Code Name: Bundle!

by Christina Skye

  Time to start the party and head up to the chopper dock.

  He squinted in the dim corridor, turning to lock his door.

  A stun gun hit him from behind. The electrical burst drove him instantly to his knees. Tobias collapsed before he could warn Trace via the transmitter hidden in his shirt collar.

  “I CAN’T HEAR YOU.” Trace frowned, jiggling his small headphones. “Hale, are you there?” He had tried to contact Tobias twice, but all he heard was static.

  He sprinted toward the nearest staircase, using his memory of the ship’s layout to cut through the engineering department. As he raced up the stairs, a wave of cold energy hissed along the outside stairwell, circled back and drove into his head.

  Cruz again.

  The man was like a fungus you couldn’t kill.

  But with Trace’s final chip removed, Cruz couldn’t inflict any real damage.

  As he raced toward Tobias’s office, the lights flickered over his head, but not from loss of electricity or a power surge. It was as if the hall itself had flickered, going cold and sucking in all the light.

  Only one person could create an energy effect like that.

  Cruz was back. Welcome to hell.

  THE NIGHT SECURITY FOREMAN strolled past the kitchen and nodded at the cook pulling pastries from the oven. He made a quick scan, noting that everything was normal inside, then continued down the corridor. When he looked to his left he saw a single light shining through the open door of the security office.

  The officer frowned. Why was the door slightly ajar?

  He slowed, checking for activity, one hand moving to his heavy flashlight. The long steel barrel was useful as a weapon in the event of an attack.

  As he moved silently around the open door, he saw a man’s leg sticking out beneath a table. Tobias Hale was stretched out inside the office, blood dotting one cheek. His key card was on the floor near his hand, and the door to his private office was open.

  The inside alarm had never gone off.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  THREE MINUTES ALONG the aft stairway, Trace felt a prickle of uneasiness at the back of his neck, and he sank back into the shadows. Not many of the crew were out and about at this hour of the morning. He passed two uniformed waiters carrying room-service orders, but no one else.

  He descended two flights silently, alert to any activity nearby.

  At the next floor he stopped. Something was tossed across the landing. At first Trace thought it was a rolled-up rug. When he came closer, he saw it was a man in a blue engineering staff uniform. The two bullet holes at the man’s temple explained why he wasn’t moving.

  Trace didn’t recognize the man. Judging from his skin temperature, he hadn’t been dead for long. Quickly, Trace went through his pockets, but found nothing. He was preparing to call Izzy when he heard a low groan from the alcove at the next landing.

  With his gun level he crept along the wall, keeping well back out of sight.

  He heard another groan. When he reached the landing, he saw Blaine sprawled against the wall. A bruise covered her forehead, and blood pooled from a wound at her cheek. She blinked at him without any sign of recognition, and Trace realized she was slipping into unconsciousness.

  “Blaine, can you hear me? Who did this to you?”

  She blinked, her gaze focused over his shoulder. “Didn’t know,” she whispered, shuddering. “Not part of…plan.”

  Trace glanced around, looking for any clue of how and when Blaine and the dead man had come here. Near the lower stairs, he saw a hint of red that might have been part of a bloody shoe print near an unmarked door that led to the crew dining room.

  “Blaine?”

  Trace heard the shocked whisper and spun around to find Gina one flight below him, her hands clenched on the stair rail. “What h-happened?”

  “I told you not to leave, damn it. Why—”

  She cut him off. “Ford McKay just called your room. His daughter is missing. She was sick and he took her to the infirmary, but while he was talking to the doctor, she vanished. He’s trying to find you and Tobias, but Tobias didn’t answer calls in the security office.”

  “I’ll contact him,” Trace said curtly. “Now go back to my cabin.”

  Gina didn’t move. “I’m going to see Carly. If Ford wants my help, we can look for Sunny together. I know the ship better than he does.”

  “Like hell. You’ll stay in my cabin. Let Ford go alone.”

  Trace covered Blaine with his jacket and took her pulse.

  Thready. The woman needed attention ASAP.

