Читать книгу Night Life - Katherine Garbera - Страница 11

Not everyone can see the truth, but everyone can be the truth.

—Franz Kafka

Sasha Malone-Sterling sat up in bed. The scar from the 5-year-old gunshot wound on her thigh throbbed. She reached for the pillow next to hers—empty. She rolled away from that side of the bed.

No wonder she’d been dreaming again. It was the only outlet she had for excitement. At least it wasn’t one of her more erotic dreams about the time when she and Kane had been lovers. She rubbed her eyes. No, those dreams only plagued her when he was lying beside her in bed. Physically close but emotionally miles away.

She glanced at the clock next to the bed: 3:00 a.m. The television baby monitor on the nightstand showed her eighteen-month-old son, Dylan, standing in his crib crying.

She rolled out of bed and made her way to her son’s room. She didn’t bother with a robe. Wearing only the black silk long underwear she slept in, she made her way quickly down the hall.

Entering the room, she scanned the shadows for anything untoward but found only her son crying. She scooped Dylan up and cradled him to her chest, dropping butterfly kisses on his head. “Mommy’s here.”

He snuggled closer to her, rubbing his tear-stained face against her shoulder. His little arms came up to encircle her neck, holding her with a fierceness that she cherished. “Mama.”

She rubbed his back and rocked side to side, soothing her son, whose heart raced. This wasn’t the first time she’d been awakened from a dream of her former life by her son’s cries. She hoped he hadn’t picked up her tension.

Up until her pregnancy, she’d worked for American Renegade Company. They were an elite task force comprising operatives who worked hand in hand with the American government in overseas operations. Their agents were all from very wealthy backgrounds and for the most part led double lives.

Now she was a wife and mother in Leeds, England. Talk about culture shock.

The door leading from the nanny’s room opened. Though Dylan didn’t have an ordinary nanny. She’d hired a bodyguard for her son. She could protect Dylan and would with her life, but she knew that there would be times when having someone at her back would be invaluable.

Sasha pivoted to face the man entering. Orly was late. His response time had been much quicker when they’d worked in the field. But these days they were a step above rent-a-cops, doing routine security setups for domestic businesses.

Orly LaFontaine, the man who’d been her partner for years with the Agency, stumbled into the room. Orly wasn’t your typical bodyguard, and he hadn’t been your typical agent either. Sasha had saved his life in Nigeria and Orly had never forgotten it. He believed deeply that a life saved is a life earned and had dedicated himself to repaying Sasha.

He’d traded a life of intrigue to join her in this suburban house, leaving behind his trendy London flat and his women. Though his appearance tonight negated that.

His short blond hair was spiked up with blue highlights. Usually he dressed in clothes more suited to the punk rockers he’d grown up with than the business crowd they mixed with, but tonight he wore only a pair of brief boxers and lipstick smudges on his neck.

“Bloody hell, Sasha. I’m sorry,” Orly said. His accent was a rough Cockney that he let few people hear. Most people who met him believed him to be some sort of aristocratic Englishman by birth and breeding. He was a master chameleon.

Seeing her old friend pushed away the last vestiges of the tension lingering from her dream. “No problem. Looks like you’re having more fun in bed than I was.”

Orly crossed to her and patted Dylan’s head. Her son had calmed completely and was now resting peacefully in Sasha’s arms. Sometimes she wished she’d been attracted to Orly the way she was with Kane. It would have made life so much easier.

Kane was an agent for Her Majesty’s Intelligence Agency. Similar in scope to MI-6, they were a more elite team who went deep undercover, targeting enemies of the Crown. They’d met while working on a mission together four years ago.

“Sasha?”

“Sorry. I’ve got D. You can go back to her.” Orly suspected that Kane had moved out, but until Sasha confirmed it, he’d keep his questions to himself. Which was what she needed. Kane felt that she’d turned into a zombie since Dylan’s birth and she couldn’t argue that without Kane realizing her emotional distance had actually started earlier.

Orly watched her carefully with perceptive green eyes that missed no detail.

He said nothing until she’d placed Dylan in his crib. Sasha grabbed the soft fluffy panda from the bottom of the crib and tucked it next to her son. His arm tightened around the plush animal.

