The Spy Is Cast

by Diane Henders

  “Aydan, calm down. Breathe,” he commanded.

  “But…”

  “Stay focused. This might be our only chance to get back in the network, and we can’t waste it.”

  I clutched his hand, trying to control the shrill voice that issued from my throat. “John, we can’t leave him!”

  “Aydan.” He gripped my shoulders, his big warm hands radiating strength into me. “Stop. Focus on the mission.”

  I fought to bring my breathing under control again, knowing he was right. The best way to save the blond man was to do what we came for. “Okay. I’m okay,” I gasped. “Sorry.”

  “It’s all right. Tell me what you saw.”

  I avoided thinking about what I’d just seen and concentrated on the information Kane needed to know. “There wasn’t anybody in the sim with him at the moment. Whoever is torturing him is…” I swallowed hard, reaching for composure. “…obviously more sophisticated than the guys who worked you over. They held him at least twelve hours before they started. It looks like they’re planning to make it last this time.”

  I overcame my revulsion with difficulty and squeezed my eyes shut to consult the horrible memory. “I didn’t see any injuries that looked potentially fatal. Yet.”

  Kane nodded grimly. “That’s closer to what I expected. They’ll work on him for a while and then leave him to think it over. Repeat that for a while to wear him down with pain and fatigue and hopelessness. Sounds like they’ve got some professionals at work this time. What else?”

  I did a bit more deep breathing. “That’s all… so far. I didn’t see anything else. I guess… I’d better go back in and see if I can play back the sims to find out what questions they’re asking. And look at some files. Sorry I freaked out.”

  Kane squeezed my hand. “Aydan, you’ve got nothing to apologize for. You’re amazing.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, and stepped back into the virtual network’s white void before I could blush at the compliment.

  As I slipped through the wall into an unoccupied sim room and began to think through the process, the flaw in my logic suddenly became glaringly obvious.

  I’d be creating a whole new sim data record. Shit, shit, shit!

  I hadn’t thought of it until just now. Spider was obviously even more exhausted than I’d realized, because he normally would have caught something like this right away.

  I hovered indecisively while my heart practiced layups in my chest. Kane needed this information. I could just go ahead, quickly check the sims, and then delete my own data record once I was done. I was pretty sure Kane would absolutely forbid it if he knew what I was planning. But he wasn’t here.

  I took a deep breath and started building my sim.

  Vibrating with tension, I scrolled through the directory of sim data records and selected the most recent. Without giving myself a chance to reconsider, I opened the record and closed it immediately.

  Now I was afraid to look at the directory again.

  Fingers crossed, I forced my gaze to the simulated screen. A breath of relief seeped out when I located the unchanged timestamp. Thank God. Now I could get on with it.

  I quickly began reviewing the sim data records, beginning the day after the party. The first several featured Harchman and me in various poses, and I closed them as soon as I identified them. God, I was going to need a bottle of brain bleach after this.

  I raised a cynical eyebrow at the spate of porn sims starring various unattractive middle-aged men with the Barbie-doll-like ‘therapists’. Apparently not too many of the clients brought their wives.

  At last, I discovered a record of the first captive. At the beginning of the sim, I saw the middle-aged man whom I’d tentatively identified earlier. Arthur Ketchum. I swallowed a large lump in my throat, and steeled myself for what I knew was coming.

  After fast-forwarding through the first few minutes, I paused the playback with trembling hands and turned away, breathing carefully. In. Out. Slow like ocean waves.

  When I’d regained some composure, I turned back to the sim and blanked out the video display. The audio alone wasn’t much better.

  I forced myself to listen to the entire record, making sure I didn’t miss any of the torturers’ questions. The audio track ended with the sound of a gunshot. One healthy middle-aged man dead of an apparent heart attack. I wished I hadn’t known his name. Somehow it made it worse. I bowed my head and fought for control.

  No time. I shook myself and moved on to the rest of the data. I hurriedly closed the next record at the sight of Kane hanging from the ceiling. I didn’t need to see that again.

