Friends In Spy Places

by Diane Henders

  “Never mind, darlin’, stay in here where it’s warm. I’ll wait outside.” Hellhound got out and closed the door behind him.

  I hesitated for a long moment before pressing the speed dial. When the analyst’s wide-awake voice answered, I said, “It’s Aydan” and held my breath.

  “Nora Taylor was attacked, sometime after nine-thirty this evening. She was admitted to the secured wing of the Silverside Hospital at ten-thirty PM.”

  The air vanished from my lungs as though I’d been punched in the chest. “Wh-What happened? What’s her condition?” My voice was a bare ghost.

  “It appears she was drugged and abducted, but escaped from her captor or captors. She was found semi-conscious in the driver’s seat of Bob Armstrong’s car after running it off the road near the hospital. She’s uninjured, and they’re keeping her for observation and running tests to determine what she was given.”

  “Does she remember anything?”

  “Only that she borrowed the car, intending to visit Agent Rand in the hospital.”

  “What about the bugs and cameras?”

  “She was alone when she left her hotel room at nine twenty-seven and she looked normal on the surveillance cameras. She hadn’t spoken to anyone on the phone inside her room; and the bug on her purse didn’t pick up any conversations, either. When she got in the car she turned the radio on, and the bug recorded it uninterrupted until she was found in the car. There was no other conversation, no cries or sounds of struggle, and no sounds of doors opening or closing.”

  “But how could she have been abducted and drugged if nobody opened or closed the car doors?”

  “Unknown. They may have been hiding in the back seat.”

  “Shit. Is she conscious now?”

  “Yes, she regained full consciousness around midnight.”

  I glanced at my watch. Two-twenty AM. “I’m going over there to see what I can find out. I’ll be back in time for the three AM meeting.”

  “Noted.”

  “Anything else?” I asked, because why the hell wouldn’t there be something else? Could this night get any worse?

  “That’s all.”

  If only I could believe that.

  “Thanks.” I disconnected and got out of the Forester.

  “So?” Hellhound gave me a worried look. “How bad is it?”

  I grimaced. “Don’t ask. Nora got abducted and she’s in the hospital. I’m going over there now.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry, darlin’. This’s all my fault. I shouldn’t’a talked ya into the shaggin’ wagon.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I protested. “If I’d said I didn’t want to, you wouldn’t have even tried to talk me into it. And I should have checked my phone. This is all on me.”

  “But…” He trailed off at my vehement headshake, apparently deciding that there were more important issues at stake than assigning blame. “Were ya s’posed to be protectin’ Nora?”

  “Not officially, but I’m sure Dermott will find a way to make it my fault.” I hugged Hellhound, absorbing his strength as his arms came around me in return. “Go back to my place and get some sleep,” I added. “I’ll go straight from the hospital to my meeting at Sirius, and that’ll likely take hours. With any luck I’ll make it home for a shower and change of clothes before I have to leave for Calgary in the morning.”

  “You’re goin’ to Calgary tomorrow?”

  “Uh-huh.” I tightened my arms around him, trying not to think about it.

  “What for?”

  Yeah, I had to think about it.

  I sighed. “A sting. Holt figures the best way to catch Grandin’s contact is to use me as bait.”

  Hellhound’s arms tightened around me. “D’ya need backup?”

  “Holt doesn’t think so.”

  “Holt’s a fuckin’ idiot. Where’s the drop?”

  “You can’t be there,” I argued. “Holt says he’s got the whole place locked down and wired, and it shouldn’t be that big a deal. I’ll be armed, and as soon as the buyer makes contact Holt’s team will come down on them like a ton of bricks.”

  “‘Makes contact’.” Hellhound drew away, holding me by my shoulders and frowning down at me. “That could be anythin’ from puttin’ down a suitcase of money an’ backin’ away, to mowin’ ya down with an automatic weapon. Tell me where you’re gonna be.”

  “But if anybody spots you…”

  “I’ve been doin’ this for thirty fuckin’ years. Nobody’s gonna spot me. An’ if anybody steps outta line…” The Killer stared grimly from his eyes. “I’ll take ’em down before Holt even gets his thumb outta his ass.”

