by Hinze, Vicki
“But you still think I’m scum for being unfaithful to her?”
“No, I don’t,” Maggie said. “I think it was wrong, and I won’t say it wasn’t. You could’ve left her first. But I can definitely see now how, being in your situation, you’d be vulnerable to a gentle woman like Melanie.” That wasn’t all Maggie saw, and she, too, had to be honest. “I shouldn’t have painted all men with the same brush.” That was a serious understatement, considering the circumstances. “I was wrong to do that.”
“I should’ve respected marriage and myself, even if I couldn’t respect my spouse anymore. And I should’ve divorced her before getting involved with someone else. I see all of that now, of course. But back then, when I was in the middle of it all, I didn’t realize how bad things had become with Andrea until Melanie came along. The change happened by degrees, you know? And all of a sudden one day I found myself in hell, and I wasn’t sure how I got there, or exactly when it happened.”
“One of those situations where you can’t see the forest for the trees,” Maggie said.
“Exactly.” He nodded. “I didn’t intend to hurt anyone. It just happened. But I swear, Maggie, it will never happen again.”
She believed him. “What about Melanie?”
“She went home.” He took a bite of sausage, chewed and swallowed. “She had an apartment by the park and spent a lot of time there because it reminded her of home.”
“Where was she from?”
“Barth, Mississippi,” he said. “From her description, it’s a beautiful little town with moss-draped oaks and wide front porches.”
“Sounds quaint.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” He smiled. “Melanie still loved her husband—we talked about him a lot—and she decided to go home to try to work things out.”
He helped her find her way back to her husband? How very charming. “I wonder if she did.”
“I don’t know. She called me once, as soon as she arrived, to let me know she was safely there, but I haven’t heard from her since then. I hope she and her husband worked everything out. I hope she’s happy.”
“Did you love her, Justin?”
“No, I didn’t. She didn’t love me, either.” He looked Maggie straight in the eye. “But I respected her, and I’ll always be grateful to her. She helped me see the truth about Andrea and how destructive that relationship had become.” He gave Maggie a sweet smile. “Melanie helped me find the light in my life again. That was quite a gift.”
It was. “And now you’ve helped me see things in a different light.” Maggie tilted her head, humbled by the way things ripple out and are passed on to those who need them. “Thank you, for being so open about all this.”
His expression sobered. “It’s important to me that you know the truth. You know why, Maggie. You know exactly how I feel about you.”
She did. “Yes.” And she felt the same way about him, but before she could tell him, a large group of people entered the diner. So many that they were lined up, waiting for tables.
“We should go,” Justin said.
Maggie gathered her things and they left. Outside, walking down the sidewalk to the parking area, Justin offered Maggie his hand.
Her heart full, she clasped it. “So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?”
“Something very special,” Justin said.
“Very special.” Maggie hummed. “Whatever will that be?”
Maggie and Justin sat in Justin’s den, sprawled on the floor against the sofa, in front of a roaring fire. “Are you really upset that you didn’t get Kunz, Maggie?”
“No.” She wasn’t accustomed to drinking early in the morning, but it felt more like the end of a very long night and it was Christmas, so what the hell? In a compromise, they’d decided on eggnog. “I wish we’d gotten him, but the truth is, you’ve got to be realistic about these kinds of people. Even if we had gotten him, he still has a legion of GRID members behind him. So if he’s out of the picture, one of his henchmen just takes over.”
“He went to a lot of trouble to double Barone.” Justin shook his head. “I have a hard time wrapping my mind around that.”
“He had no choice. Barone held authority on closing the mall. As long as I couldn’t conclusively prove GRID was attacking Santa Bella—and Kunz made sure I couldn’t by having events occur at other potential targets and rumors of more attacks—Barone had the last word. The real Barone would’ve shut down after the C-4 was found. Kunz had to double him so his double could replace him and refuse to close the mall.”
“But the real culprit,” Justin said, “was Linda. How did Kunz get to her?”
“He’s very good at playing people, and he can be extremely sympathetic and charming. Linda was bitter about being poor and serving others. Kunz played on that and gave her a way to be wealthy. He showed her a world she’d dreamed of all her life. One where only a few thousand insignificant users-and-takers would die, and Linda would be served and treated like a queen forever. She couldn’t resist.”
“It’s sick. Playing people’s vulnerabilities.”
“Yeah, and he’s made it an art form.” Maggie paused. “You know, the Krane’s bag shoppers bug me. It’s just…. Damn. He was using them as decoys!” The truth slammed into Maggie. “That’s all there was to them. So our people would be tied up with busywork and become complacent before Linda’s people removed the antidote.”
