I recognized a dismissal when I heard it. I got up and shook hands again with him and Stemp, and turned to leave the room.
“I’ll see you out,” Spider said, his first words since the introductions. We went down the hall together, and he followed me out onto the front step.
“What the hell, Spider?” I demanded. “Those two big brasses came here just to blow sunshine up my ass and ask me on a date? I don’t think so. What’s really going on?”
He shook his head. “Later.”
“Will they be here for the briefing tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yes.” He regarded me tensely, and I could see I wouldn’t get anything more out of him.
“Okay.” I sighed. “See you tomorrow at ten. Do I have to dress up again?”
“Yes.”
Chapter 2
I had just slid behind the wheel of my car when my cellphone rang. I swore as I rummaged through the unaccustomed handbag, and managed to snatch out the phone to punch the talk button before the caller went to voicemail.
The female voice on the other end sounded vaguely familiar. “Hi, is this Aydan Kelly?”
“Speaking.”
“Hi, Aydan, it’s Linda Burton calling.”
I shuffled rapidly through my mental files and came up empty. She continued quickly, “You probably don’t remember me. I’m a nurse at the hospital. We met back in March…”
“Oh!” I interrupted. “Sorry, of course I remember you, Linda. How are you?”
“I’m… actually a little desperate.”
“Oh…?”
“I saw your card tacked up on the bulletin board in the post office. You’re a bookkeeper, aren’t you?”
I felt my shoulders relax. “Yes.”
“Are you taking on new clients?”
I sat up a little straighter. “Yes! Do you need help?”
I heard a whoosh of breath at the other end. “Yes!” she replied gratefully. “I own a business with my grandmother. We’ve been trying to do our own books for the last few months, and we just can’t handle it anymore. When can you meet? The sooner the better!”
I shot a satisfied glance down at my clothes. For once in my life, I was appropriately dressed for a meeting on short notice. “Do you have time right now? I just happen to be in town.”
“Oh, yes! Let’s meet for coffee at the Melted Spoon. Granny and I can be there in ten minutes.”
“Sounds good. See you there.” I hung up, feeling smug.
When I strolled into the tiny café a few minutes later, the mouth-watering smell of fresh-ground coffee filled my senses. I perused the menu board, impressed at the number of espresso variations. While I waited, the counter clerk passed a steaming grilled panini sandwich to a customer, the sharp smell of roasted peppers mingling with the coffee scent.
I chose an herbal tea and sat down at a vacant table to wait for Linda and her grandmother. Minutes later, they arrived, Linda as perky and petite as I remembered. The woman who accompanied her was tiny and delicate, and I could see a family resemblance in the fine bone structure. Her spun-sugar white hair and pink ruffled blouse made her look like a porcelain old-lady doll.
Linda waved hello, and they went to the counter to order their beverages. When they returned, I got a whiff of caramel from Linda’s latte. Her grandmother carried a demitasse of what looked like black tar. The almost-scorched smell of espresso overpowered my herbal tea completely.
Linda made the introductions. “Granny Ives, this is Aydan Kelly. Aydan, Granny Ives.”
“Lola,” her grandmother corrected, reaching over to shake hands. Her voice was throaty, sounding larger than I’d expected from such a tiny woman.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I greeted her. “Linda mentioned the two of you were in business together, but we didn’t talk details. Why don’t you give me an overview?”
“We’ve had the business for about four years now,” Lola told me. “We sell online, and the phone service is profitable as well.”
“We’re also trying to get started with a POS program,” Linda put in.
“By POS, I presume you mean ‘Point of Sale’,” I said.
Delicate little Granny Lola snorted. “No, when I say POS, I mean ‘Piece of Shit’.”
I laughed out loud. I had a feeling I was going to like Lola.
“It’s been nothing but trouble, and it’s still not working right,” she continued. “We’re trying to get it to talk to our accounting program to bring the sales totals in automatically, and it won’t play nice.”
