Mayweather departed soon afterward with our written statements, and after a few strained pleasantries with Alicia we moved toward the door, too. Daniel, cleaned up and fed, had been absorbed in his toy soldiers on the living room floor, but he looked up at the movement of bodies.
His eyes widened, fear paling his cheeks.
“Don’t go!” He flung himself at Kane, wrapping both arms around his leg.
“Daniel, sweetheart, these people have to leave now,” Alicia said gently. “Come on-”
“No, no! What if the bad man comes?” He clung tighter to Kane’s leg.
Kane bent to enfold him in a hug. “It’s all right, Daniel, the bad man won’t come.”
“H-how do you know?” Alicia asked, suddenly pale herself. “Officer Mayweather said they hadn’t found him yet. What if…”
Kane, Hellhound and I exchanged a glance, but we couldn’t tell her the real reason why we knew Murphy wasn’t coming back.
Daniel was still sobbing and clinging frantically to Kane. “You p-promised!” he cried. “You p-promised you wouldn’t let the b-bad man get me! Don’t go!”
Kane knelt and Daniel locked his arms and legs around him, still crying hysterically.
“Shhh,” Kane soothed, standing up and rocking the child in his arms. “Shhh, Daniel, it’s all right…”
“Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go…” Daniel wept.
Kane met Alicia’s eyes over Daniel’s head. “Daniel,” he coaxed. “Hey, Daniel, would you feel safer if you came with me?”
Alicia stiffened, her fists clenching and her gaze shooting sparks. “Don’t you dare…” she began in deadly tones.
“No, don’t worry,” Kane assured her. “I’m not trying to take Daniel away from you. I want you to come, too. I have to leave right away to go back to Silverside for a meeting, but if you both come with me you’ll be safe until Murphy is in custody.”
She took a step back as though his lack of resistance had left her off-balance. “But… That’s all fine and good, but… What about Mom and Dad?”
“They can come, too,” Kane replied, but Alicia’s father shook his head.
“No, we’ll be fine here. Ally, you and Daniel go with John. We’ll hold down the fort until you get back.” He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Run and pack a bag for yourself and Daniel, lovey. We’ll feel better knowing you’re safe.”
“But…” Alicia gazed around as though searching for another argument. “Where will we stay? We can’t afford to stay in a hotel for days…”
Kane patted Daniel’s back, still rocking rhythmically as the child’s sobs quieted. “I’m sure it won’t be days. They’ll likely have him by tomorrow. They’ve already got his truck. He’s running out of places to hide.”
“You can all stay at my place,” I offered. “I’ve got a houseful of company, so there will be safety in numbers.” I didn’t bother to add that there would also be enough people and distractions to keep them from each other’s throats.
Kane gave me a grateful glance.
“So it’s settled,” Alicia’s father said comfortably. “Go pack your bags, lovey.”
Chapter 47
On the front steps of Alicia’s house, her luggage in hand, Kane turned to Hellhound. “If you’ll drive me down to my truck-” he began.
“No,” Hellhound interrupted.
Kane blinked. “Please,” he said stiffly.
“No, Cap. Sorry.” Hellhound shook his head as Kane began to protest. “I ain’t tryin’ to be a shi-” He bit off the word with a glance at Daniel and began again. “I ain’t tryin’ to be a pain, it’s just that you’re too bagged to be drivin’ ten minutes, let alone two hours. I’ll drive ya.”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Kane argued. “I had a nap on the way down here-”
“An’ you’re still about eighteen hours short of bein’ caught up,” Hellhound countered. “An’ ya got a pretty good reason not to take a chance on fallin’ asleep at the wheel.” He cast a pointed glance at Daniel, still nestled in Kane’s arms with his head on Kane’s broad shoulder.
Kane’s face softened. “You’re right. Thank you.”
“Come on, Aydan.” Hellhound turned to me. “I’ll drop ya off at your car an’ then Kane an’ I’ll grab our stuff from his condo. Ya can do whatever ya gotta do here, an’ we’ll meet ya in Silverside.”
