Shattered Duty

by Katie Reus

  Chapter 15

  Burn phone: prepaid disposable phone.

  Selene blinked in surprise as her hood was whipped off. After sharing a drink with Tasev, she and Levi had been escorted from the property in the same fashion they’d been taken. The second time being hooded was easier, partially because the meeting had gone so well and all she could focus on now was taking Tasev down.

  “You’re sure this is where you want to go?” the scarred man asked as he pulled up to one of the drop-off terminals at Miami International Airport.

  Levi had told the man where to take them and though the man named Grisha had given them a surprised look, he hadn’t questioned them until now. Levi just grunted and opened the door. They’d still had four guards in the SUV with them but the atmosphere had been more relaxed compared to the drive to Tasev’s place.

  Selene wasn’t stupid enough to think that more men hadn’t followed. Tasev was sure to attempt to track them. Which was why they’d come to the airport. Unfortunately this airport didn’t have storage lockers so one of her teammates had stashed a bag of clothes and burner phones for them in one of the public bathrooms.

  Selene moved out after Levi, not bothering to glance back at the SUV as they made their way to the sliding glass doors. It was late enough that it wasn’t rush hour, but this airport always had a steady stream of activity. They planned to use that to their full advantage.

  A cool rush of the air conditioner rolled over them as they entered near a Delta check-in area. Knowing exactly where they were, Selene started to calculate how long it would take them to make it to the designated bathroom, which was roughly four terminal entrances away. Not too bad.

  Levi took her hand in his, threading his fingers through hers, and tugged her in another direction. “This way,” he murmured.

  “Our stuff is the other way.” Something he had to know. She’d seen him poring over the layout to the airport earlier. Just like her, he didn’t like to leave anything to chance.

  “We’re not using it.” He scanned their surroundings as they casually strode around a group of tourists with matching yellow shirts.

  “Why not?” Everything they needed would be in their stash bag; clothes, phones, and even keys to a car Wesley had left for them in one of the parking lots.

  Levi didn’t respond, just continued walking. They passed a Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and a sushi bar before he guided them into a big store with books and touristy crap. “Grab generic-colored T-shirts for us, flat shoes for you, and a travel or tote bag,” he said before heading to a section of travel books, prepaid calling cards, and throwaway phones.

  She knew what he was doing and didn’t blame him. He didn’t want clothes or phones from the NSA because she had no doubt Wesley had tagged some of the belongings in the stash bag. But that didn’t explain what he planned to use for transportation.

  Selene didn’t question him though because there was no point. Hurrying to a rack of clothes, she grabbed a sage green T-shirt with a picture of Florida on it since it was the least ugly out of the pathetic selection. At least the men’s clothing section was somewhat better. She found a plain black T-shirt with a small logo of Florida on the pocket for him. The shoe selection was the worst of all but she settled on a pair of dark blue Ked-style sneakers—for fifty freaking dollars—because they were the only ones dark enough to semi-blend in with her pants. She didn’t need anything that would make her stand out worse than the shirt and if they had to run from anyone, doing it in her stilettos wasn’t the best plan. She also grabbed a wire-bound notepad with Mickey Mouse on the front. Levi might think it was weird but she planned to use this as soon as she could. With her eidetic memory she could recall pretty much anything, but all those math symbols from Dr. Schmidt’s dry-erase board could get jumbled if she didn’t get them down on paper soon. Sure she’d have everything transferred but it might be in the wrong order. Since she was pretty sure that was the antitoxin he’d been working on, she needed to get this to Wesley as soon as possible.

  She met Levi at the checkout counter with a blue-and-white-striped tote bag. He had two plain black ball caps and four burner phones. Wordlessly he bought everything with cash.

  Pausing at the exit of the store, he reached out and cupped her cheek, gently stroking his thumb over her skin. A shiver rolled through her even though the timing was stupid. “The one named Grisha is at ten o’clock, outside the Armani store sitting on a bench.”

