“Of course I’m safe. I was actually about to call you, but you beat me to it. Mr. Grace told me what happened to you today, while you were picking up pizza for you and Gay. I imagine Gay’s in big trouble, letting you go out alone like that. Where’s your brain? What were you thinking?”
And Olivia heard herself say, “It was only a short distance from the safe house, really, and I checked, no one was following me.” She paused. “All right, yes, I was an idiot, I’ll never do something like that again.”
“All right, enough penance. You saved yourself, kicked big butt. But you didn’t kill him.”
“No, not through want of trying. But I did wound him. I hope he’s really hurting.”
Andi laughed, then her voice hitched. “I was so worried. Mr. Grace told me to hold off calling you, said you’d be too busy for a while. You really are okay, aren’t you, Olivia?”
“Only some bruises, I promise.”
“That’s twice now, Olivia, they’ve tried to kill you.”
“Andi, they didn’t want to kill me, they wanted to take me, force me to lead them to Mike. And you know what that means? Mike’s alive! Andi, he’s alive and they don’t know where he is. I’ve been repeating that to myself over and over and I’m only now beginning to believe it.”
“You’re right, now that’s a load off. My own minder, Agent Cox, was going on about Mike being a traitor, but I kept telling him that made no sense at all, it was stupid, just plain crazy, if you knew Mike. I wonder what happened? Why he went to ground? As far as I know he hasn’t even checked in with Mr. Grace. He has to have a good reason. Any ideas?”
Olivia knew Mike had the flash drive, was probably trying to decrypt it, but how would he without the encryption key? If there was a way, he’d find it. Was he researching French weapons manufacturers, as she had? She said to Andi, “I think Mike is trying to figure some things out, just like we are.” She sounded really lame to her own ears, but luckily Andi didn’t question her.
Andi said, “Olivia, did the man who attacked you today tell you anything? Was he Iranian too?”
Olivia saw Dillon holding her hands, saying, There’s no way that man followed my Porsche. Trust me, I would have seen him. He lied because someone right here in the CIA at Langley told him where to find you. We have no idea who or how high up, so keep whatever you can close to your vest. Don’t volunteer any information to anyone. Still, she wished she could tell Andi everything because she was one of the team, as worried about Mike as Olivia was.
“Andi, I’m under orders not to tell anyone anything and I hate it, but that has to include you. But the most important thing I learned is that Mike’s alive and they don’t know where he is.”
She heard Andi sigh. “All right. I’ll tell Higgs when he checks in with me again. He’s in Halifax, being a tourist. He told me he can’t think of anything he could do to help if he came back. He’s worried about us, Olivia. Well, he’s really worried about Mike, too, but since no one knows where he is, Higgs thinks you and I should join him. I’ll tell you, I’m tempted. But then I think what about Mike? We can’t leave him in the wind. I guess we just have to wait. I hate it.”
“Believe me, I do too.”
“You and I, Olivia, we’ve been thrown in with nasty hostiles before, but what’s happening now isn’t a head-on something we can even understand, and I’ll say it again—I hate it, hate feeling helpless. It’s crazy, Olivia, and I’m scared, for you, for me, for Mike.”
“I’m scared, too, Andi.”
“My minder, Agent Cox, told me they arranged a new safe house for you and Gay. How about I try to talk him into letting me come to you?”
“See what Agent Cox says and I’ll speak to Gay. It isn’t the Ritz; it’s like the first one, a clean, nondescript house in a nondescript neighborhood, ancient plumbing, mother’s old attic furniture. At least there’s a big-ass TV and a comfy easy chair for Gay. Let me know what Cox says, Andi, I’d love to have you here with me.” Olivia yawned. “I’m sorry, but it’s been quite a day. My body is telling me to shut down. At least the pizza was good, heated up nice and crisp.”
Andi laughed. “You always find the rainbow, Olivia, always. Let’s see if we would be allowed to hook up, stay together. I’m so relieved to talk to you, to find out Mike’s all right. I’m proud of you.”
“Come on, Andi, you’re Wonder Woman. You’d have done the same, and you know it.” She heard Andi laugh again, and it felt really good. They both rang off.
