Licensed To Thrill

by Gemma Brocato

  “I scratched myself on the edge of the control board diving for cover.”

  “Do you think they’re done? Should we expect more?” Bax shifted his weight from foot to foot.

  I turned my attention to the control board with a bank of display monitors feeding video from all parts of the hive to this central location. The only activity was, according to the information printed in Cyrillic above the monitor, located in the deepest recesses. I studied the movement in the room for a moment. A single worker hammered his fists against the door, apparently locked in. Three other workers crouched behind a lab bench equipped with Bunsen burners and microscopes. A sealed fume hood sat in one corner, the ventilated enclosure slowly filling with a dusky cloud. The grainy feed of the closed circuit cameras made it hard to tell if it was just mist, or something more insidious. Nothing else moved within viewing range.

  I pointed to the playback. “Looks like only lab workers. I don’t see any other signs of life. Which, of course, isn’t a guarantee there aren’t other goons lurking around.”

  “We’ll take our chances.” Lucien tapped his wrist device to life. “The fastest route is via the elevators. Looks like the lab is two levels down.”

  “What’s on the next floor?”

  He shrugged. “Living quarters.

  “Any way to see that area on the display?” Bax leaned in, practically rubbing his nose on the monitor.

  I shooed him away. “Stand back, rookie. Let me work.”

  I read Russian as easily as I spoke the language. After studying the keyboard, I toggled a switch or two, and then input a command. The display jumped, and suddenly, we were seeing new images on one tube.

  “Looks like the cameras on the residence level feed on a rotating basis. The shot jumps from section to section. It appears each point of entry on the corridor is recorded.” I tapped my foot as the picture jumped in progression. Every three seconds, a new door was filmed. Fortunately, a number identified each dormitory room. A total of eighteen rooms refreshed every minute. We watched through four cycles but saw no additional life.

  “Right, then. Our only remaining targets are the lab workers. And they appear to be locked in tight. Let’s go.” I checked the clip in my Walther. Six bullets left. Two to spare in this clip.

  A blinking red light caught my attention. “For fuck’s sake!” I spat.

  “What?” Bax’s voice cracked like a teenybopper’s.

  I kicked the boot of the man who’d been behind the control panel when we’d blasted our way in. “Looks like this guy managed to send an alarm out. The power’s been cut to the elevator.”

  Lucien finished cleaning his knife and sheathed it. “I guess we’re climbing down the shaft. Bax, make yourself useful and source us some rope.”

  Bax glared for a heartbeat, then stomped away, muttering about a fucker’s lack of manners.

  I nudged Lucien, who sang out, “Please.”

  It was necessary to bite the inside of my cheek to curb my laughter.

  All humor died rapidly when the 70-inch monitor on the back wall flared to life, and Viktor Koszlov’s face came into focus.

  He’d aged since I’d last seen him. Thick steel-colored hair waved across his pate. Furrows dug deep into his forehead and around his mouth, from years of frowning his displeasure, no doubt. But his frigid blue eyes had remained hard and terrifying, and his bushy brows, although now white, were still overgrown and unruly.

  I still had nightmares about the time I’d seen his gruesome twisted smile and the maniacal glee in his cold hard eyes as he carved open my belly after nearly bleeding me dry.

  I flicked my gaze to the corner of the room where a green light blinked over a camera, indicating he could see me as easily as I saw him. Lucien flanked me, settling protective hands on my shoulders.

  Viktor was smiling now. “Jayne Bond? Is that you? It is! I’m delighted to see you. You vere a bad girl at the Barrier, destroying my fun that vay. And I didn’t actually see you there, did I? It’s been years.”

  “Not nearly long enough, Viktor.” Honestly, I could have gone another lifetime without running into him. If I’d killed him back when I’d escaped captivity, we wouldn’t be here today. I’d be off destroying some other villain’s fun.

  “Now, Jayne. Don’t be that vay.” His smile skewed to wicked. “Vhat do you think of my beautiful lab?”

  “I think it will be easy to blow this bitch to smithereens.”

