Reach For the Spy

by Diane Henders

  I looked more closely at him in the dim light and realized his eyes were dilated and unfocused. The first shiver of concern shook me. “Are you okay? What did they give you?”

  He shook his head vigorously and ran a hand over his stubbled face. “I don’t know. Some kind of long-acting drug. Not a hallucinogen. Maybe a barbiturate. They shot me with a trank gun each time so I was out when they injected me.” He gestured to his forearm, where needle marks tracked across his skin.

  “But… I still don’t understand how you’re alive. I heard the bang. I saw the blood. I know what gunshots sound like. Trank guns just make a little ‘phhtt’ sound.”

  Kane blew out a long breath. “Sirius has developed a special-purpose trank gun that mimics real ordnance. You’re right, the propellant for the actual trank is virtually silent, but the gun shoots a blood-coloured paint pellet along with a blank cartridge for sound, and the casing from the blank gets ejected so it looks real. It’s for undercover use, for when you need to appear to kill somebody. It doesn’t hold up under close scrutiny, but if you just need a gunshot and a falling body, it works.”

  “But why would they keep you drugged?”

  He rubbed his face again. “I don’t know. Maybe to make it harder for me to escape. Or they might have been planning to interrogate me or apply some kind of psychological leverage. They’d want to lower my inhibitions and impair my judgement. Make me easier to influence.”

  He groaned. “I’m trained to withstand those effects, but I guess I let my guard down when I saw you. I should have known better. I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you sorry? Is there something you need to tell me? Do you have a sexually transmitted disease?”

  “What? No!” He frowned at me. “No, I’m clean.” He paused. “How about you?” he asked cautiously.

  “No, I’m clean. It’s all good.”

  “What about... Could you get pregnant?”

  “No. No chance. I had a hysterectomy ten years ago.”

  “Oh.” He eyed me uncertainly. “But... I still owe you an apology. I could have hurt you badly, losing control like that.” His hand reached as if to touch my arm, but stopped. “You’re covered with bruises. I must have hurt you. I’m so sorry.”

  “Trust me, I wasn’t paying attention to any bruises.” I tugged gently at his arm. “Relax. Now that I know I’m not dreaming...” I grinned at him and lay back on the pillows. “Come a little closer.”

  He swallowed hard, his eyes locked on me. “Aydan, we can’t,” he said hoarsely.

  “Why not?” I sat up to swing astride him and leaned forward to kiss him, letting my nipples trace lightly across his chest. I felt another magnificent hard-on growing under me as I slid slowly against him.

  He groaned. “Aydan, I have to get out of here. It’s a miracle they haven’t found me already. You’ll be in danger, too, if I’m here...” His hands cupped my breasts despite his words as he began to move under me. “Damn drugs... Damn fool... Aydan... stop...”

  Even my lust-clouded judgement had to bow to reality. I didn’t know exactly what time he’d arrived, but he’d been in my bed for at least an hour and a half, probably more. Too dangerous.

  I sighed deeply and got off him.

  He rolled out of bed without looking at me and started yanking on his clothes. I flopped back on the pillow and watched. I could’ve looked at that body all day long. Among the other things I could’ve done to that body all day long.

  “Aydan, get dressed.” Kane was still looking away from me. “I need to get up to speed with what’s happened, but it’s too dangerous to do it here. I’m going to hide in the woods down by the creek for now. I need you to come and brief me.”

  I grinned as I crept out of bed. “I’d rather de-brief you.”

  “Meet me down by the creek.” He made for the door without looking back.

  Struggling to overcome the lassitude caused by a head-banging orgasm and a gigantic emotional roller-coaster, I stumbled brainlessly around the bedroom. Eventually I got all my clothes on in the proper order, and tucked the Glock into my waist holster.

  On my way through the kitchen I snagged a handful of cereal bars and lifted a small backpack out of the closet as I went out the door.

  The dawn light was turning from grey to rose by the time I arrived at the woods around the creek that divided my land from Tom Rossburn’s to the south. I stepped into the cover of the trees and stood still, listening.

  A movement caught my eye, and Kane stepped out from behind a small thicket of diamond willow.

