Never Say Spy (The Never Say Spy Series Book 1)

by Diane Henders

  He searched my face in the half-light from the open door. “You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. You went through a horrific experience tonight, and you never flinched. You have to allow yourself to deal with it somehow.”

  I concentrated on picking a few motes of lint off the blanket. “I prefer to deal with it privately, though, not by having a public meltdown and giving everybody heart failure.”

  Kane touched my hand. “I’m not public. I didn’t have heart failure. And you have nothing to be ashamed of.” He sat on the other bunk. “Go back to sleep. I’ll sit with you a while.”

  “Don’t bother. I’ll be fine. I’ll feel safe knowing you’re watching the monitors.”

  He paused, his expression unreadable in the shadow. “Remember the conversation we had about letting your team take care of you?”

  I blew out a half-laugh, half-sigh. “Thanks, but it actually kind of creeps me out if people watch me while I’m sleeping.”

  “All right,” he said quietly. “Just call if you change your mind.”

  “Thanks,” I said again, and he left, closing the door behind him.

  I eased myself back down on the bed. God, how humiliating.

  I squirmed a bit before giving a mental shrug and letting it go. It couldn’t be helped. He’d seen me freak out in the network simulation a couple of days ago, so it should be old news to him. I just hoped I wouldn’t embarrass myself again when Germain came on duty.

  Chapter 34

  I woke confused in the darkened room. As the events of the night seeped back into my memory, I tried to sit up and let out an involuntary grunt when my bruised stomach muscles contracted. I carefully swivelled my feet around onto the floor and stood, holding onto the bunk bed while I gradually straightened and stretched my complaining body.

  I shuffled to the door and squinted into the bright light of the corridor before padding toward the bathroom, yawning. When I turned the corner, I came face to face with tall, blond Wheeler. I let out an involuntary yelp and backpedalled, and he quickly put out his hands to steady me, his face creased with concern.

  “Are you okay?” he asked anxiously.

  I gave him a smile. “I’m fine, how are you feeling?”

  He stared at the floor. “I feel terrible. Webb told me what they did to you... what happened last night. I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

  Behind his back, Germain appeared from the direction of the meeting room. I caught his eye and gave him a tiny headshake, and he faded back the way he had come.

  “It wasn’t your fault at all.” I touched Wheeler’s arm, and he met my eyes hesitantly. “You couldn’t have done anything differently,” I assured him. “And Spider was just upset last night because I had a nosebleed and it scared him. I’m fine. Just minor bruises and scratches.”

  Wheeler didn’t look convinced. “You’re forgetting I was at the hospital when they brought you in. I saw the nurse’s face. I don’t think Webb was exaggerating.”

  “They just freaked out because there was a bunch of blood on my face. That’s all. If there’d been anything seriously wrong with me, they’d have kept me at the hospital. You were in worse shape than I was.”

  He searched my face. “Thanks for saying that. But I still feel terrible.”

  “Hey, it wasn’t your fault. Shit happens. Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

  “Thanks.” He gave me a half-hearted smile and continued down the hallway.

  Germain poked his head around the corner again as I arrived at the bathroom door. He gestured for me to wait as he came down the corridor, giving me a quick once-over with his observant gaze. “You look better this morning.”

  I grinned at him. “That’s not much of a compliment. I looked like shit last night.”

  His eyes crinkled. “Oh, so you’re fishing for compliments this morning. All right.” He swept me a deep bow. “Milady, your radiant beauty astounds me…”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I laughed and turned for the bathroom.

  He stopped me with an outstretched hand. “Thanks for being kind to Wheeler. And Webb last night,” he said seriously.

  I shrugged. “They’re making a mountain out of a molehill.”

  “They’re thinking of what might have happened.”

  I met his eyes. “If I spent my life being horrified at what might have happened, I’d be a basket case by now. I don’t suppose there’s any toothpaste in your luxurious bunker.”

  He followed my clumsy segue gracefully. “Check in the bottom drawer. There are usually some new toothbrushes and toothpaste in there.” He smiled and walked away.

