“No one. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Carolyn’s eyes searched the corners of the room again before resuming her smooth tone. “I came back to retrieve those blackmail photos—and I heard it all. I know someone must be listening. Does that mean you tricked me into talking about what happened?”
Richard didn’t respond. He glared at the floor.
“Would you do that to me, Richard?”
He tipped his empty glass to his mouth, still ignoring her.
When she spoke again, her honeyed voice was replaced by the sound of wrath. “You listen to me. I will ruin you. I will go downstairs and tell your guests all your sordid secrets. And I know about a lot more than just the gambling.” She poked her finger into his chest as she spoke. “Is. There. Someone. Listening.”
Richard looked briefly up at her, a defeated look on his unfocused face. His only response was an almost imperceptible nod. He returned his focus to the carpet.
Carolyn’s breathing became audible as she glared at Richard in fury. We gaped at the screen. Before we could react, she called out to her security detail waiting in the hallway. They burst into the study.
“Search this house, it’s bugged,” she ordered. “Someone here is trying to set me up.”
Twenty-Nine
I turned to Sloan in panic, heart racing. I saw a glimpse of the same alarm in her face before she quickly recovered. “Don’t worry, the door is locked,” she whispered.
A moment later we heard the door handle rattle vigorously, then stop. I felt my shoulders sag in relief when the hallway went quiet again.
BAM! The door flew open and banged loudly against the wall, a black combat boot propelling it. The attached body of the lead bodyguard continued into the room and quickly assessed the situation with wild eyes.
Before I could react with anything other than terror, he slammed the laptop shut in front of me and yanked it away. He studied us momentarily. Then I heard his voice for the first time as he called out to his other men.
“Bring them in.”
I looked quickly at Sloan. Her eyes looked as wide as mine, and I was not reassured this time.
Two bodyguards stepped in from behind and approached. I was too terrified to resist when one grabbed my arm. As they led us down the hallway, it occurred to me that there was a party full of guests downstairs. I could just scream for help.
Sloan seemed to read my mind before I could act. “Just do as they say.” She gave me an earnest look. I decided to trust her judgement, despite my reservations.
As we entered the study, I heard the lead bodyguard on the stairs, telling guests at the bottom not to worry, that there was just a little mishap upstairs. A moment later he entered the room behind us carrying the seized laptop. He closed the study door, standing guard.
“You,” Carolyn spat when she saw me. “What do you have to do with this?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I was frozen.
She pounced again. “What is this, corporate espionage? Who are you working for?”
I still hadn’t quite found my words when Sloan spoke up. “No, Richard here hired us, believe it or not.”
Carolyn turned her glare on Sloan. To my amazement, Sloan had already regained her cool.
“Well, he hired me, anyway,” she continued. “But his devious plans kind of backfired on him, and here we are.”
Carolyn’s head whipped to face Richard. “What is going on? Who are these people, and why do you have them here?”
He continued to stare at the floor, sullen. He took another gulp of his drink, swaying a little as he did.
Once again Sloan took the lead. “I can clear a few things up, since he seems a little indisposed at the moment.”
Carolyn turned back to appraise Sloan. I would have withered under her icy gaze.
Sloan gazed back confidently. “We’re here to get to the truth of what happened to your husband. If it really had been an accident, no problem. We would’ve gone on our way. But you were kind enough to explain what really happened.”
Standing in the room full of hired muscle, I was baffled by Sloan’s fearlessness. I had trusted she would make up a story. Instead she seemed to be making it worse. Hope she knows what she’s doing.
She continued. “It may not have been your idea, but you went along with it. Even if it’s not murder, that’s gotta be worth at least a conspiracy charge.”
Carolyn glared back. “And you have a tape of our conversation?”
“Actually, we do. But I’m guessing if you cooperate and help bring in the thug who did do it, they’ll go easy on you.”
“You two aren’t cops.”.
“Nope,” Sloan responded. “Just interested parties.”
The woman paused, considering. Then her face hardened in determination as she looked at us. “Then there’s nothing you can do, really.” She reached to her purse beside her on the desk. Before I could process what she was doing, she pulled out a small silver pistol.
She pointed it coldly at Sloan.
Everyone tensed in surprise. The lead bodyguard moved forward a fraction.
“Hold up,” he said, holding his hands in the air. “Easy now. What are you doing with that?”
“Just getting this under control.” Carolyn’s eyes were locked on Sloan. “Give me the laptop.”
The man complied, slowly placing it on the desk next to her. He stayed close, watching intently.
Carolyn lifted the computer screen with her free hand, then grabbed Richard’s open bottle of scotch from the desktop and poured the remaining contents onto the keyboard. Was all of this for nothing? But we had bigger problems, with a gun pointed at Sloan and a room full of presumably armed men of unknown persuasion.
The bodyguard spoke calmly. “You have the laptop. So why don’t you put the gun down and let us handle it from here?”
She sneered at his request. “And exactly how are you going to handle it? They can still talk, even without the recording.”
“That’s true, that’s true. But I’m sure we can work something out.”