  I hesitated. If Dermott found out, he’d crucify me.

  But if Hellhound had to act, it meant the mission had already gone to hell anyway; and Dermott would be the least of my worries.

  “The drop is at ten-thirty, at a nursing home.” I gave him the address. “The buyer shouldn’t even get near me, but even if it all goes to hell and they capture me…” Somehow I managed not to shudder. “…I’ll have a bug and a locator in my wristwatch, and Holt will have a team on standby if they need to retrieve me. He’s sure they won’t hurt me after going to so much trouble to capture me.”

  “He’s sure.” Hellhound snorted. “That an’ five bucks’ll get ya a cup a’ coffee. I’ll be there.”

  “Thanks.” I burrowed into his arms again.

  He held me for a few moments, then drew away and dropped a kiss on my lips. “Can ya get me those spy glasses ya were testin’ for Chow last summer?”

  “I can try.”

  “Good. An’ wear that bulletproof jacket, too, if he’ll give it to ya.”

  “I’ll see if he’s still got it.” I kissed him again. “I have to go. I’m running out of time.”

  “Okay. I’ll go get the cameras from Lola’s place an’ take ’em back to Stores.”

  “Thanks,” I said again, the word completely inadequate to describe the gratitude swelling in my heart. “Have I told you in the last few minutes that I love you? In a completely anti-commitment way?”

  He chuckled. “Love ya, too, darlin’. Good luck with your meetin’.”

  Driving over to the hospital, tension wound up in my belly while thoughts whirled in my brain.

  Who would attack Nora? Had somebody targeted her as a way to get to me? Or was this something to do with her role as Weapons Director for the UK? Or was it something else entirely?

  And where had she really been going? Visiting hours at the hospital were over by the time she’d left her hotel room; and she knew Ian couldn’t have visitors anyway. So it must have been an excuse to borrow Armstrong’s car; but why?

  Had she gone somewhere to do some secret thing or see some secret person between nine-thirty and the time when she was found? But if her car doors hadn’t opened and nobody had spoken, what could have happened?

  And why would she have left at nine-thirty, when she should have been expecting my call?

  As I turned into the hospital parking lot, all the questions converged into an answer.

  Nora had been jealous of Lola from the start, and when I had abandoned her because of the threats to Lola, she’d been miffed.

  So that was it. She had faked an abduction to get my attention. Or to punish me for my inattention. That’s why she had left just when I was supposed to call. She wanted me to run to her rescue, to feel guilty for ignoring her and to prove I loved her as much as Lola.

  Juggling equal parts hope, fear, and anger, I jogged across the parking lot to the hospital doors.

  When I strode up to the nurses’ station in the secured area, Linda met me. Despite my churning emotions, my tension eased. Thank God there was someone on duty I could trust without question.

  “Aydan! Thank goodness you’re finally here! Your mom’s in there.” She indicated the room two doors down from Ian’s, each manned by a burly security guard.

  A fresh wave of fear swept me at her worried expression. “How is she? Is she wo
rse?”

  “No, she’s stable, just upset. I told her you’d be here as soon as you possibly could.”

  I gulped down guilt. ‘As soon as I possibly could’. After I finished screwing my boyfriend, sleeping on the job, and chasing unrelated clues.

  “Have the tests come back?” I asked. “Do you know what she was given?”

  Linda’s smooth brow furrowed and she lowered her voice. “The tests came back negative for all known drugs. I’m sorry, but they must have used some new drug we can’t detect.”

  Or maybe there was never any drug at all.

  “Or maybe…” Linda said uncertainly as though reading my mind, “…I thought maybe she hadn’t been drugged at all; that maybe she’d had a reaction to her medication or something, but her only medication is eye drops twice a day for glaucoma; and they can’t cause that kind of reaction. And the doctor said there’s no evidence of a TIA, either.”

  “A what?”

  “Transient ischemic attack. A mini-stroke,” Linda clarified. “That can cause temporary confusion and loss of motor control, and then it passes without causing any permanent damage.”