  Now on top of everything they had a child missing. Another complication they didn’t need.

  Blaine shuddered and seemed to focus on Gina’s face, reaching out one hand awkwardly as she gripped what appeared to be a crumpled silk scarf. “Didn’t know,” she repeated mechanically. “He lied. Just using me….”

  Gina leaned down and straightened Trace’s jacket around Blaine’s shoulders. “Who lied?”

  “No name.” Blaine stared into space. “Has a scar.” Blood trickled from her mouth.

  “It’s going to be okay, Blaine. We’ll get someone to help you.”

  “Believe me.” Blaine took a jerky breath. “Keep this.” As her eyes closed, she shoved the silk scarf into Gina’s hands.

  “I’ll go find the doctor.”

  Trace shook his head tensely. “You’re going to McKay’s cabin. I’ll call the captain to send someone down here.”

  Gina stood up clumsily, unable to look away from Blaine’s motionless body. “Carly is on E deck. Cabin 624.” She took a deep breath. “The elevator’s right over there.”

  “Take it.”

  As Trace checked the elevator, two tired-looking passengers emerged. They studied the hall, but Trace blocked their view of Blaine and the dead crew member. The last thing he needed was mayhem caused by a stampede of terrified passengers.

  He opened his cell phone and cursed when Tobias still didn’t answer his call.

  GINA BLANKED OUT her confusion. She drove away the memory of the dead man, Blaine’s white face and the thought of Sunny wandering the ship alone.

  Hyperventilating wouldn’t help anyone. When she looked down, she was surprised to find Blaine’s silk scarf wadded up in her fingers. Without thinking, she shoved it into her pocket. The silk felt damp and slightly heavy, but she didn’t pay much attention. Trace was already at the elevator door, motioning her to hurry.

  THE WIND HAD PICKED UP, rattling the windows when Ford McKay yanked open the door of his room. Behind him Carly was reading to her two daughters, trying not to look frightened.

  McKay nodded at Gina and motioned her into the small alcove off the bathroom. “I’m going after Sunny.” He spoke in a cold whisper. “I need one of the security crew, too. Have you seen Trace?”

  Trace strode inside and closed the door. “You’ll get help,” he said shortly. “Keep Gina here with Carly. Sorry I can’t go with you myself. Keep your head down when you go out. Understand?”

  A look passed between the men, and Ford nodded. “Any way I can contact you?”

  “Too dangerous. Assume that all communications are monitored. I’ll come back here once the situation is stable.” He gestured to the door. “Don’t let anyone in, and tell your wife the same. Make sure she understands this means no one. Not even me.” Trace shrugged a Kevlar equipment bag in place over his chest. “Especially me. Nothing will be what you think it is.”

  Ford started to speak. Then he nodded.

  “No one gets in. You’ve got my guarantee.”

  CLOUDS PILED UP along the Mexican coast, driven eastward by stiff winds off the Pacific. Stars shimmered and faded under the racing marine layer as the whine of the wind was drowned out by the thump of sleek, menacing engines.

  A gray twin-engine Seahawk cut out of the darkness.

  Plans had changed. As soon as the chopper hit the cruise ship’s narrow emergency landing deck, eight men in black Kevlar poured onto
the padded rubber. No words were spoken as they scattered.

  In seconds the deck was clear.

  Izzy Teague walked out of the darkness, talking on a cell phone. He hung up as Trace appeared. “Sitrep.”

  “Breach in the safe, contents missing. Tobias Hale was attacked. Two casualties, one fatal.”

  “Hale?” Izzy’s head cut around sharply. “Dead?”

  “Unconscious. Doc’s looking at him now.”

  “So Cruz scored big.” Izzy’s voice held an icy calm. “Smart bastard. I gave as much incorrect information as I could when I talked to Hale via his ship phone. Cruz will think we’re running short and late.”

  Trace looked up at the cloud-swept night sky. “Where are the dogs?”

  “Second chopper, five minutes behind me.” Izzy unzipped his black vest. “So where was Cruz headed? He has to suspect we’ll lock the ship down tight.”

