Fatal Exchange

by Cindy M. Hogan

  She was shaking her head again.

  “Put a tail on the Prime Minister. That will tell us the truth.” I swung my legs off the bed to show her I was still strong.

  “Your accusations, while intriguing, are unfounded and without proper evidence. To go up against that man, we would need more. I’m sorry. Besides that, I’ve met him, and he’s an upstanding citizen. The scrutiny he’s under every day considering the investigation around the President right now tells me this couldn’t be true or someone would have uncovered it already. Maybe it’s the stress and confusion with what has happened to you that has clouded your thinking, making your conclusions off. It’s okay. I understand. We know where Kamal is, and we are in the process of detaining Marni. We do believe Kamal would not fold without having an imminent threat to his girlfriend. We’ll arrest him and force him to tell us about Marco and the drives.”

  “You mean torture him.”

  “If that’s what it takes. I appreciate your dedication to this. Leave the rest to the backup team. You rest. Heal with your team.” With that, she left. I growled in frustration.

  “Why won’t anyone ever listen to me?” I said aloud to the empty room. She didn’t have concrete evidence, but all of the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming. Besides, she didn’t know Kamal at all. Siron had stuck her hand in the viper’s nest. From what I knew, he would not respond well to threats against Marni. He’d somehow find a way to set up Siron and get her killed. I was sure of it. Echoes of Kamal cutting into that boy haunted me. I had to get to Kamal before Siron.

  I spotted my go bag on the floor next to the visitor’s chair. I turned the machine off and removed the pulse monitor, then the IV, pressing some tissues on the insertion site to stanch the bleeding before heading for the en suite bathroom.

  After relieving myself, taking handfuls of water into my mouth, and making a vain attempt at fixing my matted and frizzy hair by forcing it into a ponytail, I opened the bathroom door. I was met by a large, scowling nurse.

  “Let me help you back into the bed,” she said in sweet but somehow condescending voice. She put her hand on my back and pressed, forcing me in that direction. “I’ll get someone in here to put that IV put back in and make sure you have some water next to your bed.”

  A bit shocked and not wanting to cause a scene just yet, I allowed her to guide me. After I sat, she pulled up a remote looking thing that appeared to be attached to the bed and said, “If you need anything, feel free to press this button here. It alerts us that you need something. That’s why we’re here, to help you get what you need.”

  She nodded as if in silent direction to lie back and get covered. I did, and she left the room. While shutting the door, she said, “Someone will be here shortly to help you with that IV.”

  I sputtered a laugh as I swung my legs off the bed to get to my go bag and some clothes. That nurse had learned to school her emotions, even if her boiling point was right under her calm exterior. I had no idea where my other clothes had ended up. All I knew was that I couldn’t or wouldn’t be held up at a hospital any longer than I had to, and this flimsy gown had to go. I changed into the only outfit left in my bag, too-big black slacks and an extra-large white button up shirt. I topped off the ensemble with a chauffer’s cap and found my shoes from last night tucked under the small side table to the left of the visitor’s chair.

  Sliding my go bag on my back, I cracked the door and watched for the robust nurse to go answer a call. The moment she did, I slinked out of the room, easing the door shut with a tiny click instead of a bang. I took off toward the first exit signs, not even wanting to wait for the elevator even though I was five floors up. I practically slid down all the flights of stairs, determination burning in my chest.

  I started out of the stairwell and quickly stepped back. Siron had placed operatives at the doors. Had she discovered that I’d left my room already? I spotted Summer. Her head was in her hands, and she looked a bit dejected. Her head suddenly popped up, and our eyes met. It was over for me. She’d gladly report me to Siron and get the two dummy operatives to take me into custody. A deep sigh rushed out of me as I eyed the doors and then the hallways, calculating my chances of escape.

  I glanced back at Summer, who was still looking at me. She stood, and I readied myself to take off, but she gestured with one of her hands and shook her head slightly as if warning me to wait.