  “I see another one at two o’clock by a sunglasses kiosk.” And there would be more they didn’t see.

  Levi nodded, as if this was expected—because it was. It would actually be pathetic if Tasev didn’t try to have them tailed. “I’m going to head west, you head east. Pick a populated bathroom and change,” he said as he slipped one of the phones in her tote bag. “Ditch what you can, then wait five minutes before exiting. Try to leave with a crowd of people. Then head to the third level of the south garage.”

  She’d memorized the layout of the MIA so she knew how long it would take her to get there if there were no snags. And she expected to be followed. They’d have to lose their tails in the heart of Miami somewhere. Selene started to nod but was suddenly struck with the realization that Levi could ditch her.

  Hell, he had no reason to stay with her if he’d memorized the drive to Tasev’s place. If he had, he could easily get back there himself and take out Tasev. Before she could voice anything, Levi grabbed her hand in his and headed west, taking her with him. “New plan.”

  “Why? What’s happened?” A shot of adrenaline surged through her. Had he seen more of Tasev’s men?

  “I can see you think I’m going to cut and run so we’re going to find a ride together.” He sounded annoyed but his grip on her hand simply tightened.

  “I didn’t—”

  “Yes, you did. Don’t fucking lie to me,” he snapped, cutting her a sharp look.

  She kept her mouth closed because he was right. Instead of stopping in one of the bathrooms they got on a shuttle and headed to the north parking garage. The south garage would be a better place to escape from because the exit would quickly take them to a main highway where they could blend into traffic.

  At the north garage main floor, Levi nodded toward one of the stairwell doors instead of the elevators. Once inside, he stripped off his jacket.

  She looked around for cameras but didn’t see any. Not that it seemed to matter to Levi because he was already moving into action.

  “Change,” he ordered, moving with a beautiful liquid grace as he pulled the plain T-shirt on over that deliciously muscular body.

  Forcing herself into action she quickly changed into the T-shirt and sneakers and shoved her other clothing in the tote bag. She took the ball cap from Levi and pulled her tightly wound bun through it.

  “We’ll head to the third level and find a vehicle to steal. They’ve probably got a tail waiting for us at the exit but we’ll just lose them on the streets,” he said, grabbing the bag from her and moving for the stairs.

  “Works for me.”

  Silently they raced up the flights of stairs, both pausing at the third-floor door before Levi eased it open to scan for anyone. Once he nodded that it was all clear they hurried out into the garage. Still no sign of a tail.

  Levi pointed that he was headed left and she should go right. That panicky feeling welled up inside her as she worried he’d ditch her, but she ruthlessly shoved it back. If he wanted to leave, he would and there was little she could do about it unless she planned on shooting him. Not that she had a weapon handy—and she’d never actually shoot him.

  He seemed to sense her train of thought because he cursed before crushing his mouth over hers in a hungry, intense, and far too short kiss before he raced away, moving like a lethal panther.

  She barely had time to catch her breath after that kiss. Even though she could taste and feel him lingering on her lips, she ignored it and briskly walked toward the nearest row of vehicles. The rows in the parking garage st
retched farther than she could see so she figured starting close was smart.

  After passing up a dozen newer-model cars she found an old Pontiac that had to be from the eighties. Since she didn’t have anything useful to pop the locks, she leaned back against the nearest car for support and lifted a leg, ready to kick out the passenger window. It would be noisy but that couldn’t be helped. As she started to haul back and attempt to fracture the glass enough that she could break it out in pieces, an engine rumbled loudly nearby.

  Ducking down to hide, she heard her name being called. Popping back up, she saw Levi behind the wheel of a souped-up black Mustang. Either a ’67 or ’68.

  A sharp bolt of relief rolled through her that he hadn’t left her. Rolling her eyes at the type of vehicle, she raced from her hiding spot and slid into the passenger seat. “Seriously? A muscle car?”