  I waded rapidly through more porn to find the data record for Richard Willis. The torturer was the man I’d seen monitoring the security sim the previous night, and the footage was short and brutal. By the time the sound of the gunshot signalled the end of the record, my eyes were closed while I gulped down nausea.

  More porn. Then, at last, the handsome young blond man tied to the bed. I immediately flicked the virtual video display off. I would listen; it had to be done. But I couldn’t watch.

  The audio was very different than the other two records. Other than the torturer’s questions, the only sounds were grunts of pain. None of the screaming and helpless crying I’d heard from the others. No abject pleas for mercy. In a way, it was worse. When the recording ended at last, my arms were wrapped tightly around my body while I rocked comvulsively.

  I forced myself to uncurl and move on to the few remaining records. They all starred Harchman and me, so I closed them as quickly as possible.

  I blew out a long, trembling breath and closed down the sim. Time to go hunting for files and delete my own sim record.

  I drifted through the wall and visualized a map that would lead me to the storage vault for the sim records. I zipped to my destination and sighed with relief as I made the record vanish.

  Then I searched out the data files. I’d work my way backward from the most recently used ones. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be too many of them. I opened the first one and was beginning to read when agony ripped through my skull.

  Chapter 33

  Raw screams wrenched from my throat while my body convulsed, racked with excruciating pain. I thrashed wildly, trying to escape the torture. The world spun and flashed with razor-edged colours. I coiled down into a keening ball.

  As the brutal pain began to recede, terror trickled in to take its place. Something had gone disastrously wrong. I forced one eye open, but the stab of light made me cry out and clutch my head again. A few sobbing breaths later, the din in my ears subsided enough for me to hear an urgent voice.

  “Ma’am! Ma’am! It’s okay, you’re safe. It’s okay. Ma’am, please calm down.”

  I squinted up at a clean-cut, uniformed young man leaning over me. I tried to speak, but only a wordless moan came out.

  “Ma’am, don’t be afraid. It’s over. You’re safe.”

  My throbbing brain lurched into gear again. This was one of Harchman’s security guards. Shit!

  On the upside, he didn’t seem to be accusing me of trespassing. Yet. Then again, they’d been nice to Kane when they first captured him, too.

  Kane!

  I struggled to sit up and blinked hard to clear my eyes. The young security guard hovered in front of me. “Ma’am, are you all right? What happened?”

  I spotted Kane standing motionless a couple of yards away, his hands in the air. Another guard held a gun on him, and a dog growled softly inches from his leg.

  As I met Kane’s eyes, he glared at me and spat. “You fucking dumb cunt!”

  The shock of the vulgar words coming from his lips made me recoil as if he’d slapped me.

  As I gaped at him, he continued, his face twisted into an ugly expression. “That’ll teach you a lesson, cunt. Next time you’ll suck my cock when I tell you.”

  “Shut up, you!” the guard rapped out, and the dog lunged at Kane, snapping at his leg. Kane froze, and the dog subsided on
to its haunches again, growling.

  Pain still hammered my head, and I didn’t have much difficulty summoning up some tears while I struggled to process what was happening. Kane obviously had some kind of plan. His deliberate choice of those words told me he wanted me to be angry. I just didn’t know why. I didn’t know what the hell he needed me to do, and I was afraid to guess without more information.

  “You…” My voice was trembling anyway, so I went with it. “You hurt me! You…” I turned to the young security guard as I sobbed. “Don’t let him hurt me…” I buried my face in my hands, thinking furiously. Maybe Kane could take out the other guard if we could separate them. The dog made it too dangerous, though. And we were far from the buildings, so these would be well-meaning staff from the security company. I was sure Kane wouldn’t use deadly force against innocent men. Dammit.

  The guard laid a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched away from him with a whimper. He jerked his chin at the other guard. “Take him up. We’ll follow later.”

  I heard movement, and then a soft exclamation. I glanced up as the other guard picked up my wristwatch. “Ma’am, is this your watch?”