  What? Wait to give her time to alert the guards and turn me in?

  She walked over to the guards.

  I turned to take my chances with the hallway. Before I took off, she had everyone facing completely away from me. She was distracting them. Go figure. I didn’t have time to dwell on the weirdness of her helping me after what happened on that roof.

  Despite my confusion, I made my way to a restroom where I found a hinged window. After a few swift kicks, I was able to free the window from its hinges, creating a space big enough for me to throw my bag out and slip through into the black night. I was free.

  I took the train to Kamal’s. I checked his tracker just to make sure he was actually home. His dot sat right on his address. I made it to his apartment in twenty minutes, rehearsing in my mind what I might say to him to convince him to give Marco up. I stood watching the building from a block away, a few street lamps lighting the area.

  Aside from the front door, there were two windows through which I could gain access to his apartment. One was by the front door and the other in the alley. I flicked my gaze at my fellow agents who were watching that front door, then I looked at the brick wall that led to the window and veranda that I would have to get to and scowled. My fingers were still red and sore from climbing last night, but if there were operatives watching the place, this was definitely my only way in. The dark night would help camouflage me. I snuck over to the narrow alley and rolled the too-big pants several times at my waist and used elastics from my go bag to control the hems. I dug my fingers in, and after wincing and stifling a cry, I climbed. At the top I sat on the veranda and shook my hands a bit, closing my eyes and wishing the pain away. I tied a rope to the metal veranda for our escape. At least, I hoped we would be leaving together. Then I freed the screen and window from its housing, glad I’d oiled it the other day. I set the screen inside on the floor without hearing Kamal stir. Apartment life had apparently taught him to sleep soundly.

  A faint scent of spices hit me as I wove my way through the easels, without the aid of any light and without disturbing any of them. I was more than thankful he hadn’t moved anything since the last time I’d been in the apartment as I crept up next to his bed and stood over a sleeping Kamal. His breathing was even and shallow. I grabbed him into a fierce embrace, using his sheet to wrap him up like a burrito, so tight that his arms and legs were useless. Sitting on his stomach, I whispered in his ear.

  “It’s Eva. I’m not here to hurt you, but others are coming to do just that. I am whispering because they are listening and if they knew I was here, they’d break in and take you. I am an undercover agent, and I bring down the bad guys. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. I can’t answer your questions here, but I have a way out for us through your window. If you struggle or signal the people outside, I will not be able to help you. They know about Marni and are going to use her against you. If you are ready to trust me, wiggle.”

  He did, and I slowly released my hand and whispered, “Not a sound.”

  Much to his credit, he remained silent. I don’t know that I would have been so trusting had the same thing happened to me. I released the sheets and helped him stand. I had him stand with his back to my chest, and I walked him through the maze of easels without bumping anything. One thing I knew for sure, people were not truly aware of the surroundings they were in each day. They tended to stop noticing things and would not remember where things were without sight. His heart pounded hard.

  I shimmied down the rope and had to trust that he would follow. A part of me was surprised at his compliance. After the knife incid
ent, I’d thought he would at least try to fight. We stayed close to the building and after jumping a fence to a neighboring yard, we headed out behind the apartment building. He followed me in silence to a park where we could talk in private.

  We straddled table benches, facing each other. I checked my watch. Four a.m. In about an hour, dawn would hit and we would lose the cover of darkness. I had to hurry. As quickly as I could, I explained everything—the stolen drive, my place as an undercover agent on his crew, and how I’d been watching him from the beginning.

  His eyes went wide when he heard that news, and I could tell it pissed him off royally, but he stayed still as his body tensed.

  “There were…unforeseen circumstances, and I wasn’t able to get the drive before you delivered it to Marco. My director took over, and now she’s doing things her way.” I took a deep breath before telling him, “They found your girl. They’re planning to use her against you to get you to give up Marco.”

