by Lexi Blake
“That’s not what I asked, Robert.” McDonald stepped onto the path. He could see her shoes. High heels even in the middle of a deadly chase, but then she hadn’t really been the one chasing. She’d done what she loved to do, ordered someone else to do her dirty work.
The knee on his back eased up and he found himself hauled to his feet by the big dark-haired man his brother had called Dante.
“Russell,” he started to shout but felt something hard against his spine.
“I can shoot you and you’ll still live,” Dante whispered.
It didn’t matter because his brother never looked back.
“Hello, Steven,” McDonald said, looking him over. “I was surprised to hear you came to Paris. I was even more surprised to hear you talking to that man on the phone. Who is he?”
She’d duped his phone? He was usually careful about it, but phones weren’t allowed in the labs, and she could have gotten to it in the locker where he left it. That explained how she’d known where he would be. “He’s a friend of mine.”
“He’s a CIA agent, I suspect,” McDonald said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He couldn’t give Levi up.
She waved it off. “If you think I don’t have my own CIA contacts, you’re more naïve than I thought. So the Agency has some leaks it seems. I’ll have to deal with that. It’s harder since that bastard killed my father, but I’ll make it work.”
“How long have you been watching me?” He wanted to know how long he’d been fucked.
“Oh, Kronberg has had someone watching you for days now,” she said. “Ever since that incident with Rebecca. It was kind of you to handle that for me. I didn’t realize how seriously they would take her defection. You probably saved me a major headache. I was going to kill the bitch. I think that would have gotten me in trouble. Instead you’re the one who got in trouble. The man they put in charge of investigating is a smart man. He came to me when he realized you were talking to that reporter. You know she’s Veronica’s sister, right?”
“Of course.” He had to protect Veronica. She was completely innocent in all of this. God, he loved her and she didn’t even know his real name. “I’ve been seeing Veronica on the sly. Wouldn’t do to let anyone know I’m fucking the underlings.” He smirked, an expression he’d perfected over his time as Steven Reasor. “Her sister lives in Munich. She’s a kook, a crazy conspiracy theorist, but she’s harmless enough. Now let’s negotiate. I’m meeting with another pharmaceutical firm. You’re right about the CIA guy. He wants information about Kronberg. He’s going to use his influence to get me on somewhere else. All I have to do is a little espionage. I’m sick of Kronberg and I’m sick of you putting women like Rebecca Walsh above me.”
She stared at him for a moment. “You fooled me. Not many people can manage to do that. I will admit, I find it fascinating. The man on the phone told you to remember why you’re here, but he didn’t mention the reason. I’m curious.”
That wasn’t a good thing since she was a woman who liked to study the things she found fascinating. Usually by cutting them up and examining the pieces. “I told you. I’m here to trade information about Kronberg for a new job. Are you going to kill me over it?”
He was trying to be as cool as he could. He wasn’t going to give up information if he didn’t have to. It was obvious she hadn’t been listening in for long. He’d been careful. Not careful enough, but perhaps she truly didn’t understand what he was doing here today.
“He called Robert Russell,” the man with the gun to his spine said. “Isn’t that his real name?”
Shit. He’d forgotten he’d already given himself away. Maybe he could still work this. “Sorry, he looked like someone I used to know. And then he attacked me. I didn’t realize you were sending your…who are these assholes? Bodyguards? Henchmen?”
“Dante handles certain problems for me,” she explained. “As far as Robert knows, Dante is just like him and Victor and Tomas. I’ve got another site. One not even Kronberg knows about. I keep a few of my boys there. Robert is special. But then you know that, don’t you? So you’re his brother. That’s how the CIA agent got to you. How did you find him?”
“I told you,” he started, but Dante’s hand twisted his arm.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll figure it out one way or another,” she promised. “I believe Robert has the car here. It’s time for you to meet Tomas, though I suppose you’ll try to call him Theo.”
He started to struggle, but Dante wrapped a meaty hand around his throat. “I heard you. I know the truth. If you don’t get into the van quietly, I’ll kill Robert. Will you watch your brother die?”
He knew the answer to that. He couldn’t do it. McDonald had questions and that meant he would have a shot to get out. Levi would know something was wrong when he didn’t show up for their meeting. Levi would find him and save both him and his brother.
He forced himself to get into that van.
It would be all right.
It had to be.
Tucker blinked into the bright light of the midday sun. That day so long ago had come back in vivid color. His heart was racing as it had done that day, beating against his chest until he’d been knocked out. When he’d come to, he’d found a whole new world of agony.
“Hey, you okay?” Robert asked.
He looked to his brother who would never know he’d been the one to turn him over. He wouldn’t put that guilt on him. Both Robert and Levi were looking at him expectantly.
“Yes, and I know where to schedule the meeting with Arthur Dwyer.”
He would get his girl back and then he was going to take them all down.
Chapter Sixteen
Veronica had learned a lot about Arthur Dwyer in the day she’d been held by him. He was a brilliant doctor. He was a terrible criminal.
Unfortunately, even terrible criminals could get in a lucky shot from time to time.