  When my gaze slid over to Kane his eyes were bleak and I realized he must have yanked the watch off my wrist, trying to ditch it. Goddammit. We just couldn’t catch a break.

  “Th-thanks,” I quavered. I was afraid to deny that it was mine. With our luck, they’d carry it up to the house and hand it over to Harchman directly, and then all would be lost. I reached out a trembling hand, and the young guard helpfully strapped the watch back on my wrist.

  “Move.” The other guard prodded Kane ahead of him, and I curled into a shivering ball as they left. Maybe I could stall, and then convince my guard to let me go.

  I wept quietly into my hands for a while longer, trying to decide on a course of action.

  “Ma’am.” The young guard laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You’re safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  The irony made me choke. He seemed like a nice kid. Little did he know his good intentions were about to deliver me to torture and death.

  “What happened?” he pressed softly.

  “I can’t… I can’t talk about it,” I sniffled.

  Stall, stall.

  “Come up to the house. It’ll be okay. You’re safe now.” He took my arm and helped me to my feet.

  I exaggerated my trembling. A bit. Any more and I’d fall down. “I… I can’t. Please, I just want to go home. Please let me go home.”

  “We’ll get you home. Come with me, and we’ll take you home.”

  Shit. I wasn’t going to be able to convince him to let me blunder off alone down the creek. Maybe I should just run for it.

  Yeah, right.

  I wasn’t exaggerating the trembling that much. There was no way I was going to outrun a fit, healthy male half my age through the mud and bushes in the creek bottom. A despairing whimper escaped me as he led me toward the house.

  When we arrived, I hung back in the large foyer. “Is… Is there someplace I can wash? I feel so… dirty.”

  My guard guided me sympathetically to the powder room I’d used at the party, and I slipped inside. No window. No means of escape here. I collapsed onto the toilet with a hopeless sigh and sank my head into my shaking hands.

  Harchman was sure to recognize me. Assuming he saw me at all. Maybe both Kane and I would be diverted directly to torture. I shuddered and tried to focus. Pointless to worry about that.

  I took a deep breath and tried to figure out Kane’s plan. He was clearly trying to make it look as though we were antagonistic toward each other. As I thought it through, I realized he was trying to protect me.

  They’d already caught him once. We’d attended the party together. I would automatically be suspect. And he knew Harchman found me attractive. Maybe he was trying to set up an escape route for me. Drive a wedge between us, let me suck up to Harchman. That seemed plausible. I’d try, anyway. If I got the chance.

  That meant I’d better be looking good when or if Harchman saw me. I approached the mirror with trepidation. The ‘tears and snot’ look usually isn’t a good one for me.

  Apparently fake tears weren’t as bad as the real thing. I carefully rinsed my face with cool water and patted it dry. Thankful yet again for my trusty waist pouch, I pulled out my folding hairbrush and brushed the leaves and spruce needles out of my hair. I tugged the tank top lower and leaned over to shove my boobs into a more favourable position. Then I slicked on some lip gloss and tried a pout.

  Here goes nothing.

  I stepped out of the powder room, going for hot but vulnerable.

  Chapter 34

  The guard led me directly into an ostentatious office, and I hesitated at the sight of Harchman seated behind a huge, ornately carved wooden desk. Kane stood across the room, still guarded. The dog stared menacingly at him, utterly focused.

  “Lawrence?” I said softly, letting my voice quaver a bit.

  “Aydan, my dear!” He stood hastily and came around the desk to take both my hands in his. “What a pleasant surprise!” His eyes roamed avidly over my snug leather and exposed cleavage.

  My young guard stepped forward. “This is the woman he attacked.” He shot Kane a contemptuous glare.

  Harchman’s forehead wrinkled. “But… they’re married. She’s his wife.”

  There was a pregnant silence while I gathered my courage. Then I stepped closer to Harchman and pulled our clasped hands up against my chest. “Oh, Lawrence. I’m so ashamed.”

  I cast my eyes down, feeling his hands burrow in. “I… I lied to you. I’m not really married to him…”

  “Shut up, bitch!” Kane grated.

