“Of course not. No matter what you think, I don’t have a death wish. I want to catch him and not die in the process. With you by my side, my odds of surviving this little endeavor grow exponentially.”
Peter opened his mouth and closed it again. One shock after another. What was this world coming to? Diana and he were in complete agreement. Without an argument.
“Huh. I’ll make a note to check the news later – some rare planetary alignment or an eclipse must be happening.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Diana scooped some coffee into the coffee maker.
“Look, is there something else going on in that complicated head of yours? Something I’m not fully appreciating?” he asked.
“I might be good, but I’m not infallible,” she said. She had spoken so quietly, he’d barely heard her.
“Your instincts will take over.” He was quieter now, too. He walked over to her and got close. “He got to you more than you let on, didn’t he?” he said.
Diana looked up at him. Anxiety was stamped all over her features. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I have no idea how I’m going to react. I’m not an idiot. I know I could have an unexpected reaction..”
“Then why do this? You don’t owe anyone anything.”
“I have to,” she said, simply. “We need to eliminate him. He’s already killed so many people, and he will keep killing on and on. Those deaths will be on my conscience for the rest of my life if I don’t try. And, honestly, I can’t let him control my life any more. I need to confront him and put him away.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he said.
“I know. I know I can always rely on you to pull my ass out of the fire.” She smiled at him before sobering. “Thank you,” she said.
Peter frowned. “You don’t need to thank me, Diana. You’re my partner, and partners look out for each other.” He squeezed her arm and pulled her in, tucking her head under his chin.
“I know but still… thank you.” Out of nowhere, tears welled up. She quickly tamped them down, blinking ferociously and swallowing hard, thankful that he couldn’t see her face.
“You’d do the same for me.”
“Yes, I would.”
He dropped his arm and moved away. He pulled out a chair and straddled it as Diana, thankful that the emotional moment was over, focused on pouring her coffee. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I may not work in mainstream media, but I have a few connections. Let me make some calls.”
Peter frowned. “You’re not calling up another mobster, are you?” he grumbled. Diana had a slew of connections, many of them on the wrong side of the law.
“Not this time, I promise,” she said with a grin.
Peter was walking down the corridor after a long day of preparing to implement Diana’s plan. He was ready to accompany her to the studio where she was about to play her part in the drama. There was a shout behind him.
“Hey!” Kieran stormed up to Peter.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to argue with Ms. I-Can-Do-Anything about this stupid plan of hers!”
Kieran jabbed at Peter’s chest with his forefinger. “Which is what you should be doing. Why are you letting her do this? Diana absolutely cannot and must not parade herself in front of that psycho. He will stop at nothing to grab her. He will torture and kill her.”
Peter didn’t react. He stood motionless and silent as Kieran started to pace in front of him.
“You know what she’s like. She comes up with some scheme and goes on and on about it until she wears you down, or carries it out anyway. You should have stopped her. You should have shut her down. Why didn’t you, you punk? Do you think you’re gonna be the one to save her? You with all your medals, and bravery, and crack military experience, huh?”
Peter continued to maintain eye contact with Kieran but still didn’t make a sound.
“Well, let me tell you, this guy’s clever. We pulled out all the stops, all of them, right? And the only reason she’s alive now is because he let her go. Next time she won’t be so lucky. And you do not want her death at the hands of that monster on your conscience, believe me.”
Kieran took a breath and turned to look at Peter, facing off with him. “She cannot die, you got it? She cannot. She’s yours now. You have to protect her.”
Peter watched Kieran’s retreating back as he blew through the double doors at the end of the hallway. The baton had been passed.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“YOU ARE CERTIFIABLE,” Peter hissed. “I can’t believe you called him a pathetic psychopath with mommy issues.” Fifteen minutes after Diana’s stint on the nightly news, he’d finally managed to calm down enough to speak.
Just as she’d said she would do, Diana made a few calls and within hours, had been on the seven o’clock news. She’d discussed, under the guise of being a crime journalist, the psychopathy of serial killers. Her connection to VPD was kept under wraps.
She’d shared information about their latest case. Headless corpses always attracted the public’s attention. She also slipped in a description of Surgeon in less than flattering terms. A pathetic psychopath with mommy issues was one of the nicer things she’d said about him. Peter had watched aghast but helpless from the studio floor.
They’d spent the previous hours working furiously to prepare for the aftermath of the broadcast. During her interview, Diana had left breadcrumbs for Surgeon to follow, including naming the publication she worked for. Everyone at the magazine had been given a week’s vacation. The offices were now staffed by undercover cops.
Diana had also been given a new home address which was, in fact, a VPD safe house. She would be living there for the forseeable future. All of her documents had been changed, showing the new address as her place of residence.
Everything had been set up. Peter had reviewed the plan with her so many times, she’d gotten snappy with him. They were ready. And then in her inimitable way, she had insulted a treacherous professional assassin. That hadn’t been the plan at all. The plan had been to put in an appearance so Surgeon could see her. She wasn’t supposed to mention him. She certainly wasn’t supposed to insult him.