“Well, it sounds like I need to take a look at it,” I said. “I’ve persuaded a POS or two to cooperate in my time. Sometimes all you need is a bigger stick.”
Lola and Linda exchanged glances and laughed. “Oh, we have no shortage of big sticks,” Linda assured me impishly.
“What’s the name of your business, and where are you located?” I asked.
“Our business is called Up & Coming. We’re just around the corner in the mini-mall. Do you want to walk over and have a look at the system?”
“Sure,” I agreed. “Let’s go.”
We chatted easily during the short walk. Linda and I had hit it off at the hospital when we’d first met, and I was already enjoying Lola’s audacious attitude.
We strolled up to the mini-mall and inside the enclosed breezeway, visiting like old friends. Linda removed a ‘Back in ½ hour’ sign from the storefront and unlocked the door for us. I stepped inside, involved in conversation with Lola, before glancing around the store for the first time.
I burst out laughing. It was a sex shop.
“’Up & Coming’? You’ve got to be kidding me!” I chortled. “In a small town like this? Where everybody knows what everybody else is doing?”
“Everybody knows who everybody else is doing, too,” Lola said slyly. “Actually, we do a booming business in mail order. We route our deliveries through Toronto in plain brown wrappers. But you’d be surprised how many people just walk in.”
I gazed around. “My God, please tell me somebody left their thermos on the shelf by accident,” I said, pointing to a black monolith.
“That’s ‘Big John the Wonder Horse’. People usually buy him as a gag gift,” Linda said. “I think,” she added doubtfully.
“We’ve got a great selection of products,” Lola said. “Lingerie over here, toys and electronics there, books and videos on that wall, flavoured products over here…” She pointed out each section. “And we’re getting some excellent new things, too,” she enthused. “We’ve just gotten a line of body pillows and furniture.”
She reached up to a shelf and lifted down a body pillow, standing it up beside her. Sure enough, the label read ‘Bawdy Pillow’. It was an enormous stuffed penis, almost as tall as she was.
I snickered. “Reminds me of my ex-husband.”
“Why, was he well-endowed?” Lola asked, bouncing her eyebrows suggestively.
“No, he was a big prick,” I deadpanned to their guffaws. I reached over and poked the pillow. “It’s a little soft for my taste.”
“Oh, I can fix that,” Linda giggled. She reached over and activated a switch at the base of the pillow. The penis gradually stiffened and straightened up. “It’s got an air bladder and a compressor in it,” she explained over my howls of laughter.
I eyed the rest of the ‘Bawdy Pillow’ line, still giggling. “I bet the boob cushions are popular. Do you sell them in pairs?”
“Sometimes in triples.” Lola bounced her eyebrows again.
I flung up my hands in surrender. “Too much information. So don’t tell me, let me guess. Your bookkeeper moved away in December, and the remaining one doesn’t want your business.”
“How did you know?” Linda demanded.
“I took over doing the books for Blue Eddy’s Saloon in March. Your strait-laced bookkeeper doesn’t want his business either. Are there any other dens of iniquity where I should visit and drop off a business card?”
“You’ve gotta
admit, we’re more fun than a church picnic,” Lola said with satisfaction. A phone rang in the back room. “Oh, that’s my 1-900 line, I’ve gotta go.” She hurried into the back and I heard her pick up the phone. “Hi, honey, this is Lola,” she purred in her throaty voice. “Guess what I’m wearing.”
I turned to Linda. “It’s a small town. Do people really not know that Granny Lola is the sex goddess on the other end of the 900 line?”
Linda laughed. “Some don’t know. Some just pretend they don’t know. Some know and don’t care. Some get totally turned on by knowing. But we get mostly outside callers from our website and phone listing.”
I shook my head, still chuckling inwardly, and followed her into the small office behind the counter.
The point of sale program turned out to be just as contrary as Lola had warned, and I spent the next two hours utterly absorbed in figuring out its quirks.
