by C. J. Miller
“Let’s take a sample so we can figure out what it is,” Hyde said. She didn’t recognize the substances and had little experience identifying ingredients from smell or taste.
They secured their sample in one of Finn’s pants pockets.
“We need to paint the truck. The yellow is too noticeable,” Hyde said.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Finn said.
They searched the shelves and inside a freestanding metal closet along the wall and found a couple of cans of black paint.
“Black would work,” Finn said. He removed his shirt.
Hyde drank in the sight of him. His broad shoulders and muscled arms, toned abdominals. She liked a man who was physically fit, and Finn took it to the next level. But checking him out wouldn’t lead anywhere. He had made that clear at the club, freezing when she had talked about the future. “What are you doing?” Besides creating a tempting distraction for her.
“I don’t want to get paint all over my clothes. If we’re questioned, spatters of paint on me and the freshly painted truck I’m driving? Trouble.”
He was right and Hyde removed her dress. She had on about as much as she wore to the beach and felt a flash of self-consciousness about it. They didn’t have extra time to be sidetracked.
Paintbrushes and a paint sprayer were located in the closets. Finn worked with the sprayer on one side of the truck while she painted the edges, covering the yellow of the truck. The monotonous activity gave her too much time to think, and her thoughts focused on Finn. “We could leave the truck. Let the West Company deal with it. Take a boat and sail away.”
“Is that like saying you want to sail off into the sunset? Or sunrise?” Finn asked.
“It’s an option,” Hyde said.
“We’re close to the end. I feel it,” Finn said.
That was what she was afraid of. She had come full circle with her feelings for him, but Finn hadn’t changed. Hyde directed her emotions into painting faster.
When they’d finished covering the truck, an hour and a half had passed. It was hot and humid inside the shed. Their skin was covered in paint flecks. Finn tossed her a roll of paper towels and she wiped the bits she could from her skin.
Finn tore a sheet from the roll. He folded it in his hand and held it to her cheek. “May I?”
She nodded.
He wiped at her cheeks. He was standing close enough that she felt the heat radiating from his body. Avoiding making eye contact, she scratched the paint from her fingernails.
“Even with black paint in your hair, you make it work,” Finn said.
Hyde lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. “Same goes.”
Finn cleared his throat and looked away. Her heart fell. When they got close, he backed away.
She checked the truck for yellow that had bled through; Finn left to find vehicle license plates. Hyde checked her phone. She still had no signal. Were the police ramping up their efforts to find their truck? Would they be surrounded at the shed? Abby couldn’t tell the police Hyde and Finn were undercover, not when Barnett could have an inside man on the police force.
With her heart aching, paint fumes nauseating her, Hyde questioned why she was doing this. She wasn’t a stranger to difficult operations, but this one was growing more complex and taking longer than she had hoped. Perhaps she hadn’t thought it through, but she had imagined doing some surveillance and handing the intel to someone else. Let someone else do the legwork to bring Barnett down. Finn was intent on doing it himself.
When Finn returned, it was ten minutes to five.
“We need to get out of here,” Finn said. If the owners showed up for the day, they’d involve the police. As it was, Hyde and Finn owed the shop a check for the paint they had stolen and the paintbrushes and the paper towels and mess they had made. The West Company would send money to reimburse them.
Paint was still dripping off the truck.
“We did what we could,” Hyde said. They pulled their clothes on and tidied in the shed.
The smell of the paint would linger. They had no way to air out the shed. The morning air was still and humid.
Finn got into the driver’s side and pulled the truck out of the shed. Hyde locked up and they followed the same procedures at the gate, trying to leave the area undisturbed. The longer it took the owners to realize they’d had a break-in, the farther away Finn and Hyde could be.
Driving in the direction of the warehouse, Hyde rubbed at the flecks of paint on her hands. “When you’ve spoken to Barnett, has he said anything about Ruby? I’ve been worried about her.” Speaking of her and Finn’s relationship would sink them deeper into troubled waters, but she felt okay asking about another couple.
“He hasn’t mentioned her. You want me to ask directly?” Finn asked.
“I can’t imagine she likes living on that island with him,” Hyde said.
“He wasn’t holding her against her will,” Finn said. “If she wanted to leave, we could get her out. Ruby is strong. She seems subservient to Barnett, but she has to have some inner strength or Barnett would have crushed her by now.”
Hyde sensed Ruby was stronger than she may give herself credit for.
“I’ll take the long way around the city to get to the warehouse,” Finn said. “See if I can avoid being spotted by the police.”
Hyde looked at her phone. “Still no signal.”
They drove in silence. Exhaustion was creeping into her, but she didn’t fall asleep on missions. Finn might need her. Hard to stop thinking about a hot shower and bed, taking off this dress and slipping into a soft T-shirt and comfortable cotton shorts.
Not the first time she wished she hadn’t come on this mission. She had solid reasons for agreeing to the mission, her sister first among them. But was this worth it?
* * *
Outside Miami, Hyde made contact with Abby.
“Where have you guys been?” Abby asked. She sounded out of breath.
“We’re laying low.”