  He laughed low, the wicked sound making her nipples tighten against her will. She was in so much trouble where this man was concerned. “We’ll trade it out as soon as we lose them, but for now this is the best option because it’s fast, durable, and there are no airbags.”

  “Only car old enough to steal?”

  His lips quirked up at the corners. “Yeah. Fucking hate those newer models.”

  The newer the vehicle, the harder it tended to be to take unless you had the right equipment. And it wasn’t like she ran around with a car thief kit twenty-four/seven. Though maybe she should start.

  As they wound down the garage, heading for the main level, Levi shot her a sideways look. “You seriously thought I’d ditch you?”

  She shrugged and glanced around, looking for a possible tail even though she knew the likelihood of that was slim. Tasev’s men would be waiting to follow them as soon as they exited the garage. It made the most sense. “It’s not that crazy.”

  He was silent but she could feel the anger pulsing off him every second that passed, as if it was a live thing and she knew this conversation wasn’t over. Just on hold. Ignoring him, she pulled the notepad from the tote bag and breathed a sigh of relief when she found a pen in the glove compartment.

  “Can you watch for the tails alone or do you need more eyes?” she asked as she flipped it open to the first page. Heart racing, she started writing down everything she remembered. Some of the symbols made no sense to her, but she knew they would to someone.

  “Yeah . . . holy shit, you remember all that.” It was more of a statement than a question as he flicked a look at the pad.

  “I basically have an eidetic memory,” she muttered, trying to tune him out even though that was pretty much impossible. By just being in the same room, the man was a huge distraction.

  He let out a low whistle but didn’t say anything as she worked. After he paid the parking attendant and they exited, Levi straightened next to her, his entire body becoming rigid and controlled as he maneuvered onto the airport road that would take them to the highway.

  “How many are there?” she asked, her pen still flying over the pad.

  “Three.”

  Damn, Tasev wasn’t messing around. She trusted Levi enough to get them out of there so she focused on her task. Levi was using some serious evasive driving skills, making random turns and gunning it at yellow lights. She didn’t bother trying to pay attention to where he was taking them or memorize their path. She couldn’t let anything distract her from her own task.

  Fifteen minutes later she finished all she’d seen in that lab—which unfortunately wasn’t everything since there had been more writing on the back of the board—and fished out one of the new throwaway phones.

  It took a few minutes to activate it but once she did she took multiple pictures and sent them all to one of Wesley’s private cell numbers with a message telling him what it was and that she’d check in soon. She wouldn’t call him until she had a secure line. As soon as all the pictures went through, she deleted them from the phone. She’d save the notebook for Wesley too but she wanted him to have the information as soon as possible.

  She grasped the side of the door when Levi suddenly took a sharp turn. “We’re down to one,” he said. “Grab all our stuff.”

  Shoving the notebook into the waistband of her pants, she unstrapped her seat belt and held the tote bag in her lap. Bright neon lights and the wild flashes of color from the Miami nightlife were a blur as they cruised down Ocean Boulevard. She wasn’t sure what Levi’s plan was but she trusted him whatever it was.

  So far he’d been straightforward and competent. And he’d changed his original plan when he’d realized she thought he’d leave her. Selene didn’t know how to feel about that. It could be another calculated way to gain her trust, but she didn’t know what the point would be. Of course there was a chance she was missing something . . . that he had another angle she didn’t know about.

  As he took another turn down a quiet side street with no parking allowed, she was surprised when he jerked to a halt and parked. “Come on,” he snapped as he pulled his door open and jumped out.

  She was right with him. He tossed the keys into a storm drain as she fell in step. They weren’t running, but when headlights flashed behind them they picked up their pace into a jog. Thankfully there was no one on the street. “What’s the plan?” It wasn’t as if they were in a race for their lives. Tasev wouldn’t have let them go if he’d wanted them dead so she knew the men following them would give up eventually.

  “Metrorail’s right around the corner. I don’t feel like driving around all night humoring these fuckers,” he muttered.

