Head Trip

by D. L. Line

  Shelby studied Trish’s face. She wanted to see trust. She wanted to see belief, but all she could see was fear and confusion. Right now she needed Trish to be Tasha, and that just wasn’t happening. Well, she would have to be Tasha for both of them.

  “Jake, where’s the stuff that was in my pants pockets?”

  “There was an envelope in the hospital bag. I’ll get it for you.”

  Shelby knew she was smiling a little too brightly. Trish probably did think she was crazy, but it felt so damn good to be doing something. “Trish, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to scare you, and if you don’t want to go with me, I’ll understand. It’s just that I feel like a huge part of my life has been stolen from me. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop having these seizures, if I’ll ever stop seeing Tasha pointing that gun at me and firing. I know how violated you said you felt because Head Trip had used your image without permission. Imagine how I feel.”

  “Oh, Shelby! I never for a minute compared what happened to me to your situation.”

  “I know that. I just mean I can’t sit and do nothing. Andrew won’t stop until he makes sure that no one finds out about the problems with Head Trip. That’s the only way he’ll be safe from losing all his government contracts and private clients.”

  “And he won’t be safe until we are out of the way.”

  “Exactly.” Jake handed Shelby the envelope of her belongings, which she slit open with her thumb. “Here it is.”

  “Here what is?” Jake asked.

  Shelby handed him the scorched security badge that had belonged to Lois. “Our ticket into Head Trip. Do you think you could duplicate this, Jake?”

  He turned the card over in his hands, examining it closely. “Probably. It’s just a simple strip like on a credit card. Our badges at the hospital are similar, though honestly more sophisticated. But I thought you said Andrew had locked Head Trip down and changed Lois’s security access.”

  “To the computer system, yes, but Lois said everyone still went in to work. I’m guessing that the badge still works. Maybe he canceled her access after he killed her, but he had other things to worry about like offing me. My guess is he never bothered to do it because of the fiery car crash. He wouldn’t even know that the badge still existed.”

  A slow smile spread across Jake’s face. “Aren’t you the devious one? Yeah, give me a couple hours and I can do something with this as long as the strip will still read, but I’ll have to go back to the office. There’s bound to be questions about where you are. What do you want me to say?”

  “Tell them I went home, and check and see if a spiky-haired guy with a big knot on his head showed up for treatment. My guess is he got out of there quick, but you never know.”

  Jake pocketed the badge and pulled his coat on. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something. I take it you want to move on this quickly?”

  “Tonight if we can do it, Jake. Thank you.”

  The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Shelby and Trish alone. The apartment seemed unnaturally quiet after all the excitement of just a few moments before. Shelby looked at Trish, saw her beauty, her vulnerability, and felt her newfound bravado fading. Beautiful women had always made her nervous. It didn’t help that in this case she had known this particular beautiful woman intimately, even if it hadn’t really been her. God, that sounded stupid even in her own head.

  “Still plotting against evil Andrew?” Trish asked.

  Shelby felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “Um no, actually I was just thinking about you. You’re beautiful, you know?”

  Trish looked down at her hands, then shoved them into the pockets of her jeans. “Thanks, you’re sweet to say that.”

  Shelby took a step toward Trish. “I’m not trying to be sweet. I’m trying to be smooth. I’m just not very good at it.”

  Trish laughed and the tension in the room melted away. She opened her arms. “Come here. You don’t have to be smooth. You just have to be you.”

  For a moment, Shelby wondered which “you” she was supposed to be. Shelby Hutchinson, IT Director? Shelby Hutchinson, victim? Shelby Hutchinson, secret agent? She stopped wondering when Trish wrapped her arms around her and kissed her. All the tension and heat came back in a rush as Shelby fell into the kiss. Trish’s lips were as soft as she remembered from her vacation. She smelled fabulous and she tasted better. No trace of vodka this time. Shelby combed through Trish’s hair with her fingers, resisting the urge to curl her fingers into fists.

  Trish pulled back, breathing hard and licking her lips. “This is crazy. You just got out of the hospital. Someone tried to kill you.”

  “That’s why this isn’t crazy. I could have died. This makes me feel alive.”