“He looks like you when you crash.”

“He’s drooling, Orly.”

“Hey, boss lady, I hate to tell you this, but underneath that beautiful face, you’ve got some nasty habits.”

She punched his shoulder and he laughed. Orly was one of the few people she really trusted. She knew his secrets and he knew hers. There was balance in their relationship, unlike her marriage to Kane, which was…not. She had no one to blame but herself.

“You okay?” he asked.

She crossed to the window. The night sky was clear and the half moon cast long shadows on the landscaped lawn. A breeze blew and the trees swayed lightly with it, their shadows moving across the lawn. “I’m restless.”

Orly moved to stand next to her, dropping his arm across her shoulders. “I wanna say—hot damn, this is a good thing but you don’t sound happy about this.”

“I have a son now.”

“Do you want me to find something more exciting than installing a security system for a bed-and-breakfast?”

She shrugged. She could justify many things in her mind, but endangering her son she couldn’t do. And she couldn’t be an agent and be a mother. She didn’t have an on-off switch that she could toggle from protective nurturer to avenger. “Not yet.”

She wanted to go back to her old job. But then she’d have to really find a nanny for Dylan and another bodyguard, because Orly would be with her. And she couldn’t do that. Not yet. Maybe once Dylan started school. God, what a mess. She who’d vowed to never put her life on hold for any man was torn because of two. One she’d loved too much to keep, and the other—she glanced over at her sleeping son—the other was her entire life.

A subtle beep emitted from the pager on Dylan’s dresser. Intruder. She crossed the room to the Monet Seashore painting and swung it to the left. A quick glance at the crib showed Dylan across the room, sleeping undisturbed. The lighted monitor indicated someone moving from the kitchen toward the west wing and the bedrooms.

God, it had been so long since they’d had to deal with anything like this. She wished Kane were home. Orly was good but he wasn’t Kane. And when your home was being invaded, you wanted your husband around.

“Is that your girl?” Sasha asked.

“Uh, no. She’s tied to the bed.”

“Go untie her and take Dylan with you. Hole up until I give you the signal.”

“What are you going to be doing?” he asked. She knew that he didn’t care for this any more than she did. If there was one thing she knew about her partner, it was that he hated hiding out as much as she did. But only one of them was needed to neutralize their visitor and she was the senior partner.

“Taking care of our intruder.”

“You don’t have a weapon,” he said.

“I’ll get one.”

Sasha moved silently through the house. She’d swung by her bedroom to remove the 9 mm Glock that fit her hand as if it was made for her. She wondered if her past had finally caught up with her, and felt more than a moment’s fear that she wouldn’t be able to rise to the task. Sure, she had a lifetime of training, but lately the most exciting thing she’d done was organizing a playdate with a group of moms from her neighborhood.

She trusted Kane and his security measures to protect their son. Forgetting that Nightshade had more enemies than most agents and that her husband had become a man she didn’t really know anymore.

She tucked the Glock into the holster at the small of her back. The intruder moved quickly and Sasha moved back into the shadows, waiting for him to pass her position. As soon as he did, she attacked him from behind with a side kick that connected solidly to his midsection. He countered with a sweeping roundhouse kick that caught her shoulder. Sasha stepped to the left and countered with a back-kick, front-jab combo that pushed her assailant up against the wall.

Family pictures rattled under the impact but the intruder paused, facing her. His eyes were the color of the ocean on a stormy day, though she couldn’t see them clearly in this light. Husky in build and slightly over six feet tall. In fact, he reminded her a bit of…

“Dammit, girl. Can’t a father visit his only child without it turning into a sparring match? You’re rusty, by the way,” her dad growled. Sergeant Major Mitch Malone pulled her close for a bear hug. Her old man smelled of Cuban cigars, which were the only ones he smoked. He always said that damn embargo was a foolish, political waste of time.

“Most fathers ring the doorbell. Besides, I’m retired, I’m entitled to be rusty.”

“Didn’t want to wake my grandson,” he said. He was dressed in battle fatigues and combat boots. He was armed as well with the same Colt .45 he’d carried since she’d been born.

