Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kane glance over and quickly look back at the road. Something was definitely bothering him.
“Anything you want to talk about?” I asked.
“No.”
I sat in silence while we drove out of the farmland and into more rolling, treed terrain. Kane turned the truck off the highway and made a series of turns on the back roads while we wound deeper into the uninhabited area.
I hadn’t seen another vehicle in miles, and I breathed satisfaction. I had no idea where we were going, but the trip was wonderfully relaxing.
A few minutes later, Kane pulled into an overgrown driveway and the Expedition bounced down a rutted track. He stopped to engage the four-wheel drive, and we churned our way along the muddy trail. At last he pulled over and stopped, and we both got out.
The sun was warm in the clearing sky and the birds sang in the silence of the deserted area. I stretched happily and peeled off my sweatshirt in the heat.
We walked a few hundred yards toward a stand of trees and I puzzled over where the heck we were going. More spy stuff. They probably had some top-secret installation out here in the middle of nowhere.
“Wait here,” Kane instructed, and I obediently halted a few yards from the edge of the trees. Turning, I gazed out over the rolling open land behind us while I soaked up the sun.
“Aydan.” Kane’s voice sounded strange, and I turned to see him standing just in front of the forested area.
I frowned at him. “Is everything okay?”
“No.”
Something in his voice sent a chill down my spine. “What’s wrong?” I started toward him.
“Stay there.” He drew his gun and pointed it directly at me.
Adrenaline surged through my veins. “John... what’s going on?” I held my voice as steady as I could.
“Aydan...” He stopped and swallowed. “I got new orders this morning.”
“Oh...” My stomach turned to lead and my head threatened to float away. “From Stemp?”
“Stemp.” He stopped again and took a deep breath. His gun never wavered. “And Briggs.”
“Oh. So it’s official.” I was proud that my voice was still steady.
“Yes.”
I took a deep breath of my own. One of my last. Too bad it had been rainy last night. I would have liked to have eaten one last meal of fresh peas.
“Do you need me to pass on any messages for you?” Kane’s voice was still level.
“No, just notify the usual authorities that I’m dead. Everything’s in order.” My heart hammered furiously, as if trying to cram in as many beats as possible before the end. “Oh. There is one thing you could do.”
“If it’s within my power, I’ll do it.”
A shaft of sunlight bathed him. I could see his eyes clearly at this distance, dark with anguish. His gun hand was still rock-steady.
“Just a message. Tell Stemp...” I stood tall and tossed my hair back. I wouldn’t die like a snivelling coward. I gave Kane a vicious grin. “Tell Stemp he’s a stupid asshole. I never would have betrayed the team. Or the country.”
Kane’s voice was hoarse. “I know.”
His finger moved to the trigger. I tried to steady my shaking legs. Wouldn’t want to fall down before the bullet hit me.
He wouldn’t miss. He never missed.
The sound of the shot made me flinch.
Chapter 37
I stared at Kane in shock. He’d missed.
He stared back at me, wide-eyed.
Then he pitched forward onto the ground and lay still.
I stood rooted to the spot, unable to understand. A movement in the underbrush caught my eye, and I stared blankly at Stemp as he stepped out beside Kane’s body, gun in hand.
Caught in icy paralysis, I gaped at him helplessly. I was vaguely aware that my entire body was shaking. My brain lurched into gear and I swayed on my feet when comprehension swamped me in a horrific flood.
Without thinking, I yanked the Glock from its holster and delivered three quick, smooth shots. I knew I wouldn’t miss.
Stemp smiled.
My mouth fell open again and I resisted the idiot urge to peer into the barrel of my gun to see what was wrong with it. I’d seen the casings eject. I knew I’d fired three shots. I knew they were good shots. At such close range, I couldn’t possibly miss.
“First rule,” Stemp said smoothly. “Never let anyone else handle your weapon. Second rule. If for some reason you must let someone else handle your weapon, check it over thoroughly afterward.”
