“How’s it going?” he asked softly.
“Fine. Beautiful night. I love it out here.”
“Why don’t you spell off with Kane? You need some sleep, too.”
“I’m going to let him sleep a little longer. I’ll wait until Arnie comes back.”
“Okay. See you later.” He got on his motorcycle, and I closed the gate behind him as he idled quietly into the night.
About twenty minutes later I heard another soft rumble, and the approaching headlight bounced over the uneven ground. I swung the gate open, then closed it again behind the tall black motorcycle.
Hellhound dismounted stiffly, stretching and rolling his shoulders.
“Halt, who goes there?” I quipped.
He turned, his smile gleaming in the moonlight. “Lemme see if I remember the password.” He pulled me into his arms and kissed me thoroughly.
When he broke the kiss, I smiled up at him. “That was pretty close.”
“Nah, I don’t think so. I think it was more like this.”
By the time he paused, I was clinging to him, breathless. “That was definitely it.”
“Hmmm.” His growl vibrated through my body as his lips and whiskers teased my ear. “I know some other passwords.”
The sensation sent tantalizing messages to sensitive places, making me shiver. I pulled away from him reluctantly. “And I really want to hear them. But I’m going to sit out for a while longer. Go get some sleep.”
“Come in with me. Your shift’s done, let Kane take over.”
“No, I want to sit out a little longer. He went through hell this afternoon. Let him sleep.”
“Darlin’, he ain’t the only one that went through hell this afternoon. Ya gotta get some rest.”
I sat down in the chair again, hiding in shadow. “If I sleep, you won’t be able to. You’d better go and get a head start.”
He squatted beside me. “What d’ya mean?”
“I mean I’ll probably have nightmares. I’m staying up as long as I can. Maybe if I tire myself out, I’ll sleep better. You go ahead. I’ll come in a bit later. And if I start making noise in my sleep, any noise, throw something at me to wake me up before I start screaming at the top of my lungs. You’ll be doing everybody a favour.”
“Okay,” he said doubtfully as he rose. He stepped quietly into the RV, and I settled down to watch some more.
Some time later I heard movement from inside and Kane came out. “Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked. “I slept right through the shift change.”
“You needed it. And I’m fine out here.”
“Well, you’d better go in now. You’ve been up for nearly twenty-four hours.”
I sighed and rose, my chilled body unfolding grudgingly from the chair. “Don’t worry if I start screaming. It’s just my usual crap. I told Arnie to wake me if I start up.”
He engulfed my cold hand in his big, warm one. “I’m sorry you had to witness that today. Try to remember, it wasn’t real.”
“I know. I’ll deal with it. It’ll just take some time. It was just… when I had to take over the sim… that was…” I stopped and took a deep breath. “Anyway, I woke a few other ghosts today, too. It’ll take at least one night to get it all out of my system.”
I turned toward the trailer, but he didn’t let go of my hand. “What ghosts?”
I shrugged in the dark. He already knew about this particular ghost. “You nearly had to pry me off a fencepost today.”
I felt him stiffen. “What happened?”
“Riding an unfamiliar bike too fast. I nearly high-sided coming around the corner up top. Scraped the shit out of the footpeg, and I probably damaged the front fork seals when I took air coming down the hill. I hope you’ve got an understanding with the bike supplier.”
“I don’t care about the bike. As long as you’re all right. I was surprised when Hellhound told me you still rode after that accident.”
“Well, it’s good for me to get back on a street bike. It’s been nearly ten years. You have to get over it sometime.”
“I guess.” He squeezed my hand. “Go get some sleep.”
Chapter 24
I crept into the trailer as silently as possible and took my backpack into the bathroom without turning on the light. I washed up quickly and stripped down to my shorts and tank top again, shivering in the cold moonlight.
As I slipped out of the bathroom, Hellhound stirred. “That you, darlin’?” he croaked.
“No, it’s Kane,” I whispered as I headed for the back bedroom.
He chuckled and I heard him get out of bed. Strong arms caught me from behind just outside the bedroom door. His skin felt scorching against mine, and he drew in a sharp breath.