“How’d you get here?” she asked, leading him down the hall to the kitchen.

“Military transport via Germany.”

Sasha was breathing hard and struggling not to show it. She closed her eyes for a moment as relief swamped her. She’d held her own. She wasn’t as out of shape as she’d feared she might be. She also felt that seductive rush of adrenaline that only came from facing an enemy and outsmarting him. Her father moved into the room as if he was on a recon mission.

The kitchen was big and airy and filled with shadows. She scanned the space before turning on the lights.

This didn’t bode well. She hit the intercom switch and informed Orly that the intruder had been neutralized and that the sergeant major was in the house.

“Who says I’ve been neutralized?” her dad asked.

She gave her dad a wry glance. Her father had more gray in his hair now, but otherwise he still was the toughest-looking man she’d ever seen. “I do.”

He shrugged and said in that smart-ass way of his, “I’d call it a stalemate. You weren’t exactly kicking my butt.”

She didn’t want to discuss her own failings. Taking her time getting back into shape since giving birth to Dylan had made sense. Motherhood was her chief focus now.

But the old man was right. She’d been slow and sloppy tonight; if anyone other than her dad had broken in she’d have been in big trouble.

Instead of dwelling on that, she said, “Why are you here?”

“You need to come out of retirement.”

“We’ve been over this before. I’m a wife and mother now.” Even though Kane had argued that she was too young to retire, Sasha had stood firm. She was also not sure she could keep everything balanced. Being a mom was tougher than she’d thought it would be.

“Kane needs you.”

Blood rushed in her ears and she had to sit down. Kane hadn’t really needed her. That’s one of the reasons he’d left. “What do you mean?”

No matter how she felt about her relationship, she wasn’t ready to give up on it. Though things were strained between the two of them, neither of them had left.

“Townsend has surfaced again and he’s up to his old tricks with HMIA.”

“I’m sure Kane will catch Townsend. He’s one of Her Majesty’s best men.”

“Not anymore.”

“Dad, stop talking in circles. What are you trying to say?”

“Hold up a sec then I’ll tell you.”

Pulling a small wandlike device from his back pocket, her father made a slow sweep of the room. She rolled her eyes as she watched him work. Sasha and Orly swept for bugs routinely. Her father took paranoia to new extremes. There were no bugs in her house as of three days ago.

She took no chances with the safety of this house, especially now that Kane had moved back to London. Security was one of the things she knew how to provide and she’d made their little house into a fortress to protect Dylan.

She boiled water for coffee and scooped some grounds into her French press. Orly entered the room as her father neared the third wall. He didn’t glance up from his task. Orly turned around one of the ladder-back chairs at the table and sat down.

“What’s he looking for?” Orly asked as Sasha set a cup of coffee in front of him.

“Bugs.”

Orly raised one eyebrow at her. Sasha shrugged. Orly had met her dad before in the States and had even visited his remote home in the mountains of Georgia, so watching her father in action wasn’t really shocking. “Sergeant Major, don’t you trust me to protect your daughter and grandson? This is what I do.”

“I don’t really trust anyone,” he said, focusing on the phone.

She’d never talk about her past life on the phone. In fact, she had few friends from the old days. Still, it begged the question as to why her dad thought someone was listening in on her conversations. She had a sinking feeling in her gut that had saved her ass many times in the old days. That feeling that said everything was about to break around her.

“Do you really believe that someone is fishing around for information?” Orly said.

Her dad nodded.

Sasha shivered and checked the baby monitor affixed to the kitchen counter. What was going on?

Dylan was safely tucked away in his crib. She wanted to go to the security room and ramp up all their alarms. Let her dad sweep the entire house.

“It’s not Sasha’s secrets I’m worried about,” her father said.

She started running scenarios in her head. But before she went off half-cocked, she looked at the man who’d brought this to her door. “Maybe you’d better tell me why you’re here, Dad.”

The dainty china mug looked like a toy in his big hands. It reminded her of the tea parties she’d had as a little girl. Her father hadn’t wanted her to grow up with too much male influence. So he’d encouraged Sasha to have tea parties and wear pink, a color she’d never really liked. Still, she’d admired her dad for trying to give her a rounded upbringing without having her mom in the picture.

