Out of the Dark

by Geri Foster

  “You’re an agent with no way out but me.” She thumbed her chest then cast him a nasty look. “Think about that, Mr. McKinsey. Without me, you’re goose is pretty much stuffed. So be nice.” She waved her hand in the air. “Or else.” Then she looked at him. “I have business connections in this country, and I have clients to consider. I’m not going to let you or Falcon interfere with that.”

  The glare she shot him would stop a watch. Her pretty blue eyes were a little glassy, but they dared him to open his mouth. He wanted to remind her it was ‘your goose is cooked’ but he wasn’t that crazy. But, he’d said enough.

  Besides, how had they gone from ‘okay,’ to ‘I want to smack you,’ so fast? Evidently satisfied by his silence, she spun around and moved to the window.

  After letting out a tired breath, Mac laid his head back. This was one screwed up day. Emily and her vodka shots weren’t helping.

  It troubled him that he needed her. He didn’t like relying on anyone. But without her, he didn’t stand a chance in hell.

  Now on top of everything else, Frank insisted he convince Emily not to resign. How was he going to accomplish that when he couldn’t keep his mouth shut long enough to be civil? Much less talk her into something.

  From day one, they had been like storm and calm, wine and beer, and high heels and combat boots. They simply didn’t mix. Also from day one, she’d made his heart race and his libido stand up and salute.

  “I apologize,” he said, and meant it. “I didn’t mean to be such an ass.” He sat up. “That’s the second time I’ve said I’m sorry. You know I had no choice coming here. If I had, I would be someplace else. I don’t have to tell you how Frank feels about messing with civilians.”

  She sniffed a little, but appeared reluctant to reply, “I accept your apology. Let’s try to make the best of this situation until we get to Dallas”

  “Deal.” He pointed to her laptop. “Can I borrow that?”

  Emily opened the laptop, powered it up then typed in her password. She handed it to him without protest.

  He settled the computer on his thighs then pulled up the secure Falcon website. After logging on and typing in his password, Mac took the thumb drive from his pocket and downloaded the Intel he’d managed to get out of St. Petersburg.

  “No porn sights,” she instructed.

  “There you go again, Emily.” He grinned. “Always thinking about sex.”

  She glared at him and straightened her spine. “I do not.”

  He smirked, put the thumb drive back in his pocket and shutdown the computer. Thankful she wasn’t asking too many questions, Mac put the laptop on the nightstand next to his weapon. “Maybe it’s just the booze.”

  Emily stomped her foot. “I am not drunk. I had two drinks. Now stop saying that!”

  Swallowing a chuckle, Mac held up his hands in surrender and closed his eyes.

  “Mac...”

  With a playful attitude, he ran his pinched thumb and

  forefinger along his mouth. “My lips are sealed.”

  “Ha, what’s the likelihood of that?”

  “Bad, mean Emily,” He said, squinting his eyes and smiling.

  She put her hands on her hips and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “See, less than ten seconds.”

  The ringing cell phone stopped their banter. After he swallowed, they exchanged guarded glances. “Answer it,” Mac said.

  “Hello.” Holding the phone out to him, she said, “It’s Tony Archuletta.”

  “Yeah,” Mac said into the receiver, still warm from her touch.

  “Hey, Mac, I wanted to bring you current with Ramón Marino. I’ve searched every inch of Venezuela. He’s nowhere to be found. I spoke to a couple of the locals. They said he might have lit out for his hometown in Columbia.”

  “My gut tells me Marino is behind my cover being blown here. It’s too damn convenient for those three goons to show up out of the blue.”

  “What about Viktor Pertinolf? He’s always on the prowl for Falcon agents.”

  “Yeah, but it’s you he wants. And I think Brody had Viktor pretty well locked down before my mission started.”

  “Could be bad karma.”

  Mac ran his fingers through his hair. “It could, or there is some shit going on we don’t know about yet.”

  “That’s more like it.” Tony chuckled. “I understand you’re hitching a ride with Emily Richards.”

  “Only because she’s here on business and has access to a private plane.”