“But he had to be after something else—besides the virus,” Justin said. “It’s the only way what he did makes sense.”
Maggie turned to Justin. “Listen, let’s make a pact. If ever you’re the victim of a three-month absence, you’ll let me know. And if ever I am, I must let you know.”
“And then what?” he asked.
“You, me, we go to Colonel Drake.”
“Agreed.”
“Great.” Maggie turned her thoughts. “He had to be studying one of us, Justin. Maybe all of us. Who knows? He’s done that with Amanda, Kate and Darcy over successive missions. It had to have been you or me this time.”
“Or Colonel Drake,” Justin added.
Maggie agreed. “Or Colonel Drake.”
“We have to brief her on this, our concerns, I mean,” Justin said. “She needs to be aware.”
“Yes, she does.” Maggie sighed. “I’ll tell her tomorrow.”
“So you are disappointed about not getting Kunz.”
“No, acceptance comes with the job on these terrorist cases.” She’d reconciled herself to less than a hundred percent resolutions a long time ago. “We can’t lose sight of the goal, and that’s to intercede, interrupt and intercept him and his business. That’s realistic, and it makes us all safer. So, no, I’m not upset that we didn’t get him, though I wish we had—and one day, we will.”
Justin touched a hand to her face. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
“Me, too.” Her heart skipped a little beat. “You’re a special man.”
“I dare you to stay with me and tell me that again next Christmas.”
“Do you really think there’ll be a next Christmas for us?” She hoped there would, so much it could be frightening, if she’d let it. Instead she was going to enjoy it.
“Absolutely.” His promise carried over from his mouth and shone in his eyes. “I told you, Maggie. You just do it for me.”
“Then, yes, Justin.” Maggie smiled and breathed next to his lips. “I’ll take that dare and double it. Because you do it for me, too.”
He curled his arms around her and pulled her close. “I think I’m going to like Christmas from here on out. Me and you, on our own, together.”
“On our own, together,” she said with him.
Laughing, they kissed deeply and settled in to dream by the fire.
Epilogue
On a remote island in the South Pacific, Thomas Kunz sat in his operations center, drinking a glass of milk and watching the mopping up going on at Santa Bella Mall. Judy Meyer sat beside him and thr
ee women stood behind them that bore striking resemblances to Amanda West, Kate Kane and Darcy Clark.
“Well, that was a lot of work and planning for nothing,” his Amanda double said. “The virus wasn’t activated—or was it?”
“No, it wasn’t.” With his arm around Judy’s shoulder, Thomas rubbed small circles on her upper arm.
“Nearly a year of planning, down the drain.”
“No,” he told Darcy’s double. “We got exactly what I was after.”
“How’s that?” Kate sat on the edge of his desk. “There was no capabilities demonstration, Thomas.”
“Oh, but there was, my dear Kate.” He smiled.
“Not on the DR-27 virus,” Amanda said, then halted suddenly and gasped. “Oh, you clever, clever man!”
“What?” Kate’s double asked, clearly irritated.
“Thomas, resident genius and millionaire-maker extraordinaire’s objective wasn’t to demonstrate the capabilities of the virus, Kate,” Amanda said. “It was to determine the capabilities of Maggie Holt!”
“Very good, Amanda.” Thomas Kunz laughed deeply. “The three-month absences have become obvious to our counterparts at S.A.S.S. I needed a process that would give me all I need to know quickly. This event was that process.” He smiled, clearly pleased with the way things had worked out. “I know now how she thinks, how she reacts in crises, and her vulnerabilities when it comes to relationships. In two days of high-pressure observations, we gained all the information needed to double her—though only for limited exposure, I confess. Still, it’s been a very enlightening two days. And, since Kate, Darcy and Amanda were active on this mission, as well, I also received current status information vital to you ladies.”
“A winner all around.” Kate’s double groaned. “I should have known.”
“Yes, my dear,” he answered honestly, admonishing her. “You should have.”
Darcy chewed at her lip, worrying. “They think you failed.”
“Of course, Darcy.” Thomas looked at Judy, curled contentedly beside him. “They always do.”
“And you’ve got the Threat Integration Center half convinced you’re dead.”
“That’s true, too.” Thomas finished his milk and stood, his shadow falling across the tiled floor.
“How long will you let them believe it?” Judy stood, too, stroking his shoulder lovingly.
“Oh, for a time.” He sent her an enigmatic smile. “For a time….”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5303-6
DOUBLE DARE
Copyright © 2005 by Vicki K. Hinze
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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