No Room for Error: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Seven

by Julie Moffett

  “Si, I’m in, too,” Giorgio said, flashing white teeth. “I’m with you, brother.”

  “Yah. All for one,” Tito added. “Let’s get this done.”

  A lump formed in my throat. I looked around at them and wondered how I ever imagined I could live my life without friends and family. I could see Slash was touched, too, even if no one but me noticed.

  “Okay,” I said. “We’ll all go. I’ll see what I can do. Given the circumstances, I think I can convince ComQuest to permit all of us to provide an assist.”

  Once that was decided, I leaned back in my seat. Slash bent over, rummaging around in a dark green duffle bag at his feet. He pulled something out, handing it to me.

  I stared at it in surprise. “A laptop? Slash, you brought me a laptop?” I clutched it reverently to my chest.

  “Brand new and loaded with all the bells and whistles.”

  I turned and cupped his cheek. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what to say. I’ve missed mine so much.”

  “I know.”

  “But not as much as I missed you.” I looked into his eyes. “I mean it. When I was about to drown, I wasn’t thinking of my computer, cyberspace or gaming, Slash. I was thinking of you and how much you mean to me.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment. “Mio Dio, I almost lost you. Again.” He slid his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. His lips moved across mine gently and with care not to aggravate my injuries. His thoughtfulness and tenderness undid me.

  I touched his scratchy cheeks and smiled. “Guess you were right about that little black cloud following me around like a stalker. But, you know what? I’m finding I’m pretty resistant to rain...as long as I have a little help from my friends, that is.”

  As he kissed me again, I could feel his lips curve into a smile of his own.

  After he released me, I rested my head against the seat, finally able to relax. I stroked the cover of the laptop with my fingers.

  “Open it,” he urged.

  “No.” I folded my hands on top of it. “Not yet. We still have to talk. You do know Quon and the Chinese were after you the whole time, right?”

  “Si.” His entire posture stiffened, his hands curling into fists.

  “When did you find out?”

  “Shortly before you arrived at the plane with Quon. We had a little talk with one of the crew. They said their orders were to bring you alive so they could lure the real prize to them. It didn’t take me long to figure out what they had in mind. Tell me the truth. How badly did he hurt you?”

  “Not as badly as he could have. I suspect he didn’t want to damage me too badly.”

  Slash’s jaw was clenched so tightly, I put a hand on his arm to calm him.

  “I’m okay. I promise,” I said softly. “I knew you’d come for me, so it made everything bearable. How did you finally find us, Slash? Were you able to pick up the GPS locator on the briefcase?”

  He closed his eyes. “It didn’t work.”

  “What?” I shifted sideways in my seat, staring at him in astonishment. “You have got to be joking.”

  “I’m not. The GPS must have been damaged in the crash. It stopped working shortly after you went down.”

  “That’s impossible. I thought the briefcase was indestructible.”

  “Whatever is in it, yes. But, according to Xavier, the GPS locator was positioned on the inside frame. It must have been knocked so hard it stopped working.”

  I remembered how we’d clung to the briefcase as if it were our lives. I’d almost drowned trying to retrieve it. And the whole time the GPS locator wasn’t even working.

  I pressed a hand to my forehead. “Wow. That’s just shocking.” I paused and then looked at Slash. He was waiting for my question. “Wait. If the GPS locator wasn’t working, how did you find us?”

  He hesitated. “You’re not going to like it.”

  “I’m not?”

  “No, you’re not. But I’m not sorry. You’re alive and that’s all that matters.”

  Puzzled, I cocked my head. “Slash?”

  He removed his hand from my leg. “No easy way to say it. I put GPS locators in your earrings.”

  “You did what?”

  “Your earrings are mini transmitters.” His expression was pained. “The locator works flawlessly in most locations on earth that have access to Wi-Fi or a cellular network. Which means, of course, you ended up in the uncharted jungle of Papua New Guinea where they were completely useless. I’ve got to work that kink out next. I have to either give them enough power to reach a satellite...or not let you get out of range of cell towers ever again.”