“You...” I tripped over my unwieldy tongue. “You swapped magazines. Gave me blanks. You fucking prick. I’ll kill you...”
His gun jerked up as I lunged toward him.
Beyond fear or reason, I kept coming. His expressionless mask slipped as a berserk roar ripped from my throat. Even a bullet wouldn’t stop me. I would tear him limb from limb with my bare hands. Redness suffused my vision.
Hard hands clamped onto my arms and shoulders. I flung them off, roaring and punching and kicking. I smashed my gun butt into a face. Folded a knee with a violent kick from my heavy boots. I was vaguely aware of impacts, but I felt no pain. I kept swinging, fighting my way toward Stemp. He would die today.
A heavy weight smashed into my back and I slammed face-first into the mud. Spitting grass and dirt, I struggled and kicked against the relentless grips on my arms and legs. More weight crushed me. I couldn’t draw a full breath. My arms and legs were completely immobilized. I tried to roar defiance, but only a wheezing sound emerged.
I wrenched my head up out of the dirt as Stemp’s feet appeared in front of me. He squatted and looked into my face. “Very impressive. It took five men to subdue you. You must have been very fond of Kane.”
“You... cocksucker...”
“Ease off,” Stemp said. “She can’t breathe.”
The weight in the middle of my back lightened by a few pounds, and I gasped a lungful of air. Then I tried to lunge at Stemp again.
He jerked back a step. “Too bad he didn’t feel the same way about you. I was surprised. I really didn’t think he’d kill you. And I really didn’t think you’d stand there and let him.”
“You gave the order, shithead. You set him up. He thought he was doing the right thing. I thought he was doing the right thing.” I tried to get at him again with no success whatsoever. The men held me completely helpless. I spat at him instead. “Die, you fucking bastard!”
Stemp sighed and squatted down to my eye level again. “You’re right, I set him up. And I set you up. It was enlightening. I know now that you won’t hesitate to use your gun to defend yourself. That’s good. And I know you’re loyal now. Too bad I can’t say the same for Kane.”
A fresh flood of rage engulfed me, and I gave a titanic jerk. I got one arm free for only a second before the three men on top of me scrambled back into place and pinned me again. I let out a shriek of pure frustration.
“He was loyal, asshole! What the fuck did you want? You gave him the fucking order. He was going to carry it out!”
“I know that’s what it looked like,” Stemp said regretfully. “But he was the one who betrayed you to Fuzzy Bunny. He was at the internet cafe when both of the files were sent. He had intimate knowledge of your skills and capabilities.”
“That’s stupid!” I struggled fruitlessly again. The pain was starting to sink in now. I could feel every sharp knee and elbow digging into me. “If he was working with Fuzzy Bunny, he never would have killed me. They need me alive. If you hadn’t shot him...” I gulped as the enormity of the loss finally hit me.
Kane was dead.
I clamped down with all my self-control to hold my voice steady. “If you hadn’t shot him, he would have killed me.”
“No. He wouldn’t have,” Stemp said. “That was a tranquilizer gun he was pointing at you.”
“What?” I couldn’t draw a full breath. A loud buzzing filled my ears.
Stemp leaned
down to look in my eyes. “I set this entire thing up. I told all staff with sufficient clearance that your project was to be terminated today. They all knew you would die. I wanted to force Fuzzy Bunny’s hand. Today, here, would be their only chance to acquire you alive. I set up perimeter guards in advance. I had snipers ready. I was waiting for Fuzzy Bunny’s operative to appear. And the only person who appeared was Kane. Carrying a tranquilizer gun.”
My world went black.
Chapter 38
From a hazy distance, I watched Stemp stride over to Kane’s body. He rolled the body over, and the horrible slackness of Kane’s heavy muscles tore my heart.
Stemp reached into Kane’s pocket and withdrew his keys. He tossed them to one of the men who’d dragged me to my feet. “Here. Take his Expedition. He won’t be needing it.” He eyed the two injured men slumped on the ground. “Load them up and take them to the hospital. Take her, too, and get her checked over just as a precaution. Then take her back to Sirius for debriefing.”
