
Logan looked stunned. “Apparently this thing has bugs,” he said after a few seconds.
Tori’s face felt hotter yet. “Apparently it does.”
He looked at her for a long moment, his features now unreadable. He turned to the agents. “What do we do with her now?”
“I see two options,” Agent Taylor said. “We lock her up or she works for us as a double agent.”
“Work for you?” Tori narrowed her eyes. “Who are you really?”
“CIA,” Mallory said. “We happen to be the good guys.”
“I’ve worked freelance for the PIA for four years.” Tori tried to read the agent. “How am I supposed to know that what you say is true?” She looked at Logan. “How am I supposed to believe you?”
Dark Seduction Page 9