  I looked up at him in the pink light. “Come on, I have a spot where I like to sit.”

  “Does anybody else know about it?”

  “No. It’s a good vantage point, you can see out without being visible.”

  “Good.” He motioned me forward and I led him along the game trail. When we reached the smooth fallen log tucked into the underbrush, he grunted approval and sat down beside me. I handed him the cereal bars and the backpack.

  “What’s this?” He hefted the pack.

  “Survival gear. I wasn’t sure what your plans were, but I’m guessing you don’t have your gun or any equipment.”

  The laugh lines crinkled around his eyes while he sorted through the items, smiling. “Aydan, you’re amazing. Did you just pack this?” He strapped the hunting knife onto his belt.

  “No, I had it by the back door.”

  “It’s a joy to work with a professional like you.”

  I shifted on the log. “I’m not a professional. That’s the kit I carry in my car in the wintertime. I just never got around to unpacking it.”

  “Of course,” he agreed, straight-faced. “Thanks. This will hold me until I can get to one of my caches.”

  “How did you even get here?” I asked. “It’s ten miles out of town.”

  He shrugged. “I lay low after I escaped yesterday afternoon. As soon as it was dark, I cut cross-country on foot. I wasn’t trying to set any speed records, so it was an easy trip. That doesn’t matter, though.” He eyed me intensely. “Tell me everything that’s happened.”

  I tried to gather my thoughts into an organized narrative. The memory from the dump site was still so vivid that I clasped my hands together to hide their trembling.

  “Stemp shot you in the back.” The words choked out of me, my throat constricted by rage and remembered pain. “He said you were dead. I tried to kill him. I couldn’t get to you...”

  “Slow down.” He took my hands and held them gently between his own. “Stemp shot me? So it was a setup,” Kane muttered. “It felt like it to me, but...”

  “Yes.” The words burst out. “He lied, the filthy fucking scumbag! I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him slowly so the bastard suffers like he made everybody else suffer...”

  “Aydan, stop. Tell me what happened after he shot me.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I just... He hurt so many people...” I clamped down on my emotions. “He shot you,” I said levelly. “He told me you were dead. I tried to shoot him, but he’d tampered with my gun. Switched the magazine out for a load of blanks. I checked it after he gave it back to me, but I didn’t pull the magazine all the way out to look at the bullets.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “I completely lost it. I tried to get at him, but his guys knocked me down and sat on me.” My hands clenched with remembered fury. “I’d have torn him apart with my bare hands if I could have. I tried...”

  “His guys? Who? How many?”

  “I don’t know who they were. They were wearing combat gear, and they came back to Sirius afterward. I presume they were on government payroll. I felt really bad about the two I put in the hospital when I realized they were just doing their jobs.”

  Kane’s eyebrows went up. “You put two in the hospital? How many were there?”

  “Five to start with.”

  “You took on five trained soldiers. And sent two to the hospital.” He eyed me quizzically. “Tell me aga
in how you’re just a bookkeeper.”

  I sighed. “I’m just a bookkeeper. It wasn’t like I did some big ninja thing. They weren’t trying to hurt me, just hold me. I was fighting for all I was worth, and they just sat on me.”

  He frowned at me in silence for a few more seconds. “So Stemp set this up using department resources,” he said finally.

  “Yes. He told me he’d set the whole thing up to draw out Fuzzy Bunny’s operative. Said he had guards and snipers set up, but that nobody showed up except you. And he said you were a traitor, that you had a trank gun and you were going to take me to Fuzzy Bunny, so he’d killed you.” I realized I was babbling, and took a deep breath. Anger overtook me again.

  “Filthy liar,” I ground out. “He lied to me, he lied to Briggs, he lied to your dad. And he made me lie to Arnie. I had to tell him you were dead. Your funeral was on Saturday.” I broke off. “We need to tell all of them right away.”

  “Don’t tell anybody I’m alive.”

  I bolted upright. “But, John, what about your dad? And Arnie? You should have seen them, it nearly killed them...” I broke off at the pain in his eyes.

