Undercover With the Enemy

by Sharron McClellan

  He envied how Holly’s mother took her daughter’s word with no questions asked. In Holly’s case, that might not always be a good thing, but he appreciated the trust behind it.

  It only took dodging a few more cars before he pulled into the parking garage of the hotel. It was crowded but it was downtown L.A.—which meant it was never quiet.

  “Let’s do this,” Holly said, shaking with excitement as she opened the door.

  A part of him knew this was what she was—a daredevil. The kid that climbed to the tiptop of a tree and laughed while it swayed.

  Fearless.

  It was something he would never want to change, but while he loved her boldness, it also scared the hell out of him since it echoed back to memories of Danielle and her risk-taking nature.

  Two women. Both agents. Both pushing the limits of safety. And he’d slept with both. Who knew he had a type? Of course, life would be a helluva lot easier if his “type” was the kind of woman who preferred making cookies as opposed to rappeling off of high-rises. “Wait.”

  She stilled, and her inner excitement didn’t diminish, but she focused on him. “What?”

  He didn’t know what to say. That he wanted her to be careful? To not die? Any and all of that would only make her hesitate, and hesitation might get her killed. So he settled for pulling her close. Breathing her in, he brushed his lips against hers. There was no rush like the morning lovemaking. No teasing. No biting.

  Just the taste of her mouth and the warmth of her breath. A gentle moan as he savored her. To tell her that he worried and to let her know that she was important. Not just to her family. But to him.

  He wove his hands through her hair, savoring the feel of the strands. The roughness of her skin—a thief’s palms calloused by years of climbing ropes, rappeling, and who knew what else—when she cupped his face.

  “I’ll be careful,” she said, when he released her.

  Trust her to know what he meant, even when he couldn’t find the words. “I know,” he said, “But when you’re not careful”—

  She stuck her tongue out. Such a Holly reaction. It made him both want to laugh and cry. The scar on his leg throbbed.

  —“I’ll have your back,” he finished.

  She put in her earpiece, opened the car door the rest of the way, and hesitated. Her eyes met his, but she didn’t look at him. She looked into him.

  Tempe had said Holly was the best when it came to reading people. So he didn’t even try to disguise his emotions. What he wanted.

  She took a deep breath and turned away. “I’m counting on it.”

  …

  Holly closed the hotel service door behind her as she reached the roof of the hotel. L.A. glowed in the sunset, the mirrored building reflecting red and orange of the clouds and the millions of city lights. Beneath her was the penthouse and her target.

  “Beautiful,” she said, hands on her hips.

  “Are you on the roof?” Kane asked in her ear. “Don’t forget your check points. It’s the only way I know what’s going on.”

  Stick in the mud. The unkind words floated through her thoughts, and she blushed that she’d ever considered him anything less than an amazing combination of boss and lover.

  “Checking in,” she said. “It won’t happen again.”

  He didn’t say a word, but she thought he breathed disbelief.

  Let him think what he wants. She’d prove she could do as asked. He deserved her trust. She continued, “I’m in place. Prepping for the run.”

  Shedding her jeans and T-shirt until she wore nothing but a black unitard, she jammed the clothes in her gym bag and pulled out her climbing gear. The sunset deepened. She gazed over the edge of the roof.

  Thirty feet or three hundred, it’ll all kill you, Mrs. Trieu had told her when she learned to walk the tightrope.

  Still. It was a hell of a long way.

  Don’t. She shut down the insecurity. She’d never listened to it, and five minutes before she hung her ass in the air wasn’t the time to start. She turned away from the edge and slipped the harness over the lycra suit, adjusting it until it rested snug against her body. Looping a webbed belt around her waist, she attached a smaller version of her gear bag then wound the rest of the rigging and rope over one shoulder, took out her binoculars, and focused her attention on the pool area.

  One person stood out. She carried a parasol. An ankle-length batik skirt peeked out from beneath it. That could only be one person.

  Madam Sarah, a.k.a. Mom.

