Licensed To Thrill

by Gemma Brocato

  I made my way up the walk and knocked politely.

  A tiny face with a forlorn bow tied around her forehead appeared in the crack between the sheet of plywood serving as the door and the stiff cardboard refrigerator box that made up the front wall of the hovel.

  “Hello,” I said with a reassuring smile. “Is your mama here?”

  “Mummy, there’s a lady,” the child sang out without taking her eyes off me.

  “I told you not to open the door.”

  The child disappeared, replaced by Thierry-Sue’s cautious, frightened face.

  Her eyes widened as she recognized me. “Oh, miss!” She shied backward.

  “Don’t be afraid, Thierry-Sue. I’m not here to hurt you. I want to help.”

  She darted a suspicious look to the right and left, as if looking for hidden dangers.

  She opened the door a bit farther, the rough wood scraping dirt. “Help?”

  I extended the envelope toward her. “I think there is enough there for a couple years, if you’re careful.”

  Her hands trembled as she accepted the offering and peered inside. I’d given her enough cash to live comfortably and keep her children safe.

  “Oh, miss!” Tears filled her eyes.

  My own vision watered. “Please hurry. We don’t have much time. Grab what you can. We’re getting you out of here.”

  “Where will I go?”

  “I’ve secured you rooms in town. You’ll be safe there.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  Ah, the question of the hour. Why would I do this…stick my head out for this woman? A woman I didn’t know. We might never have met if her husband’s tragic death hadn’t alerted the VIS about Viktor’s shenanigans. A woman whose only impact on me was…what?

  I fidgeted with the seam of my dress and owned the simple answer. Because she was human. And because my own humanity was fading so rapidly I was in a panic. I couldn’t lose that part of me that cherished friends like Penn. Who formed an attachment to a trainee I never wanted and loved other people. I was doggedly clinging to the tiny remaining facet of my being that kept me from being a monster in the eyes of the world.

  Becoming a vampire meant I’d had to give up so much. My previous life. My family. I’d survived for so long I couldn’t remember the last time I’d loved anyone. Each passing year, I noticed less and less concern for my fellow humans. All around me, other vamps easily gave in to their fading humanity. We were undead. We had no need of souls. But that kind of cold, emotionless existence was a fate I didn’t want to accept.

  My thoughts raced like a kite in a hurricane. I couldn’t explain to Thierry-Sue why I clung to my human life so tenaciously.

  The tiny child who’d appeared at the door peaked out from behind her mother, arm wrapped around Thierry-Sue’s thigh, small hand tangled in her skirt. The girl stared at me with wide eyes, curious, not frightened. Her heart was beating steadily, rapid as a child’s, but calm.

  And that was my reason staring me in the face. Because I didn’t want to scare people. I wanted them to see only good in me.

  I finally answered. “Because you need the help, and I have the resources to provide it. Please hurry. I’ll wait in the car.”

  Before she could answer, I hustled away.

  “It’s a good thing you are doing, miss,” my cabbie commented as I climbed into the back seat.

  Peace settled on me. I might have cemented my fate by going off the books this way, but I’d helped someone by doing it. And it felt wonderful. A normal human reaction.

  With the jubilant feeling lingering, I texted Lucien I’d be heading back shortly, then dropped the phone in my lap.

  As the sun beat down unmercifully on us, the cab heated up inside. I cranked down my window, hoping for a breeze. Just then, Thierry-Sue jogged toward the car, one child in her arms. Two other children, the little moppet I’d already met, and one other boy, a little older, tottered behind her. The two mobile kids lugged bags almost as big as they were.

  The cab driver hopped out and grabbed the bags and the two Thierry-Sue carried. While he stowed them in the trunk, the small family climbed in beside me.

  As we drove away from the hovel they’d been living in, the little girl climbed off her brother’s lap and onto mine.

  I tensed, unsure of what to do with a child this size. Awkwardly, I rested my hands on her shoulders.

  “Child, get down,” Thierry-Sue admonished, her hand cupping the baby’s head.