  Trish stepped back farther and turned away from Shelby. She smoothed her hands down her jeans. “But is it about me? Or is it about, you know, the other me? Tasha?”

  Shelby came up from behind Trish and put her hands on her shoulders. “Tasha isn’t real,” she said. “Tasha is someone Head Trip planted in my head. You are real and you are beautiful and I have wanted you, well, not from the first moment I saw you because you seriously scared the crap out of me, but from pretty soon after that. It’s just all been so crazy. It’s hard to date someone when you never know when a seizure will strike or when some greedy bastard will try to kill you.”

  Trish turned and put her arms around Shelby. “Shelby, shut up and kiss me again.”

  Shelby obliged, once again feeling the heat of their kiss suffusing her whole being. She backed Trish toward the couch and sat down, pulling her onto her lap. Shelby stroked up and down the length of Trish’s spine, stopping at the top of the waistband of her jeans. She ran her hand around to the front and slipped under Trish’s sweater. Trish’s silky skin yielded under Shelby’s touch. She continued to explore, pushing upward until her fingertips grazed the lace of Trish’s bra. Trish shuddered and leaned into Shelby’s touch.

  “God, Shelby, touch me, please.”

  Shelby reached behind Trish and unhooked her bra then gently shifted her off her lap and onto her back on the couch. She stopped for a moment to look at Trish, really look at her. There was no sign of Tasha around Trish’s intense blue eyes. Nothing harsh or cold or calculating in the set of her jaw. Shelby rubbed her thumb across Trish’s full lower lip.

  No, Shelby Hutchinson, she is not me. You must be careful with her, keep her safe.

  Shelby squeezed her eyes closed.

  “Are you okay, Shelby? Is it your head?”

  “No, it’s nothing. I want to touch you.” Shelby pushed Trish’s sweater and bra up, and Trish leaned up to pull them the rest of the way off. When she settled back against the couch cushions, Shelby was once again struck by her loveliness. She lowered herself to cover Trish. She captured her lower lip between her teeth and teased then nibbled then teased some more, running her tongue across Trish’s teeth.

  Trish pulled Shelby closer, taking control of the kiss, but Shelby was having none of it. She pulled Trish’s hands from around her neck and pushed them up until Trish’s arms were over her head.

  “Leave them there,” she whispered, her voice husky. Shelby slid down Trish’s body, her hands stroking. She took her time getting to know Trish’s skin, the curve of her flesh. She noted the amount of pressure it took to make Trish’s nipples rise beneath her hands, felt the quickening of Trish’s breath as her mouth trailed from collarbone across the swell of her breast. Shelby smiled at Trish’s small squeal as she took first one nipple then the other into her mouth. She wanted to stay right there with the feel of Trish’s nipple under her tongue for the rest of her life, but it had been so long. As much fun as the romp with Tasha had been, it hadn’t been real, and this was so real. Shelby slid her hand over the soft curve of Trish’s belly and unbuttoned her jeans. When the response to her unspoken question was met by a deep sigh, Shelby pushed forward, fingertips grazing soft curls. She teased with gentle tugs before cupping Trish in her hand, feeling the intense heat and we
tness she had hoped to find.

  “Take my pants off, please,” Trish whispered with a hint of desperation.

  Shelby didn’t need to be asked twice. She rolled off the couch and knelt between Trish’s knees to pull her jeans off. Shelby scooted down the couch onto her stomach and placed Trish’s legs over her shoulders. It may have been a long time, but she hadn’t forgotten this part. Gently, she stroked Trish’s clit with her thumb until Trish raised her hips to meet her rhythm and then she replaced her thumb with her tongue. Trish gasped and Shelby felt her stiffen then relax back into the same hypnotic rhythm. Shelby licked and swirled and just as Trish’s breath became ragged, she pushed two fingers into her, quickening the pace until Trish tumbled over the edge, her cunt convulsing around Shelby’s fingers.

  They lay tangled together for a few minutes, Shelby continuing to softly stroke Trish’s skin. “You are amazing.”

  Trish laughed at that. “I think I should be saying that. Are you coming up here so I can return the favor?”