The familiar clicking of Abby’s fingers moving over the computer keyboard filled the line. “I’ve been watching the warehouse. I sent a few agents to find you and offer support. The police are looking for two people matching your description and driving a yellow delivery truck.”
“That’s not great news. Hard to hide in a truck,” Hyde said.
“Can you ditch the truck in a safe location?” Abby asked.
Safe being the operative word. “Not to our knowledge and not without pissing off Barnett,” Hyde said.
“Also, I need to pass along that we have the results from the blood work you sent from the victim from Illumination,” Abby said.
Hyde held her breath, waiting for the answer.
“Substance unknown, likely Whiteout. We’ve added it to our database. If there are more victims, we’ll receive an alert. We have a task force looking into past overdoses to make a connection. And since we’ve been working around the clock, we also used the information we pulled from Ramirez’s computer to track deliveries in Selvan. We have operatives on the ground making arrests.”
“Great news,” Finn said.
Hyde felt less enthused. She was being pulled back into this life. She felt the rush of excitement over each development on the mission pulling her close to their end goal. That high was dangerous and addictive.
“Barnett hasn’t withdrawn the money we stole from Ramirez. We can’t use that against him,” Abby said.
“Do we have enough to bring him down?” Hyde asked, unable to hide the sigh in her voice.
Finn shot her a strange look. If he thought she was cranky, she was.
“We can’t tie Whiteout to Barnett yet,” Abby said.
“We have samples from our truck,” Finn said. “We’ll make the delivery and then get them to the lab
.”
“That’s great,” Abby said. “Be careful, though. There’s a heavy police presence in Miami and someone got a look at you two. Your likenesses are in the media. We’re trying to keep it local.”
What if her parents saw them? Or her sisters? Would she be recognized? The mission highlighted what was at stake and everything she had to lose.
* * *
When Hyde and Finn arrived at the warehouse, they pulled to the loading dock.
Sydney was standing outside, smoking a cigarette. A soft pack was tucked in his dress shirt pocket, the gold foil sticking up. “Took you long enough.”
Hyde tried not to let the comment irritate her.
Finn handed over the keys to the truck. “I’m sure you heard we ran into trouble.”
Sydney narrowed his eyes. “You keep running into trouble. We need someone who won’t bring the authorities down on us. Someone who knows how to avoid trouble.”
Finn’s shoulders tensed. “I’ve done my job.”
Sydney sneered. “Maybe. Maybe not. I’m keeping a close eye on you. There’s a car out front. Take that and get gone.”
Chapter 14
After a meal, a shower, and a three-hour nap, Hyde was feeling better. She needed something to take the edge off the tiredness that fogged her brain. A jog in the Miami humidity would clear her head. Whiteout and Sydney, Barnett and Ruby, Simon and Lydia and Thea, her feelings for Finn and her future. Thoughts ricocheted around her brain and she questioned her decisions. Every mission put a lot on the line. On this mission, she personally had so much at stake and that made everything more difficult and complex.
“I’m going for a run,” Hyde said. The exercise would take the edge off her tumultuous emotions and get rid of her nervous jitters. Too little sleep and too much caffeine had that effect on her.
Finn grabbed his running shoes. “I’ll join you.”
Hyde and Finn had worked out together before. They stayed in shape for their jobs and Hyde enjoyed the company and the competition, but today, she wanted to be alone.
“I’m okay on my own,” she said.
Finn took her hand. “Come on, Hyde. I know I upset you earlier. It’s not safe for you to be alone on the streets of Miami. I won’t chatter. I’ll stay close to be sure you’re okay.”
She nodded once, knowing he was right. They needed to stay sharp. A mistake this late in the game would make their efforts for naught.
In the promised silence, they took the hotel stairs to the main level.
Hyde stretched the backs of her calves. Her feelings for Finn were clouded by the past, but with him, in the here and now, she felt like she was working with a partner and a friend. With someone who she trusted and loved. She loved Finn. She had from that first moment they’d met. Broaching the subject had gone miserably and he had been clear he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. Or if he did, he wasn’t willing to change anything between them to make it work.
With that hurt crushing her chest, Hyde took off with Finn on her heels. His stride was longer, and he passed her. Competitiveness urged her to move faster and draw on her energy reserves as she chased after him.
At the end of the block, he disappeared around the corner, and Hyde sped up to avoid losing sight of him. As she slowed at the end of the block, she drew to a hard stop.
Standing in front of her was Finn and Simon. She did a double take. Simon? Was it him? Hyde blinked and shook her head. The heat and her exhaustion might be making her dizzy. But the man before her had the same blond hair, aristocratic nose and tall, slender build. “Simon?”
It felt strange to say his name.
Simon held a gun pointed at Finn. “Alex, how good of you to join us. Turn around and walk into that parking garage. If you run, I will shoot you in the back. I will shoot if I think you’re signaling anyone. Hands on the back of your heads,” Simon said.
Hyde glanced at Finn. He subtly shook his head. They couldn’t try anything. She had her gun under her shirt, strapped tightly to her waist to keep it from bouncing as she ran. It would take an extra few seconds to get it out, seconds they didn’t have. Simon was a trained operative, one of the best.