He gave her a stern look. And her stomach sank. “Kane has gone rogue. He’s taken the STAR list and is out in the open. I talked to Ano at American Renegade Company and she’s reinstated you as an agent for the duration of this mission.”

The STAR list contained the codenames and current locations of every known operative. Not just for HMIA, but for many of the intelligence agencies around the world.

Sasha felt a cold chill down her back. Why would Kane go rogue? The last six months had been tense, which was why he’d left her and moved back to London. But this was extreme for him. He was one of the most secure and well balanced people she knew.

Ano aka Alpha Number One was the head of American Renegade Company. Sasha didn’t know all the details, but Ano and the sergeant major had some sort of ongoing relationship. They couldn’t live together and yet living apart wasn’t what they wanted either.

She pushed away from the table and paced to the window. Her dad had worked for Renegade Company for years. Renegade wasn’t just a cute catchphrase they used. They were a group of renegades that no other law-enforcement group would have. “If I don’t accept this assignment, someone else will, right?”

She heard his chair scrape against the tile floor as he stood. In the window she saw him come up behind her. He didn’t put his arm around her, but stood just behind her. “Ano wants it to be you. HMIA doesn’t want you anywhere near this because of potential conflict of interest.”

She pivoted to face him. Conflict of interest didn’t even come close. Good God, she didn’t want to get between Kane and his target. “Why does Ano want me? She knows I’ve gone against the Company before. I’ve been out there like Kane.”

Her dad lifted his hand toward her shoulder, but he dropped it before he touched her. She’d alienated him as well. That last mission had almost killed her, not physically but emotionally. Her soul was empty except for Dylan, and all the men in her life had felt the chill.

“That’s why, Sasha. You came back and she thinks you can talk Kane into it. If you can’t, they’re going to sanction him.”

She hadn’t exactly made it all the way back and they both knew it. Relieved that her father didn’t call her on it, she said, “Tell me the details.”

“Ano will brief you. All I know is that Townsend is in London and that Kane is stalking him.”

“What does Townsend have?” Sasha asked. Her enemy had escaped the authorities by killing one of his guards and knocking the other unconscious.

Her father looked down at his coffee and took a swallow before responding. “We think at least one hostage.”

It wasn’t like her old man to stall. What did he know that he wasn’t saying?

“And negotiation isn’t an option?” she asked. But she knew it wasn’t. Townsend’s mode of operation was to take the family members of influential people and use them as pawns in his deadly games.

Sasha felt a deep rage start burning inside. And clenched her fists against the feelings sweeping through her. If she gave in to the rage, she’d never be able to get the job done.

“He’ll probably try to get his hostages out of Britain,” she said. Townsend knew how HMIA worked. Hell, he’d written half of the procedures they used for this kind of thing.

Orly’s eyes had taken on a glazed look that she knew meant he was processing the information. His mind was like a computer.

“I’m going to run some information through my computer. What time are we leaving?” Orly asked.

“Ano is expecting you by six,” Mitch said.

“Meet me out front in about an hour.”

Orly left the room and Sasha faced her father. He didn’t look happy delivering that news. No matter what he thought of her marriage to Kane, her dad had always respected her husband because of his attitude toward the world and his willingness to make many sacrifices to keep it safe.

Kane gone rogue. Why? It didn’t make sense. He was a loyal agent and one of the most balanced men she’d ever met. He was cool under fire, and in the field she’d never met his match. She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her hands up and down trying to get warm. She’d made a choice and cut herself off from Kane. Was she responsible for this action?

Was this some bid for her attention? One he knew she wouldn’t be able to resist?

Why would he do it? She and Dylan were safe. His mother and two sisters were safe, Sasha had talked to her mother-in-law, Jane, two days ago. There was no one close to Kane who could be in danger. Was it Bruce Temple, Kane’s partner? She rubbed her eyes. God, what a mess.

“Orly’s gone. You can tell me everything.”