  “She’s all right.” I relaxed, surprised to find I didn’t actually mind holding her.

  Her innocent stare touched my heart. What would it be like to have a child of my own? The forlorn thought that I’d never know popped up. I batted it away.

  “My name is Serenity. What’s yours?”

  “Jayne.”

  “Your hair is pretty. Do you like my bow?”

  The smile she shared with me was broad and slightly impish.

  “Yes, I do. You look quite posh.”

  My phone rang. As I reached for it, Thierry-Sue lifted Serenity from my lap. I rather missed her sleight weight. I glanced at the display, pleased to see Penn’s name. I chose the green circle to connect the call.

  “Jayne, I hear you’ve indulged your rebel side again,” he said without a hello.

  “Hmm, news travels fast.” In case the line was monitored, I avoided saying anything that might incriminate Penn.

  “T’s in an uproar. I couldn’t help but overhear.” I heard the smirk in his voice.

  “I have an explanation, but I rather doubt she’s in a mood to hear it.”

  “She had a few choice words for you and for Tamsyn.”

  “Tamsyn? Why?”

  Silence stretched out on the other side of the phone line.

  “Penn? What’s going on?”

  “Do you know who Samuel Harding is?” he finally asked.

  The sender on Bax’s texts. “The name sounds familiar, but I don’t know who he is.”

  “He’s IA.”

  Blood froze in my veins. Internal Affairs for the VIS. Why was he calling Baxter?

  Wariness coiled in my belly. “Penn, am I being investigated?”

  Serenity tapped my thigh, and absently I patted her hand.

  “Yes, and it doesn’t look good for you.”

  I couldn’t bear the sorrow I heard in Penn’s voice. My throat tightened, and the knot in my gut clenched.

  “Wait. Is Baxter Tamsyn with IA? Has he been watching me this whole time?”

  “I can neither confirm or deny this allegation.” His non-answer was my answer.

  They’d led me to believe I was mentoring a new agent, when all along Baxtard was a highly trained operative. And here I’d developed a fondness for him. Grudging respect even. The daft prick had saved my life. Wouldn’t it have been easier to hesitate even a small amount, to wait three more minutes to climb into that pipe to drag me out, hoping I’d succumb to Viktor’s toxin? Or let the thug in St. Petersburg cleave my head from my shoulders with his scimitar? Doing either of those would have resulted in a neatly tied ribbon around the keep-Jayne-from-going-rogue package. The wanker could have looked like a hero in the eyes of his superiors.

  “I might have seen a message meant for T before you flew to St. Petersburg,” Penn said.

  Had T ordered the investigation? My boss had never been exactly friendly, but I’d been keenly aware her attitude had become less tolerant of late. I couldn’t remember anything quite as chilling as the cold condemnation on her face and in her voice when she’d suspended me the last time.

  “Well, this changes some things.” I kept my tone as noncommittal as Penn’s when I responded.

  But inside, I seethed with anger.

  “Jayne, don’t do anything stupid. Think of the mission. Viktor must be stopped at all—”

  I disconnected the call. Anything I said to Penn could come back to haunt him. It was bad enough he’d leaked the nature of my co-worker’s actual assignment to me.
Penn was one of the good guys. I’d cut my own heart out before I allowed him to be brought down.

  I glanced at Thierry-Sue as we drove along. Even with what I’d given her, I had enough capital in my bank account to disappear. I was a master spy and had all the right resources. I knew what it took to live off the grid. If I didn’t want to be found, the VIS didn’t have a prayer of locating me.

  “Is something wrong, miss?” she asked, shifting the baby on her lap and shrinking against the opposite car door.

  She tucked the baby’s head into the curve of her neck and gathered Serenity close to her, wrapping a protective arm around her. The woman’s heartbeat pounded, and I distinctly heard each thud.

  I ran my tongue over my teeth and realized my fangs had descended. I was so incredibly torqued off that I hadn’t felt the burn in my gums. I’d scared the piss out of her.

  I closed my lips and retracted the pointy incisors, then smiled to show her everything was alright. “It’s all good.”