  Viktor tossed his head back and laughed. “Easier than you think, Solo.” He held his hand in front of the camera on his end. “You see, I don’t need that lab. My manufacturing concern on Rapa Nui is fully operational now. You may have stopped my enterprise at the Thames Barrier, but you vill not stop me any longer. You and your friends vill be blown to smithereens along with the facility in my motherland.”

  He held a flashing numerical display, counting down from five minutes.

  Bax tumbled back into the room, lugging a length of rope. His gaze flew to the video screen. “What the hell?”

  The heavy steel door began to swing shut.

  “Bax! The door!”

  Bax dropped his rope and lunged forward. He wrapped his hands around the edge of the frame, being dragged across the floor as he fought the weight and automation of the exit. At the last second, he was forced to release his grip or lose his fingers.

  The steel-plated portal slammed shut, followed by a loud click. Bax howled his frustration.

  Fucking Viktor had locked us in and was planning to destroy his own lab.

  “It appears I vin. Again. I am sorry I couldn’t capture you once more. I would love to continue my research on your kind. But you’ll forgive me for not doing so. I vill be vatching to see your final moments.” Viktor’s laughter rose in volume, setting my last nerve on fire.

  “Fucking wanker.” I aimed my Walther at the monitor and squeezed the trigger. A hole ruptured the plasma screen, releasing smoke. The damage was so disappointing I emptied the rest of my clip into Viktor’s face, screaming in frustration as I did. I pitched the Walther to the ground and dragged out my Colt and aimed at the camera watching us from the corner. At least it shattered. I located two other cameras and fired into them as well.

  Lucien wilted. “We’re trapped.”

  Bax spun toward me. “What do we do now?”

  They looked to me for leadership. I sucked in a breath and shoved my palms toward the floor, trying to settle my boiling fury.

  “No flipping dick with ears is going to trap me.” I reached for the backpack Lucien had dropped alongside the control board.

  “What are you doing?” Bax demanded as I dug through the contents.

  “Getting us the hell out of here,” I retorted. “Time?”

  Lucien knew what I was asking. “Four minutes, give or take.”

  “How long to set a detonator?” I wasn’t a demolitions expert. Fuses weren’t my specialty.

  “Three, but we’ll need at least three minutes to run far enough away.”

  Bloody hell. Even if his estimate was off a little, we might not have enough time to get a safe distance away. I had to assume the facility would light up like the Aurora Borealis in a January sky.

  “Well then, in the interest of expediency, we’ll wing it.”

  When my fingers touched the block of C4, I dragged it out, hefted it on my palm, and decided I didn’t need the entire block. I stole Lucien’s knife from its sheath and neatly sliced the end third off. I tossed the smaller chunk to Lucien and embedded the tip of his knife into the surface of the control board, no easy feat since the board was made of metal. But I was pissed and in a hurry.

  “Gents, would you create a barricade for us to shelter behind?”

  The men scrambled into action as I stalked to the steel door.

  I packed part of the explosive putty around one hinge and with the remaining bit formed a thin fuse leading down to the other hinge. Satisfied, I marched back to where Bax and Lucien had upended a table.

>   “A bit feeble, don’t you think?” I asked.

  Lucien’s face was grim. “It will have to do. Do you want me to take the shot?”

  He asked because he knew whomever took the shot was going to have to stand to do it. The explosion and resulting shrapnel could be deadly to a human and a demon. But a member of the undead might survive the blast. At least, that’s what I was hoping for.

  “I’ll do it. Just promise me if I don’t make it, you’ll kill the son of a bitch for me.”

  “You got it,” they replied simultaneously.

  I led the way behind the table and waited until Bax and Lucien had crouched behind me. I braced my feet shoulder-width apart, did a modified squat to stabilize myself, and studied the door, calming my careening thoughts. This could be the most important shot I’d ever taken. If I missed, even a scant inch, the plastic explosive would damage the door and the interior of the control room, making it impossible for us to escape if we survived. We’d be irrevocably trapped. Doomed.

  Accuracy was key to escaping alive and mostly intact.

  “Solo, we’re running out of time.” Baxter’s voice broke my concentration.

  “You’re not helping,” I sang out, slowing my breath.