Her old man shrugged and had that stubborn look in his eyes. He wouldn’t reveal his sources to anyone. Not even his daughter. Sasha often wondered if that was why she had such a hard time trusting men.

“Do you know why Kane’s doing this?”

“I couldn’t get that intel. Ano either didn’t know or wouldn’t tell me.”

“The threat is real, Sasha. Get Kane and get the information he has—now, before it falls into the wrong hands.”

Her heart lurched and she gave up questioning her father and started planning. She calculated the time it would take to change clothes, ready the command vehicle and get to London.

She’d find Townsend and finish the job this time. She wasn’t going to let him take the life of another man she cared about.

She trusted her dad to protect Dylan. She watched the old man for a minute. His credo was, protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. “Dad, you stay here and keep Dylan safe.”

“I planned to.”

Sasha walked slowly down the hallway and back to Dylan’s room. He was sleeping quietly now, his arm wrapped around that panda of his. He looked sweet, innocent and just enough like Kane to make her heart break. Neither she nor Kane were innocent, but they’d vowed to protect the world so that more people could be. What had happened to radically change Kane?

Ano hadn’t changed in the year since Sasha had seen her boss. Ano moved into the room as if she owned it. She was a tall woman, almost six feet, and her brilliant auburn hair was pulled back in a sleek-looking ponytail. Her eyes radiated the kind of quiet intelligence that Sasha respected. Sasha and Orly had made good time in the Aston Martin that Kane had given her as a wedding present.

A.R.C. headquarters was located in the Trafalgar Square section of London. Trendy nightclubs surrounded them. Sasha couldn’t have felt more out of place if she’d tried. This was a world away from her quiet life of playing in the park with Dylan and talking to B and B owners about room security.

This was the game she’d left behind before it chewed her up anymore and spit her out. Sasha felt an odd sense of déjà vu. She’d never expected to be here again. Reconciling the conflicting emotions wasn’t easy.

“Nightshade, it’s good to see you,” Ano said. She gestured for Sasha to take a seat in one of the brocade guest chairs.

But was it good for her? Sasha wondered. She was a mother now, a wife. In the old days she’d never left the house without her gun, her GPS unit and her two-way radio. These days she never left without baby wipes, a pacifier and a plastic container of Cheerios. “Thanks, Ano. I’m not exactly happy to be here.”

“Given the circumstances, I understand.” There was compassion and a bit of doubt in Ano’s eyes.

Sasha took the compassion and ignored the doubt. She had her own trepidation about taking on this assignment. But overriding that gut reaction was the reality that she wouldn’t let anyone else go after Kane.

“Your mission is to retrieve Agent Sterling and do some recon on Townsend to identify his location.”

Her gut tightened at the thought of retrieving Kane. She still had so many questions.

“Why is Kane out there?”

“Our intel didn’t say. Only that he took the STAR list.”

Sasha inhaled sharply. That list was an extensive database that was used by all global intelligence agencies. It held the location of all the safe houses the agencies used and a list of code words. If the list were compromised, there would be no way to warn all the agents in the field until it was too late. Kane held the lives of agents all over the world in his hands. No wonder he was wanted back. “Why?”

“Townsend wants it in return for the hostages he’s holding.”

“Kane wouldn’t—”

“Forget about your husband, Nightshade. This is a rogue agent. Sterling needs to be brought in. Is it going to be you or should I send someone else?”

Ano didn’t pull her punches but then Sasha hadn’t expected her to. Sasha closed her eyes and searched inside herself. The world disappeared and she found the quiet place that she always visited before a mission.

Each time it was the same, she realized. Her doubts and fears weren’t new; she’d always questioned if she was ready to go out and face an enemy who was willing to kill her to achieve his objective. And this time she knew with utter certainty that she was the only agent who had a stake in keeping Kane alive.

“I’m the agent for this job,” she said quietly.

Ano didn’t say anything, but steepled her fingers and watched Sasha. Sasha had no idea what Ano was hoping to find in her expression, but when Ano nodded Sasha knew she’d found it.

Ano passed her a manila folder. She opened it and skimmed the contents. Kane had walked out of HMIA’s headquarters twenty-four hours ago, leaving behind his shield and agency-issued guy. He’d taken the STAR list on a microchip and knocked out three guards.