  “Aydan, Stemp obviously wanted me out of the picture for some reason. Now that I’ve escaped, he’ll pull out all the stops to find me. I might not get out of this alive. The funeral’s over. If I survive this, there’ll be plenty of time for good news. If I don’t, then at least they won’t have to go through it twice.”

  I subsided. I had to agree, as much as I hated it. “But what will you do? How can we nail Stemp?”

  “First, tell me the rest. He told you I was dead, and that I was a traitor.” His voice was level, but his eyes blazed. “Then what?”

  “I didn’t believe it. But I was so... in shock. It was all a blur. I didn’t have any proof. He and Briggs debriefed me, and I went down to Calgary to tell Arnie in person. But then I realized that Stemp had lied.”

  I looked up at him and clutched his hand tighter. “I knew he’d lied. Because I remembered seeing your Sig in your hand. You were really going to kill me. I was so glad. I knew you weren’t a traitor.”

  “Aydan, only you would say you were glad I was going to kill you. You’re insane.”

  “Well, no, I meant...”

  His lips silenced me.

  Chapter 43

  A long, tender kiss. Kane pulled away at last, holding my face between his palms. “Aydan, I wasn’t going to kill you. I couldn’t.”

  “But...” My mind reeled dizzily. “I saw your finger on the trigger.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to shoot you. I said I wasn’t going to kill you.” He sighed. “I was sure it was a setup. I caught sight of one of the snipers as I drove in, so I knew we were being watched. And I knew...”

  He smiled and stroked my hair back from my face. “I knew you’d stand there and take a bullet because you thought it was the right thing to do. I was counting on it, that you’d stand still and let me shoot you. It was a tricky shot, but makeable. If I hit you in the upper chest, it would look like a mortal wound, but you might survive. I was planning to put you into a body bag and rush you off for treatment. It was incredibly risky and you might have died anyway, but it was the only thing I could think of. I have some medical contacts who owe me favours. And you’d have been free of this.”

  “Oh…” I didn’t know what to say. I had truly believed he’d follow orders, no matter what. “Thanks,” I finished inadequately. “I... Thanks.” I swallowed hard. “Where was I?”

  “You realized Stemp had lied.”

  “Right. So I was sure he was the leak, because he was at the internet cafe every time a contact was attempted with Fuzzy Bunny. And now I know it, because he’s been holding you all this time.”

  Kane frowned. “That doesn’t necessarily follow.”

  “What do you mean? How the hell could it not?” I threw up my hands. “He was at the cafe when the messages were sent. He lied to Briggs. He abducted you and held you drugged. He faked your death. What more do you want?”

  “Do you have direct proof that he contacted Fuzzy Bunny?”

  “Um.” I surveyed my feet. “No... but he’s been making frequent contact with someone in Bulgaria. Spider’s tracking down his contact.”

  “Bulgaria?” Kane scrubbed his hand through his hair. “That’s... interesting. Let me know what you find out. But in the mean time, don’t assume Stemp is the leak. I’m not sure it adds up to that, and you don’t have any evidence. We need more information.”

  I eyed him with frustration. “I’m sure it’s Stemp. He’s such a slimeball.”

  “Slimeball or not, we need proof.”

  “Fine.” I sighed. “Spider and I are working on it. I’ll keep you posted. Which leads me to my next question. What are you going to do? How can I contact you?”

  “I’m going to lie low for now. I’ll probably stay around here for a while. Don’t be surprised if you find food missing from your fridge.”

  “How can I contact you?”

  “It’s best if you don’t, unless there’s an emergency. I’ll contact you. But if you need to talk to me, leave your hoe lying in your garden, and I’ll come in at night. If it’s an emergency, fire three shots.”

  I grinned at him. “Excuse me while I go put my hoe out in the garden. You can come in at night any time.”

  He took a deep breath and his eyes heated up. “That’s not a good idea,” he said huskily. “Too risky.” He stood. “You need to go back to the house now. You’ll be due at Sirius soon. I’ll get set up here.” He turned away, and I barely heard his mutter. “And by the time you’re back, maybe these damn drugs will have worn off.”

  “Wait, one more thing.”

  Kane turned back to me. “What is it?”