  Shelby tried not to stiffen, but she was afraid. Afraid she would see Tasha again, hear Tasha again, or worst of all, say Tasha’s name at an inopportune moment. She wanted Trish like she hadn’t wanted anyone in a very long time, maybe ever, but she knew she had to wait until she could exorcise all her Head Trip demons. She scooted up the couch and pulled a blanket over both of them. She smoothed Trish’s hair and kissed her.

  “I really want you to return the favor, in a big way, but I don’t think I’m ready yet. I will be. I know I will be, but right now, I’m scared. Can you understand?”

  Tears welled in Trish’s eyes, but she nodded. “I do understand. It’s about Head Trip, all of it. You feel…broken isn’t the right word.”

  “Yes, yes it is. Broken is exactly the word. I feel so completely out of control, and I have to get that back, but I wanted to touch you so much.”

  “Come here. We’ll get through this and then you’ll have to tie me up to keep me away from you.” Trish pulled Shelby into a tight hug and snuggled under the blanket.

  “That probably wouldn’t keep either of us away, you know.”

  “I know.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Two hours later the apartment door slammed open.

  “Shel! Oh shit, sorry!”

  Shelby leapt off the couch, pulling the blanket with her and uncovering Trish. Shelby and Jake stared at each other for a moment before Shelby grabbed at the blanket and covered Trish, who was looking more than a little startled.

  “Shel, I am so sorry, but I called and called. When you didn’t answer, I ran home. I was scared shitless, but you’re both okay, right?”

  “We’re fine,” Trish said, as she wrapped the blanket around her and scooped up her clothes from where they had landed on the floor. “But if you’ll excuse me for just a minute, I’ll be right back.” She shuffled out of the room toward the bathroom.

  “Crap,” Jake muttered.

  His expression reminded Shelby of a wounded puppy. She felt bad.

  “I’m so sorry. Is she okay? I wouldn’t have just barged in if I had known.”

  “Jake, it’s your apartment. She’ll be fine. We fell asleep and I didn’t hear the phone. So what did you find out about the security badge?”

  Jake reached into his pocket, pulled out a badge, and handed it to Shelby. “There’s no picture on it, but I didn’t figure you would be checking in at the reception desk. Fortunately, there wasn’t much damage to Lois’s badge. It was scorched around the edges, a little melty, but the strip was still readable. I ran it through the machine at work and used one of the hospital’s blanks. As long as Andrew didn’t cancel her clearance, this should get you in.”

  Shelby turned the badge over in her hands, her mind racing a mile a minute at the possibilities. “Thanks, Jake.”

  “Did you get the badge to work?” Trish asked as she came back into the room.

  Jake cleared his throat. “Yeah, I did, but I wish you guys would rethink this. Isn’t there some way we can bring the police in on this? This plan—is there a plan? This plan is way too dangerous. If you could just sit down at the police station—”

  “The police? Please.” Shelby winced when she heard Tasha’s words coming out of her own mouth. “We’ve been through this. All we have are suspicions, and I’m just not the most reliable witness at the moment given my medical issues. It has to be this way. I can get in to Head Trip with this.” She held up the badge. “I’ll find something. Andrew isn’t as smart as he thinks he is. Then I’ll get out. Maybe then we can go to the police. If nothing else, there has to be something about the rock climber, a cyber trail of some kind. Once I have that, we can shut Andrew’s weaselly ass down.”

  “Wait a minute, Shelby. This sounds an awful lot like you’re thinking of going in there alone.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You guys can keep an eye on the door for me, but there is no reason for anyone else to go in the building besides me.”

  “You can forget it. I’m not going to let you go in there by yourself. What if you have a seizure?” Trish was adamant.

  “What she said, Shel.”

  Shelby stuffed the badge in her pocket and rolled her eyes. “What am I supposed to do with you two?”

  You could knock both of them out. They are in the way.

  “Yeah, like that would work.” Shelby wandered into the kitchen and pulled some juice from the refrigerator. “All right, if we’re going to do this and you all insist on being a part of it, we need to be smart. I’ll go in with Trish. Jake, you get to be lookout. Before you say anything, Andrew doesn’t know you. If you’re hanging around outside Head Trip—”

  “I won’t be recognized. I’m not very suspicious.”