“Darlin’, you’re frozen!” He stroked hot hands over my icy arms and legs and I backed closer, soaking up his body heat.
Warm lips brushed my ear and his deep, sexy rasp tickled my eardrum. “I can warm ya up.” His hands slid slowly under my top.
I’d spent the last several months trying to convince myself his hands couldn’t have been as good as I remembered them. As he lightly caressed my breasts, I realized I’d been right. His hands weren’t as good as I remembered them. They were much, much better. Adept fingers teased me into mindless desire.
I arched back against him and his lips found that sensitive spot just above my collarbone. He nibbled my neck, prickly whiskers heightening the sensation. One of his hands drifted down into my shorts to make small, delicious circles.
I sucked in my breath at the rush of heat while his skillful touch threatened to empty my brain of everything but pure dumb lust. Just before I lost all ability for sentient thought, I pulled away with a supreme effort of will and turned to face him.
“About that audience. I’m pretty sure Kane’s going to notice if the trailer starts rocking.”
He closed the distance between us, steering me backward into the bedroom. “I can put a smile on your face without ever rockin’ the trailer, darlin’.” He kissed me deeply, and the touch of his tongue reminded me he was telling the absolute truth.
My clothes went away and he lowered me onto the bed. A few more hot kisses while his hands worked their magic, and a small, breathless moan escaped me.
“Ya gotta be quiet, darlin’.”
“You know I’m never quiet!” I gasped.
“Shhh.” He trailed slow, whiskery kisses down my stomach.
I grabbed the pillow and jammed it over my face.
A short time later, he lifted the pillow from my nerveless hands to peer down at me. “Ya still with me, darlin’?” His grin flashed in the moonlight.
“Ohmigod,” I panted, the last waves of ecstasy still rolling through me. “No. I’ve died and gone to heaven. And if you bring that magic stick of yours a little closer, I’ll stay there.” I reached for him hungrily.
He caught my hands. “Thought ya didn’t wanna rock the trailer.”
“Rock the trailer. Please! Rock the damn trailer right off its wheels!”
“Nah. That’d be indiscreet.” He chuckled softly. “Besides, I gotta leave ya somethin’ to look forward to.” He kissed me lightly and rolled off the bed.
I made a grab for him, but missed. He left the bedroom, and I heard him lie down again in the other bed. I sprawled limply for a few minutes, catching my breath. As soon as my legs stopped trembling, I was going to go over there and jump him, discretion be damned. I could be very persuasive. He wouldn’t say no to me for long.
Exhausted satisfaction pinned my leaden limbs to the bed.
Just a few more minutes of rest, and then I’d definitely go over there…
A small electronic beeping woke me. Hellhound lifted his arm off my waist and rolled over to turn off his wristwatch alarm.
I turned to face him in the morning light. “Well, this is discreet.”
He chuckled. “I knew Kane wouldn’t come into the trailer while he was on watch. An’ this was easier than gettin’ up every time ya h
ad a nightmare.”
I pushed up on my elbow, looking down at his sleepy face on the pillow. “I’m sorry! Why didn’t you just wake me up? I could have gone out and sat with Kane and you could have slept.”
“It’s okay, darlin’, I slept.” He rummaged under the covers. “Ya might want these.”
I took my shorts and tank top from him and shimmied into them. He grinned at me, his eyes hot. “If I didn’t hafta go relieve Germain…”
He shook his head and gave me a wry look. “If ya wanna use the bathroom, ya better go first. Ya won’t wanna go in there after I’m done.”
I laughed and kissed him. “A true gentleman.”
When I came out of the bathroom washed and dressed, Hellhound was just finishing another helping of Salisbury steak, and I shuddered.
“Don’t you get tired of that?”
“Nah. I can eat anythin’.”
“So can I, but I can’t eat it day after day like that.”
He shrugged as I started to open cabinet doors to check out the food supply.
I stuck my head out the door of the RV and wished Kane a good morning. “Do you want some chili for breakfast? I won’t be able to eat the whole can.”