  Tony whistled. “Lucky guy.” Mac heard another chuckle.

  “You’re as bad as Frank. You both think you know so much.”

  “It’s all part of the job, buddy.” Tony said. “Back to the subject, but how’d you get the agency’s attorney to let your bad ass on a plane with her?”

  Mac tossed Emily a taunting smile and winked. “Tony, you crush me, bro. You know how charming I am.” Mac laughed. “She’s decided to share.”

  Emily glared then turned away.

  “Okay, good luck,” Archuletta replied. “I need to ditch this phone. Catch you on the other side.”

  After disconnecting the call, Mac handed Emily the phone.

  “How is he?”

  “On his way out of Venezuela.”

  “You guys get around.”

  “Worldwide.”

  Ready to relax a little, Mac leaned back. Since he’d showered and eaten, he felt better. His life may still on the line, but no one had a gun pointed at him right now. Relief loosened his shoulders. After this job, Mac thought he might take a little R&R. It’d been a long time since he’d just kicked back and watched the waves roll in.

  Stretched out, he propped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

  “Are you going to sleep there?” Emily asked.

  “I might take a quick nap.” Knowing there was no way in hell she’d fall for it, Mac patted the other side of the king-sized bed. “Like I said earlier, there’s plenty of room for both of us.” He opened his eyes. “I promise to behave myself, no matter how much you think about sex.”

  Arms locked, she stood in the middle of the room tapping her right foot. “Stop that. You’re doing your best to make me uncomfortable and it’s just pissing me off. Since I’m your ticket out of Russia, I suggest you find a way to control that mouth of yours.”

  “I’m going to sleep. Do you have a wakeup call in?”

  “Yes, I put one in this morning.”

  “Okay, then...” Mac started to say.

  Suddenly, the door to their room crashed open and two guys rushed in. They were armed and ready to kill.

  Glock in hand, Mac fired twice and took out men before the intruder’s eyes could adjust to the dim light.

  When Emily didn’t respond quick enough, Mac jumped off the bed and grabbed her arm. “We have to leave now. It’s going to get real ugly.”

  “What?” she screamed. “This isn’t ugly?”

  “I’ve seen worse.” He released her.

  Obviously, she hadn’t. No doubt, nothing like this ever happened in the normal world, especially hers. With her nice orderly life, Mac figured she’d probably never witnessed anything firsthand worse than maybe a car accident.

  “What’s going on?” Emily had her hands to her mouth, her eyes the size of saucers.

  “Nothing. Get the pilot on the phone. We leave now.” Grabbing what he could, Mac snatched up his bag and threw in an assault rifle that belonged to one of the Russians, then Emily’s briefcase, laptop and purse.

  Shouldering the bag, he jammed his Glock in the back of his waistband and pulled his shirt down to conceal the weapon. He took her cell phone off the dresser, handed it to her and repeated, “Get the pilot on the phone while we move.”

  Mac inched around the corner where the door used to be and checked the well-lit, carpeted hall. Clear.

  Taking Emily by the hand, he led her out behind him. They darted for the stairwell. Security would investigate the sound of gunfire, a
nd Mac didn’t want to be anywhere around when that happened.

  Down two flights of concrete stairs, Mac stopped and leaned Emily against the cinderblock wall in the narrow shaft. He took her chin in his hand. “Listen, we don’t have time for you to go screwy on me. Call the pilot now.”

  “I don’t know...I don’t know.”

  “Emily.” He shook her gently. “Call him and tell him to ready the fucking plane. You’re going to get us both killed.”

  With shaking fingers, Emily punched several numbers before she actually got anyone on the line. “Mr. Malloy,” she gasped. “There is an emergency and we need to leave tonight.”

  Listening for any sounds that they were being chased, Mac hugged the wall and kept an eye on the doorway. Nothing so far.

  “I understand,” Emily said. “You have certain papers to file and all that, but we’ll be at the airfield in an hour. And you’d better fucking be ready to leave!”