  His leg bounced and a twitch developed over his left eye as he clamped his jaw tight. He was trying to stay in control.

  “I’m here to get you to help me get the drive from Marco without involving my boss and your fiancé.”

  Air burst out of his nose, and his posture became stiffer.

  “I know how important this job is to you and why you need the money. I’m not asking you to help me for nothing. The man who was giving us the information on that drive was going to be paid for it. I will see that you get that money instead. You will be able to get Marni well and live comfortably while you build up your art clientele.”

  His shoulders rounded slightly, but his eyes were narrow and his brow furrowed.

  I waited. And waited. I was right on the edge of nudging him to speak, when he did.

  “You mean to tell me that your boss has my girl. You mean here—away from her caregivers—the people who are keeping her alive until her surgery?”

  I nodded.

  He spoke through his teeth, the veins in his neck protruding. “She wasn’t to be moved for her own safety.” His Arabic accent seeped heavily into his French.

  “I had nothing to do with it, but I’m sure they took every precaution possible and that she is safe and comfortable. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to use her as a bargaining chip.”

  His eyes seemed to pounce on me. “Have you seen her?” Pain was etched in his face, his posture, his voice.

  “No, when they told me they had her, I came straight here. I wanted to get to you first.”

  “Why? Why? I never did you any favors.”

  “You were kind to me when others weren’t, and you tried to help me stay safe. And even though I disagree with you choosing to become a pickpocket, I sympathize with your motives.”

  He cocked his head to the side.

  “It’s awfully romantic.” I gave him a slight smile.

  He shook his head.

  “Besides, I knew you’d flip a lid when you heard about Marni, and they’d have a heck of a time getting any help from you, since you don’t know or trust them. I thought my best chance was to come to you directly. Was I wrong?”

  “No. You did the right thing. I’ll help you. But you have to guarantee that Marni and I will get that money and be able to disappear.”

  “I guarantee it, but we need to move fast. They may have discovered my absence and have guessed at what I intended to do. We need to stay one step ahead of them.”

  He was looking at his hands sitting in his lap.

  I took a chance and put my hand on his. “Let’s end this.”

  Chapter 20

  Kamal nodded and looked me in the eye. “What do we do?”

  “When did you get Marco the drives?”

  “Yesterday, around six.”

  “Why didn’t you do it in the morning like you planned?”

  “He got held up at the airport.” He shrugged like it was nothing.

  “What does he do once he gets the drives?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You told me he tests them, runs some kind of a program on them…” I tried to make him think.

  “Yes. He does.”

  “Where does he do this?” I couldn’t understand why the signal from the drives had gone dead.

  “I’m not sure, but maybe at his apartment near Versaille…” He looked off into the trees. “One time I gave him some drives and after he took off, I discovered he left one behind. I followed him, and he stopped at an apartment that I think is his. I don’t know for sure, but we could try there.”

  “Good. We’ll go forward with that information. If we discover the drives aren’t there, we’ll have to improvise with whatever we find.”

  “If anything happens to Marni, I don’t know what I’ll do, but it won’t be good for you or your gang of agents.” His body shook as he spoke.

  I believed him. I’d ensure that nothing happened. I hotwired a small green Peugeot, and Kamal climbed in the passenger’s side, giving me directions as we drove to what he believed was Marco’s home. I called Halluis, hoping against hope that he’d recovered enough to give me some electronic support, but he didn’t pick up. He was probably still recovering in the hospital. Instead, I called Markay.

  “Hello? Christy?” It was almost four thirty a.m., but surprisingly, his voice was not thick or groggy.

  “Yes. It’s me.”

  He started to speak before I could say anything else. “Tell everyone that I am working hard to get the tracker on the drive to give us the information we need. I’ve achieved a one-one-hundredth of a second pulse. From that information, I have narrowed the possible target area to five kilometers—down from the fifty we had only fifteen minutes ago. I should have it narrowed even further in the next ten.”

