Devious Minds

by Colleen Helme

  “Uh, guys?” I called. “I think we need to get out of here.” I quickly unplugged the laptop, then searched for a bag, needing something to carry all this stuff.

  “What’s happened?” Ramos asked, coming to my side.

  “The laptop was on, and I just discovered that the little red light at the top was glowing. Does that mean someone was watching me?”

  “Uh... could be.”

  Suzette hurried over with a canvas shopping bag and held it open. “Put everything in here and take it.” I stuffed everything in while she held it open, then clutched it to my chest. Ramos and Suzette pulled their guns out and stood on either side of the doorframe, ready to go out shooting. Ramos glanced my way, thinking that I needed to get behind him and stay down, so I nodded that I understood.

  Once we were all in position, Ramos pulled the door open a crack and glanced into the hallway. Seeing nothing, he crouched down, motioning for us to stay, and headed down the hall toward the stairs. He peeked over the railing, then signaled us to join him.

  I went first, with Suzette following behind, and we started down the stairs. The expectation that someone might jump out to attack us at any moment sent my heart rate into overdrive, especially when the elevator picked that moment to work. We all jerked at the noise, and Ramos glanced over the railing again to see if it was going up or down.

  “Going up,” he said. “Let’s go.” He took off at a quick clip, and I followed as fast as my shaking legs would carry me. The elevator passed us, but I didn’t get a good look at the person inside. Reaching the entryway, Ramos slipped his gun into his waistband and pulled the door open. We stepped onto the sidewalk and glanced up and down the street for anyone who looked suspicious. Down the street a short distance, the Mercedes waited against the curb. Both Ramos and I thought of exploding bombs at the same time and stopped in our tracks.

  Behind us, Suzette noticed our hesitation. “What’s wrong?”

  “Car bombs,” I said.

  She shook her head. “No one followed us. Besides, I have a special alarm. If anyone so much as brushes a finger over my car, the horn starts honking. Do you hear a horn honking? We should be fine.”

  I glanced at Ramos. He was thinking that she was probably right, but thought I should go back inside, just in case. I didn’t know if he was joking or not. As Suzette grabbed her keys to push the button, I ran inside like my life depended on it.

  Of course nothing happened, but before I could push the door back open and join them, someone grabbed me from behind and clamped his hand over my mouth. I struggled, but with his arm around my waist, he pulled me tight against him and began dragging me backwards.

  With my Aikido training, I normally would have been able to wrench out of his grasp, but both of my arms were pinned around Mason’s laptop. Deciding my life wasn’t worth the computer, I dropped the bag. The computer fell out, along with all of the papers, making a slippery mess, but I didn’t care. In desperation, I tried to use my Aikido moves against him.

  Unfortunately, he kept dragging me backward, leaving me off-balance so I couldn’t set my feet to have any success. With my heart racing, I kept struggling and managed to stomp my foot down hard onto his, but it was like hitting a rock. He didn’t even grunt, and still kept pulling me back.

  Ramos chose that moment to open the door, and a gunshot went off from behind me. I screamed, or tried to, afraid he’d been shot. Luckily, Ramos had come in low so it missed him, but that meant he couldn’t shoot back without putting me in danger, and my heart nearly stopped. He needed to find cover!

  Another shot went off, shattering the glass in the door and barely missing him. He ducked down, thinking he needed to rush toward me to close the distance so he wasn’t in the line of fire. Just then, the shooter moved out from behind me and raised his gun. A shot went off, but this time it came from the door where Suzette stood, her gun smoking.

  It hit the shooter, and he cried out, then moved behind us for cover. With a growl, Ramos charged forward. My attacker dropped his hold on me, and shoved me into Ramos, who caught me, but slipped on all of the papers, and fell backwards into Suzette and the staircase.

  Another shot rang out, and Ramos rolled me beneath him. In one smooth motion, he twisted to a knee and turned, firing his gun. As my attackers ran out the back, the bullets barely missed them.

  Suzette staggered to her feet and took off after them. Ramos caught my gaze with a questioning glance. Since nothing hurt, I nodded that I was okay, and he ran off behind her. I decided to stay right where I was and leaned forward to catch my breath. Holy hell. That was close.