On the drive home, my mind returned to mulling over the meeting with Spider. There was definitely more to this situation than I’d been told. There was no way two of the top brass needed to be there in person when a phone call would have sufficed for our short meeting.
And Spider was really buffaloed, though I couldn’t tell whether it was by the brass themselves or something else as well. Stemp and the general were a pretty intimidating pair, so maybe that’s all it was.
I trailed thoughtfully back into the house and stripped off my business clothes, sighing with relief as I donned my grubbies again. My mind still churning, I went back to fishing in the toilet tank and absently retrieved and re-attached the broken valve chain.
Recalling my last spy-related experience, I spent the evening figuring out what to take with me and trying to pack as efficiently as possible.
I snorted. Planning for the unforeseen was impossible by definition.
I slept restlessly that night and rose early to pack the last of my things into my backpack and get on the road. When I arrived at the office, Kane’s black Expedition was already parked in front. I glanced at my watch, realizing I was ten minutes early. Even at that time of the morning, the sun was warm, and I started to sweat as soon as I turned off the air conditioning.
Screw waiting. I plucked my already-damp blouse away from my back and headed up the walk.
I stepped into the office just in time to hear Kane’s deep baritone voice raised in the back meeting room. “Absolutely not! That’s completely unacceptable!”
Oops. I was starting to ease my way back out the door when Spider appeared from down the hallway, catching me red-handed. I gave a guilty start and a feeble smile.
“That doesn’t sound good,” I whispered.
He frowned and shook his head. “Aydan’s here,” he called down the hall. The rumble of male voices ceased.
“Bring her in,” someone responded.
I followed Webb’s suit-clad back down the hallway, wondering what on earth I was getting myself into. If they were discussing me, it sounded as though Kane was about to veto the whole thing. Good. Maybe I could avoid dressing up after all.
When we entered the meeting room, Stemp, Briggs, and John Kane were seated around the table. Briggs and Stemp were as formally dressed as the day before. Kane wore a snug black T-shirt and dark jeans.
Black always made him look delicious, with his clear grey eyes and short dark hair shading to silver at the temples. His muscular arms were crossed over his broad chest, and he was frowning. I was shocked at the tired lines etched in his face.
The men rose as I entered, Kane towering over the other two. His square face softened into a smile as he reached for my hand. “Nice to see you again,” he rumbled, his eyes crinkling into the sexy laugh lines I remembered so well from four months earlier.
“You, too,” I replied, returning his gentle hand squeeze. I nodded to Stemp and Briggs, and we all sat.
Stemp leaned forward, his reptilian gaze fixed on Kane. “This is the best possible solution,” he said, obviously continuing the argument I’d overheard. “This provides you with a viable cover story, as well as a second set of eyes and ears and a built-in detector.”
Kane shook his head, his massive shoulders flexing as he planted his hands on the table. “Aydan has given enough to this country. She’s a civilian. It’s not fair to ask her to get involved in this again.”
Briggs spoke with finality. “Ms. Kelly’s participation is not at issue here. She has already agreed to do this. You have your orders.”
Kane’s face hardened.
“Hold on,” I interjected. “I only agreed to do this on the condition that Kane approved it. He clearly doesn’t want me. If I’m a liability to him, the deal’s off.”
“Ms. Kelly,” the general addressed me, his voice unyielding. “We need you. You agreed to help us. This mission will go ahead as planned.”
“Aydan,” Kane said quietly. “Are you sure you want to risk this?” His eyes searched my face, and I frowned.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was told yesterday there was almost no risk associated with this. I was hoping to find out more today.”
Kane’s shoulders bunched as he loomed threateningly over the table in Webb’s direction. “You didn’t tell her?” he grated.
“I… had orders,” Spider stammered. His eyes darted between Kane’s glower and Stemp’s smooth, deadly face. His trapped gaze skittered toward me. “I’m sorry.”
Alarm shot through me as Kane lunged to his feet. “Sorry doesn’t cut it!” he barked.