  We turned right into the airport, and the cabbie cruised slowly to the private hangar.

  Baxter and Lucien were waiting out front, both scowling, Baxter at the approaching cab and Lucien at Baxter.

  Against my better judgment, I grabbed one of the driver’s business cards. I quickly scrawled Penn’s contact details on the small scrap of cardstock.

  I tucked the card into Thierry-Sue’s hand. “If you need anything, call this man. I’ll check in with him periodically, and he can relay your message. But only for emergencies, you understand? I’ll set up an account in your name, so if you need money, he can get it for you.” Either way, if I suffered the final death or simply disappeared, I wouldn’t need all my funds. I’d taken a personal interest in this woman and her small family, and I’d see that through.

  She surprised me when she reached for me and hugged me close. Most humans, if they suspected my supernatural nature, avoided touching me. The embrace warmed a small part of me that had gone cold when I’d learned of Baxtard’s true purpose.

  The hug lingered, and I didn’t want to let go. Good God, if T could see me now. She wanted all her agents to be cold, unfeeling vampires. Imagine her disappointment to see the pride of the VIS reduced to seeking warmth and comfort from a human. But Thierry-Sue’s gesture touched me, and I dismissed thoughts of T from my brain.

  Finally, I eased away from her, sent her a tremulous smile, and then dropped a wad of cash into the driver’s lap.

  “Get her away from here as fast as you can,” I instructed him.

  Hell was about to come raining down on another human, and I didn’t want Thierry-Sue or her children to witness my wrath.

  I blew Serenity a kiss, which made her giggle.

  Drawing a fortifying breath, I climbed out of the cab and waited until they moved away from the curb.

  When I deemed them far enough away, I turned to face Baxtard the Betrayer.

  17

  Mission Day 16

  A Private Airstrip On Pitcairn Island

  “Where the hell have you been, Bond?” Duet jammed his hands on his hips, a muscle ticking on his jaw.

  In answer, I stalked up to him. Stopping just shy of invading his space, I sucked in a deep breath and shot an uppercut to his chin. My blow contained all the anger that had built up inside me and caught him off-guard.

  My vampire strength was impressive to begin with, but when combined with the emotions I’d been grappling with, the punch lifted him three feet above the ground and slammed him into the hangar’s plate glass window.

  He slumped to the cement, stunned and shaking his head, as if to clear his vision.

  I shook my hand, willing the ache of the punch to go away. The small, broken bones burned as they knit back together.

  Suddenly, my arms were bound behind my back and Lucien dragged me away before I could strike a second, and hopefully, fatal blow.

  “No, Jayne. Don’t do it.” Normally, Lucien’s steady baritone would calm me.

  Not today.

  “I pulled that punch. He’s not injured.”

  “You’ll kill him, and he isn’t worth it.”

  Bax stared up at me, clearly befuddled. “What the hell, Solo?”

  Lucien wrapped his arms around my chest from behind. “Think of the mission. Let’s see this through, and then we’ll deal with the consequences of Tamsyn’s report.”

  His words hit my consciousness like a flat-edged garden shovel. Like a wildcat, I clawed my way out of Lucien’s clutches.

  I backed away, arm extended. “Just a damn minute.” I dragged my Walther clear of my purse. My voice shook, whether with hurt or anger I couldn’t identify. “You know about this? About me being investigated?”

  “I found out right after we finished at the Thames Barrier.”

  The gun trembled as I pointed it at the demon. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  The burn of betrayal flowed through my blood, turning my world to ash in its wake. My eyes were gritty, and the suddenly unwieldy weight of the gun dragged my arm downward.

  “I couldn’t, Jayne. You know that.”

  “No, I don’t really.” Baxtard started to climb to his feet, and I aimed my gun at him. “Stay down.”

  Eyes wide and rubbing his jaw, he resettled on his bum.

  Lucien extended his hand, palm up. “Jayne, listen to reason.”

  “The only reason I want to hear is why you knew I was operating under a cloud of suspicion and you didn’t bother to tell me. We’re friends, Lucien. More than friends.” I cringed at the despair and defeat coloring my tone.