  Apparently, Markay had assumed I was back in Siron’s good graces. And there was still a live tracked drive? I thought they were all dead. “I’ll tell everyone, Markay.” It wasn’t really a lie. I did plan to tell the team—after I had the drive back. “Siron wants to know if you could tell us which direction from the hospital we should send the advanced team.”

  “Ah, yes. Direction. Versaille, perhaps rue de la Convention. That is smack dab in the middle of the pulse area. It would be a great place to set up an advance team. Yes.” Kamal had me heading in that very direction. Maybe he was on to something.

  “Thank you, Markay, and when you get the information in ten, just call me. I’ll be directing everyone.” It calmed me to know that Markay was on the tracker problem.

  “I will. And I should have that information in eight now.”

  “Excellent.”

  A soft coolness fell over me thinking about seeing Jeremy after I had completed the mission. I wanted that. What I didn’t want was to get fired. I had to complete this mission and make it impossible for Division to fire me. Which they easily could do for insubordination.

  I turned onto rue Lecourbe, the anticipation growing as Kamal told me to turn onto Convention. He pointed the apartment out to me as we passed it, and I got a call from Markay.

  “Christy?”

  “Yes, Markay,” I said, trying to keep my calm.

  “I narrowed it down to a half km stretch when the signal went dead.”

  “What are you saying, Markay?”

  “Whoever has that drive finally discovered Ace’s plastic tech for real this time. There’s no longer a glitch in the programming. It is dead now.”

  So, they discovered the tracking program wasn’t executing the search for the tracker earlier. That’s why Siron thought they were dead. “Wow! They are too good. Have you seen Halluis? Or is he still at the hospital?”

  “Yes. I see him at his computer. He got here a few minutes ago. Would you like me to tell him to call you?”

  “No. No,” I sputtered out, not wanting to alert Siron if she was anywhere near, that I was talking to anyone at Division. “It’s fine. I just wanted to know if he was okay.”

  “All right. And one more thing. The way the signal disap
peared leaves me to believe it was being worked on right that moment.”

  A car sped out of the drive of the apartment we were about to enter. Kamal jerked.

  “That’s him. That’s Marco.”

  “Thanks, Markay.” I hung up.

  My stomach got all fluttery, and adrenaline coursed through me. I followed the car, figuring he must have the drive with him. He drove across town to the Eiffel Tower area and threw something in a restaurant dumpster as we passed. We stopped, and I jumped into the dumpster with my flashlight to add extra light. I shoved big bags to the side and shuffled papers and miscellaneous trash around the bin in an organized fashion until I finally uncovered two drives—the ones Ace had made. I searched further. There was no sign of any other drives being tossed. Our tracking link to Marco was gone.

  A hard rock seemed to take up residence in my gut. I hopped out of the bin, discarding the drives, ignoring the grime I was now coated with, and jumped into the car with Kamal.

  “Which way did he go?” He pointed, and I sped off in that direction. I checked the clock on the car console. It had taken me seven minutes to search the trash bin. He had a seven minute head start on us. He’d been driving pretty fast. He could have gone seven kilometers in any direction. He probably wanted distance between himself and the tracked drives. The most logical route would be to drive on the straightest path, so I stayed on rue Saint-Dominique, curving around the Army Museum. I’d miscalculated. He wasn’t just trying to put distance between himself and the drives, because we caught up to him right before he turned onto rue de Bourgogne, a mere three kilometers from the tower. Perhaps he had a second apartment where he also checked the drives out. However, when he turned on Varenne, my heart almost stopped.

  It couldn’t be. He must have lost his mind. That or he must have no clue that we were following him. Perhaps he wasn’t headed where I’d thought. He could have a home near the Hôtel Matignon, which was nothing like a hotel, but instead was the residence of none other than the Prime Minister of France. He could, but the chill running over my bones told me differently.