  “Hard to lock down a cruise ship,” Trace said shortly. “One with over twenty-four hundred passengers and nine hundred crew.”

  Izzy pulled a laptop out of its case without breaking stride. “I want people watching all decks. We’ve set up radar and airborne surveillance of surrounding waters, but Cruz is smart enough to suspect that.”

  “So he’ll hide somewhere else. A place where we wouldn’t look.”

  Izzy pulled a headset in place. “We’re going to take this place apart cabin by cabin until we find him.”

  Trace smiled coldly. “Sounds like my kind of job.”

  FORD MCKAY COLLARED the first security officer he met. “My daughter is missing. Get someone down here to help find her.”

  The officer frowned. “Sir, if you’ll calm down, I’d be happy to—”

  Ford leaned close, in the man’s face. “Cut the therapy talk. Get a team down here ASAP.”

  The officer fingered his walkie-talkie, requesting backup. “How will I know her?” he called as Ford turned toward the elevator.

  “Here.” Ford dug in his pocket. “She’s in six of those photographs. Purple shoes and purple backpack. You can’t miss her.”

  For a moment his voice wavered.

  Then his face went blank and he vanished into the elevator.

  DOWN ON E DECK, Gina had been pacing Carly’s cabin for almost fifteen minutes, unable to get the thought of Sunny out of her mind. Blaine’s motionless body brought an equal dose of nightmares.

  As she paced, her fingers slid restlessly into her pocket. She felt the outline of Blaine’s scarf. Something was wrapped inside it, she realized.

  Sitting down at the desk, she opened the scarf and stared at what looked like a plastic envelope covered with heavy-duty Cellophane.

  Some kind of medicine? Was Blaine into drugs?

  “Mommy, when is Sunny coming back from the doctor?” Across the room Olivia bit her lip, looking worried. “She should have been back hours ago.”

  “She’s going to stay overnight so the doctor can check her tummy. Now close your eyes and try to sleep, honey.”

  Over her daughter’s head, Carly met Gina’s gaze. Something bleak filled Carly’s eyes. Then she took a deep breath, gripped her two daughters’ shoulders and began to read again, her voice calm and even.

  Gina couldn’t imagine how it felt to face the loss of a child. Her own worries seemed pale in comparison.

  A throb began at her forehead. She winced, rubbing her neck, and realized she should have taken her pills an hour ago. Opening her shoulder bag, she dug into the inside zipper pocket where she had stashed her spare bottle.

  The bottle was empty.

  Anxiety hit her in an icy wave. She had to have her medicine. If the pain came full bore, she’d be completely useless. She couldn’t let that happen.

  She moved quietly to the bed. “Carly, I have to leave. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in three minutes.”

  “Ford said you needed to stay here.” Carly shook her head firmly. “Something’s wrong aboard the ship. You can’t go.”

  Gina gave a quick smile as she tossed her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll be fine. The head of security has taught me a few secret shortcuts.”

  “But Ford and Trace—”

  “Shouldn’t worry. Lock the door behind me.”

  Gina checked the view hole, then slipped outside. When she heard Carly slide the lock home, she sprinted toward a small laundry area at the stern. The small service elevator inside the laundry would get her downstairs and back in minutes.

  “WHAT DID THEY GET?” Izzy stood in the middle of Tobias Hale’s office and stared at the empty safe.

  “Everything is gone.” Tobias shifted on the couch, an ice bag at his head. His neck was covered with a white bandage, and he winced whenever he moved. “There was only one cardboard box in the safe. Whoever stunned and attacked me took it.”

  “You didn’t see his face?”

  “Too fast. He had a key card, because I heard it beep in the security slot right after I was hit. Somehow he knew my code to the safe, too.” Tobias stared at the open safe. “I should have been faster, damn it.”

  Izzy didn’t agree or disagree. “How did he get the key card?”