He smiled back at me, and I was glad to see his extra sleep had helped. He still looked tired, but the greyish cast was gone from his skin.
“That sounds good. I’ll come in. We’ve got a clear sight line around us now that it’s daylight.”
He came into the RV as I stuck my bowl of chili in the microwave. “’Morning,” he greeted Hellhound.
“Mornin’,” Hellhound mumbled around a mouthful.
“You’re heading out shortly?”
Hellhound nodded. “Soon’s I’m done here. Gotta take a dump first.”
“Thanks for sharing that,” Kane told him. “Aydan, can you be ready to go with Hellhound?”
“I presume you mean to Harchman’s, not to the bathroom.”
“Yes.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, grimacing. “You’re as bad as he is.” Hellhound snorted laughter, and Kane ignored him with forbearance.
“I’d like you to check to see if there’s any activity,” Kane told me. “Then you can come back here and finish digging through the database. The sooner we can identify the captives, the better.”
“Okay.” I started shovelling in chili.
“Hellhound, you’ll stay with Aydan while she does this. Be ready to signal her, same as before. Aydan, be quick. Just check things out and leave. Don’t interact, no matter what.” He shot me a stern look, and I nodded.
“As soon as you’re finished, go with Hellhound to relieve Germain. Come back with Germain. I don’t want you unguarded,” he finished.
“Got it,” I confirmed. Hellhound rose to head for the bathroom and I picked up my bowl and spoon. “I’m just going to finish this outside.”
I grabbed my leathers on the way out and left Kane waiting for his share of the chili to heat up.
It was a cool morning, and I’d worn my baggy jeans again. I tried to pull the tight leather pants over top, but there was no way. Kane and Hellhound were still inside, so I stepped into a blind spot between the windows and changed pants. Then I dragged the folding chair into the sun and sat down to finish my breakfast.
Seconds later, Kane stepped out the door and settled onto the fallen log by the trailer with his bowl and spoon. “Smart woman. Lucky you’re not easily offended.”
I grinned at him. “It’s not my first time camping with a bunch of guys. Besides, he gave fair warning.”
“True.”
I scraped out the bowl and laid it down beside the chair, relaxing as the sun’s early beams warmed my black leather. My eyes drifted shut. When I opened them again, Hellhound stood in front of me.
“Ready to roll?” he rasped.
I yawned. “Yep. Let’s go.” We climbed aboard our bikes, and Kane let us out the gate.
We gave Harchman’s place a drive-by, but all seemed quiet. We parked again in the ditch, and I shivered. This close to the mountains, the temperature varied dramatically between daytime and night-time temperatures.
I lowered myself gingerly to the cold ground. “Too cold to lie down.”
Hellhound nodded and sat down, wrapping an arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and was about to go into the network when his voice stopped me.
“Aydan? Can I ask ya somethin’?”
“Sure.”
“Does that thing in your watch make ya… telepathic?”
I pulled away to look at him. He met my eyes steadily, but I could sense his discomfort. I understood. I knew exactly what it was like to wonder if somebody could look inside my head at my innermost thoughts. I hastened to reassure him.
“No. I’m definitely not telepathic.”
“So ya don’t know what I’m thinkin’. Ya can’t get inside my head.”
“No. Absolutely not. I can’t get inside anybody’s head. I don’t know what anybody’s thinking.” I nudged my shoulder against his and shot him a wicked grin. “But I know what you’re thinking about, a lot of the time.”
He laughed and relaxed. “I’m a guy. Duh.”
His grin dissolved. “But yesterday, ya lay down in this ditch not knowin’ anythin’ more than I did. Ya woke up an’ said ya were gonna get Kane out. An’ ya had a plan you’d worked out with him. Times. Places. He was inside Harchman’s. Ya never left my side.”
I sighed. “I know it looks like telepathy, but it’s not. I wasn’t inside Kane’s head, either. I have no idea what he was thinking then. Or now. Or ever.”