We trooped down to Hellhound’s Forester and piled in, Kane and Alicia in the back with Daniel between them. When we were under way, I glanced back, smiling at the sight of Daniel’s happy face while he clutched Kane’s hand on one side and Alicia’s on the other.
As I watched, Daniel turned an adoring gaze up to Kane. “Will you be my daddy?”
Kane and Alicia both went still.
“Yes,” Kane said without hesitation. “Will you be my son?”
“Uh-huh.” Content, Daniel cuddled back between them, but a moment later fear shadowed his face. “Will you go away to war like my other daddy?”
“No, I won’t go away,” Kane said softly. “I’ll be your daddy for as long as you want.”
“Forever and ever?” Daniel pressed.
Kane cleared his throat, blinking rapidly. “Forever and ever,” he agreed huskily, and offered his hand. “Let’s shake on it.”
Daniel shook, his small hand engulfed in Kane’s large one. Then he settled back with a happy sigh, leaving Kane and Alicia regarding each other warily over his head.
In the parking lot at Kane’s condo, I pulled out my bug detector and eyed the flashing red light with resignation mingled with self-disgust. Add another protocol to the Spy Manual: Check the car every time you drive it.
Circling the vehicle, I found the locator device under my rear bumper. After a moment’s consideration, I pulled it off and stuck it under the bumper of the car beside me.
Have fun tracking that, asshole.
Then I headed for the testing facility, doubling back a few times and taking a circuitous route to be sure I wasn’t being followed. With the ultrasound baton and its covert pen counterpart safely delivered, I stopped in at a bookstore and then at a fast-food place. Worry about Spider and Linda nagged at me, and I got my dinner to go.
On the highway at last, I gobbled the food one-handed without tasting it. By now Labelle would be on the road, possibly even ahead of me. I took small comfort from the knowledge that Kane and Hellhound would be at my farm before I was.
Everything would be fine. Spider and Linda would be safe.
I wished I could believe that.
Two hours later I turned off toward my farm, slightly reassured by the fact that all looked quiet and no columns of smoke billowed up on the horizon.
God, I felt as though I’d been away for days, not just fourteen hours. The trees around my creek glowed green and gold in the long rays of the setting sun.
When I turned in the lane, my heart rose at the sight of Hellhound’s Forester parked in front of my house along with Moonbeam and Karma’s rental car and Linda’s little red Beetle.
Inside the house pandemonium reigned. Wedding things were spread around the living room while seven adults and one overstimulated child tried to dodge each other. As the eighth adult, I considered the house full beyond capacity.
Kane and Alicia both looked exhausted, Hellhound looked tense, and Daniel zoomed up and down the hallway winding himself up into a frenzy of activity. Spider and Linda converged on me with wedding-planning questions while Moonbeam and Karma hovered together in the background, a much-needed oasis of serenity in the chaos.
I had planned to give Alicia and Daniel my bedroom, but Daniel staged another hysterical meltdown at the prospect of being separated from Kane, so I crammed an inflatable bed into the room as well and Daniel was appeased.
After supplying the final set of blankets, pillows, and towels, I met Hellhound’s desperate look with an equally desperate one of my own.
“Well,” I said with false cheer, “I still have to go into town and there are no beds left here, so
Arnie and I will stay at the hotel. If you need us, you know where to find us.”
Hellhound’s look of relief was so comical I almost cracked a smile, but I managed appropriate seriousness while I fielded the last of my guests’ questions and managed a more-or-less graceful withdrawal, clutching my backpack.
“I’ll drive, darlin’,” Hellhound said, striding toward the Forester as if afraid the madness inside the house would reach out and drag him back.
Sliding into his passenger seat with relief, I let my head fall back against the headrest, and he accelerated with slightly more vigour than necessary.
We let out simultaneous sighs of relief when we reached the highway, but tension reclaimed me a moment later.
“I’m going to have to go back after I finish at Sirius,” I said. “If that gunrunner decides to get revenge tonight…”
Hellhound reached over to squeeze my hand. “I didn’t get that kinda vibe from him. I think he’s just a middleman. He’s the kinda guy who’d rat ya out to somebody bigger in a heartbeat, but he ain’t got the balls to do anythin’ himself.”