She was breathing heavily, clearly unsure what to do next. Her eyes looked wildly between the occupants of the room. I glanced at Sloan. She was glaring fiercely at the woman pointing a gun at her.
Carolyn returned Sloan’s gaze and her resolve seemed to return. She directed her voice to the side. “Your contract indicated that you handle sensitive problems discreetly.”
The bodyguard shifted closer. “Yes, that’s right.”
She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at Sloan before she spoke again. “So do you make problems go away?”
Everyone paused while her words hung in the air. Her meaning was clear. My stomach dropped. Surely the security guards won’t go along with her.
“Not officially,” the bodyguard replied carefully, inching closer. “But why don’t we go talk in private, see what we can work out. My guys can handle this for now.”
I was starting to feel lightheaded from my racing pulse. I needed to think of something, and quickly. I thought back to my lessons in deception so far. When in doubt, bluff. I had no idea how to apply that at the moment.
Vaguely I heard a buzz from beside me. Sloan’s phone was vibrating. Suddenly I had an idea, and before I could stop to fully consider it, I heard my voice ring out.
“I think you’ll want her to get that.”
Sloan gave me a fleeting look of confusion before pulling out the buzzing phone. The screen read ‘Lucas’. That’ll work.
“The video was automatically uploaded to our boss every few seconds.” I was making it up on the fly. “He already has it. If he can’t reach us, he’ll send the recording straight to the police.”
Unfortunately, I didn’t exactly have a plan beyond this point. Just a vague hope that Sloan could get a coded message to Lucas, and maybe buy us some time.
The phone continued to vibrate. The woman began to look panicked as we all stared, waiting.
“Answer it,” Carolyn finally ordered. She shot Sloan a disturbing forced smile. “Tell him everything’s just fine, and maybe we can all work out a deal.”
Sloan smirked smugly in return. “Okay.” She punched the answer button on the phone. “Hey Lucas.” She stared directly at Carolyn. “Yeah, send the police. Now.”
No!
Carolyn’s face contorted with rage. I watched in slow motion as she lifted the gun higher and pulled the trigger, mere feet from Sloan’s chest.
I was instantly disoriented by the blast, my ringing ears blurring my perception. The lead bodyguard immediately tackled Carolyn to the ground. The gun bounced quietly across the carpet. The other two men rushed past me to help.
I finally recovered my bearings enough to turn and check on my friend. Sloan lifted her eyes from the skirmish and grinned. She was still standing next to me, seemingly unharmed. No blood, no bullet holes. I was baffled but relieved beyond belief.
“How?” It was all I could manage at that point.
“It was a blank.” Sloan’s smile turned apologetic. “Sorry we had to scare you.”
An hour later, I was finally released from questioning by the police. We had all been separated to give our individual accounts of the situation. I explained everything I knew—which was clearly not the whole story. The officer interrogating me was not inclined fill me in. I went in search of Sloan to get the rest of the story, relief and confusion battling inside.
I found her down the hall, back in the study. I subconsciously still expected to find crime scene tape and a chalk outline. But no violence had occurred here.
Sloan gave me a sympathetic smile when she saw me. “There’s someone I need to introduce you to. Quinn, meet Hudson.” She gestured at the lead security guard next to her. “My business partner.”
My eyes widened as the man stepped forward. His smile was kind as he shook my hand with an arm that looked beyond lethal.
“Nice to finally meet you,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“And yet I’ve heard nothing about you.” I flashed Sloan a confused look.
She looked sheepish in return. “He runs our security consulting division. Please don’t be mad at me. If it helps, you played your part perfectly. You couldn’t have set up the ending any better if you tried.”
“My part?” The initial shock was beginning to morph into annoyance. Clearly I had been used in some way. “Which was what, exactly?”
“Just to be scared, that’s all,” Sloan said calmly. “I couldn’t fill you in on the fact that the security team was on our side. I didn’t know just how good of an actress you were yet. I’m not sure you know yourself. So I was trying to make it easier on you—by making it harder, if that makes any sense.”
Sloan and her surprises. I guessed it did make sense, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. I would have to think this deception through later. “So this was all planned? Making me think we were going to be shot?”
Sloan shook her head. “All we planned was recording the confession. But since we weren’t sure who we were dealing with, making sure she hired our security team to keep on eye on things seemed like the smart thing to do. Which was definitely helpful when Carolyn decided to begin carrying a weapon.”
I looked at Hudson. “So you, what, switched out the bullets in the gun?”
He smiled. “Swapped her entire box for blanks. And double checked it every move we made. She never had any real power.”
“Which is why you had no problem provoking her,” I said to Sloan.
She shrugged. “Might as well push her and see what happens. Now we know what she’s really capable of.”
With the adrenaline wearing off, attempting to contemplate the dangerous situation we had been a part of only made my head swim.
“It’s a lot to process, I know,” Sloan said. “But I feel good about taking someone like that off the streets. And you were brave, stepping in like that. It would’ve been a good move. You’re quick on your feet when it counts. I hope our little ruse doesn’t turn you off this business for good.”
