Читать книгу Navy Seal Spy - Carol Ericson - Страница 10

Chapter Three

All of Liam’s senses ramped up to high alert but instead of charging from beneath the bleachers to defend Katie like he wanted to, he flattened his body against the metal bars that crisscrossed his hiding place. He wouldn’t be doing either one of them any favors by rushing out to protect her. Besides, a Tempest security guard wouldn’t shoot an employee in cold blood...would he?

He peered through the bars, his heart hammering against his chest at the sight of Katie with her arms in the air, a weapon pointed at her back.

A woman’s voice cut through the air. “Meyers, put down that gun.”

The security guard lowered his weapon as he stammered. “I—I—I’m sorry, Ms. Spann, but civilian employees aren’t supposed to be out here on the track.”

Ginger Spann waved her long fingers in the air. “The infraction of that rule is certainly not punishable by death. Turn around, dear.”

Katie turned to face the duo, and Liam had to give her credit. She didn’t shift her gaze once in his direction, although she had to know he was still ensconced beneath the bleachers.

He couldn’t see her expression since the security guard was now blocking her face, but he could feel ice coming off her in waves, making the chilly air even crisper.

“What is going on? I come outside to eat my lunch in the fresh air and I’m held at gunpoint?” She shook her empty sandwich bag, which she’d pulled from her pocket, in the security guard’s face.

“I agree, KC.” Ginger tilted her head to one side. “It is KC, isn’t it? Down in programming?”

Katie worked in programming? That made total sense...and could be useful.

“That’s right, and you’re Ginger Spann. I just saw you at the all-hands meeting.”

“So sad about Garrett Patterson. Maybe that’s why we’re all on edge.” She turned to the security guard. “Meyers, apologize to Ms. Locke.”

Meyers shifted from one foot to the other. “I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s just that we have strict orders about this area of the—”

“That’s enough, Meyers. You can return to whatever it was you were doing before you scared the wits out of Ms. Locke.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Meyers spun around, and Liam caught a glimpse of the man’s tight mouth as he walked toward the gym.

Seems he didn’t care much for Ginger’s tone, but then, who did?

His departure gave Liam a clear view of Katie’s face.

Her wind-tossed, dark hair blew across her face, and she scooped it into a ponytail, holding it over one shoulder. “I’m really sorry about venturing this far. After the news about Garrett, I just wanted to get out of the building for lunch and get some fresh air. I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going, and when I looked up I realized I was way out here, so I just sat on the bleachers to eat my sandwich.”

Ginger raised her suit-clad shoulders. “No harm, no foul. It’s just that we have training going on out here for potential agents. You knew that, right? Everyone knows that, I suppose.”

“That’s the buzz, anyway.”

The wind gusted, and Ginger tugged at the lapels of her suit jacket.

She wasn’t dressed for a turn around the track in this weather. Had the security guard spotted Katie first before calling Ginger? If so, had he seen her emerge from beneath the bleachers?

“It’s chilly out here. Let’s walk back together.”

Liam twisted his lips. That was a less-than-subtle way to get Katie out of this area.

As the two women turned and took the path back to the office buildings, Liam let out a long breath.

What was Katie doing working for Tempest in what amounted to an undercover situation? That was his job.

If she was here in a legitimate position as a programmer, why would she come on under an assumed name? She’d called herself KC when she was a teenager in foster care, had switched to the more formal Kathryn when she became an adult and started working and then settled on Katie, which suited her a lot better than Kathryn or KC.

Now she was KC again.

KC was the wild child, the rebel, the illegal hacker, even though she dressed like an office drone. Did calling herself KC have some significance here?

He narrowed his eyes and peered between the bleachers at the empty track. He’d skipped lunch to run a few miles, so he’d better work up a sweat to bolster his story.

He slipped between the slats and hoisted himself on top of the bleachers. Lifting his knees almost to his chest, he began running the stairs. A few trips up and back and sweat dampened his gray T-shirt and beaded his brow.

As he slung his towel around his neck, he peered at the office buildings in the distance. What kind of game was Katie playing with Tempest?

She had to know that if she lost even one round of that game, it could mean her life.

* * *

KATIE TOOK A deep breath and hunched over the sink in the bathroom. For a minute she thought Ginger was going to follow her in here. The woman gave her the creeps, and that had been before she’d watched her kill a man in cold blood in midcoitus.

Ginger had shown a lot of interest in Katie’s work. Had asked her several questions about programming and what programming languages she knew.

Katie splashed some cold water on her face even though her cheeks still stung from the crisp air outside.

She blotted her face with a paper towel and then crumpled it in her fist. Ginger had no reason to suspect her. Neither she nor the security guard had seen Liam crouching beneath the bleachers.

Meyers—had he been the same guy who’d assisted Ginger last night? He’d been wearing black gloves so if he did have the bird tattoo, she couldn’t see it. The voice sounded similar and besides, how many guards did Ginger have that would willingly be an accomplice to murder?