“You’re staying here,” Arthur said from his seat in the front of the vehicle. He wasn’t driving. Kronberg had sent two security team members with Arthur and they had become her watchers. One of them had been with her every moment of the day. She’d woken up on a bed and it hadn’t taken her long to figure out she was in Paris. She’d listened to her captors, who seemed to think they could talk all they liked in German. Kronberg kept the apartment for their executives and they were awaiting the outcome of Arthur’s endeavor. But the bed was nice and she would have been entirely comfortable if she hadn’t had her wrists and feet bound.
“I’ll take Kurt with me,” Arthur continued. “Your boyfriend claims he remembers where he hid the thumb drive he stole. When we have the data, we’ll bring Reasor back here.”
The man named Kurt frowned. “How will we be sure he doesn’t have a copy of the data?”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on giving him the girl. I was planning on letting him see the girl, then you’ll give him a dose of the sedative, and we’ll have a long talk about corporate espionage,” Arthur explained. “I’ll have to figure out how to deal with our own intelligence agency. According to the CEO, they’re not happy with my play. If I can clean up the data and give them a sanitized version with all the proper scapegoats, perhaps they’ll forgive my hasty actions.”
She would have said something about how it wouldn’t work because there was no way Tucker hadn’t shared what he’d found with his group before turning it over, but she was gagged. She didn’t think he would appreciate her logic anyway.
But she was worried because Tucker would absolutely turn over whatever he had, and he would come to this car looking for her. He would put himself at risk. For all Arthur was a moron when it came to criminal enterprise, if he managed to get Tucker in this car, he would be able to pass him off to more competent people and they would both be in trouble.
She’d been so wrong. It had been all she could think about since the moment Arthur had captured her. She’d been stupid to doubt Tucker. If only she’d had a little faith
, Nina wouldn’t have been shot and they wouldn’t be in this position.
She would have to find a way to warn him what Arthur was planning.
She glanced out the tinted windows of the van they’d placed her in. She couldn’t tell where they were except that the streets were crowded. It looked like some kind of park.
“Keep her quiet,” Arthur instructed. “If she makes trouble, dose her again, but don’t kill her. I’m going to need her alive. I think our friend will speak much more freely if we’ve got the mother of his child as a hostage. It’s too bad we couldn’t nab the kid.”
She hated that man.
“I’ll be back soon.” Arthur and Kurt got out of the car and she was left alone with the guard they’d called Oskar.
He sat in the driver’s seat and stared straight ahead.
Her hands were bound on her lap and she was pretty sure she’d lost all feeling in them. She might have nerve damage. They hadn’t cared about her circulation the way Tucker had.
God, would he ever forgive her? She’d put them in this position. She’d made him risk everything he’d worked for. Had he been able to find the data or was he lying?
He would lie to save her. He might walk away from her afterward, but he would never leave her in this position.
How long would it be? How long would she be sitting here waiting for him?
Damn it, she had to do something. She couldn’t sit here and let him sacrifice himself for her. She was not this girl.
The back door was child locked and the windows were heavily tinted. If she kicked at the door, would anyone on the street notice? Could she make the vehicle move enough that someone realized something was wrong?
Oskar was in a bad position. He couldn’t simply turn and get his hands on her. It would be awkward to get to her while he was sitting in the front seat.
Another way they’d underestimated her.
She was about to start moving when there was a knock on the car door.
“Hey, you can’t park here,” a masculine voice said.
A familiar voice. She would have gasped had it not been for the gag in her mouth.
“Hey, I’m with the police. You can’t park here,” he insisted. “You’re going to have to move.”
But French police officers didn’t have Scottish accents.
Oskar started to lower the window and that’s when Owen’s hand reached in, shoving a rag at his face. He was stuck there, caught between the seatbelt and what was likely a very potent form of chloroform. He slumped over quickly. Owen unlocked the doors and Damon Knight was at her side untying her hands.
The minute her hands were free, she pulled the gag from her mouth. “What are you doing here?”
“Tucker forgot Tag…well, Tag tagged him,” Damon admitted. “I’ve been following the little bugger since he left the country house. I knew he would bring Owen in.”
Owen was grinning as he made his way around the car. “I actually went to the boss when Tucker called me. MI6 was so angry with Kronberg that they’re willing to work with us. So is German intelligence. We might get out of this after all.”
“Only if Tucker’s right and we can find that data.” Damon seemed far less optimistic as he went to work on her feet.
She became very aware that they weren’t alone. Several men wearing suits surrounded the car. One of them pushed Oskar over and took his seat.
“Don’t mind them,” Damon said. “They’re French intelligence. Yes, we are the whole bloody world today. Let’s get you out of here. Tucker’s going to try to get Dwyer to admit what’s going on at Kronberg before we arrest him.”
“Is he all right? Is Nina okay?” She had a million questions, but she remembered something important. “Arthur has a gun. So does Kurt.”
“And Tucker’s got backup, too,” Owen said. “We couldn’t move into place fast enough to get Green out, but we’ve stuffed him in a van. We’ve got people stationed at all the entrances and exits. He won’t get away this time.”
“I don’t think he wants to,” Damon admitted. “I think he believes whatever’s on that thumb drive will get him back at the Agency.”