I tried not to gape at him. Dammit, would I ever develop the kind of instincts he and Kane had?
“You’re probably right,” I admitted.
“So ya don’t hafta go back unless ya want to,” he went on. “Webb’s got the monitor for your perimeter cameras, an’ Kane’s there if anythin’ goes wrong. He slept all the way here, so he’ll be fresh enough to handle it.”
“So…” I gave him a hesitant look. “Did he… did you…”
“I took him straight into Sirius,” Hellhound confirmed. “An’ he passed the lie detector test no problem. I was afraid Stemp might ask about what we did today, but he just stuck with the standard requalification questions. Kane answered ‘em, and we were outta there in about fifteen minutes.”
“How do you know what Stemp asked?”
Hellhound chuckled. “I was listenin’ in with your fancy glasses. That reminds me, ya better take ‘em. I meant to give ‘em back before we left Calgary.” He passed them over. “But the whole thing was a fuckin’ gong show. Daniel went batshit when Kane tried to leave him an’ Lish in the lobby, so they ended up havin’ to get visitor passes for both of ‘em. I stood with ‘em out in the hallway so Daniel could see Kane the whole time he was doin’ the test. That kid is gonna have serious issues for a while.”
“I think they all are,” I agreed. “It’ll be a rocky road.”
Hellhound glanced over. “Did ya really hafta go in to Sirius, or were ya just blowin’ smoke to get outta the house?”
“Um…” I hesitated. “A bit of both. I’d like to file a quick report on what I got from questioning my gunrunner today. And I need to drop off a couple of things at the Weapons lab, but everybody will be gone for the weekend so I shouldn’t be long.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for ya in the lobby, then.”
We made the rest of the trip in blessed silence.
At Sirius I filed a quick report on Labelle and sent the name he’d given me to the analysts for research. Drooping with exhaustion, I made my way through the time-delay chamber with barely an uptick of my pulse and plodded down the hall to the Weapons lab.
When I turned the corner into the main lab, I backpedalled with a yelp of surprise.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Chow demanded. “Isn’t it time for good little agents to be in their beddy-byes?”
“Long past time,” I agreed, ignoring his sarcasm and offering a tired salute to Melinda and Murray at the next counter. “What are you guys doing here this late on a Friday night?”
Melinda smiled. “This is what we do for fun.”
“And it’s not like I’m going to hit the bars trolling for chicks,” Chow added sourly. “There are no beer goggles thick enough to make this look good.” He made a bitter up-and-down gesture with his pincer-hand.
“Oh…” Swallowing hard, I racked my exhausted brain for a tactful reply, failed to find one, and went with an insult instead. “Well, I don’t know; maybe you should try that Goth chick that tends bar at the Silverside Hotel. She’s into spiders so she’d probably like to get up close and personal with your left nut.”
“Fuck off, Kelly,” he growled, but the undamaged corner of his mouth quirked up. “So did you come down here just to indulge your unhealthy fascination with my balls?”
“Yep,” I agreed. “Your balls are constantly on my mind. Oh, and I was also going to drop off the pheromone collector. I’m pretty sure it’s full.”
He gave me a piercing scrutiny. “So that’s why you look like you’ve been chewed up and shit out. Tough day?”
The accumulated terror of the day suddenly dropped on me with the force of a boulder and I fought to keep my knees from buckling.
“Yeah.” My voice came out in a dry whisper.
“Shit, Kelly.” He stepped forward, his good eye darkening with concern. “Are you gonna hit the deck?”
“No.” I summoned a joke with the last of my strength. “That would be too much like lying down, and you know there’s no rest for the wicked. Here.”
I handed him the pheromone detector and propped myself against the counter. He accepted it with a frown and carried it over to connect it to the computer.
“Yep, they’re all full,” he said. “You want to give me a rundown?”