  I locked myself in the bathroom and followed his advice. Sure enough, there were a couple of toothbrushes still in their packages and a tube of toothpaste. Thank heaven for well-equipped spies.

  When I consulted the mirror, I was pleased to see that Germain was right. I did look better. The red marks were gone from my face and my nose was almost back to normal. My eyes were shadowed, but I couldn’t tell whether it was bruising or just tiredness. My hair was curling wildly, and I pulled my brush through it with little effect. The bruises looked no worse, and some of the scratches had faded.

  When I emerged into the windowless corridor my heart lurched into a quicker rhythm. Buried underground. No daylight. No air…

  I sucked in a deep breath and eased it out slowly, willing away the twitchy urge to flee. Not trapped. I knew where the exits were. I could get out. I was okay.

  Not trapped.

  I held the mantra determinedly in my mind and forced my shaking legs into a decisive stride toward the work area.

  Germain and Wheeler were working at a computer with their heads together, so I went on into the kitchenette, hoping to find something edible to distract me. The fridge held nothing but pop and juice, so I selected an apple juice and made my way back to the meeting table.

  I had just eased into a chair and opened my juice when Spider came in, carrying a paper bag along with his ever-present laptop.

  “’Morning, Spider,” I greeted him, holding my voice steady.

  “Good morning.” He stared at me. “You changed your hair.”

  I forced a laugh. “I slept on it wet. Aydan Kelly’s School of Hairstyling.”

  He laughed, too. “I brought you something.” He placed the bag in front of me.

  I gazed up at him inquiringly as I opened it. Then I gasped with delight. “Spider, you’re a prince among men!” I reached in and extracted a toasted bagel, yogurt, and a fruit cup. Tension eased out of my shoulders at the homey smell of hot peanut butter.

  Spider beamed back at me, and Germain glanced over with a grin. “There she goes again,” he teased. “Now we all know the way to your heart.”

  I spoke around a soothing mouthful of bagel and peanut butter. “I admit it. I’m a pushover. Bring me food, and my heart is yours.”

  Kane came through the door as I spoke the last sentence. His short hair was rumpled and his chin was shadowed with stubble, making him look thoroughly delicious. I concentrated on my breakfast while he strode down the hall to the kitchenette and returned with a mug of coffee.

  He dropped into a chair, leaning back and scrubbing his hands over his face and through his hair. He swallowed a slug of coffee before he spoke, his deep voice husky from lack of sleep.

  “What’s new, Germain?” he inquired, and I enjoyed his morning voice with a secret shiver.

  “Exterior cleanup is done at the warehouse. They’re still working on the interior. They bagged eight bodies, no IDs yet. Captured six others, and get this. They found Eugene Mercer tied up in one of the rooms. He must have been taken yesterday late afternoon or evening. He’d been beaten and drugged. He’s in the hospital, apparently with some unusual reaction to the drugs. He’s not coherent yet.”

  Germain hesitated, eyeing Kane. “Interesting thing about the bodies. All your usual tidy work. But two of them, the slugs matched that cannon Aydan was shooting when we got to the parking lot last night.” />
  I froze, watching Kane. Germain’s sharp eyes observed us both, waiting.

  Kane took his time replying. “Last night, I forced Aydan to take on a role that she didn’t want. She saved both our lives. I take full responsibility for giving the order.”

  There was a short silence while three pairs of eyes appraised me. Then Germain cracked a smile. “Nice shooting, Aydan.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled.

  Spider was wide-eyed. “You shot two people?”

  I studied my lap so I wouldn’t have to see the monster reflected in his eyes. “Yeah.”

  “Good.” His voice was firm. I glanced up, surprised. “They deserved it,” he said.

  I gave him a half-smile. “Thanks.”

  Germain’s phone rang, and he picked up and listened for a few minutes. “Good,” he said. “I’ll get Webb on it.” He hung up. “Got some IDs coming through now.”