  “You shut up,” the guard snapped, and the dog growled again.

  I gazed down into Harchman’s eyes imploringly. “He tricked me. He’s a spy…”

  “Aydan…” Kane’s voice was tight.

  I wheeled around on him. “Stop calling me that! That’s not my name! And you should have been nice to me when you had the chance. Instead of lying and hurting me… You pervert! You always hurt me!” I let my voice tremble again as I turned back to Harchman.

  “Lawrence, I’m so sorry. My real name is Arlene, not Aydan. I met him…” I indicated Kane with a flounce of my shoulders, “In a bar. And he promised we’d be rich if I did what he said.”

  Harchman was frowning. “You said he was a spy.”

  “He said we just had to come to this party and I should be nice to you. But then…”

  I looked down again and leaned closer, letting my voice get huskier. “Then I met you, and I really liked you. And I found out he was trying to steal the software for your new drilling program. And when I told him I didn’t want to, he forced me…”

  I leaned close and whispered in his ear. “He forced me to do the most perverted things, you can’t imagine. And he hurt me…” I snuggled closer and Harchman’s arms slid around me. So far, so good. Lucky I’d seen enough of Harchman’s fantasy life to know just where to focus.

  “He lied to me,” I whispered. “He was so mean to me. He made me suck his cock, over and over, and all the time I was just thinking of you…”

  Harchman’s arms tightened around me. “You’re dismissed,” he addressed the guards. “Take him away,” he added, and I looked up in time to see Kane’s back as the two guards marched him through the door. An involuntary sob escaped me when I realized it was probably the last time I’d see him alive.

  With an effort, I composed myself and concentrated. My responsibility was to get the network key out of Harchman’s grasp. If it was within my power, I’d make Kane’s sacrifice count. At least Harchman seemed to think I was upset about tricking him, not about Kane’s fate.

  I turned back to Harchman. “Oh, Lawrence. Please forgive me.” I sank to my knees in front of him, deliberately positioning my face in front of his crotch as I gazed up at him. I suppressed a shudder of pure revulsion. “What can I do to make you
forgive me?”

  His eyes glazed as he ran his hands through my hair. I let him pull my face closer to his pants before I suddenly withdrew.

  “Wait.” I scrambled to my feet and backed away a step. “How do I know you won’t just use me, too? Just because I like you doesn’t mean you won’t hurt me.” I hid my face in my hands. “Oh, I just want a nice man to make love to me.”

  He stepped close and put his arms around me again. “Arlene, my dear, I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

  “He promised, too,” I quavered. “I was nice to him, I did everything he said, and I mean everything…”

  His sweaty palms slithered greasily across the leather of my jacket. “Arlene, darling, how can I prove I won’t hurt you?”

  I peeked at him between my fingers. “He always promised to treat me nicely, but he never did. He promised to take me out to a nice restaurant and treat me like a lady, but he lied and lied…”

  “I’ll take you out to a nice restaurant,” Harchman promised eagerly. “I’ll take you to the nicest restaurant in Calgary.”

  “Really?” I gazed at him worshipfully. Then I let suspicion cross my face. “When?”

  “Now!” He took my hand and towed me toward the desk. I did my best not to shudder in his clammy grasp while he punched a button and picked up the phone.

  “Bring the car around,” he ordered, and hung up. He slipped an arm around my waist and ushered me to the front door. As we stepped out, a stretch limo pulled up, and the uniformed driver strode smartly around to open the door. Harchman helped me into the back seat of the limo, letting his hand slide over my ass, and took his place close beside me.

  “Oh, Lawrence,” I breathed as the car pulled away. “I’ve never ridden in a limo before. How exciting to have your own car and driver!”

  He laid his hand on my thigh. “He’s not just a driver. He’s a bodyguard, too,” he said proudly.

  Yeah. I’d caught a glimpse of the driver’s shoulder holster as he’d closed the car door for us. He was a big guy, too. Great. Now I had to escape from both Harchman and his minion. I hoped my plan would work.