Abandoning pride, I slid down the counter to sit on the floor, propping my head on my drawn-up knees. “Not really. But I will anyway.” I leaned my head back to stare at the ceiling. “Okay, in order: Two near-death experiences at the mercy of somebody else’s driving. You can classify that as ‘prey’. Then a couple of hours later, a guy shot me with a broadhead. Prey. Thanks for the jacket, by the way; it worked like a damn. But it does hold me back a bit when I try to move really fast.”
Chow’s eye narrowed. “Where did he hit you?”
“Shoulder.” I pulled back the neck of my T-shirt to show him the tender spot, which was now an unflattering shade of mauve. “The way he was working to pull that bow, I’d figure about a seventy-pound draw weight, and he got me from about fifteen yards away.”
“With a broadhead?”
I nodded and he grinned. “Sweet! That normally would have gone right through and killed whatever was behind you.”
“Yeah.” I tugged my T-shirt back into place and let my hand fall to the floor, too tired to hold it up. “That would be the grizzly bear that nearly ate me a few minutes later. I’m going to go with ‘prey’ on that one, too.”
“Shit.” Chow’s eye narrowed. “But that’s only four. There are ten samples in here.”
“Oh, that was just the warmup,” I said bitterly. “So then I had to go around the grizzly while he was eating the guy that shot me. Prey. And then I came within a hair of having all my teeth pulled out and getting gang-raped. That would be prey. After that…”
My gorge rose and I gulped down hot bile. “After that… I… saw something I… can’t even think about right now. I don’t know how to classify that one. It was…” My head felt suddenly too heavy for my neck and I let it fall forward onto my knees. “I don’t know,” I mumbled. “Classify it however you want.”
Silence reigned while I took a few long slow breaths before adding, “Then I watched a guy get his head twisted off. I didn’t give a shit about him, so I don’t know how you want to classify that one, either.”
“Seeing a guy’s head twisted off didn’t bother you?” Melinda inquired in a strangled voice, and I looked up to see I’d acquired an audience. Chow, Melinda, and Murray stood in a semi-circle looking down at me. For a moment I considered standing up again in a show of bravado, but it was too damn much effort.
“I don’t even want to know about the other thing you saw, then,” Murray put in quietly.
“Neither do I, believe me.” I sighed. “Then there was another grizzly. Charging. I definitely felt like prey. Then I nailed it with the ultrasound baton and had to shoot it.”
The memory
of the poor bear’s anguished groans made me swallow hard. “I didn’t feel like a predator. I just felt like shit.”
“One left,” Chow prompted.
“Yeah. That was when I really, really wanted to shoot a guy. But I didn’t. That one’s probably pure predator, but I was so damn tired by then I don’t know how good the sample will be. Oh, and…” I dragged my backpack over and extracted the flies and the control box. “Here are your flies. They worked great on a group of twenty-two, but they also map freshly dead people. Just so you know.”
“Thanks,” Murray said faintly as he accepted the items.
The weight of the backpack jogged my memory. “Oh. Right.” I pulled out the hardcover copy of ‘Mack Force, Objective: Blue Star’ and held it out to Melinda. “May I ask you a huge favour? Would you please autograph this?”
She recoiled from the book as if I’d offered her a snake and turned to glare at Chow. “You told her!”
Chow shrugged. “She’s an agent. She can keep a secret.”
“Please?” I gave Melinda an imploring look. “I’d get down on my knees, but I’m already on my butt and I’m too tired to move. And this might get me out of a really tight spot.”
“Murray Stout only autographs three books per release,” Melinda said stiffly. “And two autographed copies of ‘Mack Force, Objective: Blue Star’ have already been issued.”
“Please,” I repeated. “I tested your flies. And your pheromones. And your glasses and your jacket and your ultrasound baton and your laser flashlight…”
Melinda was already holding up her hands in surrender. “All right, fine, but this doesn’t go beyond the three of us. Ever. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
She pulled a black marker from the pocket of her lab coat and scrawled Murray Stout’s iconic signature across the inside front page of the book.
“Thank you,” I said fervently. “You might have just saved my ass.”
Chapter 48
When I emerged from the tomb of the secured area, Hellhound rose from one of the chairs in the lobby.
The Spies That Bind Page 38