  Spider nodded and opened his laptop.

  I spoke up tentatively. “Is there any chance I could go back to the warehouse today?”

  “Why?” Kane eyed me with curiosity.

  “There was something weird about that network. I want to see if I can figure out why my access was so sporadic.”

  Kane considered for a moment. “I’d prefer to keep you here where it’s safe until Webb has a chance to do some analysis. We still don’t know what we’re up against. But on the flip side, if you can figure out something about the network, we’ll gain important information that way, too.”

  “The cleanup crew and some of JTF2 are still at the warehouse,” Germain offered. “It should be pretty well protected. If the three of us escort Aydan over there, she should be safe.”

  “That’s what we thought last night, too,” Wheeler mumbled.

  Kane finished off his coffee. “Aydan, are you sure you want to take the risk?”

  “I really want to know. The sooner we figure this out, the sooner I’ll be safe.” I gave him a pleading look.

  “All right, let’s do it,” he agreed. “Here’s how it’s going to happen…”

  Chapter 35

  When we parked in the deserted parking lot I could hardly believe what had taken place the previous night. The wall facing the parking lot looked freshly painted. There were no visible bullet holes, and the lot itself was swept fresh and clean. When we approached the newly painted steel door, I noticed some long gouges in the asphalt paving, but nobody would ever identify them as marks from bullets.

  Germain stepped forward and banged on the steel door. “It’s Germain,” he called. The door was swung open by a large man with a submachine gun slung from his shoulder. He nodded us inside wordlessly.

  I looked up at Kane. “You’ll have to lead the way. I was upside down for this trip.”

  “Doesn’t look like the cleanup crew has made it this far yet.” Kane nodded toward the floor. “We can follow the same trail I did last night.”

  I regarded the intermittent rust-coloured splashes leading down the hallway. “How clever of me to leave you a trail of breadcrumbs.”

  We followed the droplets down a series of twisting corridors, and I thanked my lucky stars all over again that Kane had arrived when he did. I never would have found my way out, even if I’d somehow managed to escape my bonds.

  Finally, the trail led into the room where I’d been held. The stained chair still lay on its side beside a small puddle of dried blood. Wheeler’s face hardened as he took in the smears and spatters on the floor and the rusty smudges on the knife that still lay on the table.

  I patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. Never underestimate the dramatic effect of a simple nosebleed.”

  “What do you want to do here?” Kane asked.

  “I want to work back from where I accessed the network,” I said, moving to where I’d been when it had worked the first time.

  “About here, I think,” I muttered, concentrating on a white void. Sure enough, it materialized around me, and I nodded satisfaction. I braced myself and stepped out through the portal.

  “Agh!” I clutched my head and clenched my teeth, eyes squeezed shut while I rode out the pain.

  When awareness returned, I realized Kane was holding me tightly against him. All that hot hard muscle felt very nice indeed, but it was definitely unexpected. I peered up at him, puzzled.

  “I take it you accessed the network,” he said as he set me back on my feet. I gave my head a little shake to settle my brain, realizing Germain and Wheeler were watching me with alarm.

  “Right. Sit down before you access the network,” I said dryly. “Thanks for catching me.” He nodded, the corner of his mouth crooked up, but his eyes were grave.

  I righted the chair approximately where it had been the previous night and sat in it, placing my arms on the armrests with a faint shudder.

  Kane’s voice came from behind me. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yes, I do.” I willed myself into the void and stood pondering. Last night I couldn’t get in. I was in the same physical location now, and it worked fine. I sighed and stepped out, hugging my head and groaning involuntarily. I breathed slowly through my teeth for a few moments before straightening.

  “Shit. That worked fine. Maybe I was just too scared last night. Or maybe it was the last of the stun gun effect.”

  I stood and circled the room again. What had changed since last night, other than the fear? I wandered to the door, mumbling to myself.