The trip back to Silverside was a blur. At the hospital, I sat dumbly while Linda cleaned most of the mud off me and Dr. Roth pronounced me cut and bruised but basically uninjured. Unlike the men I’d hit. One shattered cheekbone, one dislocated knee. Lots of bruises. I wished I hadn’t hit them. They were just doing their jobs. So much suffering.
I passively climbed back into the vehicle for the ride over to Sirius Dynamics, and allowed the armed men to escort me up to the second-floor meeting room. I might have gathered a few stares on my trip through the hallways. It didn’t matter.
My entire body throbbed with an ache that was more than just bruises.
Sagging in my chair in the meeting room, I stared into middle distance while Stemp and Briggs talked at me. I didn’t absorb much. They had discovered that the threatening phone calls and shots had come from Bill Harks’s brother, who was now in custody. They were discontinuing my twenty-four hour guard. I would continue to carry my Glock. John Smith would be my new handler. All this was highly classified. Yadda, yadda.
I sat unmoving, waiting for it to end. At last I realized the room was silent. Stemp and Briggs were looking at me expectantly.
“What?” I mumbled.
“Do you have anything to add? Any questions?”
I blinked slowly. Nothing much mattered.
No, dammit. One thing still mattered. I sat up straighter. “You’re wrong. I know you’re wrong. Kane was no traitor. You killed an innocent man.”
General Briggs’s face softened. “Aydan, we understand what a terrible shock this has been. But the evidence is all here. We can’t come to any other conclusion.”
I sighed. Briggs was a decent man and a good commanding officer. Kane had liked and respected him, and I knew the feeling had been mutual. I could see the pain in his eyes, too.
“Maybe you can’t come to another conclusion. But I can. You’re wrong.” I cut him off when he began to speak again. No point in arguing. It wouldn’t bring Kane back. “Who will deal with his funeral arrangements?” I resisted the urge to fold over the sudden pain in my gut. “Who’ll notify his father?”
God, this would kill his dad. Both sons dead. All his children. Kane’s younger brother, murdered at only twenty-three, trying to save a mugging victim. And now Kane himself, shot in the back.
“The chaplain will contact his father.”
“When?”
“As soon as possible.”
A new wave of pain washed over me. Arnie. He’d be devastated. He and Kane had been friends since childhood.
I stood. “I have an important errand to run. It will take the rest of the day, and possibly tomorrow. I’ll also need time off to attend Kane’s funeral, if there is one. I’ll let you know when I’m available to work again.”
I turned and left the room without waiting for dismissal. Outside the room, I grabbed the arm of one of the men who’d brought me in. “You’re going to drive me home. Now.”
“Uh...” He glanced around helplessly. Briggs caught his eye through the open door and nodded. “Okay.” He followed me down the hallway.
At home, I showered the last of the mud off, wincing at the new set of bruises and scrapes. The pain was distant, though, part of a dull and constant ache. I shrugged and put on fresh clothes.
I reloaded my Glock with live ammo, and loaded up a couple of extra magazines while I was at it. A hard lesson. I’d never make that mistake again.
I strapped the holster to my ankle and threw the waist holster into my small backpack along with some overnight things, then ate the last of the leftovers from my fridge without tasting them.
As I drove away, I tried not to remember how much I’d enjoyed my last drive with Kane.
Almost two hours later, I pulled over at the side of the road just outside Calgary city limits. Easing my stiffened body out of the driver’s seat, I stretched slowly and painfully. I’d driven the highway in a stupor. I couldn’t remember much of the trip, but apparently I hadn’t hit anything big. There were no dents in the car, and nobody had honked at me.
Have to be alert for city traffic. I tried to force my deadened brain into wakefulness while I hobbled back and forth for a few minutes.
Half an hour later, I pulled into one of the visitor’s parking slots at Arnie’s condo building. Inside the main doors, I hovered beside the security call panel.