  I let my eyes drift closed and got into that Zen place where I became one with the bullet. Opening my eyes slowly, I zeroed in on the hunk of C4 clinging to the hinge. I drew a breath, held it, and pulled the trigger.

  A bullet travels thirty-two feet per second. My target was less than five meters away. The resulting explosion happened before my brain and arm had an opportunity to register the recoil from my gun. A hot gust of wind struck me in the face. I was lifted off my feet and thrown backward, slamming into the rear wall. Oxygen whooshed out of my lungs. On the rebound, a large chunk of metal smashed into my shoulder, spinning me around. My head whiplashed from the wall and back, bolts of pain barreling through my neck and spine. My ears rang with the concussive noise of the blast.

  I stumbled and reeled to catch my balance. Another boom echoed through the dust caused by the detonation. The steel door had crashed to the ground. My brain, scrambled by the discharge, struggled to process what I was seeing.

  “Jayne!” Lucien’s face appeared in front of my eyes. His voice sounded as if he were shouting into a tin can, echoey and far, far away. “We’ve got to go! Time’s running out.”

  “Do we need to carry her?” Bax shouted.

  He wrapped an arm around me and bent to tug me into a fireman’s carry.

  I kicked him in the thigh. “Put me down, you ass. I’ll only slow you down. I can make it.”

  He set me on my feet and then kept pace with me as I sprinted across the space toward freedom.

  “Less than two minutes,” Lucien shouted as we broke through the front entrance. “Head north. There’s an outcrop of rocks we can shelter behind. Only about two hundred meters.”

  I pumped my legs faster, willing my heart to keep up and my brain to stop reeling. My shoulder ached, and I dimly recognized I’d dislocated it. My arm swung uselessly and painfully at my side. No time to worry now. I shoved the pain away and flew across the terrain, ducking tree branches, leaping over furrows in the ground. Each jolt caused waves of agony to travel through my body. Behind me, Bax’s breath came in short, labored bursts.

  “Tick-tock, guppy.” I slowed long enough to wrap my good arm around his shoulder. “Hold on.”

  I poured on my super-sonic vamp speed, dragging him along with me. I reached the stone ledge Lucien had indicated and leaped through the air, never loosening my grip. At the last second, I tucked and rolled, bearing the brunt of Bax’s weight as we tumbled down a minor slope. I snagged the collar of his jacket and dragged him with me to cower beneath the protective rocks. Lucien nose-dived next to us just as all hell broke loose.

  Night turned into day as the charges Viktor had used to booby-trap his lab blew up. The flash of light was brilliant enough to force my eyes shut. The ground trembled under my arse, and pebbles and bits of stone rained down on us. The rolling, roaring wave of thunder shook the few leaves remaining on the trees.

  Breath rushed in and out of my lungs, the exertion and lingering pain from my dislocated shoulder almost more than I could handle. On shaky legs, I rose to my feet and tightened my muscles to steady myself. I cradled my elbow in my good arm and leaned against a tree, the bark rough on my back.

  “Let me see,” Lucien commanded.

  “I’m fine. Let’s just go.” I could slam the shoulder back into place on the way back to the car.

  “Don’t be daft, Jayne,” he admonished.

  He gripped my elbow and flexed it, keeping my arm tight to my side.

  I tried not to grimace as he began lifting the useless appendage. My vision watered as he lifted higher.

  “Eyes open, Jayne. Breathe through the pain. He’ll stop any time it’s too uncomfortable,” Bax added helpfully, sounding like a damn A & E training video.

  “Mouth shut, tadpole,” I instructed through my clenched jaw.

  “Stop calling me tadpole.”

  Oh, that’s right. He was a cold-blooded killer. I should be calling him toad.

  Lucien tut-tutted. “Now, children.”

  He continued the slow upward progress until I felt resistance. He eyed me, and I nodded. He rotated my forearm upward, and I bit my lip to keep from shouting. Finally, I heard a pop. The pain vanished almost instantly.

  “Well done, Lucien.” I rolled my shoulder. The remaining ache, while uncomfortable was bearable.

  “You were a great patient.” He kissed me and swiped the tears from my cheeks.