  “Okay, carried in the door and dropped... here.” I stood over the smeared mark where I’d landed. “Dragged into the chair.” I walked over to the chair again. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  The men stood patiently watching me while I paced and muttered. I sat in the chair again, accessing the network without difficulty. Stepping out, I tried to control a cry of pain that escaped anyway. I rubbed my temples, breathing my way through. Each time, it hurt a bit more.

  I stumbled out of the chair. “Are you okay?” Germain asked, his brow furrowed. “Why are you hurting so much?”

  “It’s just my freaky way of accessing the network. I don’t know why everybody else can just breeze in and out while I get spikes hammered through my brain each time.”

  I walked back to the doorway to retrace the route again. “Dropped... here. Dragged... What else is different, dammit?” I froze in sudden thought. “Hey, wait a minute.”

  I walked across the room and took off my waist pouch, placing it on the table. “They took off my waist pouch after they dropped me,” I explained, and moved back to my seat in the chair. I willed the void. Nothing happened.

  “Aha!” I bounced up, momentarily forgetting my bruises. “Unngh.” I folded over my aching gut and breathed deeply for a moment. “Shit.” I unbent more carefully and made my way over to the table, reaching for my waist pouch. “Come to Mommy.”

  I took it and sat down in the chair again. The network sprang into being around me the moment I made the attempt. “Ha! Gotcha!”

  I stepped out again, grinning.

  “Aaaagh!” I doubled over, hissing the obscenities that forced their way past my clenched teeth despite my best efforts. The pain went on longer than before, and I straightened slowly, hands braced on my knees.

  Kane squatted in front of me, looking into my face with concern. “Aydan, your nose is bleeding again. I think you should stop.”

  I scrounged in my pouch for a tissue and swiped the trickle away. “Don’t worry, it’s just my brain liquefying. I’ve almost got it. We’re almost there.”

  I dabbed at my nose as I struggled out of the chair and carried my pouch over to the table again. There, I unpacked, laying each item methodically on the table. The three men hovered behind me, watching with apparent fascination.

  “What the heck have you got in there?” Germain teased as the pile grew.

  “The usual wallet and change purse. Couple of jackknives. Measuring tape. Scissors. Reading glasses. Sunglasses. Ear plugs.” I named the items off as I took them out. “Den
tal floss. Keys. Flashlight. Cough drops. Aspirin. Chequebook. Tissues...”

  “What, no screwdrivers or power tools?” Germain prodded.

  “I have Phillips and common screwdrivers. No Robertson or Torx,” I replied absently, still unpacking while he laughed.

  I dabbed at my nose again, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped, so I stuffed the tissue into my pocket.

  When the pouch was completely empty, I carried it back to the chair and sat down. “Okay, let’s do this systematically. I’ll start with the empty pouch.”

  Kane frowned. “I searched it. Smith and Sandler searched it. You swore you didn’t have anything.”

  I returned his frown. “We missed something. We all must’ve missed something.”

  I concentrated. No go.

  “It’s not the pouch.” I tossed it to Germain, still standing by the table. “Give me something else.”

  One item at a time, I went through the contents of my pouch. I sighed and lobbed my measuring tape back to Germain. “Nope.”

  He tossed me my keys. “At least it doesn’t hurt to try.”

  I smiled at him. “Literally. Thank goodness.” I concentrated again.

  And finally stepped into the network. Startled, I stared at the bundle of keys in my hand. The janitor’s set. No way. I knew what each one of those keys was for. I’d had them for ages.

  One by one, I flipped through them, identifying each. I came to the last one and frowned. All present and accounted for. The only things left were my ancient keychain disc and the amethyst pendant that decorated the key ring.

  My breath caught as I held the amethyst up to the light. It was the newest item on my key ring. I’d found it in my back yard several months ago and put it on my keychain.

  That had to be it!

  I did a quick, elated dance. I’d found it! This had to be the key! I did a final spin, enjoying my pain-free virtual body, and leaped for the portal. Kane was going to be so happy to find out. I was going to be safe again...

  Too late, I remembered. Speed kills. I crashed through the portal into agony.