  “Nearest I can piece together, the head of beverage services was involved. She might have gotten one from someone in the head office. We have reason to think she used a card to breach the kitchen and other areas of the ship.” Tobias rubbed one shoulder carefully. “My junior security officer, John Riley, was found dead earlier tonight. I checked his cabin and turned up $15,000 in small bills, along with a plane ticket to Malaysia. He had to be involved. When I finished digging, I learned that he and Blaine had had a brief affair about three years back. I should have looked for that earlier,” he said tightly.

  Izzy met his gaze coolly. “It’s usual to do thorough background checks on all security personnel.”

  Tobias flinched as if he’d been hit, although Izzy’s tone was cool and impersonal.

  Izzy looked away, studying the screen of his laptop, which was angled over his right arm. “I’ve almost got the signal. We can trace it.”

  Tobias’s head swung up. “You had a homing device implanted in the package?”

  “SOP.” Izzy scrolled down the screen. “Bingo. He’s in engineering.” He looked at Trace. “Port side. I’ve located the nearest stairwell.”

  Trace sprinted toward the door. “Use the codes we set up. He could be monitoring our comm.”

  Tobias looked up as Izzy moved past without a word.

  When the door closed, a look of pain crossed the security officer’s face. Grimacing, he pushed to his feet, swayed and then leaned against the wall, breathing hard.

  He’d seen his son’s computer diagram indicating the location of the stolen package. Tobias knew a faster way down to engineering than his son did. You didn’t work security for nine years without stockpiling one or two useful secrets.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  WITH HER PILLS IN HAND, Gina slipped out of her room and checked the corridor. Buoyant with relief, she jogged back to the laundry service elevator. No passengers were in sight, which was unusual. At 3:00 a.m. there were usually a few stragglers returning from the casino, the theater or a late night with friends.

  Any passenger questions Gina had were forgotten when she saw a small figure with a purple backpack walking past the crew lounge. Her heart pounding, Gina whispered a prayer that her two missions were about to be completed.

  She ran down the hall past a service area where she and Andreas had occasionally prepared special events for the crew. Sunny was moving fast, holding something against her chest.

  “Sunny, wait.”

  The little girl turned, and her pale face lit up. “Oh, I’m so glad it’s you. I got lost when I went after Trouble and I couldn’t find anyone to ask directions. Well, I could have, but I didn’t want to speak to strangers, you know?”

  Gina put an arm around Sunny’s shoulders. “Everything will be fine, honey. We’ll get you back upstairs to your mom and dad in a jiffy. But where did you fi
nd the cat?”

  Sunny cuddled the squirming ball of fur proudly. “When I was at the doctor’s I saw him out in the hall. I couldn’t let anything bad happen, so I followed him. But he was too fast, and then I got l-lost.” Her voice shook. “I know Mom and Dad are going to be really, really mad at me. I did a bad thing when I left without telling my dad.”

  “Don’t think about that now,” Gina said gently. “We’ll take that elevator upstairs and get you back.”

  But the little girl didn’t move. She was smiling over Gina’s shoulder. “Look, Mr. Trace, I found the cat. Now you can go with us. My parents will be glad you came, too.” She bit her lip. “Maybe you could explain to them that I didn’t mean to be bad.”

  Gina turned. Trace was coming down the staff stairway. “Are you finished?”

  “Not quite. A few things to mop up down here.” He checked his watch, straightening his black backpack.

  Gina glanced over his shoulder. She hadn’t seen him carrying the pack when he’d left. There was something different about his voice, too. It was lower and a little gruff.

  She gripped Sunny’s hand. Trace had given her clear instructions before he left that he would call her Princess as an identifying code.

  The hairs prickled at the back of her neck as Trace came closer. The corridor seemed too small, too quiet.

  “So…everything is okay?”

  “Absolutely.” He jogged past, one hand on the service pack. “Gotta go.”

  “Great. Princess and I will just head up to the kitchen.”

  He nodded without looking back, and Gina felt the cold air wrap around her, squeezing at her throat.

  Nothing will be what you think it is. Trace had warned them not to trust anyone. What had happened?

  She didn’t plan to stay to find out. Calmly, she took Sunny’s hand and walked toward the closest door of the staff lounge. “Let’s get you some milk before we head upstairs, honey. You’re probably thirsty.”