  I was confused. “Wait. So, did you or didn’t you track me with the earrings?”

  “Not until you reached an area with Wi-Fi.”

  It took me a minute to catch up. “Wasu. You picked up my signal in Wasu.”

  “Si. We were already in Papua New Guinea doing flybys on helicopters because that was the last known signal from the briefcase. But we didn’t dare ask for direct assistance from the local authorities because we were afraid of tipping off Quon. So, my own small FBI security detail, Tito and Giorgio took matters into our own hands.”

  I studied him. “Once the earrings activated, how did you track me, Slash? I’m pretty sure you didn’t bring that kind of monitoring equipment with you.”

  He smiled. “I had three pretty sharp interns back in DC assisting me.”

  “Piper, Wally and Brandon?”

  “Exactly.”

  I reached up and touched the earring in my left ear. “So, you hid locators in my earrings?”

  “I gave you fresh batteries just before you left. I’m sorry, cara. I kept waiting for a good time to tell you. But every time I imagined how the conversation would go, it didn’t end well. In the end, my concern for your safety outweighed the risk that you would refuse to wear them. Given your proclivity to wind up in dangerous situations I thought it the best way to protect you. Not that you can’t protect yourself, it’s just I thought—”

  I interrupted him mid-sentence by grabbing a fistful of his T-shirt with one hand and yanking him to me. I kissed him hard. When I pulled away, he looked at me in surprise.

  “You’re not angry?”

  “No. I’m grateful. However, had it been anyone else or had I been suspect of your motives, it would have been another story. But we’re talking about you, Slash. I trust you with my life. I love you. The earrings were a pretty good idea. Knowing my location in this case saved all of our lives and I really appreciate that.” I took his hand. “Now, that being said, I ask only that from now on you tell me these kinds of things in advance. If we love each other, then we shouldn’t be afraid to tell each other important things, especially when it involves our physical safety. Either we take the next step together or we don’t. Someone I love once told me that relationships either evolve or they wither and die. This is a good example of how we have to share things with each other, okay?”

  He lifted my hand to his lips murmuring. “Nessuno può prendere quella destinata per te.”

  I smiled against his chest. “What did you say this time?”

  “I said, ‘No one can take the one that is destined for you.’ We Italians like our proverbs.”

  “You think I’m destined for you?”

  “I do not think it, cara. I know it. The biggest challenge was figuring out what to do about it.”

  “Oh. So, you’ve figured it all out?”

  A smile touched his lips. “Actually, I think I have.” He pressed his lips to my forehead and wrapped his arms around my waist.

  I clung to him, closing my eyes. We’d been through so much together and we’d likely go through a lot more. It amazed me that I still looked forward to it—to being with him. Love wa
s certainly an illogical thing. It baffled me still that I could so willingly accept my life would be intertwined with his needs and struggles—just as he was by me. Love wasn’t a burden. It was an honor.

  I tightened my arms around him. “So, Slash, when are you going to share this newfound wisdom with me?”

  “Soon,” he promised. “Very soon.”

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  The party lasted into the wee hours of the night. Avanti’s pizza, beer, champagne and chocolate cake. The Zimmerman home was full of friends and littered with beer bottles and empty pizza boxes.

  Xavier, who had drunk perhaps a few too many beers, stood on a chair in the middle of the room waving a champagne flute.

  “I’d like to offer a toast. Here’s to the future of technology and to my friends who helped make it happen. We couldn’t have done it without you. Mass production of the chip begins in two months. We’re a go.”

  We cheered wildly and Elvis reached up to slap his brother a high-five, sloshing champagne over his hand and laughing.

  Grinning, I lifted my glass to Xavier and drained the rest of my champagne. I was feeling pretty tipsy, my stomach was full and my heart was happy.