  A few doors opened and closed above me, but no one came out to see if anyone was lying there dead. That kind of freaked me out, so I got to my feet and picked up the computer where I’d dropped it. With my legs still shaking, I staggered back to the stairs and sat. I should probably call Gabriel for backup, but right then, I was too shook up to do much of anything.

  The entryway door opened, causing the last piece of glass to fall out and shatter. I cringed, then glanced up and froze. Cypher stood there, a surprised but calculating glimmer in his eyes. I gasped as he stepped toward me. Then scooted backwards until my shoulders hit the wall and there was nowhere left to go.

  I picked up that he hadn’t expected to find me there alone, and wondered if this could possibly get any better. Then he caught sight of the computer on my lap, and a real smile creased his lips.

  “I’ll take that,” he said, nodding toward the computer. “And I’ll let you live if you tell me one thing.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a knife, and flipped it open, fully intending to kill me once I answered.

  “What?”

  “Hand it over first,” he said.

  If I could have bashed him over the head with it, I would have, but with my luck, he’d probably stab me before I got the chance. Wanting to keep as far away from him as possible, I slid the computer to the floor and, with my foot, kicked it toward him. “There. Now... you’d better go. My friends will be back any minute.”

  He bent down and picked it up, keeping his gaze locked on mine the entire time. “Cypher wants to know how you knew about the ventilation system. You’ve set us back with all the police around, but mark my words, you won’t stop us.”

  “How do you plan on releasing the bomb if you can’t get into the system?”

  He frowned. “Not too bright, are you?”

  “What kind of a bomb is it?” I continued. He just shook his head, but that didn’t matter to me. “Still planning on using the metro system as your gateway of choice?”

  “You can’t believe I’d tell you and let you live.”

  “No, I don’t,” I answered. “Since you’re planning to kill me anyway. But I know you’re Cypher, so you can quit pretending around me.”

  His good mood vanished. “I’m not Cypher.”

  “Actually, you’re right. The real Cypher died in Afghanistan. You stole his name.”

  He froze. All kinds of swearing went through his mind. How did I know? He’d been so careful. This couldn’t be happening, but he could tell from my face that I wasn’t bluffing. As much as he wanted to kill me, he couldn’t do it now. Not until he knew how I’d put the pieces together and who had sold him out.

  A door slammed. Voices came from the back entrance, along with the sound of police sirens in the distance. Cypher knew he couldn’t get me out of there in time, but it didn’t bother him too much. “Until we meet again,” he said, then turned and slipped out the door.

  I heaved a huge breath, and tears flooded my eyes. I blinked them away, hardly believing that I was still alive. A few seconds later, Ramos and Suzette came into the foyer.

  “They got away,” Suzette said with disgust, thinking they might have caught them if Ramos hadn’t insisted on coming back for me. It kind of bothered her that I was his first priority. She began picking up the scattered papers. Ramos moved to help her, but glanced my way first, and concern tightened his brow.

/>   “Babe. What’s wrong?” The way I sat there, with my face so pale and drawn, sent sudden fear through him. Had I been shot and hadn’t told him? He rushed to my side, searching for signs of blood.

  “I’m fine... well, not really, but I didn’t get shot. He was here.” I caught Ramos’ jacket, and my fingers clenched the fabric. Hearing this, Suzette hurried over. “Cypher.” I swallowed, then licked my lips so I could continue. “He came in after you guys took off.” Suzette swore in her mind and even stamped her foot a couple of times.

  “He wanted the computer, so I gave it to him. Sorry.” I apologized mostly to Suzette since she wasn’t handling this very well.

  “It’s okay,” Ramos said. He sat beside me and pulled me into his arms. I didn’t realized how freaked out I was until he did that. His strong arms holding me calmed my racing heart. Like a soothing balm, I finally relaxed enough to quit shaking.

  Muttering under her breath, Suzette tromped back to pick up the scattered papers. Just in time, since the sirens outside ground to a halt, and several police officers entered. She took charge. Amid all of the French, I heard her mention Gabriel Dumont’s name a few times.