I knew I shouldn’t make any sweeping declarations in that moment. But with the way I was feeling in the aftermath, I had doubts about my participation in such activities in the future. I was angry at the deception, relieved at the lack of dying, and overjoyed by the sleuthing success. I had helped bring in a conspirator that had the potential to be a dangerous criminal. And I was emotionally exhausted. All I wanted to ponder at the moment was a glass of wine and a long, hot bath.
Sloan seemed to read my mind. She threw her arm around my shoulders and began to lead me out of the house. The few police remaining nodded their appreciation as we exited.
“I’ve got a giant bottle of moscato with your name on it. You’ve earned it.”
Thirty
I had only one day to recover before the next big event. Presentation day. The competition for the opening move of my career. Sloan had tried to convince me it was the perfect opportunity. Roll out my intel and take Grant down on the spot. But at some point in the process of facing down another quasi-evil manipulator at what I thought was real gunpoint, I had decided I would have to do it my way.
I had taken her advice in another area, though. And it showed on Grant’s face as soon as I walked into the office.
“What the—?” He looked me over with widened eyes. After lingering on my skinny heels, he straightened and swapped his shocked face for a saccharine smile. “Aren’t you cute, with your big-girl outfit. You almost look like a grown-up professional. I just hope you don’t trip and fall in those shoes, bless your heart.”
I did have to admit, the shoes were impractical for everyday wear. But it wasn’t every day I was going to kick his slimy, lying ass. I ignored his futile jab and turned to the back wall mirror, where we normally checked our teeth before seeing patients after lunch. Today I used it to appraise my new look, as he pretended not to watch.
This time wasn’t Sloan’s handiwork. It was all mine. But I thought she would be proud. My new sleek black suit was stylish and perfectly fitted. Between the high heels and hems tailored to just a hair above the floor, I looked and felt taller than I ever had before. But the coup de grȃce was my face. After I mimicked Sloan’s makeup procedures, with some adjustments for workplace modesty, the aqua top peeking out of my suit made my blue eyes absolutely pop. Of course, some of the vividness probably came from the extra sparkle of seeing my co-worker’s discomfort.
I smoothed a section of my shiny, newly-layered hair and turned back to Grant. “I’ll be fine. I’d worry about myself, if I were you.”
He stood and moved closer. His gaze was annoyed but wary, as if trying to figure me out anew. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
I gave him a direct look in return. “It means I know who you really are.”
A shadow passed his eyes momentarily, but he said nothing.
“Don’t worry, it’s not my secret to tell. But these things always have a way of coming out eventually. So you might decide to be a little nicer to the people around you in the meantime. But I guess, until then—best of luck. We better get in there.”
I grabbed my things and strolled down the hall, leaving Grant alone in the office to process my words. My future awaited, and it was no longer going to include worrying about my hypercritical coworker or trying to blend in with the background. I waltzed into the conference room with newfound confidence. And received just the reaction I had been hoping for.
I like to think I looked peaceful—Zen-like, even—the moment my ankle wrenched sideways and left me sprawled across the ground.
No, thankfully, it was not during my big presentation. I had successfully made it out alive and was a bit lost in my thoughts, too busy thinking about the results of the meeting to notice the giant crack in the sidewalk behind the downtown bar that evening. As I lifted my face from the concrete I was mortified I was still such a rookie at heels, but grateful my fall appeared to have been w
ithout witnesses.
“Quinn?”
No way. Please, no way.
I was pretty sure I recognized the male voice behind me.
I pushed myself to a sitting position before looking up to verify. Yep, it was Lucas. Looking delicious in a leather motorcycle jacket.
He rushed forward when our eyes met, all masculine concern. “You okay?”
I looked away, embarrassed. I focused on brushing the gravel from my palms. “I’ll be fine.” My new suit was not so fresh-looking, either. I knocked debris from my pants and jacket.
“You’re a mess.” Lucas held out his hand. “Here, let’s get you up.”
I sucked up whatever dignity I had left to spit out my response. “I’m fine, thanks.” I ignored his hand and scrambled back to my full heel-enhanced height with as much grace as I could muster. I gave a final swipe across the dusty fabric of my jacket before I met his eyes again.
His head tilted a bit as he looked back at me. “You look . . . different.”
“I’m shocked you could notice.” And I was surprised at my own tone. What did I care? I didn’t need to take my embarrassment out on this guy. I quickly changed the subject, averting my eyes again. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I knew you guys were going to be here.” Thankfully, he ignored my snide comment. “I hoped maybe Sloan would be early—I wanted to say goodbye. But I have to get going.”
“Goodbye?” I met his eyes again, hoping mine didn’t betray the subtle stab of disappointment I felt somewhere deep inside.
“For now. Don’t know how long. Have to take care of something.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and regarded me carefully. “Tell her I’m sorry I won’t be around to back her up for a while.”
“Sure, no problem.”
He paused for a moment, his naturally intense gaze turned up a notch. “And I’m sorry I won’t be around to get to know you, either. Dig the look, by the way.”
“Um. Sure, I’ll let her know,” I stammered inanely.
Impulse Spy (Sonic Sleuths Series) Page 17