Olivia set her cell back in its charger, pulled the covers over both her and Helmut, whose head was on the pillow next to her, and lay back. He didn’t stir. She heard Gay’s basketball game playing on the TV in the living room. Mr. Grace had reamed him for letting her out of the safe house by herself, but Gay hadn’t been angry with her, more philosophical, said next time he’d follow her even to the bathroom, and happily ate his warmed-up pepperoni and artichoke pizza. At least Lodner had let Gay stay with her.
She ran her hand lightly over Helmut’s head, rubbed his ears. “Do you think Mike can decrypt that flash drive? I wonder if Dillon could.”
Helmut raised his head to lick her hand. “Andi’s right, I did good shooting that Frenchman, but that shoulder wound might not be much at all.”
He licked her cheek and she hugged him. “I know, you think I can do no wrong. But I can.” She settled back and reviewed every word the Frenchman had said, everything she’d done, until she fell asleep.
Olivia’s cell pounded the drums from Koothra’s “Night in the Jungle.” Helmut had moved down to the foot of the bed, taking part of the blanket with him. He raised his head. “It’s okay, boy.” She answered. “Olivia.”
“It’s me, Mike.”
33
Olivia
Her breath whooshed out, her heart pounded as loud as the jungle drums. “Mike, I’ve been so worried, so scared for you. I didn’t even know you were alive until today. You swear you’re all right? Can I come get you?”
He actually laughed. “Slow down, sweetheart, slow down. I’m okay. Let me be worried about you. They’ve come after you again, it was on the police band. Believe me, I didn’t expect them to. I thought I was protecting you by staying away. I was going to come to your house to get you after the first attack, but I found out you were okay, and they’d put you in a safe house. No way I could do better than that.” Mike paused, and his voice sounded tired. “And then today happened. I’m so sorry, Olivia; I was wrong to believe you were safe.”
“Come off it, Mike, if you blame yourself, you’re an idiot and I’ll have to hurt you when I see you again. I promise, I’m safe. Where are you?”
“I’m not going to tell you because you’ll want to join me, and believe me, that isn’t a good idea. I’m calling from a burner phone. Babe, these people aren’t fooling around. I’d no sooner gotten off the plane at Dulles and headed over to pick up my backpack when I realized I was being followed. I wasn’t armed, of course. I slipped out of the terminal through an employee exit and jumped behind a pile of luggage on one of those motorized carts. I saw them run out after me, but they didn’t find me.
“Here’s the deal. How did they know which flight I’d be on? Only the CIA knew I had the flash drive on me, so someone told them, just like someone knew about Hashem, and our mission, and that someone wanted me dead, the drive destroyed. I had to protect that flash drive, protect myself, and you were still in the hospital, sweetheart. No way was I going to involve you, even trying to set up a meet could be dangerous. I didn’t want to take any chances, not with you. What about Higgs and Andi? Are they all right?”
Olivia wanted to cry and scream at the same time, but her voice came out calm. “Andi finally got herself a minder after what happened to me today, and Higgs is in Halifax. Mike, you swear you’re all right?”
She could see him smiling his crooked smile that always charmed her and disarmed her at the same time. “Aren’t I always? You’ve told me several times I’m like a cat. I figure I
’ve still got a half-dozen lives left. Olivia, you just got out of Walter Reed and now you rammed your RAV into a truck. Are you even over your concussion? Tell me you’re not injured, and don’t try to lie to me.”
“Mike, it was the only thing I could think to do, and it worked, only I lost him when I ran after him. And yes, I was lucky. I’ve got a couple of bruises, that’s all.”
He cursed. “I probably shouldn’t believe you. Wait, you’re saying you went after him?”
“Yes, of course. But he was lucky, too, this taxi was sitting right there, and he hopped in and was gone or I might have gotten him. All I know for sure is he’s French and he’s determined.”
She could hear him chewing that over. Finally, he said, “I’ve been scared out of my mind for you ever since that RPG went off. I see no reason not to continue being scared,” and he cursed again.