She tossed the paper towel in the trash and straightened her shoulders. Ginger didn’t scare her. She still planned to gather more evidence against Tempest and then report the agency to...someone. She hadn’t gotten that far in her plan yet.

Her head swiveled back toward the mirror, and she ran her hands through her wind-tossed hair. She’d thought Liam McCabe was the kind of man to turn to in dire straits, but not if he was working with the enemy.

Or was he?

Sebastian certainly hadn’t known what he was getting himself into.

She pushed out of the ladies’ room and turned the corner to catch the elevator down to her floor. The phone rang just as she stepped into her cubicle, and she spent fifteen minutes dealing with a software issue.

“Where did you disappear to for lunch?” Samantha hung on the corner of her cube.

“I wandered around outside for a bit. How was your meeting?”

Samantha rolled her eyes. “A huge waste of time, and Larry didn’t even buy me lunch, the cheap bastard.”

“That’s just wrong.”

“Cute jacket.” Samantha tilted her head. “Do you have the sweater you borrowed from me yesterday?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s hanging in the closet.” Katie jerked her thumb at the metal black cabinet behind her that had a bar and a couple of hangers.

Samantha reached past her and opened the door. She shook out the cream-colored sweater she usually kept on the back of her chair for the days when the office got too chilly—like today.

“I hope you sew.”

“What?” Katie clicked on an email reminding her about database maintenance tomorrow night and then deleted it.

“There’s a button missing, and I swear it wasn’t missing when I gave the sweater to you yesterday.”

Katie spun around in her chair. “Really?”

Samantha thrust the sweater at her and a few scraggly threads marked the spot where a square button had been.

“I’m so sorry. Do you have a replacement for it? I can sew it back on.”

Samantha laughed. “I’m just kidding. I might have an extra button for this old thing at home. I’ll sew it back on when I find it.”

“I’ll check my car. I didn’t bring it in to my place last night. I wore it to my car and tossed it in the backseat so I wouldn’t forget it today.”

“Don’t knock yourself out.” She draped the sweater over her shoulders. “It’s just my office sweater. I wouldn’t actually go out in public wearing this thing.”

“The buttons are kind of cute.”

“These?” She plucked at one of the shiny squares. “They’re hideous.”

Samantha retreated to her own cubicle, and Katie dug into her work. She hadn’t figured out a way around the Tempest firewalls yet, but she would. She’d been something of a hacker before she went legitimate, and while changing a few grades didn’t compare to the type of security Tempest had in place, she had confidence in her skills. She’d already figured out how to mess with the security cameras and the access cards.

She stretched and wandered to the window, folding her arms as she rested her forehead against the glass. She couldn’t quite see the track from here, but she could see the edge of the gym, and the movement over there meant the agents were training again.

She knew they slept here. They had living quarters behind the compound out there. Some of them wouldn’t make the cut, and they’d be sent home after signing some nondisclosure agreement. They agreed not to talk about their training, and they walked away with a nice severance bonus—at least that’s what she’d heard.

She had no doubt Liam would pass every physical test they threw at him. When she’d met him in San Diego, he’d been a SEAL—conditioned, primed and at his peak.

From the looks of him today in his T-shirt and running shorts, he was still at his peak. She chewed on her bottom lip. Maybe she should warn him. But warn him about what? She had no idea really what Tempest was up to. She just knew it was no good, and maybe Liam knew that, too.

She couldn’t believe he’d turn on her, but then she wouldn’t have believed he’d leave her stranded, high and dry in San Diego, while he returned to the Middle East for another tour. He’d promised her he was done.

She snorted and squiggled her finger through the mist her breath had left on the window. Men like Liam were never done. Men like Sebastian.

She needed another break. She dipped back into her cubicle and dragged her car keys from her purse. Tapping on the side of Samantha’s cubicle, she said, “I’m going out to my car in case anyone’s looking for me. I’m going to look for that button.”

“I don’t care about the stupid button, KC.”

“I know, but it’s bugging me now, and I need a break, anyway.”

“If you remember, get me a diet cola from the vending machine downstairs. I’m gonna need some caffeine if I’m gonna get through this boring stuff before I leave tonight.”

Katie patted the pocket of her jacket where she had a few dollar bills. “No problem.”

She made her way to the parking structure, where cars still took up the majority of the spaces. Most of the employees took off around five o’clock, except for the diehards, people like Ginger and Garrett and Mr. Romo. Nobody ever saw much of Mr. Romo, and nobody ever called him anything but Mr. Romo, but he presided over Tempest from the top floor of the building like some omniscient being. She’d caught sight of him a few times, and he always seemed to be staring at her, but that was probably because he had the oddest, light-colored eyes.

Katie had her doubts he ever left the compound.

She clicked her remote, and her horn beeped once. She went straight for the backseat, running her palms along the leather. Then she lay on her stomach and scanned the floor for the shiny button. She even slipped her hands between the seat cushions.