  If she was here, then so was everyone else.

  Holly glanced at her watch. Tempe should be making the exchange soon, and she needed to be in and out before that happened. “Kane?”

  “I’m here.” She scanned the parking structure on the other side of the wide road and found him at the top. She waved. He waved back. From his vantage, he could watch Lucien’s suites and direct her.

  “What’s the situation?” she asked.

  “One man in the middle room.”

  “Enzo?”

  “No. Someone new. The bedrooms are empty. So are the other suites.”

  “Slackers,” she said, hoping she sounded more amused than she felt. It stood to reason that the guard had a gun so one in the room was plenty.

  “Let’s hope. Go about thirty feet to your right. That will put you in the smaller bedroom on the corner of the building. As long as he stays in the main room, you’ll be out of sight line even if the bedroom door is open.”

  This was so much easier having a set of eyes to tell her where the danger waited. They made a great team. She blew a kiss.

  “I’ll hang on to that,” he said with a chuckle. “Now get moving.”

  “You got it, boss.” She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mother.

  The woman holding the parasol dug something out of her purse. “Hi, Cookie.”

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Ready to give these people a taste of the circus life?” Sarah asked.

  Ready to put those you love in danger? was what Holly heard. She shut the voices down. They weren’t the ones in trouble. Lucien was at the Observatory, and no one in their right mind would take on a troupe of acrobats—not unless they wanted their asses kicked for ruining the show.

  She stared down at the crowd. Her family blending in among them. Be careful. “Do it,” she replied.

  Slipping on her leather gloves, she hooked her rope around a large metal pipe, secured it with a carabineer—checked it twice like she’d been taught—and jumped over the edge of the building.

  She halted, and for few seconds, she let herself hang over the abyss—reveling in the adrenaline that rushed through her, the sense of mortality, and the thrill of accomplishment.

  “Are you okay?”

  She held up her hand, making the forefinger and thumb in the “okay” symbol.

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Kane said. “You have some massive balls.”

  “If I had massive balls, I couldn’t wear this harness,” she shot back, hoping he heard the smile in her voice and know she was teasing. “Now, what’s the guard doing?”

  “Watching the show from the window.”

  She lowered herself a few more feet until she was level with the bedroom window Kane had told her to use. “This would be much easier if they had a balcony,” she muttered, reaching into her side bag to retrieve the high-tech glasscutter—an industrial suction cup that sported an adjustable cable with a laser at the end, it could cut through almost anything. Taking on a glass window—even one made to withstand winds and earthquake—would be like slicing through hot butter.

  “If it were that easy, I’d be doing the thieving and not you.” Kane said.

  “Everyone’s a smartass,” she said. Setting the suction cup on the window, she put the laser to glass. “This is going to weigh a ton,” she said, drawing a circle just big enough for her to slip through.

  The glass came loose, the weight making her swing in the harness.

&
nbsp; “Don’t drop it,” Kane said, sounding rattled.

  She caught the now open window with her foot to stop the sway. “You think?” Slowly, she slid her feet through until she stood on her toes. With her free hand, she let go of more rope until her feet were flat on the floor, and she hung out of the opening from the waist up.

  Her biceps screamed with the weight of the glass. Letting out the rest of the rope, she pulled herself into the room, fitting the glass through the opening and placing it on the floor—not wanting to alert the man in the next room by creating a thudding noise.

  Kane breathed a sigh of relief. “Like I said. Giant, badass balls.”

  She didn’t say a word but retrieved a tranquilizer gun from her side bag and made her way to the door that led into the main living space. It was closed. Dammit. She didn’t need any movement to catch the target’s attention. Still, not much to be done about it now.

  In the other room, the phone rang.

  She held her breath. She’d stolen a lot of items, but she’d never shot someone. It wasn’t like he was going to die, but still, it was more unnerving than stepping off the roof of the high-rise.

  The ringing stopped. She pressed an ear against the door. One.