  Tears for my pain and for the pain of the innocent workers trapped in the lower level of the underground lab. I didn’t regret taking the lives of Viktor’s commandos, but the lab techs were just trying to earn a living… They didn’t deserve what they’d received. I bent my head and whispered a prayer for their souls and for the grief I knew Viktor’s treachery would cause their families. Families like Thierry-Sue’s. My limbs trembled with despair. We had to stop the madman, so no other workers suffered the same fate.

  Whether the seed bank had been spared by the imploding facility was a question for later.

  “Can we go now?” The whiny edge in Duet’s tone set my teeth on edge.

  Crushing my sad thoughts, I threw him a scathing look. “Lead the way.”

  Lucien wrapped his arm around me, and I let him guide me along the path to the rental. Once there, I called shotgun, exiling Bax to the back seat.

  The trip to the hotel was endless, and my ears rang the entire way. At least the feeling that all sound was being filtered through cotton wool had gone away. The pain in my neck and shoulder had rapidly diminished, thanks to my vampire ability to recover. But my vision was still blurred, and I had a hard time focusing.

  Lucien had lost his mobile during our flight from the exploding building, so he borrowed my phone to deliver a report to the DIA. Bax handled the brief with T as we drove. At least they were able to report the Russian lab was no longer in play. It didn’t matter that we weren’t responsible for its destruction. It was out of commission.

  Once we’d parked under the porte-cochere at the hotel, I climbed out of the car and slumped against the back fender while Baxter retrieved our luggage from the boot. Off to the side, Lucien exchanged words with the valet.

  Tamsyn dumped my case next to me and stalked up the front steps, already on his infernal phone as he marched through the entrance.

  I’d offended him somehow…after he’d cared for me while I was convalescing. I’d grown to like him, even respect him. But I was filthy and tired. I’d apologize tomorrow for my transgression, after a shower and a good night’s sleep.

  Lucien tugged me close, tucking my head against his chest. “I’m sorry. I know this night hasn’t been easy for you.”

  Although it crushed me, I couldn’t reveal the depth of my hurt to him. “I’m okay. But we should catch the next flight out. We can’t stop
Koszlov from here.” I needed to maintain cold professionalism. I couldn’t hold it together if I didn’t.

  I stepped out of his arms.

  “Penn couldn’t get us a flight out until tomorrow. It’s soon enough. The deployment logistics alone will take Viktor a week. We’ll be back on Pitcairn in less than twenty-four hours.”

  My gut twisted in doubt. “I’ll feel better when I’m on the plane. Back on Rapa Nui with the man in my sights.”

  “Jayne, love…” He touched his lips to mine. “You’ll feel better after a solid night’s sleep.”

  “I…I don’t want to be alone tonight, Lucien.”

  “Of course not. You’ll be in my room tonight. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  Relieved, I nodded. “And I don’t want to take that awful Dacia to the airport tomorrow.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “I’ve already made arrangements with the valet to hire an Audi Q7.”

  “Ooh, not an Aston Martin, but still one of my favorites.”

  He hugged me tightly. The circle of his arms and the steady thump of his heart created a safe haven for me. I clung to him, wishing I could stay in this tiny oasis forever. After a kiss to my temple, he dropped his arms then rested his hand at the small of my back and guided me up the steps. “But first, love, let’s see about a bath and then some room service. What would you say to an exceptionally dirty vodka martini with bleu cheese olives?”

  “I’d say drinks and tub together.” I wound my arm through his, anticipating the bath, the drink, and some alone time with my demon with benefits. “And then we can decide what to do to pass the time until our flight.”

  15

  Mission Day 15

  The Streets Of St. Petersburg

  Dawn crept in on soft fingers, bringing a new day with new challenges to face. A thin strip of light breached the heavy black-out curtains and painted a line across the foot of the bed. As wrecked as I’d been last night, I’d slept like a lamb. With blankets pulled up around my neck, a warm, hard Lucien spooned in behind me, I felt…cocooned. Safe. A strong desire ran through me to throw the covers over my head and just ignore the world. Lie on the downy soft mattress and eat blintzes and caviar. Maybe read a book.