  “But the doctor said it’s not that.”

  “No.”

  But I should still give Nora the benefit of the doubt.

  “You said her eye drops couldn’t cause side effects like she had, but could skipping them cause a problem?” I asked.

  “No, nothing like she experienced. And don’t worry, she had the drops in her purse, so I put them in for her tonight. Her hands were too shaky and she said she’d put them in herself later, but you don’t want to get off-schedule with those. I’ll make sure she gets them on time tomorrow morning, too.”

  Nora was faking the whole thing. I knew it. Wasting hospital resources and jerking us all around for her own selfish purposes. As usual.

  Despite my rising anger, I gave Linda a smile. “Thanks, you’re such a good nurse. I’ll go in and see her now.” I headed for Nora’s door.

  The guard checked my retinal scan before stepping aside to allow me access. They were obviously taking no chances. I gave him a nod and swung the door open softly.

  Nora froze, standing in the middle of the room with a small object in her hand.

  “Going somewhere?” I asked evenly. “What’s that in your hand?”

  She stiffened. “I nearly died, and all you can do when you finally show up is interrogate me like a common criminal?”

  It took all my will not to snap ‘Maybe that’s what you are’.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way,” I said instead. “I just thought you’d be sleeping. I was surprised to see you out of bed.”

  Nora drew herself up. “I am allowed to go to the bathroom,” she said coldly. “And these are my eye drops.” She opened her hand to display the small vial with its prescription label.

  Icy certainty slithered down my spine.

  If I was going to smuggle a lethal poison through customs and security, I’d put it in a prescription bottle and forge a label with my doctor’s name on it. Nobody would ever question it.

  Maybe she hadn’t been trying to get my attention after all.

  Maybe she’d figured out a clever way to smuggle herself and her poison into the secured wing, right next to Ian’s room.

  And maybe I’d caught her making her move.

  Chapter 46

  Fighting a blaze of adrenaline, I held my voice completely level. “Linda already gave you your eye drops this evening.”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  I kept my tone conversational. “I just talked to her a minute ago, and she said she had.”

  “Oh…” Nora tottered back to the bed and slumped onto it. “Are you… sure? Oh, no.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I… I don’t remember that. Oh, Aydan, I can’t remember anything that happened to me tonight! What… what drugs did they find in my system? Will they be gone soon?”

  Damn, she was a good actress.

  Doubt wormed into my righteous anger.

  What if she wasn’t acting? She was a director in MI5. If somebody was going to drug and abduct her, it was plausible that they’d use a designer drug. And surely she wouldn’t have let Linda put poison in her eyes.

  Shit.

  But I’d still like to get my hands on that vial.

  “They didn’t find anything conclusive,” I said. “But at least they know you didn’t have a mini-stroke.” I hesitated. “Why don’t you give me your eye drops? I’ll take them to Linda and she’ll make sure you get them on time in the morning. That way you won’t have to worry about forgetting again.”

  Nora wiped her tear-reddened eyes and gave me a brave smile. “That’s all right, Dani-dear. Here…” She dug into her purse and came up with a scrap of paper and a pen. “Took… drops… Tues… evening,” she said as she wrote. Then she wrapped the paper around the small vial and returned everything to her purse.

  Damn.

  “Are you sure you want to keep your purse here?” I asked. “There’s a secure storage area at the nurses’ station. I could take it down for you.”

  She gave me a hard look. “I know what you’re trying to do, you know.”

  I faked puzzlement. “Um… sorry, what?”

  Nora’s face softened into a maternal smile. “I know you’re trying to make sure I don’t double up on my drugs, and it’s kind of you to be concerned; but really, I’ll be fine now that I’ve written myself a note.” Her smile took on a tinge of embarrassment. “And I may have been forgetful about my drops, but I am still quite certain that I need to use the bathroom. Would you excuse me for a moment, please?”

  Defeated, I said, “Of course. And I’m sorry, but I can’t stay. I have to be over at Sirius in fifteen minutes for a meeting. I just wanted to see for myself that you’re all right.”