Olivia smiled, realized both of them kept saying they were scared for each other. “Okay, I am still reeling a bit, but I’m in bed right now. Helmut just moved up to see who I’m talking to. Helmut, say hello to Mike.” Helmut licked her cell. Olivia said, “Did you hear his tongue?”
“Hi, Helmut. You keep him with you, Olivia.” He paused. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we? But this situation, it’s more insane than even we’re used to.”
“That’s what Andi said. But Mike—”
“No, let me finish. Since we’re still running blind, I’m not going to come in yet. Not until I know more.”
“Mike, I know something about what you’ve been looking for. I was hypnotized and remembered what Hashem told you. A French armament company selling parts for guidance systems to Iran, isn’t that right?”
“So you heard him. I wondered. And the man who tried to take you is French so that leaves no doubt. Before you ask, yes, I’ve spent a whole lot of time researching them all, public filings, shipment manifests, product inventories. Haven’t found anything yet to point in a specific direction, but I was able to contact an old friend of mine at the NSA, and she’s giving me time on their mainframe when she can, no questions asked. I’ve been working on trying to decrypt the flash drive. It could tell us everything we need to know, maybe even help us trace their communications with whoever they have in their pocket. But it’s a long shot, Olivia, even with the mainframe, because without the key, the possibilities are endless.”
“Listen, Mike, you don’t have to do this on your own. The FBI is involved now. I’m working with Special Agent Dillon Savich. Yes, yes, I know it’s only been a day, but he’s smart and I think, no, I know, we can trust him. He could make sure the drive gets to the right people. He could help us find out who’s behind this.”
Mike was silent a moment. “He’s FBI, Olivia.”
She laughed. “It’s not a hotbed of terrorists, Mike, only a different fiefdom.”
“I don’t know him and you said you only met him yesterday. You didn’t trust me for a good six months.”
“No, it was longer than six months. Remember that actress?” She chuckled. “Listen to me. Agent Savich isn’t putting the moves on me like you were. Do you know his wife is Agent Sherlock, the one who stopped that terrorist at JFK?”
“Okay, how about I trust her.”
Olivia talked over him. “Dillon’s the one who took me to an FBI doctor this morning, the hypnotist, and like I said, I remembered everything Hashem told you. Savich’s sources are good enough he found out who the Iranian was I shot at my house Monday night. He was the one who told Mr. Lodner.”
Mike said, “That must have burned Lodner’s butt.”
“I hope so. Have you heard of Razhan?”
Mike sucked in his breath. He said very slowly, “You’re telling me Razhan was one of the men at your house? And you killed him?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Didn’t this FBI guy tell you Razhan’s a known assassin? I don’t know how many kills he’s registered over the years. I don’t even know what he looked like. I’m wondering if he could have been one of the guys at the airport.” He paused. “And you were the one to finally bring him down. Remind me never to piss you off.”
“You’re always pissing me off. Yep, I did bring him down, just like I shot that jerk Frenchman in the shoulder today.”
He laughed, sobered immediately. “Tell me again no injuries, and don’t try to lie to me.”
“Well, the bruise on my rear end looks a bit like a continent, you know, green for land and blue for water, a dash of purple for the sky. Yes, when we’re together again, you can check it out.”
“You’re trying to make me crazy. Stop it. You’re in another safe house, right? Gay is still with you?”
“Yes, but Mike, listen to me. Agent Savich can help us. Tell me where you are, and we can both come to you.”
Mike grinned into the phone. She was always a bulldog. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I promise to think about calling this Dillon Savich. But for now I’ve got more to do and I want to be sure you stay protected until this is over. And when it is, you and I can go hang out together on a beach in Aruba and I’ll rub sunscreen all over your gorgeous back. I wonder if we can get married in Aruba?”
“What? What?”
But he’d ended the call.
34
Mia and Sherlock
Mia’s Apartment
New York City
Thursday morning
Mia put her feet on the floor and stood up before she realized all was not well. Who knew the result of rolling around in garbage cans to avoid a car trying to run her down would be every inch of her body aching and throbbing and screaming in protest? Even her feet hurt. After three aspirin and a very hot shower, she forced herself to look in the bathroom mirror. A laugh spurted out of her mouth. She looked like a bunch of sugar-high kids had finger-painted all over her. She gingerly rubbed on bruise cream, whatever good that did, blow-dried her hair, and eased into loose sweats. She heard the doorbell ring as she managed to bend over to pull on thick white socks.