  I glanced around the room. Slash was talking to Basia, who lounged in a chair, sipping champagne with one hand, her other arm in a sling. Finn held court with Piper and Brandon about something, possibly soccer. He was pretending to kick something and my two interns were laughing wildly. Bonnie, Elvis’s apparently on-again girlfriend, was perched on the corner of Xavier’s desk, eating a piece of pizza and chatting with Xavier. Wally, my other intern, stood to my right looking at my champagne glass with envy.

  “Come on, Lexi. I’m almost twenty-one.” Wally leaned over and took a sniff of my empty glass. “Can’t I have just one drink?”

  I moved my glass away from his nose. “You’re eighteen. That’s not almost twenty-one.”

  “I’m not going to get drunk.”

  “Not on my watch, you won’t.”

  Sighing, he walked away, most likely to try and persuade someone else to pour him a glass.

  Elvis spotted me alone, so he came over, his blue eyes alight and happy. Dressed in blue jeans and a dark green T-shirt, he seemed relaxed and poised. A quiet confidence seemed to surround him. He was healing from his encounter with Broodryk, just as I would come to terms with what Quon had done to me.

  “I can’t believe you did it, Lexi,” he said. “You saved not only the microchip and the microfluid, but Basia and Finn, as well. Then you successfully executed the manufacturing process.”

  “I didn’t do any of that alone. It was a true team effort. To be perfectly honest, it was Sari, not me, who saved us and salvaged the future of the microchip. Who would have guessed that the advancement of such an important technological invention would hinge on the kindness of a stranger who had never even seen a computer before?”

  Elvis grinned. “True. It’s both ironic and ultimately satisfying, the way of the universe. Still, I don’t know how to thank you for your part.”

  “Yes, you do. Like this.” I set my champagne glass on the table and gave him a hug.

  He hugged me back and whispered in my ear. “I never wanted you to risk your life for that chip. You knew that, right?”

  “I knew. But sometimes we take all kinds of risks for our friends and the people we love. And, in this case, for the future of technology. What you and Xavier have accomplished—it’s amazing and worth defending.”

  I paused, keeping my gaze on his as he pulled back. “Elvis, I hope you don’t mind that I gave Sari your grandmother’s locket as a way to pay it forward.”

  “I don’t mind at all, Lexi.” His blue eyes filled with emotion. “I’m sure my grandmother is smiling down at us right now. You passed it on and for exactly the right reason. It’s the true purpose of the locket and you used it as she did. She’d be proud of you—just as I am. I’m so very thankful to Sari for your life and theirs.” He dipped his head toward Finn and Basia. “It’s a new start and a new direction for all of us.”

  I heard a laugh and realized it was Bonnie. She was chatting with Xavier, looking pretty in jeans and a fuzzy blue sweater. I turned to Elvis with a question in my eyes.

  Elvis followed my gaze and understood what I was thinking. “Yeah, we’re good, Bonnie and me.”

  “I figured.” I leaned back, put my hands in my pockets. “So, what happened with Ginger?”

  “Ginger and I parted ways. Seems we couldn’t see eye to eye on anything.”

  “Wow. That’s a total surprise. Are you going to tell me what was up with that?”

  His cheeks reddened. “It was stupid. No, I was stupid.” He looked down, scuffed his shoe on the carpet. “I decided I needed to catch up to where I thought a man my age should be...you know, with women.”

  “You thought you had to define yourself by your sexual experience?”

  “Why not?” He lifted his eyes to meet mine. “It was as good a way as any. Broodryk almost killed me, and I realized then that I hadn’t even lived yet. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted out of life. So, I decided to face my biggest fear first. Thought I might as well go for it.”

  “Are we still talking about sex?”

  He laughed. “No, we’re talking about women. Look, Bonnie and I are working on things. It’s totally new and scary territory for me. But I’m hopeful, especially since I have my best friend as a wingman for advice if I need it.”

  “Wing woman.”

  His grin widened. “I stand corrected.”