She slid out of the car the minute her feet were free. Blood started to rush back into her hands and she winced from the pain.
“Come on,” Owen said. “We’ve got a couple of cars parked inside the cemetery. You can wait for Tucker there.”
“Or she can go back to the hotel,” Damon countered. “Rebecca and Penny are there. As soon as we can manage it, we’re going back to London, but we’ve got a bit of clean-up to do. Firstly, we’ll have to debrief with the French since we’re doing all of this in their backyard. You have no idea how happy I am that Tag is in Dallas. Getting him to sit through a debrief with four bloody intelligence agencies without starting a war would be a miracle.”
“What is going on?” She didn’t understand a thing. One minute she’d been sure everything would go to hell and now they were joking?
Owen stopped. “It’s all right, Veronica. We’ve got everything under control.”
“Well, that’s not exactly true.” Damon moved to her other side so she was surrounded as he herded her along. “We’re not entirely sure Tucker knows where the data is. He says he stashed it somewhere in the cemetery. It’s been over three years. We’re not sure it’s still here. If it’s not, we’ll have some work to do. Tucker remembers what happened, but without solid proof, we’ll have to maneuver our way out.”
“Tucker’s all right? I don’t even understand what’s going on. Arthur got scared. His name is on that list. Kronberg never wanted it found. I think the drugs they were going to use on him would have done the opposite of what they said.” She hurried to keep up with the taller men.
“Yes, I think when Dwyer realized no one would let him use his drugs, he panicked, and Kronberg likely did, too,” Damon concurred. “From their end this whole thing is a mess. German intelligence was working with them and now I suspect they won’t listen to anything Kronberg tells them. They’ve got agents watching the houses of the board of directors in case one of them attempts to flee the country.”
“They’ll throw Dwyer under the bus,” Owen said with a shake of his head. “No doubt about it. Those big companies know how to survive.”
“Why let Tucker meet with him at all?” She didn’t like the idea. “Why not simply arrest Arthur when he shows up at the meet site?”
Damon stopped as they reached the massive entryway to the Père Lachaise Cemetery. She recognized the twin pillars that marked one of the entryways because she’d come here years before with her sister. She and Katie had spent the weekend in Paris, and a whole afternoon wandering the peaceful grounds of the cemetery.
“That’s about you, I suspect,” Damon said. “He wants to get as much information as he can out of Arthur before the Germans take him. We had to agree that they got custody of Dwyer and any Kronberg employees. Tucker is recording everything the man says.”
“He’s alone out there?” She didn’t care how many agents were in that cemetery, she didn’t want Tucker going up against Dwyer and the big guard without someone directly at his side. Hell, she didn’t want him in there at all.
“Robert is with him.” Owen gestured to the main road through the cemetery. It wasn’t a thoroughfare and was supposed to be used only for special occasions, but there were several vans parked inside now. “Levi Green turned himself in. Ezra’s watching him in one of the vans. I don’t like it, boss. Green is planning something.”
“I don’t see what he can do. Don’t think I haven’t gone over it again and again in my head. He can’t steal the data. He won’t be allowed close enough to it,” Damon explained. “That is if it’s even here. Anything could have happened to it over the years.”
“Happened to what?” she asked.
“The day he was taken he was supposed to pass off a thumb drive to Levi Green,” Owen explained. “He was supposed to meet Green here at the cemetery because you were back at the origina
l meet spot.”
“The apartment.” God, it really had been her fault. If he hadn’t taken her with him, things might have been different.
“Yes, that’s where they had been planning to meet,” Damon agreed. “Unfortunately, Tucker didn’t realize that they’d tagged his phone. It was a rookie mistake, and I blame Green. He should never have sent in a civilian.”
“McDonald knew he was going to be in Paris and she followed him,” Owen continued. “Green and Tucker discussed where they were going to meet over their mobiles, and she set up an ambush. She didn’t even realize he’d stolen the intelligence from Kronberg. She thought he was passing off your sister’s research. And this is why I think something’s up. Why didn’t Green let him copy the drive and send it to him? All of this could have been avoided with a simple email.”
“That’s not how spies work, Owen,” Damon said as though they’d gone over this. “I don’t know what his thought process was, but I know I’ve worked operations this way from time to time. If the material was sensitive enough, they wouldn’t want any chance that it could have been hacked. There’s also the possibility that there are Agency names on that list.”
“It still doesn’t seem right to me.” Owen put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Roni. You can stay with me until Tucker’s got what he needs.”
There was the sound of a shot splitting the peace of the cemetery and then shouts.
“Bloody hell,” Damon cursed and took off running.
“I would tell you to stay behind, but we might need a doctor. You stay close to me,” Owen ordered.
But she was already following Damon and praying she got there in time.
* * * *
Tucker took a deep breath as he realized he was in the right place.
“You do understand that all I have to do to end Veronica’s life is send the text that’s on my phone.” Dwyer had his phone in one hand and his other was in the pocket of his coat where he was carrying a semiautomatic pistol. He’d flashed it when they’d first met, before he’d had Kurt frisk them both.