She knew who was there, but when she opened the door, all she could do was stare at the tall, slim woman dressed in a black leather jacket, white shirt, black pants, and black boots standing at her door. Her hair was amazing, a red nimbus around her fine-boned face. With her light blue eyes, she looked like a fairy princess. Mia would have told her so, but she didn’t want to sound like a groupie.
“Good morning,” the princess said in a pleasant voice. “I’m Special Agent Sherlock. And you’re Tommy’s Mia. He told me you were too pretty for your own good.”
Tommy’s Mia? Tommy thought she was pretty? Given the face she’d seen in her bathroom mirror minutes ago, pretty was an awesome stretch. Mia laughed. “If Tommy could see me now, he’d pull out his Glock and put me out of my misery.” She stuck out her hand. “At least I’m ambulatory, and believe me, that’s a big relief. Sorry I look like crap. When the aspirin kick in, I won’t look better, but I’ll feel better.”
Sherlock only lightly touched her fingers to hers. “Nothing broken though, right?”
“Thankfully no, all my bones are where they should be. But I ache in places I didn’t even know I had.”
“I’ve been there. You don’t look like crap, you look like you’ve been on a bender.” She smiled. “In three or four days, you’ll feel back to fighting strength. I remember aspirin was my lifeline.”
Mia grinned. “I wouldn’t be surprised if my energy hasn’t flown south for the rest of the winter.” She paused a moment, couldn’t hold it in. “I’ve written about you, of course, but to see you here, in my apartment—I’m sorry, I’m keeping you standing here in the doorway. Please come in. You’re very kind to come, Agent Sherlock.”
“Please just call me Sherlock and I’ll call you Mia. It’ll save time.”
“That’d be great. Can I hang up your jacket?”
“That’s okay,” Sherlock said as she stuffed her gloves into her leather jacket pocket. “I know it’s early, but Tommy is very concerned, well, no, he’s scared for you,
upset he couldn’t be here right away, and that’s why he asked me to be here to keep you safe.” Sherlock paused a moment, looked at Mia Briscoe, said slowly, “I have to say I was very concerned. I’ve never seen Tommy scared. He’s usually unflappable, like his dad, and his mom, too.”
Mia swallowed at the sudden memory of Serena saying, Mia, his mom is awesome. She’d fit under my armpit, but she runs the show, all four giant-size sons and her giant husband. Then she’d waggled her eyebrows, whispered, Maybe she can teach me how if Tommy and I decide to—well, we’re both young, and who knows?
Mia brought herself back, swallowed tears. “I don’t know Tommy’s parents well myself, only met them at Serena’s memorial, ah, but Tommy’s incredible. We’ve stayed close, emailing and calling. I was thrilled for him when he graduated from the FBI Academy. I remember he told me his dad was over the moon, kept pumping his hand and bear-hugging him.”
Sherlock said, “Tommy’s dad, Mr. Maitland, is my husband’s boss. We are very fond of him and his family.”
Mia ushered Sherlock into her living room, waved her to Mia’s own favorite chair, and stood over her, still aching all over. She felt clumsy and pathetic next to this amazing woman. “Ah, I was just going to make coffee. Would you like some? And maybe an English muffin slathered thick with chunky peanut butter?”
Sherlock could see Mia was hurting and said matter-of-factly, “Why don’t you take me to your kitchen. You will sit down and tell me where everything is and I’ll make us both breakfast. When was your last dose of aspirin?”
Mia wished she didn’t feel like the remains of a lousy meal. She wished she could fold herself up and sleep. “Three aspirin, about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Good, they should kick in soon. I won’t burn the muffins, I promise. Come along before you fall over.” Sherlock nodded toward the living room window. “This is an incredible view you have. When you have friends over do they ignore you and simply stare out the window down on Central Park?”
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