  I grinned. “You just fucked my brains out. The least you can do is kiss me goodbye.”

  “I... That’s really not a good idea, either.” He stood frowning for an instant before he pulled me into his arms. I’d been half-joking, but at the touch of his lips, I realized I had a chance I could have lost forever. A chance I might still lose if Stemp found him.

  I’d tried to protect Kane by keeping my distance. When I’d thought he was dead, I’d only regretted what I hadn’t done. Life was too short.

  I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer to tease his lips with my tongue. He groaned, and heat flashed through me when he deepened the kiss. His hands slid down my back to pull me against him.

  I lost my breath at the feel of the unyielding ridge in his pants. Lust drowned me and I groped at the button on his jeans with a shaking hand.

  “Aydan, stop,” he mumbled against my lips. “Too dangerous...”

  “Please...” I managed to fumble the button undone. “Please, just once when I know you won’t die. When I know I’m not dreaming.” I eased the zipper down.

  “God... Aydan, stop...” He grabbed my hand.

  “We might not get another chance.” I circled my hips, rubbing against him, feeding my need. “Please,” I panted. “Now. I want you now.” I closed my teeth on his neck, licking and nibbling.

  He groaned and wrenched my jeans down while I slid my hand inside his pants. Breathless hunger suffused me when I freed his erection from the confining cloth. The last time I’d seen something that big and hard, it had been black silicone.

  Then my back was pressed against the smooth bark of a tall poplar. His hands clamped under my ass and he lifted me bodily. When he drove deep inside me, the forest echoed with my wild cries.

  We pressed against the tree, sweating and shuddering. I dropped my head onto Kane’s massive shoulder to gasp out the last mindless waves while his rigid muscles vibrated under my hands. After a few more breaths, I slowly unlocked my legs from behind his back to lower my feet tentatively to the ground. My quivering knees barely supported my weight.

  He held me close and buried his face in my tangled hair, kissing my neck. His lips searched across my jaw to find my mouth in a long,
sweet kiss.

  At last he pulled away, gently disengaging himself. He steadied me when I wobbled and smiled down at me, the lines crinkling around his still-dilated eyes. “Amazing. You’re amazing.”

  “Now that’s what I call a goodbye kiss,” I gasped. “Holy shit.” I gave him a breathless grin as he zipped up his jeans.

  “I have to go.” His fingertips stroked my cheek, and he brushed another light kiss across my lips before turning quickly to disappear into the forest.

  I tottered over to the log and collapsed onto it to pant some more. When I was finally capable of standing again, I floated back up to the house.

  Trailing into the bedroom to shower and change, I grinned at the sight of the churned-up bed and straightened it, wincing. Kane was a big strong guy, and he hadn’t been holding back. Despite my earlier reassuring words to him, my bruises ached deeply.

  I smiled. He was alive. And maybe I could look forward to a rematch when I was in better shape to enjoy it.

  My smile persisted until I sat down at the breakfast table and started to think things through. Then the magnitude of the situation finally filtered into my brain.

  I was euphoric that Kane was alive, but I couldn’t tell anybody, and I couldn’t show my happiness in any way. I somehow needed to gather proof of Stemp’s betrayal. Producing Kane alive would land Stemp in a lot of trouble, but it wouldn’t prove that Stemp was the leak to Fuzzy Bunny.

  I blew out a breath and made fists in my hair. Back to our original plan. Time to set Fuzzy Bunny up.

  In Silverside, I slipped into the tiny electronics store and picked up a couple of disposable cell phones before heading to Blue Eddy’s for my regular eleven o’clock appointment. After lunch, I avoided conversation other than the usual pleasantries at Up & Coming. I didn’t want to deal with any awkward questions about Kane. Lola didn’t know he was officially dead, and I didn’t want to have to lie to her.

  I took a few moments to devise a strategy before meeting Spider at Sirius Dynamics. It felt wrong to keep him in the dark about Kane, but I had to agree with Kane’s reasoning. After a short internal debate, I decided silence was the safest course of action. It would prevent me from blurting out the good news, and Spider would assume I was submerged in gloomy thoughts.