“Okay, darlin’.” He scowled. “None a’ this makes sense. I know ya can’t tell me, and I don’t really wanna know. But tell me this, if ya can without gettin’ in trouble. If I get captured, can ya talk to me like ya talked to Kane?”
“Yes. Assuming I can get in the right place to do it.”
“Ya hafta be close enough. Physically close enough.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Thanks.” He pulled me close again. “Guess ya better get started, then. Germain’ll be wonderin’ what’s keepin’ me.”
I laid my head back on his shoulder, marvelling at his trust. I knew he and Kane went back a long way, and I guessed that trust extended to me by proxy.
Then again, I was putting my life in his hands, too. I trusted him, Kane, and Germain more than anybody else I could think of offhand. I put away that unaccustomed thought for future analysis, and stepped invisibly into the network.
Like the previous day, I peeked into each room in turn. The rooms were deserted, and I picked up speed as I went. When I discovered one that was occupied, I jerked to a halt.
Harchman again. This time he had me bent over one of the desks in the security control room. I averted my eyes from the revolting sight of his flabby white ass as it quivered with each thrust.
This guy was really getting his money’s worth from the sim. In real life, he would have had to stand on a step stool to manage that.
I made an invisible face and was about to move on when a sudden thought occurred to me. Unlike the scenario Harchman had created in the gazebo, the security room sim was very realistic. Harchman wouldn’t have bothered with that much detail. He didn’t need it for what he was doing. Could this be a stored sim of the actual security room?
I drifted through the wall and into the room, looking away from Harchman and trying not to listen to his porcine grunting. I floated around to look at the security monitors and check their time display. Sure enough, it was real-time. The sim must have been created so the security room could be monitored remotely. This could definitely be useful.
Harchman squealed like the pig he was. I whisked through the wall, catching an unwanted glimpse of his sweaty, contorted face as he came. Really didn’t need to see that. In the virtual corridor outside, I shook myself like a dog, trying to shed the mind cooties.
Focus.
I zipped invisibly down the corridor, checking the rest of the roo
ms, then drifted through the firewall. Swallowing queasiness, I peeked into the room that had held the prisoner the previous day. It was clean and unoccupied.
I checked the next several rooms, beginning to regain my confidence. When I discovered a captive, the shock hit me almost like a physical blow. Wrapping my invisible arms around myself to hold my emotions in check, I memorized him. This time I wouldn’t let Kane down.
Thankfully, they hadn’t gotten to this prisoner yet. He was young, and his smooth face and hazel eyes reminded me disturbingly of Spider. Like the first man, his wrists and ankles were secured to a chair with nylon ties. He strained at his bonds, blood leaking from the gashes on his wrists where the ties cut into his flesh.
I knew exactly how that felt. I shuddered and drew a few calming breaths, pushing away my own memories to concentrate on every detail of his face.
As I watched, he stared around the room, still struggling. His wild-eyed gaze met mine and even though I knew he couldn’t see me, the sensation of contact was so unnerving I ducked and scooted away.
I rapidly checked the rest of the rooms, finding them clean and vacant. Easing out a shaky breath, I zoomed back to the portal and stepped carefully through.
Pain slammed through my head right on cue. My resistance was low after only a few hours of sleep, and I jerked into fetal position and held my head together with both hands. I didn’t bother to restrain my varied and extensive vocabulary of obscenities. I went on at length, trailing off gradually as the pain subsided.
When I finished and uncurled, Hellhound was holding me tightly. He gazed down anxiously at me. “Darlin’, are ya okay?”
“Fine,” I mumbled, massaging my temples.
“Really? Cryin’ and throwin’ up and swearin’ is the best-case scenario?”
“Usually I don’t cry and throw up. But the worst-case scenario is much worse.”
“I never wanna see it. It’s hard to imagine it gettin’ much worse.”
I gave him a wan smile. “Let me put it in context for you. Lacking the necessary equipment, I can’t swear to the accuracy of this, but imagine the best-case scenario is like getting a solid kick in the balls.”
The Spy Is Cast Page 18