  “No. This isn’t Enzo’s room,” the man said from the other side of the door. He had the same accent as Enzo, but his voice was deeper.

  Two.

  “I’m sure.”

  Three.

  “No, I don’t know who they are. You need to call the front desk.”

  It had to be Kane. Helping her even when she didn’t ask for it. Slowly, she cracked open the door, leaned out, and sighted the target. His back was to her, giving her a view of his broad shoulders and dark hair.

  It’s only twenty feet. She raised the weapon. You can do this. She prayed one tranq dart was enough. He wasn’t just broad and tall. He was heavy. Two-fifty. Maybe two-seventy.

  She pulled the trigger, and he leaned over to slam down the phone.

  The dart hit the wall.

  Time halted. She watched as he tracked the dart in the drywall. Turned. Spotted her. Time sped up again as he barreled toward her, murder in his eyes.

  She fired again. The second dart pieced the fabric of his blue silk shirt. Dashing back into the bedroom, she slammed the door shut, locked it, and braced herself against it. She’d had the training, dammit. How the hell had she missed that shot?

  He slammed the entire force of his big body into the door.

  “Hang tight,” Kane said in her ear. “I’m already on my way.”

  Great, he’d seen her screw up. She was sure to get a lecture later and about a thousand hours of training on how to fire a weapon and hit something only twenty feet away. “Hurry.”

  The door vibrated as the thug tried to break it down. “Open up,” he shouted from the other side. “Or you’re dead.”

  If she opened it, she would be dead. There was no doubt. He might not toss her off the roof, but something would happen, and it wouldn’t be pretty. “Thanks. I’ll stay here,” she replied.

  He slammed into the door again, and the wood splintered. It wasn’t going to take much more. A few hits at the most. She was screwed. “Hurry, Kane,” she whispered, bracing her feet against the floor.

  No answer.

  He was probably in an elevator or something. She needed to hear his voice. To know he had a plan. That he could figure out a way to get her out of this and get the chip.

  “I’m going to kill you,” the man screamed as he hit the door again.

  Holly braced herself, ready to run past him when he broke through. A thud sounded on the other side. Then nothing.

  Did he have a heart attack? Or was it a trick?

  She stood, silent. The thud of footsteps caught her attention. These were lighter. Too light to belong to the man who’d tried to kill her.

  Carefully, she opened the door. On the floor in front of the threshold, the man lay sprawled on the carpet, his shirt stained red. A hole in his chest.

  There wasn’t time to feel sorry or queasy or even relieved he wasn’t going to kill her. Past him stood a Southern belle she knew all too well.

  “Come in,” the blonde said, aiming her gun—equipped with a silencer—at Holly’s head.

  Raising her hands, Holly walked into the room. “Hi, Tammi Lynn.”

  …

  “Tammi Lynn? That’s unexpected,” Kane said in her ear.

  Relief washed over Holly that he was back. She’d need the back up now more than ever. She’d never been caught while trying to steal something before, and other than trying to stay alive, she wasn’t sure what to do.

  “You didn’t have to kill him,” Holly said. “I drugged him. He was going to pass out any second.”

  Tammi Lynn clenched her mouth tighter. “Drop your weapon.”

  Holly had forgotten she had it. She set it on the carpet.

  “Thanks for the heads up,” Kane said to Holly through the earpiece. “I didn’t think she had it in her to be a killer. She’s full of surprises. Don’t be one of them.”

  The sound of traffic sounded through over the earpiece, giving her information as to how close he was. A car honked near him. He was outside. His breathing was heavy in her ear as he ran.

  He continued, “Do what she says. Stall for time. I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”

  “What’s the plan?” Holly asked. “You didn’t come here to save me, that’s for sure.”

  Tammi Lynn cocked her head. “I imagine we’re here for the same thing. The chip. That’s what you were after when you took the necklace, wasn’t it?”

  “You got me.”

  “Good. Then you can open the safe.” She motioned for Holly toward the high-end safe in the closet.