  The officer confirmed our story by putting in a call to Gabriel, then spoke to us in English. “He wants you to come with us.”

  Hearing this, Suzette shook her head and argued, then took the phone and talked to Gabriel for several minutes. In the end, she finally acquiesced to his demands, as long as he allowed us to come in her Mercedes. I wasn’t too happy about that, mostly because of Cypher’s mad bombing skills.

  Ready to leave, Ramos helped me up and kept his arm around me since I was still a little shaky. As we approached her car, I hesitated. “You sure there’s no bomb?” I asked Ramos, before he opened the car door. He brushed his fingers over the hood of the car and the car not only honked, but also shrieked with that annoying high-pitched alarm. Everyone jumped a little and covered their ears. A couple of police officers even pulled their guns.

  “I think it’s okay,” he yelled, smiling over the din.

  I couldn’t help the giggle that spilled out of me. Suzette pulled the keys out of her pocket and pushed the button, shaking her head at Ramos. She was thinking that if things weren’t so serious, she would have laughed at his little prank.

  With a police escort, we drove back to Gabriel’s headquarters. On the way, I picked up that Ramos felt bad for leaving me alone. He could have killed Cypher right then and there if he’d stayed. Too bad it hadn’t worked out, but he’d make sure it didn’t happen again. That warmed my heart, but I couldn’t forget how awful it was to see the bullets flying around him. All because of me.

  “We need to leave our guns in the car,” Suzette told Ramos. “There’s a compartment under the back seat. Push the button to open it.” Pulling the gun from her holster, she gave it to me. “Could you hand this to him?” I nodded, but hesitated to take it from her. “Don’t worry. The safety’s on,” she added.

  Ramos took it with a wink and slid the compartment shut. Then we pulled into the same gated entrance as before and got out of the car. I picked up that Suzette didn’t like being seen at DGSI headquarters, but it wasn’t the first time, and Gabriel would make sure her cover was safe.

  We found Gabriel in the room with all the surveillance cameras. He spotted us and hurried out. “Let’s go into my office.”

  Gabriel sat behind his desk, and Suzette leaned against it, facing me. Ramos sat in the chair by the door, but I was too stressed to sit still. I paced the floor while we all gave him a rundown of everything that had happened. Then I told my story of meeting Cypher again, and his eyes widened with shock.

  “What did he say to you?” Gabriel asked. This thought pretty much came from everyone.

  “This is what I picked up,” I began. “He wanted to know how I knew about the ventilation system in the metro. He said it had made it hard to plant the bomb, because of all the police around. So we know he hasn’t planted the bomb yet.

  “Then he was ... I mean... I picked up something about an underground tunnel or something. I’m not sure what that’s all about. Another thing I got was that the bomb... it’s filled with sarin gas.”

  After only a second of silence, all kinds of swearing from their minds hit me. Once the shock was over, Gabriel caught my gaze. “Did you get anything else?”

  “Yeah, but it was of something underground, like a tunnel system? Does that ring a bell?”

  Suzette was thinking that there were all kinds of underground passageways in Paris. They were called the catacombs for a reason.

  “That’s it!” I said, glancing her way. “The map on the computer. It had the letters C-A-T on it. It must mean the catacombs.”

  “What map?” she asked, thinking it was a little dodgy that she’d been thinking that very thing.

  Oops. I ignored that and continued. “Remember finding the name Dimension Zero on his bank statements? Once I got the computer running, I searched for it on his computer, and a folder with Dimension Zero came up. Inside the folder, I found three files. The first was like an inventory of some kind. The second seemed like a contact list, and the third was a map. I had no idea what it was, but with the letters, C-A-T, that has to be it, right?”

  “But that doesn’t make sense,” Suzette said. “If they’re planning to use the catacombs to get into the metro system, why would Mason have a map? From what you’ve told us, he didn’t know about the bomb or where they were going to put it. It must mean something else.”