The moment she’d walked off set, Peter’s frustration with her once again showed itself. She hadn’t said a word until he’d finished. And then she’d shut him up succinctly.
“He’s waited almost ten years to come for me already. I had to push him, to force him to act.”
“But now you’ve made the situation much more dangerous.”
“It had to be dangerous, Peter. He needs it to be. Danger and risk stimulate him. That’s how he gets high. Danger.”
Diana sighed. She’d been sitting quietly in the passenger seat as he drove them in silence to the safe house. “We’ve been over this. He’s going to come for me for certain now, which is what we want, right?”
Peter kept quiet. If he said anything, he was liable to get angry again. As the minutes dragged on, the silence became oppressive. “What are we doing in Shaughnessy?” Diana asked out of the blue.
He looked at her with a small frown. “We’re going to the safe house.”
“In Shaughnessy? Since when does VPD have a safe house in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Vancouver?”
Peter shrugged. “Since we confiscated the place from a drug dealer a few months ago. Donaldson decided it would be the best option. Didn’t you look at the address?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Didn’t get a chance,” she said with a small shrug. “So, why this place?”
“Quiet neighborhood,” he replied.
“Anyone new to the area will be easy to spot,” she finished.
Peter turned onto Marguerite Street and then into a driveway. Diana gasped. “Wow, this place is beautiful,” she breathed.
He had to agree. On two levels, the house had sloping roofs. There were huge bay windows and stunning, carefully landscaped garde
ns. He pulled up to the front entrance and turned the engine off. Diana jumped out and looked around. “I can’t wait to see this place in daylight.”
Despite his mood, Peter smiled at the wonder on her face. She looked enthralled. Cute. A moment of levity amid a steaming pile. He fervently hoped they’d still be smiling in a few days time.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
PETER TOOK OUT the keys, unlocked the front door to the safe house, and swept it open with a flourish.
Diana marveled at the entryway. She turned around, trying to take everything in. The house was decorated elegantly, with ornate yet understated furniture, plush carpets, and neutral colors. A chandelier dripping with crystals hung from the ceiling. Her heels clacked as she made her way across to the sweeping staircase ahead.
She went from room to room, exclaiming over one thing or another. Peter had never seen her like this before. The more feminine, “girlie” side of her. He followed her into the living room. It had brick-red walls, a white ceiling, two tan couches and a mahogany coffee table that gleamed. A huge, stone fireplace dominated the room.
“I can’t believe a drug dealer would have such exquisite taste,” she said.
Peter grinned. “I’m sure he hired a decorator.” He paused for a moment. “So, do you want some dinner?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t say no.”
“Pizza?”
“Sounds good. I want ham, pineapple, jalapeños and extra cheese on mine, please.”
Peter rolled his eyes. “I know,” he replied, deadpan. She never ordered anything else. He still didn’t understand how what she ordered could be considered pizza, or even food. She’d offered him some once and he’d recoiled as if she’d presented him with a hissing cobra.
“You can have some, if you like,” Diana called out.
“No, thank you. I’ll order something else.”
“You should try it. Expand your palate, your horizons.”
“I draw the line at pineapple and jalapeños, thank you very much.”
He placed the order, and while they waited, they wandered outside into the private garden. He found a light switch. The garden was bathed in soft light. “This is wonderful,” Diana breathed. “Max would love it.”
Peter grinned. “Yeah, he would, although it wouldn’t be so peaceful with him here. He’d be running around sniffing and digging and yapping.”
Diana smiled at the thought, “Yes, he would.”
She had hired a sitter for Max. Pet sitting was helping Terri Jenkins pay her way through veterinary school. She was usually fully booked but came running whenever Diana called. Terri loved Max, and Diana paid her double. This might have been a small fortune to Terri, but Diana considered it a bargain. She wouldn’t trust Max with anyone else.
They went back inside, and Peter started to check all the entryways and window fixtures.
“Is the house bugged?” Diana asked.
“Yeah, mikes and cameras in every room. All the doors and windows are solid. We can double lock them all and set the alarm.”
“Peter,”
“Hmm?”
“Remember why we are here. We need him to breach the place so we can take him down. If we make this place a fortress, all of this will have been for nothing.”
“Okay, but we don’t have to make it easy for him. And we definitely don’t want to be taken by surprise.”
The doorbell rang, and they instantly went quiet. Diana drew her gun. Peter peered through the spyhole.
“It’s the pizza delivery guy.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yup, I order a lot of pizza. That is definitely not an assassin at the top of his game.” Peter opened the door, still covered by Diana, and took the two boxes offered to him.
Peter would have settled on eating straight from the box, but Diana insisted on warming the large bone china plates she’d found in the cupboard and using embroidered linen napkins that were lying, ironed and folded neatly, in a drawer.
“You’ll be getting out the cutlery, next,” Peter teased her as she rustled around looking for what else the kitchen might offer up.