  “Oh, thank you, Dani-dear.” She came over to hug me, and somehow I managed not to tense. “Will you still pick me up at eight tomorrow morning for our trip to Calgary?” she asked.

  “As long as the doctor says it’s okay for you to travel.”

  Hmm, there was an idea. Maybe I could convince the doctor to keep her for a day or two.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, then, dear.” She made for the bathroom, and I left.

  Outside her door, I lowered my voice so only the guard could hear. “If she leaves this room, you stick to her. Don’t leave her unsupervised for an instant.”

  “Understood.”

  “Agent Kelly?” I looked up to see the guard at Ian’s room beckoning to me. “Agent Rand left instructions to send you in immediately if you came by. It’s urgent.”

  I checked my watch. Dammit, unless Ian got straight to the point, I was going to be late.

  When I went into his room, he was sitting bolt upright in the bed. His usual flirtatious smile was gone, replaced by a hard accusing frown. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re playing at?” he demanded.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” I snapped in return.

  “I was counting on you and your Department to keep my Weapons Director safe while I was incapacitated.”

  A few fast strides brought me up beside his bed. He didn’t flinch, but I could see the flash of anxiety in his eyes as I shoved my face at him.

  “She wasn’t attacked,” I whispered next to his ear. “I think she faked the whole thing either to manipulate me, or to get close enough to poison you; or both. She’s two rooms down from you, and I think she might be carrying the poison in her eye drop bottle. I can’t get it away from her without making a big scene, but I’ve told her guard to stay with her no matter what; and I’ve told your guard not to let anyone in here, and to make sure that all your food and drink comes directly from a nurse.”

  He said nothing.

  When I straightened, his expression was unreadable.

  “I see,” he said. “Well, first thing tomorrow morning it won’t be your problem anymore. I’m officially taking charge of Nora now. I’ll drive her to the airport
, and we’ll fly back together on her two o’clock flight so I can make sure that nothing else happens to her.”

  “What the fuck?” I ground out. “Earlier today you were all, ‘Oh, Storm, please protect poor helpless me from the evil witch’ and now you’re suddenly all cured and protecting the evil witch from me?”

  “It’s my duty to protect my Weapons Director,” he said stiffly. “And no, I’m not cured. I still have a horrible headache and nausea and I likely will for some time, but I don’t need to be hospitalized anymore. I’m perfectly capable of flying home; and I certainly think I’ve been an agent long enough not to eat or drink anything dodgy. So thank you for your concern, but it’s rather too belated.”

  I stared at him for a long moment.

  “Fuck you,” I said, and strode out.

  The drive to Sirius wasn’t nearly long enough for me to finish mentally throttling Rand, but by the time I arrived at the security wicket my irritation had been replaced by dread.

  If even Ian had decided to blame me for the so-called attack on Nora, Dermott would be positively rabid. And I was five minutes late for this meeting. That was probably enough justification for him to order me gutted and hung.

  I plodded up the stairs wondering what fresh disaster awaited me. When I walked into my office only Spider and Holt were present, and I let out a breath.

  “Where’s Dermott?” I asked.

  “Not coming,” Holt said. “No reason for him to sit here for hours watching you stare into space.” He shrugged. “No real reason for me to, either, but Webb thought it might help if I came into virtual reality with you and held your hand.”

  There was no contempt in his voice. Surprised into momentary silence, I stared at him.

  He shrugged again, looking uncomfortable. “Only if you think it’ll help. If not, I can leave. I’ve never done this before so I don’t know what you need.”

  A tendril of warmth eased my beleaguered heart. “Thanks, Greg. It’ll help.”

  “Okay. So what’s the plan?”

  I lowered myself to the sofa with a long sigh. “We’ll both go into the VR network and I’ll start from the file repository. Your avatar will hold onto my avatar’s hand, and then I’ll turn invisible and slip into the network. You’ll still be able to feel my hand, but it’ll stretch, maybe to almost nothing. If everything goes okay, you shouldn’t lose me entirely. If it doesn’t…” I grimaced. “If you can still feel my hand, you can start trying to pull me back. If I’m gone entirely, Spider will send out continuous internet searches to guide me back.”