  “Oui,” Gabriel said. “If he was their supplier, it might make more sense that the map was to show him the drop-off point. Perhaps Cypher uses the catacombs for his headquarters? If Mason could have told you and Blake where it was, it makes sense why Cypher had him watched, and then killed him. Only now he has the computer. Do you remember anything special on the map that would help us find his location?”

  I sighed and shook my head. “Not really. But maybe if I saw another map, it would help.”

  “We’re snookered,” Suzette said. “I wish Cypher hadn’t gotten his hands on that computer.” She was still upset that we’d had it... and now it was gone.

  Gabriel ignored her. “I will get a map for you.” He picked up his phone and made the request, then hung up. “It will be here shortly. So... from your encounter, we know he has not planted the bomb yet. That means we are doing something right. Now we must expand our search to the catacombs. But, I have an excellent resource, and I will ask for his help. He spends a lot of time there, so I have hope we will flush Cypher out, or at least find his hiding place.”

  “You also need to see if there is a way to access the metro system from the catacombs,” Suzette said.

  “Oui,” Gabriel agreed. “Then I must get started. We have a long night ahead of us.”

  “There is one more thing you need to know,” I added. “I’m pretty sure they want to plant the bomb tonight, but if they can’t plant it in the metro system, I think they have a plan B.”

  “Why do you think that?” Gabriel asked.

  “Because I saw an image of a building. I don’t know which one it was, but it looked important, and Cypher was think... um... it was like he thought that placing it there wouldn’t kill as many people, but it would still send a message.”

  Chapter 11

  Talk about bombs... it seemed like I was dropping them all over the place, so I tried to look on the positive side. “You know, as awful as that was to bump into Cypher, I think it helped us out. Don’t you? I mean... from what I picked up, we have a lot more to go on now, right?”

  Suzette and Gabriel were seriously questioning my sanity... well I knew Suzette was. Gabriel was thinking in French, so I didn’t know for sure, but based on how high his brows rose, it was probably true.

  I think you should stop now. That came from Ramos, and it kind of hurt my feelings since I’d already figured that out.

  Gabriel let out a breath and nodded. “Oui. And for what it’s worth, I believe yo
u... for the simple reason that you have confirmed what I found out earlier today. That the stolen bio-weapon we have been tracking was indeed sarin gas.”

  After letting out a breath, he continued. “Now, I need to do my job with this information you have given me. If it is possible, I would like for you to stay with Suzette. I believe you will be safe there.

  “It is also my hope that you will take the time this evening to study the various buildings in the city and come up with a match for what you saw with your uh... premonitions. Is that acceptable? Suzette?”

  “Yes, of course,” she agreed. Glancing at me, she continued. “I’m sure Blake would approve, and you will be much safer at my place.”

  While I nodded, a knock sounded at the door. It opened, and a woman handed Gabriel a piece of paper. He thanked her, then handed it to me. “Here is the map. What do you think?”

  “It looks similar, but honestly... there were no markings on the map in the computer. The only things I remember were the letters. They were just along here.” I pointed the area out to Gabriel.

  “Could you pencil them in, s'il vous plait?”

  “Sure.” I did as he asked and handed it back to him.

  “Merci. Now... I have much to do, and a long night ahead. If you remember anything at all, please call me. Otherwise, I will let you know of our progress. Hopefully, it will be good news. And Shelby, don’t forget to take your luggage.”

  “Oh yeah, thanks.” It sat in the corner looking pretty pathetic with all the bullet holes and the burn marks. From the way Gabriel grimaced, I was also sure he was happy to get rid of it. Then I caught Suzette thinking that I was like a cat with nine lives if I’d survived that attack, let alone what had happened to me at Mason’s apartment. Why Cypher hadn’t killed me was a mystery. Those premonitions of mine... well... it was hard not to believe them after seeing me in action. Still...

  Not wanting to hear any more of her thoughts, I shuttered my mind and glanced at Ramos. With a lopsided grin, he took my luggage, and we filed out of Gabriel’s office and down the hall. As I glanced inside the high-tech room, I noticed a lot more people crammed inside than there had been earlier. In fact, there were at least twice as many. Some of them looked up, but most stayed intent on their work.