  She disconnected the call and looked at him for approval then her eyes widened and her hand covered her mouth. “God, I dropped the F bomb.”

  “You did good. Now stay close to me. When we go through the door to the lobby, we need to act as calm as possible.”

  “Mac, I’m scared .”

  “Nothing to it, Em. Stay close. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He looked into her eyes then brushed his lips against hers. “Not ever.”

  The kiss sent a spark of something strange and wonderful through his body, and the shadows in her eyes relayed she’d felt something as well.

  They made their way to the ground floor. Mac forced a smile. “This will be the easiest thing you’ve done all evening.”

  Arm and arm, Mac felt her body trembling. “You’re okay, Em,” he said calmly. “Don’t fall apart on me now.”

  They entered the wide lobby with its tall white columns and comfortable seating areas then headed for the door. Her body crushed against his side.

  Just as the front desk came into view, Mac turned away and looked down at Em as they continued toward the revolving door.

  The uniformed doorman tipped his hat when they walked out into the misting rain. The sidewalk and streets were wet and black.

  A police car, with piercing sirens, pulled up in front of the hotel. Two armed men jumped out of the Volvo, and darted inside. Mac turned in time to keep them from getting a look at his face.

  Careful not to draw attention, Mac pressed Emily’s head to his shoulder and steered her down the sidewalk to the corner. They turned and melted into the darkness.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Grasping Mac’s hand, Emily swallowed a scream. While recalling the scene in the hotel, Emily’s lips trembled and her knees wobbled. She longed to run like a demon chased her, but valiantly reined in that impulse as they strolled toward the exit. The fear of losing control and turning into a hysterical maniac tugged at her mind.

  More than anything, she wanted to curl into a ball until the horror passed. But she knew one wrong move on her part could get them killed. Unable to do anything but follow Mac’s lead, she shivered like a dog left out in the cold, and stayed close.

  When they had exited the hotel, cool night air slapped her in the face. The chilly temperature revitalized her briefly and braced her against the terror, but did little to calm her nerves.

  As if in a daze, Emily marched stiffly beside Mac and prayed no one followed. With every step she had to fight the urge to glance back because to do so could call unwanted attention to them and prove fatal.

  A breath caught in her throat when Emily realized she’d never seen Mac like this. Fast, cunning, deadly...and totally in control. Not a hint of concern or worry wrinkled his brow or affected his outward demeanor. It scared the hell out of her in one sense and yet eased her traumatized mind in another.

  After a block Emily no longer resisted the urge and looked back. She turned at the scream of more sirens and saw emergency vehicles with flashing red lights speeding toward the hotel.

  Again she wanted to break into a run but Mac gripped her hand and gave the appearance they were doing nothing more than taking a stroll in the night air. That he carried his duffel bag meant nothing in this area of hotels and tourists.

  As the hotel faded into the mistiness, they turned east toward Gorky Park. Mac hailed the only cab in sight. When the small yellow vehicle stopped, Emily gladly jumped inside to get out of the elements and away from the scene that fueled her fear. She hoped the metal surrounding the vehicle would somehow shield her from harm.

  After the door shut, she wrinkled her nose. The interior reeked of sweat, booze and vomit. Her stomach rebelled violently but knew she had to control herself. She swallowed hard and rolled down the window to take a gulp of fresh air.

  Finally her heart rate slowed.

  “Where is the plane?” Mac asked.

  “It’s at the private section of Sheremetyevo Airport.” She pointed to the sign stretched above the highway. “Exit here. This will take us to the right terminal.”

  While her brain refused to work fast enough to translate, Mac repeated what she’d said in Russian as smoothly and calmly as a judge rendering a verdict.

  As they headed in the right direction, Mac slumped back in the seat and pulled her against him. She hated being weak and frightened. Yet she clutched Mac’s shirt in her fists and buried her face in his chest. Nothing had felt better or more reassuring in her whole life. The strong, steady beat of his heart melted her fear like warm sunlight on snow. At the moment, his hands gently rubbing her back soothed her more than any professional massage.

  “It’s okay, Em,” Mac said. “It’ll all work out.”