Her fingertips skimmed the edge of a long-lost nickel. She pulled it free and tucked it into the pocket of her slacks.

Blowing a wisp of hair from her face, she shimmied out of the backseat and slid behind the wheel of the car. She scooped a fistful of quarters from the cup holder to make sure she had enough money for Samantha’s soda and one for herself.

Then she tilted her head back against the headrest. When had she lost that button? She hadn’t been too many places after borrowing the sweater from Sam at the end of the workday.

She’d worked late in her cubicle after everyone had left to give herself time to do her weekly roaming of the hallways. She’d finally lucked out when she discovered Garrett Patterson’s door unlocked—at least she’d considered herself lucky until Ginger had murdered Garrett.

Could she have lost the button hiding in that closet?

Or was it worse than that? She pressed her fingertips to her lips as she recalled the sweater getting caught on Garrett’s chair as she wiped her prints from his desk.

No point in returning to his office even if she could get in. If she’d lost the button there, it was either hidden or someone had found it and disposed of it. A button was a button, and it could’ve come from anywhere.

She scooted from the car and deposited the rest of the change into her pocket. She slammed the car door and leaned forward to peer at her reflection. This dry weather wasn’t doing her hair any favors—not that she had cared about her appearance here at Tempest one iota until Liam had shown up on the scene. The man still caused her blood to simmer despite her resolve not to let him affect her. She couldn’t afford the distraction.

A movement reflected in the glass caught her eye, and she spun around. The blank headlights on the rows of cars parked in their orderly places stared back at her.

She cocked her head, listening for the beep of a remote or the slamming of a car door. Her own heavy breathing answered her.

Maybe someone had just come back to his car to get something or take a break. Nobody at Tempest had any reason to suspect her of snooping. Sure, Ginger and Meyers had caught her near the track, but she wouldn’t be the first female employee at Tempest to try to get a better look at the buff recruits as they went through their paces.

Wiping her palms on her slacks, she strode toward the parking structure’s elevator and jabbed the button. When the doors closed, she released a sigh and sagged against the wall of the elevator.

It had been a long time since she’d practiced this cloak-and-dagger stuff. She’d stopped hacking shortly after turning eighteen. Sergeant Liz Humphries, the cop who’d taken an interest in Katie while she’d still been in the foster care system, had undertaken the chore of teaching her right from wrong and more important at the time, the difference between a juvenile record and an adult record.

The same woman had encouraged a rebellious Sebastian to enlist in the Marine Corps. Liz had been a surrogate mother to both of them, creating an unbreakable bond between them at the same time—unbreakable until Sebastian’s death.

She blinked back tears as she crossed the courtyard between the parking garage and the office building. As soon as she had proof that Tempest was responsible for Sebastian’s death, she’d blow this organization sky-high. And if Liam was still with Tempest, she’d blow him sky high with it.

She swung by the lunchroom and fed her dollar bills and coins into the soda machine. With a can in each hand, she returned to her office on the first floor. She swiped her card and sailed through the free-standing desks at the front of the office toward the cubicles in the back of the room.

She leaned into Samantha’s empty cubicle and placed the can on the edge of her desk in the only spot not covered with papers.

Something gleamed under the lamp on Samantha’s desk blotter, and Katie reached out and smoothed her fingers along the edges of the square button.

She blew out a breath. Samantha must’ve found it in the office. Maybe it had fallen off the sweater in her cube before Katie had even borrowed it.

She returned to her own cubicle and popped the tab on her soda. She had one bug fix to take care of, and then she planned to do a little digging into Liam’s file if she could get in there. She’d hacked into other recruits’ files but had never found Sebastian’s. Of course, Sebastian had been a full-fledged Tempest agent and not just a recruit. She hadn’t discovered that database yet.

She laced her fingers and cracked her knuckles over her keyboard. “Just give me time.”

A gust of Samantha’s flowery perfume announced her presence. “Thanks for the soda.”

“You’re welcome. I see you have the button. If you want, I’ll sew it on for you.”

Samantha held up her hands, wiggling her fingers, topped with long, blue fingernails. “Despite these nails, I’m rather handy with a needle. Don’t worry about it.”

“Where’d you find it? I bet it was in your cube all along. It had probably come off even before you loaned the sweater to me.”

“No, it didn’t.” Samantha put her lips to the can and took a sip. “Someone found it and returned it to me.”

“Really?” Katie’s hands hovered over her keyboard. “Someone actually found a button and knew it was yours?”

“Said he’d noticed the sweater on me before because his sister had one like it.” She shrugged. “Maybe he’d been checking me out.”

“He?” Katie dropped her hands to her lap, threading her fingers together so tightly the knuckles turned white.

“One of the security guards.”

A muscle ticked in Katie’s jaw. “Which one?”

“The big guy with the tattoo of a bird on his hand—Meyers.”