Hyde and Finn did as he asked. They walked into the garage, moving around a concrete wall, out of sight of the sidewalk and street. Simon could be reasoned with. Something had gone terribly askew for him to be in Miami holding them at gunpoint.
“We thought you were dead,” Hyde said. She tried to gauge his temperament. If the truth didn’t work, she would try something else.
“Turn around and let me see your hands,” Simon said.
She and Finn faced him, holding their hands in front of them.
“Simon, what’s going on?” Hyde asked.
“I’ll ask the questions,” Simon said. “Tell me what you’re doing with Barnett.”
She and Finn remained silent. Simon may still be an operative or working for someone. He could work for another cartel or against Barnett.
“Answer me or I’ll kill you for betraying me,” Simon said.
“Betraying you? We’re not the ones waving a gun in your face,” Finn said.
Simon’s brown eyes darkened. “You thought that partnering with Barnett wasn’t betraying me?”
“Simon, calm down. Let us explain,” Hyde said.
“Calm down? That’s what you have to say to me,” Simon said.
“We are not partnered with anyone except each other,” Finn said.
“You’re running around Miami helping Barnett set up his drug enterprise,” Simon said.
Confusion spiraled through her. “How do you know that?” If Simon had been working for the West Company, Abby would have warned them. The West Company had control of this operation.
“I’ve been watching Barnett. Imagine how surprised I was to learn two of my closest friends were working with the man who tried to kill me,” Simon said.
How much of what they knew of Simon’s demise was a lie? He was alive, but she didn’t know how.
Typically rock steady in the field, Simon’s hand was shaking. He wasn’t himself. Whatever had transpired in the last two years, he was a different man.
“Simon, we were told that Barnett trapped you in one of his drug factories and set fire to it.” She waited several beats.
Simon rolled his sleeve shirt up. His forearm was marred with burn scars. “True. Which still doesn’t explain why you are working for Barnett.”
“Before you do anything you’ll regret, I need to tell you something about Lydia,” Hyde said.
“Careful,” Finn said under his breath.
Hyde glanced at Finn. If she told Simon about Lydia and Thea, he could lash out. He could go after Lydia or Thea. But they needed the truth out in the open. “I need to tell him.”
“Tell me what?” Simon asked. He was shouting. “What’s wrong with her? Did Barnett get to her?”
Hyde recognized worry in his words. He didn’t want to hurt Lydia. Hyde shook her head. “I am careful about protecting my family. Barnett won’t come near them. But Lydia fell for you hard. After the night you spent with her, she found out she was pregnant.” Hyde held her breath, afraid what Simon might say.
“Pregnant?” Simon asked. He ran his free hand through his hair. “Where is she? What did she do with the baby?”
“The baby is named Thea. She’s healthy and fantastic,” Hyde said.
Simon stared at them, his mouth agape. Hyde couldn’t read his emotions.
“Lydia was heartbroken when you didn’t return. We thought you were dead. We were told you were dead. What happened?”
Simon took a step away. “I can’t believe this. A child? I have a child?”
“Yes. And Lydia would like to see you. There will need to be a lot of explaining, but she’s had a tough tim
e. She would want you to meet Thea and be in her life.”
Simon forked his fingers into his hair. “Thea. What a beautiful name.”
“Tell us where you’ve been, Simon,” Finn said.
Simon seemed to collect himself. “You know I was working to take down the Barnett cartel. Barnett found out I was a spy and he knew I was closing in on him. He wanted to destroy evidence. He didn’t care who he killed and all the better if I’d died. Some of us made it out of the fire. Others died in the explosion. I was taken to a hospital. I didn’t have identification and because I was undercover, no one came looking for me. I was in a medically induced coma for six months while I healed. After that I was taken to a rehabilitation center. I worked harder than I’ve ever worked recuperating. And now I want Barnett dead.”
Hyde had much to say and many questions she wanted answered. “You have to know we’re not working with Barnett.”
“It doesn’t look that way. Word around town is that you’re Barnett’s go-to guy,” Simon said.
“You can’t believe that,” Finn said. “Look deeper.”
Simon lowered his gun thirty degrees.
“We’re undercover,” Hyde said.
Simon shook his head. “You and Finn don’t work in the United States. You did the same work I did. Overseas.”
“No,” Hyde said. “We’ve started working for another firm. We’re trying to stop Barnett and bring down his entire enterprise. For you. Payback for what we believed Barnett did to you and to give closure to Lydia. I thought if Barnett was dead, I could tell her the truth about you.”
Simon’s eyes misted and then his face grew hard. “You’re lying.”
“I am telling you the truth,” Hyde said.
“An hour ago I wanted to kill you. Now I don’t know,” Simon said.
“Call Lydia,” Hyde said.
Simon took his phone from his pocket. He looked at it. “What would I say to her? I’ve thought of calling her many times. I didn’t want to bring her into this.”
“She hasn’t moved on. She has Thea and she does her best, but it’s been difficult,” Hyde said.