  “That’s what I am hoping for, yeah. Trish, do you still remember the layout of the offices?”

  Trish nodded. “Sure. Are we heading back to Andrew’s office?”

  “Yep. Just as soon as the sun goes down, and let’s hope this visit is a little more productive than the last one.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The car pulled to a stop, its tires crunching over sticks, broken glass, and other debris left behind by the street sweepers. Shelby tried to push the horror movie music out of her head. She had enough tension rolling through her body; she didn’t need the soundtrack.

  “That’s it, Jake. We’re close enough. Can you see the door?”

  “Yeah, I can see it, but what if Andrew decides to use the back door, or what if he’s still in there?”

  “First of all, I don’t think Andrew is a back door kind of guy. He thinks he’s on top of the situation. He has Head Trip locked down tight. He thinks Trish is running scared, and he thinks I’m out of the way. Even if he knows by now I’m not out of the way, I’m sure the last thing he’s thinking about me is that I’d even consider taking the fight to him.” Shelby stopped and shook her head. “There’s no need for him to be skulking around to the back door or be here after hours, for that matter. He’s arrogant and that’s what is going to get him caught. Let’s go over this one more time and then get a move on. I don’t want to be here any longer than absolutely necessary. Jake, stay here. Keep your eyes open. If anything, and I mean anything, looks funny, page me with the nine-one-one signal, and I’ll get out of there. Trish, I’m still hoping I can talk you into staying in the car with Jake.”

  “Keep right on hoping. It won’t do you any good. You’re not going in that building alone.”

  Tell her you are not alone, Shelby Hutchinson. Tell her you have a badass Soviet agent going with you.

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

  “What’s not going to happen, Shelby?”

  “Um, I’m not going to get my way on this, am I?”

  Trish pressed her lips together and forced a smile.

  “Fine then, we go in together. Straight to Andrew’s office. I’ll tackle his computer, and since you insist on coming in with me, you can see about finding an
ything else. Start with his assistant’s desk. Look for disks, portable storage drives, anything that we can take and look at later. We should be out of there in less than fifteen minutes.”

  Shelby had the sudden urge to have everyone synchronize their watches, but realized none of them were wearing one. This spy shit had been easier in her vacation. Except for that getting shot part, of course.

  Shelby took a deep breath and opened the car door. The night was clear and cold in a way only Chicago can be. The air coming in off the lake was chilled like the perfect martini, and like the drink, it slowed you down, dulled your senses.

  Shelby held the door for Trish, then poked her head back into the car. “We’ll be back in a few. It’ll be okay.”

  “I hope so,” Jake answered. “Don’t worry; I’ve got your back.” He held up his phone and wiggled it.

  Shelby gave him a final grin she hoped was more reassuring than she felt, then turned and headed for the front door of Head Trip. Even though there were other people on the street, all going about the business of their everyday lives, Shelby felt like all eyes were on her and Trish. It was as if they were glowing in the dark or had flashing neon signs hanging over their heads that proclaimed “about to commit a felony.” She felt a hand slip into her pocket and squeeze hers.

  “I’m scared, Shelby.”

  “Me too, but it’ll work out. It has to.”

  They marched up the steps of the unassuming building that housed Head Trip and stopped at the front door. Shelby resisted the urge to wave and stick her tongue out at the security camera as she pulled Lois’s badge from her pocket and slid it through the reader. When the green lights flashed and the door locks clicked, Shelby exhaled. For the briefest moment, she didn’t know what to do next. Part of her had expected their plan would be stalled right here at the door.

  “Come on, Shelby. Let’s go.”

  Shelby pushed the door open and stepped into Head Trip’s empty lobby. It was dark, but the security lights gave them enough illumination to see where they were going. Shelby let Trish take the lead while she followed behind, alert for any sign of trouble. They passed the reception desk, and Shelby used Lois’s badge again to gain access to the rest of the office. Once through the door, Trish tugged on Shelby’s sleeve.