  “I’m glad for you, Elvis. Really.”

  “I know. That means a lot.”

  Suddenly Basia climbed onto the chair Xavier had recently exited. Xavier held her champagne glass and she clinked it with a spoon to get everyone’s attention. Elvis slung an arm around me as we watched her in amusement.

  “Excuse me, excuse me. I’d like to have everyone’s attention.” Basia swayed on the chair, so Xavier put a hand on her leg to steady her. “I have a very important announcement to make.”

  She took a deep breath, grabbed her champagne flute from Xavier and drained it. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and handed it, and the spoon, back to him.

  “Okay, I know this may run counter to a time-honored tradition, but I’d like to take the opportunity to do this in front of everyone I love.” She looked down at Xavier. “Xavier Zimmerman, will you marry me?”

  Xavier was so shocked the champagne flute slipped from his fingers and shattered to the floor.

  For the longest moment of my life, time seemed suspended as Xavier stared at Basia. Then he scooped her off the chair and into his arms. “Hell yes, I will. I will! Oh, God, please tell me I’m not dreaming.”

  The entire room erupted into cheers. Elvis and I hugged each other again, laughing.

  I’d never seen the smile that lit Basia’s face as she turned to me, still safely held in Xavier’s embrace.

  “And Lexi, I want you to be my maid of honor.”

  Now everyone in the room turned toward me. I should have been thrilled, honored and excited. Instead, I could feel the color draining from my face.

  “What? Me? A maid of honor?”

  “Will you, Lexi?” she asked. “Will you stand next to me on the happiest day of my life?”

  I swallowed hard. “Of course, I will, Basia. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Everyone surrounded the happy couple, congratulating and hugging them while I stood there paralyzed, one thought running through my head.

  Holy wedding cake. Did that mean I had to plan a bachelorette party?

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  I shifted the overnight bag on my shoulder as we walked through the garage to Slash’s apartment. “I’m glad we’re spending the night
at your place, Slash. I like it here.”

  He stopped, staring at me. “Are you wearing leather boots?”

  I looked down at my feet, most of the boots hidden by my raincoat. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  “With red soles?”

  I shrugged. “They go with my outfit.”

  He took two steps and put his fingers on the top button of my raincoat. “What outfit?”

  I swatted at his hand. “Hands off. Let’s get inside first.”

  We rode the elevator to his apartment, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. He unlocked the door and ushered me in. Tapping out the code on his alarm, he flipped on the lights, letting the door close behind him.

  “Home, sweet home,” he said. “At least for a little while longer.”

  “Why only a little while?”

  “The FBI believes my location has been compromised. I’m going to have to move again.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Slash.” I set my bag down and fiddled with the belt on my raincoat. “It’s my fault. I made you bring me here. That’s how this all started.”

  He cupped the back of my neck, pulling me in to him. His dark eyes were serious. “Don’t be sorry. I’m not. It was worth it if it means being close to you. But now you understand the risk of being with me.”

  I smiled and said nothing.

  “What?” He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you smiling?”

  “Well, all this time I was thinking my involvement with you put you in danger. Every time we go into the police station or get interviewed by the FBI, CIA or NSA, I worry it’s only a matter of time before they put out a hit on me themselves in order to protect you from me. At the same time, you’ve been worried your involvement with me puts me in danger.”

  “I am. Look at what just happened and tell me I’m wrong.”

  I touched his cheek with my hand, felt the stubble of his beard beneath the pads of my fingers. “It turns out we’re both right. This is just the nature of our work. National security is no longer being fought only on the battlefield. We’re on the front lines of world security now—people like you and me. That’s who we are, and that’s what we do. You’ve been saying it all along. I understand now why you’re so guarded, Slash. Our jobs put not only us in danger, but the people we love. So to keep them safe, we stay alone. I’m sorry it took me so long to understand that’s a big part of the reason why you’ve hesitated to share parts of your life with me.”