  “I only found out while you were unconscious after the incident in the Barrier. Tamsyn doesn’t even know I knew back then.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because the information came from Lucifer himself. You’re one of his favorites, Jayne. He begged me to keep you on the straight and narrow. Like anyone could do that.” He scrubbed his hand through his dark hair. “You were behaving, staying on course. I didn’t think it was necessary for me to say anything.”

  It felt like all the wind had been sucked out of my sails. “Behaving? Even a hint would have been nice, Lucien. I thought I meant…something to you.” I lowered my weapon and thumbed the safety on.

  Shoulders slumped, I moved back five paces, creating room to breathe, room to sort out my insane thoughts. The sense of betrayal was so intense I’d almost welcome the awful pain of final death. My heart had already succumbed.

  “Can I get up now?”

  What remained of my soul would have frozen for the ice encasing me now. I nodded.

  Baxtard scrambled to his feet. “Jayne, please listen—”

  “Shut up. I’ve nothing to say to you, and you’ve nothing I want to hear.” I squinted at him and let my fangs burst from my gums. Unabashedly, I showed them to him with a hiss meant to terrify. “From now on, you’re dead to me. Push me, and I’ll be happy to make that a reality.”

  “Bond, we have to work together to defeat Viktor.”

  The parking lot door swooshed open when I stomped toward it. I stalked through the jet company’s lobby, aiming for the exit door to the tarmac and our waiting plane, not bothering to see if the not-so-dynamic duo kept up. As I stalked along, a plan started to take wicked shape in my head.

  I noted the pilot already in his captain’s chair. I clenched my hand around the butt of the gun. The engines were purring, already sparked to life.

  Over my shoulder I asked, “Is the equipment all on board? The plane fueled and ready?”

  “Just finished loading the supplies in,” Lucien volunteered.

  Tamsyn wisely kept his mouth shut.

  Sod them both. This was going to be a piece of cake.

  I quickened my pace, putting more distance between us. The steps wobbled as I climbed them. At the top, I pivoted in the entry door. Nerves steady for the first time since Penn had broken my spirit with the news of Baxtard’s investigation, I lifted my gun and aimed it at Tamsyn’s heart. />
  “That’s as far as you’re going, gentlemen.” I wrapped my fingers around the doorframe and started to swing it closed.

  Panic filled Lucien’s eyes. “What are you doing, Jayne?”

  My laugh burst forth, sharp, brittle, and triumphant. “You lot think I’ve gone rogue in the past? Well, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  “The mission!” Tamsyn leaped toward the steps.

  I fired a round into the tarmac, just shy of his foot. That got his attention and jolted him to a halt.

  Diverting my attention just long enough, I located the button on the control panel and retracted the steps. I refocused on the pair of them as the stairs automatically folded neatly into the fuselage.

  “The mission will be accomplished. But your help is no longer required.” I’d live up to my code name and finish this alone.

  “Jayne”—Baxtard held up his hands, palms out—“if you do this, I can’t save you.”

  “Like you’d try anyway,” I spat out.

  The door slammed shut, cutting off any further entreaty. I secured the latch, then made my way to the captain’s cabin.

  “Take off now,” I instructed when I stuck my head through the doorway.

  “But your friends are still on the ground,” he protested.

  “They won’t be joining me. From here on out, it’ll be just me. Now take off.”

  He saluted me, revved the engines, then began to taxi away from the loading zone.

  As I settled into my seat, I noted the double-crossing duo, backing away from the jet wash, the physical and emotional rift between us widening to canyon size.

  At least neither of them appeared to be on their phones. Perhaps that meant they weren’t reporting me yet.

  I swatted the thought away. Whether they reported me now or not didn’t matter. I’d taken my fate into my own hands. My actions cemented that fate. Abandoning my teammates was about as rogue as I could get. If the VIS ever caught up to me, they’d have to end my existence. Within minutes, there’d be a bounty on my head. Possibly a bigger one than what Viktor had offered.