  She looked up as the driver maneuvered one of Moscow’s busier streets and mingled with the usual airport traffic. To add to her stress, the slow drizzle hindered their progress, but at least they were moving in the direction that would get them safely out of the country.

  Moments later they arrived at their destination. Emily noticed rain had turned the private airport’s tarmac black, and fog flirted with the horizon. Hopefully they’d get out before the weather crippled their escape.

  Recognizing the pilot, Emily exhaled and found the courage to release Mac from her death grip and get out of the cab. Sam Malloy stood with the airport officials signing the necessary papers for them to leave. Ed Myers, the co-pilot, hadn’t arrived yet. Taking her purse from Mac’s bag, Emily found her wallet and paid the cabdriver. She and Mac moved toward the small terminal

  She smiled at the customs agent and presented her papers. It shouldn’t have surprised her that Mac’s documents were in order. Falcon worked wonders when it came to protecting their agents.

  “Welcome, Miss Richards and Mr. Finch,” said the clerk.. She gave Mac a questioning glare. He winked. She wanted to smack him.

  As they left customs, Emily leaned closer. “Finch?”

  “Tony is our resident passport guy. At the moment, I’m Atticus Finch.” He looked at her and smiled. “To Kill a Mockingbird...?”

  “I guess that’s better than Elmer Fudd.”

  “Oh, I’ve been him before.” Mac laughed. “Tony has a bitch of a sense of humor.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  They moved quickly through all the necessary channels and were waiting for the final okay to leave.

  With a nod of approval, Mac and Emily departed the terminal and walked a hundred feet to the waiting plane. She looked up the portable stairs to the entrance of the plane. “I think that open door is the best thing I’ve seen all day.”

  “Hey,” Mac teased. “I’m offended by that remark.”

  Before they could take the first step, Sam Malloy, the pilot walked over to them. “Who is he?” he asked, flipping his pen against the clipboard. “I need to give the authorities the names of all passengers.”

  “He’s Atticus Finch. We’ve been through customs already. Where is Ed?” she asked, hoping to distract Sam before he questioned Mac’s fake name. She peered toward the parking lot. “I m
ade it clear we leave tonight...now.”

  “He couldn’t be reached, but we’ll be fine.” Sam nodded toward the plane. “It’s a Cessna 500,” he explained, as he studied the overhead clouds. “There’s no problem flying solo, as long as the weather doesn’t become a hazard.”

  Sam handed the ground crew the clipboard then walked up the stairs to the plane. Emily made sure she and Mac were right behind him. With the engines revving, Emily couldn’t help taking one last look back at Moscow.

  What if there were more bad guys?

  What if the authorities found out Mac was a special agent?

  What if they didn’t make it into the air?

  At the entrance of the plane, Sam turned and stopped them. “Am I to assume you have cleared this with Stromberg?”

  “I’m sure it will be fine,” Emily managed. “I’ll settle everything with the CEO when we land.”

  “You seem awfully nervous, Miss Richards,” Sam said, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Is anything wrong?”

  Emily took a deep breath and inhaled the damp air deep into her lungs. Slowly she exhaled through her mouth. She released her clenched fists and smiled a grimace.

  “No, nothing,” she replied, mentally forcing her voice to remain calm. “I just finished my business early and decided to leave tonight. I have a briefing in Dallas and I’d like to get there in time to prepare.”

  Sam looked at Mac then walked back down the stairs. “I’ll be right back.”

  Emily watched with dread as he practically ran toward the customs office, cell phone pressed to his ear.

  “I think he knows you’re not legitimate. He’s probably calling the police.”

  “Don’t worry. We’re okay.”

  “How can you say that?”

  Mac shrugged. “Take it easy, Frank and the CEO of Stromberg are close. Do you don’t think I would have been sent to you if Frank didn’t have everything planned out?”

  The pilot returned and instructed Mac and her to make themselves comfortable.

  Stunned, Emily could only stare. “What just happened?” she turned and asked Mac.

  “My guess is he called his boss.”