“What? You mean you don’t eat pizza with a knife and fork? Really?” Diana smiled. She’d been nervous before her TV stint but now she was euphoric. They sat in the luxury kitchen at the island and eventually settled down to eat.
“How long do you think we’ll have to wait?” Peter wondered.
“Not sure. I’ve worked cases like this before—“
“Why am I not surprised?”
“…And it usually takes up to forty-eight hours for our mark to show himself. The longest I’ve ever known was fifty-two.”
“Hmm, I’ve worked them where they’ve never shown up at all.”
“Yeah, that too.”
“So basically we have no idea how long we’re going to be here.”
“No.”
“Well then, we’d better get used to each other’s company. I have to know where you are always, okay?”
“Yes, I know. You told me earlier. At least three times.”
“Even when you’re in the bathroom, got it?”
“Got it, sir. Yes, sir!” Diana gave him a mock salute, but she was deflecting. Peter was reminding her of her father. A little less overprotective, but the same care and concern was there. The same strong sense of masculinity.
They ate their pizza in silence for a while. Outside they could hear crickets. The neighborhood was truly as quiet as a graveyard.
“You and Kieran. How long were you partners?” Peter blurted out.
“About eight years. He was a few years in when I was recruited, and I was assigned to him once I’d done my basic training.”
“You must have been pretty young.”
“Yeah, I was. Funnily enough, he was there when I had my first encounter with CSIS back in college.”
Peter didn’t say anything more. Diana looked at him. A shadow had crossed his face. His lips tightened, and he took a deep breath.
“Peter, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. Nothing. Why would anything be wrong?” he asked quickly.
“Because this is a funny line of questioning, and you’ve suddenly clammed up. You’re frowning so hard, you’ll get a headache. I don’t need to be an expert in body language to know something is wrong.”
Peter sighed. “Were you and Kieran more than partners?” he finally asked.
“Oh!”
“Sorry, none of my business.”
“No, it’s not.”
There was an awkward silence.
“Well, were you?”
She was tempted to tell him to butt out, but this didn’t seem the moment. Peter had never indicated any interest in her romantic life before.
It had been a long time since she’d been in a relationship. She hadn’t had one at all since leaving CSIS. Living a normal life was tough after being a spook. Some agents never got used to it and went back, even if it was just to a desk job. Others ended up hiding away from the world, living in remote places or building a life that was as far away from their former one as possible. Civilians had a hard time understanding any of it, especially when those former lives were classified and top secret. There was always an intimacy gap. It was tremendously hard to make a relationship work with someone to whom you could never tell the truth.
That suited her. Max was her companion, and she’d found new projects to occupy her time. Retired spies were like retired athletes. They found some way to stay close to the action.
Donaldson, despite his initial reluctance to have her on board, had developed into a kind of father figure. Their relationship wasn’t deep or close, but he was a comforting presence. And Peter was simply awesome. He knew she couldn’t always tell him everything, and he didn’t pressure her. He made her smile and laugh. He challenged her on an intellectual level. The evenings she and Peter spent chatting about cases, movies, anything in fact, were her favorites. He understood her like no one ever had, except perhaps
her friend from college, Teddy. Diana sighed. She missed Teddy. Peter would like him.
“No, Kieran and I were never more than partners.”
“He would like more,” Peter said curtly.
“Maybe,” Diana said with a shrug. “But we aren’t suited.
“Why do you say that? You don’t stay partners for eight years without good teamwork and common values. ”
“He’s a great friend, very loyal, but we’re quite different. It’s hard for him to understand the way my mind works. He doesn’t trust me enough. At all, really. And I would never date someone I worked with. Don’t date, don’t get drunk, and never, ever cry. That’s always been my motto for getting on in a man’s world. Especially this one.”
Peter looked at her. “I see.” He swallowed the last bite of his pizza. “Do you want another soda?”
“No. I’m good.” She watched him start toward the fridge. She was confused by his reaction. He seemed… something. She wasn’t sure what, but she decided to let it go. There’d been enough disclosure for one day.
“Okay,” she said, slapping her thighs, “I’m going to bed. You know where I am, right?”
“Yup, just across the hallway. Got your weapon?”
“Of course,”
“Okay, see you in the morning.”
“’Night, Peter.”
Peter walked outside and stood drinking his soda in the dark. He stared out into the illuminated garden, listening acutely to gain a baseline of their surroundings. He watched as a rabbit hopped across the spotlit lawn, pausing every few feet to nibble at the grass. Ever hyper-viligant, even he had to agree that everything appeared quiet.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“I‘M STARTING TO think this is pointless,” Peter said as he threw himself down on the couch next to Diana. “It’s been three days.”
He held out the bowl of popcorn he’d just made, and Diana grabbed a handful. She immediately started tossing pieces in the air, trying to catch them in her mouth. He’d been teaching her. Well, trying to. She was terrible at it. He grinned as he watched. Diana was always so well-mannered and reserved in public, but his being glued to her side these past few days had shown him a completely different side of her. She hadn’t argued with him at all. And she was very ticklish.
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