He took a deep breath, visibly calming himself. When he turned to me, his voice was even, but I could read the tension in his posture. “Aydan, these people have lied to you. There may not be risk to any other agent we might send, but there is substantial risk to you. The reason I’m going to this event is that we believe there’s a connection to Fuzzy Bunny.”
I didn’t realize you could actually feel your own face going pale. A burst of adrenaline made my head feel light, and my lips were cold and stiff when I uttered the first words that came to mind.
“Oh, shit.”
“Kane!” Briggs snapped. “You are dangerously close to insubordination!”
“Yes, sir,” Kane growled. With the small part of my mind that wasn’t racing with fear, I noted it sounded more like agreement than obedience.
I forced my breathing to steady, slowing my whirling thoughts. Fuzzy Bunny. The deadly international corporation that dealt in arms, drugs, espionage and laundered money. Their incongruous cover as an exporter and manufacturer of children’s toys. They hadn’t been kind to me in March. My body had healed, but the thought of attracting their attention again filled me with dread.
I took a deep breath and controlled my voice so that when I spoke, I sounded almost casual. “Don’t they think I’m dead?”
“Yes,” Spider reassured me. “We’re positive of that. That was the last report Sandler sent them before you ki… before he died.”
Stemp leaned forward, fixing me with his flat eyes. “There’s no reason to believe you would be identified at tomorrow’s event. And we need you, specifically. Even if we had another female agent available, she wouldn’t be able to do what you can do.”
I eyed him, heart thumping. “Which is what, exactly?”
“Access a brainwave-driven virtual reality network using a password-cracking key hidden inside an attractive necklace.”
I recoiled against the back of my chair. “Oh, no. No, no, no. Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. Can’t get rid of the fucking T-shirt.”
I shuddered, pushing away from the table. Men around the table. Bad memories. Barely realizing what I was doing, I stumbled to my feet and backed away.
“Aydan, you’re safe.” Kane’s voice was deep and forceful. “It’s over. You don’t have to do this.”
I shook my head vigorously, snapping back to the present and shaking off the repugnant flashback. I straightened and took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. Chin up.
Kane and Webb both regarded
me with troubled eyes. Stemp watched impassively, his immobile posture reminding me of a coiled snake. I held down a shudder. That was one creepy guy.
General Briggs leaned forward in his chair, his piercing blue gaze scanning my face. “I understand that accessing the network comes with some difficult memories for you,” he said quietly. “But if our suspicions are correct, and if there is another network at this venue, your ability to detect and access it could protect others from what you experienced. And it could safeguard many other innocent lives.”
I stood for a couple of long moments while his words sank in before letting my breath out slowly and releasing the fists I hadn’t realized I’d clenched.
“You’re right, of course. Sorry. It was just a shock.” I sat down in the chair again and interlaced my fingers to still their trembling. “Okay. So what’s the plan?”
“Aydan.” Kane’s voice was hoarse, his face set in grim lines. The general raked him with a look, and I knew another word would land Kane in serious trouble. I met Kane’s eyes and gave him a tiny headshake. A muscle jumped in his clenched jaw, but he said no more.
“The plan is quite simple,” Stemp said smoothly. “You and Kane will dress up and attend a gala event. Enjoy the food, wine, and entertainment. And while you do so, you will scan for a network while he notes the layout of the venue. Elegant, unobtrusive, and easy.”
“Except that as soon as Aydan enters the network, if there is one, she’s instantly visible,” Kane ground out. “She might as well send out a press release inviting all the sickos to come and find her. Again.”
I spoke into the silence around the table. “Maybe not.” I turned to Spider. “Hey, Spider, remember how you told me a person could alter their own appearance in the virtual reality network if they weren’t trying to maintain another simulation at the same time?”
He nodded slowly.
“So what if I just pop in looking like somebody else? I wouldn’t be there for long, and I wouldn’t be trying to do anything complicated.”
The Spy Is Cast Page 2