  “I don’t have any small bills with me.” As far as she knew the Metrorail took only ones or fives. “We can use the Metromover instead.” It was free to everyone.

  “I’ve got an EASY pass for both of us.”

  Though she was surprised, Selene didn’t say anything. Sure enough, when they reached the end of the street a Metrorail stop was across the intersection. Thank God.

  There was no guarantee that one of Tasev’s men wouldn’t somehow follow them on the Metrorail but it was doubtful. And she had no doubt she and Levi could lose them anyway. It was just tedious and wasted valuable time.

  Once they were on the transit system, she and Levi found two empty seats in the car. Instead of sitting immediately they both stood, scanning all passengers for anyone who looked out of place. As the doors closed they sat, with Levi wrapping his arm around her shoulders. The action took her by surprise, but she leaned into him, soaking up the feel of his strength.

  “I can’t believe you have EASY passes.”

  “I’m always prepared,” he murmured against the top of her head. “And I can’t believe you thought I’d fucking ditch you.” He spoke low so no one around them could hear.

  The car wasn’t that crowded anyway and they had three seats in between them and anyone else.

  She tried to pull back so she could look at him, but he held her tight, his body rigid with an unspoken tension. Oh yeah, he was pissed. Sighing, she laid her head on his shoulder. “Can you blame me?”

  He didn’t respond, only speaking a few moments later when a pregnant Hispanic woman with a toddler in tow approached them and asked if the seats next to them were taken.

  “So, Spanish and Russian,” she murmured. “What other languages do you speak?” She could tell that he’d understood that asshole back at Tasev’s. It was stupid of the men to have spoken in Russian not knowing if they understood it but maybe it had been a test. Who knew?

  “Don’t act like you don’t know,” he said quietly.

  She cringed at the edge to his voice as she was reminded that she had an advantage by knowing more about him than he did about her. It would definitely annoy him. “I know what your file says but that doesn’t mean it has everything pertinent.”

  “You first.”

  “Russian, Czech, Spanish, Italian, German, a little Norwegian—which means I can also speak passable Danish and Swedish.” With her memory she simply had an affinity for languages. Plus, so many of them had
the same roots it was easier to pick up say, Italian, once she’d learned Spanish.

  “Show-off,” he muttered, a trace of humor in his voice. “So you speak Spanish too?”

  “Yeah. Where’d you learn yours from?” His file hadn’t said if it had been school.

  “My grandparents on both sides emigrated from Spain and my parents made sure I learned the language.”

  “European Spanish?”

  “Castilian.”

  “Ah. Is that how you picked up Arabic so quickly? Your file said you were a quick study.”

  He chuckled softly. “Yeah . . . That thing you did with the equations, did you pay attention to our route when we were driving?” She noticed he was careful not to mention that they’d been hooded or to say anything else to draw attention to them.

  “Yes. When we stop again I’m going to write it all down and compare it with a map of the city, see if I can cross-reference our pacing.”

  “Good. I kept track too so we should be able to narrow down the location.”

  She stiffened slightly. So he didn’t know where Tasev’s place was. He still needed her. It was why he hadn’t ditched her.

  Leaning close again, his breath was hot against her ear. “You and I are going to have to talk about your trust issues.”

  Selene didn’t respond because there was nothing to say. Besides, she didn’t want to talk with Levi. And wasn’t that the problem. She wanted to do things that didn’t involve any talking. Well, maybe it did if you counted dirty talk.

  No. Focus.

  Sighing, she closed her eyes and replayed everything in her head that she remembered from the drive to Tasev’s place. Sometimes the practice helped her to drag up something saved in her memory bank that she might have missed otherwise. She might have an eidetic memory but her memory certainly wasn’t perfect. And Levi played hell on her concentration at the best of times.

  Chapter 16

  Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV): aka drone, an aircraft without a human pilot physically aboard. Controlled by computers or a pilot at another location.