  Shuffling her feet, Holly headed to the built-in vault. Better quality than average, it was something found in an upscale home, not a hotel room. Holly nodded. Nice. It seemed the people who paid for the penthouse suite did get the best of everything.

  “Please don’t try anything,” Tammi Lynn said. “I don’t want to kill you.”

  But you will. As soon as Tammi Lynn had what she wanted, Holly was dead weight and a witness.

  Great.

  “So, did they steal it from you?” Holly asked, eye-balling the safe. The original plan was to crack the safe, get the chip, and run. Right now, she needed to buy time until Kane arrived. “Is that why you’re pissed?”

  “I’m not pissed,” Tammi Lynn said. “Focus, please. Can you open it?”

  “Stall,” Kane said, still breathing heavy. “I’m in the lobby.”

  “I don’t think I can crack this,” Holly lied. “It’s pretty high end.”

  The chill of metal behind her ear brought her up short. “If you can’t open it, you’re useless to me,” said Tammi Lynn.

  “On the other hand, I could be wrong,” Holly said, putting her ear to the safe, she turned the dial.

  “Hurry.”

  Holly glared at her. “This is a TL-30. Its six-inches of metal with individual bolts designed to keep out both fire and people like me. You don’t just crack it open. This isn’t a movie.”

  “I don’t care. Just get on with it,” Tammi Lynn said, shifting from foot to foot, agitated. “Lucien isn’t going to stay gone forever. I’d like to be well away from here when he returns.”

  “Considering you killed his man, I’d say it’s a good idea,” Holly muttered, turning her attention back to the task.

  The familiar “ding” of an elevator sounded in her ear. Kane would be here soon. Of course, getting into the room to help her was another matter. She’d need to distract Tammi Lynn.

  And the best way to escape was by letting her think she’d won. She reached for her gear bag, “Just getting my tools,” she said and pulled out the laser she’d used to cut the window.

  “What’s that?”

  “A laser.”

  “The laser?” Tammi Lynn’s voice rose an octave in her excitement, and her finger t
ightened on the trigger of the gun.

  Holly’s gaze zeroed in on Tammi Lynn’s slight movement, but she refused to let the fear grab hold. “Of course not. So you might want to hold off shooting me in the head,” she said, with a bravado she didn’t feel, now that she’d all but confirmed that Tammi Lynn planned to kill her once the safe was open.

  She continued, “This one is specialized for cutting metal. With this baby,” she patted it with a combination of respect and admiration, “it should only take a few minutes to get the safe open,” Turning it on, she pointed the thin blue light at the seam where the bolts went from the frame to the door.

  Like hot butter.

  Tammi Lynn leaned over her shoulder, the gun resting behind Holly’s ear again. “Why didn’t you use it earlier on him? If you had, you would have been out of here before I arrived.”

  A good point, but since she wasn’t a sociopath, it was also a moot point. Holly tilted her head away from the weapon. “Does it matter?”

  “I suppose not. Now get it done.”

  Holly focused her attention on the task, being careful to not rush. She didn’t want to be shot, but at the end of the day, HRS also needed to retrieve the contents of the safe. If she failed in that, it wasn’t just herself who would be screwed, it could be entire populations.

  “What’s on the chip?” Holly asked, trying to distract Tammi Lynn, looking for an opportunity to get the gun.

  “Shut up.”

  “Fine, don’t tell me,” she said, as she worked her way down a seam. I already know, anyway. “Want to tell me why you’re stealing something you sold?”

  Tammi Lynn sighed, “You’ve never been involved in politics, have you?”

  More than once, she’d listened to people argue as each tried to change the other’s mind, and what she found was people believed what they wanted and only presented evidence to support their own ideas. “I try to avoid any and all political discussions whenever possible,” Holly replied, sneaking a glance at the woman behind her.

  Tammi Lynn shook her head as if Holly were the biggest idiot she’d ever met. “Well, I can tell you this. If you want to survive, to succeed, you need both secrets and insurance. This will give me both.”