I couldn’t bring myself to press the button that would ring his apartment. My eyes welled up, and I dropped my head to blink rapidly while I pretended to scrounge in my waist pouch.
The secured door opened as a man came out. “Oh. Here you go.” He politely held the door for me, apparently thinking I was looking for my keys. I mumbled thanks as I slipped into the hallway and headed for the stairs.
Outside Arnie’s door, I stood again for a long moment, gathering my courage. At last, I watched my hand rise to knock at the door.
I stood waiting numbly, but no answer came. I knocked again, and then again. And again. First I couldn’t start. Now I couldn’t stop.
Finally I realized he wasn’t there. I leaned forward to beat my aching forehead gently against the door.
“Oh, God, Arnie, where are you?” I begged.
What if he was out on some investigation, gone for days? I thumped my forehead a couple more times. Suddenly the door wrenched open and I stumbled forward.
“What the fuck!” Hellhound bellowed.
I’d clearly caught him at a bad time. Or, more precisely, in the middle of a really good time.
He was barefoot and shirtless, his jeans only half done up. Bright red lipstick was liberally smeared on his neck, and smudged lip prints tracked their way down his stomach to disappear into his pants.
His scowl vanished. “Aydan! Hi, darlin’, listen, now ain’t a good time. Can I call ya...”
He trailed off, his eyes widening as he looked more closely at me. “Aydan, what the fuck? What happened? Are ya okay?”
I took a deep, tremulous breath, trying to steady my voice. It came out as a tiny quaver anyway.
“No.”
I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears.
“Aw, darlin’, come inside. I’ll call the police...” He reached to draw me in, and I pulled back when I heard a light female voice call his name.
“I don’t need the police.” I took his hand. How could I tell him? “Arnie... I have bad news.”
He went very still, searching my face. The fear rose in his eyes.
“Kane?” His voice was a hoarse whisper.
I could only nod.
“How bad?”
I knew he’d read the answer on my face already, but I had to say the words. “He’s dead. Arnie, I’m so sorry.” My voice abraded my throat like hemp rope yanked across a raw wound.
His face closed down, expressionless except for the dark wells of pain that were his eyes.
“I’m so sorry.” I closed my arms around his rigid shoulders and held him. He turned his face into my hair and we stood in silence.
>
“Arnie?” A tousled blonde head popped out the door. “Hey! What the hell? You creep! What, you thought you could do her in the hallway while I wait in the bedroom?”
I pulled away far enough to meet her eyes. “I’m just a friend. Arnie’s had some very bad news. His best friend has been killed.”
“Oh.” The tiniest of lines appeared on her botoxed forehead. “Well, come back to bed, Arnie. I’ll make it all better.”
I stepped back and squeezed Arnie’s hand. The loss in his eyes made mine fill with tears.
“I’m sorry. I’ll go now. I’ll call you later.” I touched his face, wanting to take away his pain and knowing it was impossible. As I turned to go, his hand tightened on mine and he spoke, his voice rough with suppressed emotion.
“Don’t go.”
He turned and stepped back into his apartment, towing me by the hand.
The tousled blonde head was attached to a small, curvy, naked body. She let out a squawk of outrage as we stepped inside. “What about me?”
“Ya can stay if ya like, Naomi.” Arnie lowered himself onto the couch and sank his head into his hands.
“Well, there’s not much point in staying if you’re just going to sit there,” she snapped. “I can find plenty of other men who can get it up for me. And better-looking ones than you, too.”
Unreasoning rage washed away my numbness. All my unfulfilled violence toward Stemp distilled itself into two words.
“Get. Out.”
The tone of my voice was enough to frighten even me. The blonde squeaked and backpedalled before scuttling into the bedroom. Arnie stood and came around to look in my face. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it again and we stood in silence.
When Naomi reappeared a few minutes later, she was dressed. She’d apparently spent the intervening time summoning up her inner bitch. She stopped in front of me, hands on hips.
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