His current position wasn’t known, but American Renegade Company had a lead from one of their sources that indicated Kane was headed to Southampton, a port town south of London.

“I’ll start in Southampton,” Nightshade said.

“Agreed. I’ve got Charity and Justice down there now. They haven’t been able to pick up his trail.”

“I can.”

Ano smiled for the first time since Nightshade had entered the room. “I know. What do you need?”

“Access to your databases and satellites.”

“Weapons or backup?”

“Dad packed my weapons bag. I’ve got handguns, rifles and probably a few other surprises. Orly’s the only backup I need.”

“Nightshade?”

Sasha glanced back over her shoulder. “I brought this to you because you are the only one who can do it.”

Sasha nodded and walked out the door. She knew that deep inside her seethed a kind of darkness that had been waiting a long time to get out again.

She and Orly were just south of London near the docks at Southampton. The area comprised mainly warehouses and berths for large shipping vessels. Nightshade left Orly behind in their mobile computer-information center and headed for the warehouse where she’d determined Kane would be. Charity and Justice were working the town, talking to contacts and trying to find a lead.

It had been a long day of fruitless searches, and Nightshade realized that she’d forgotten the tediousness of undercover work. It was 2100 hours and she was glad to finally have a solid lead. A man matching Kane’s description had been seen in a tavern in this area earlier today.

She’d called her dad a few minutes ago and sung Dylan his bedtime song—“Mockingbird”. His sweet little voice babbling nonsense words had calmed her. And had made her more determined to find Kane. Damn the man, he was a father. He couldn’t take these kinds of risks anymore.

Now she left behind the last traces of Sasha and transformed herself into Nightshade. She focused on the transition, letting all her senses grow more attuned to the night. The air was cool and brisk on this April evening, and if it weren’t for the possible loss of her husband, she would have relished being back at work.

The alley behind the Ramman Brothers warehouse reeked of trash, rotting fish and, unless she was mistaken, some kind of excrement. Ah, the glamorous life of an operative. Nightshade adjusted her shoulder holster and scanned the area.

Kane might not be too happy to see Nightshade again. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d rescued him. Not that he hadn’t saved her ass a time or two. They’d worked well as a team. Both sensing each other’s reactions and playing off each other’s strengths.

Sasha had forgotten all about those days. Well, not exactly forgotten—she’d suppressed those memories.

Just the thought of Kane in trouble was enough to enrage her, but she bottled up those feelings for later. She slipped past the Dumpster and decaying fire-escape stairs into clear view. No one was in the alley.

Dammit, Kane. What was he thinking? She was being slowly drawn back into the life she’d given up. And she began to understand why she’d been afraid to come back. She might not be able to leave it behind again.

She scanned the area one more time. Townsend didn’t play around. If he wanted that list, he wouldn’t stop until he got it. Why was he suddenly going after it now?

In the past he’d been one of the most successful smugglers in Europe. When he decided to grab a hostage and move, he did it quickly.

There were large metal storage tanks littering the dock and Sasha searched for a lorry—a big eighteen-wheeler or an animal-cargo vehicle. That was the common way to smuggle people in and out of the country.

“I’m going in,” she whispered into her voice-activated wireless communicator. Orly was down the street waiting for her in the refitted Land Rover they’d always used on missions. She hadn’t been surprised when Orly revealed he’d kept everything up to date in there.

“Gotcha. Satellite shows three bodies just inside the warehouse. There are two sentries patrolling near the docks on each end of the building,” Orly said.

“Direct me in.”

Orly whispered directions in her ear and she moved carefully through the area, visually searching for Kane.

She drew her Glock. A shiver danced down her spine the way it always did when she pulled her weapon.

“Let my aim be accurate and deadly,” she murmured to herself. Though she’d been easing back into her physical regimen of exercise, she’d never stopped practicing with the Glock for two hours every day. She hadn’t wanted to lose her marksmanship.

She neared the rear entrance to the building, picked the lock in short order then oiled the hinges on the weathered door before opening it. “I’m at the south-side entrance. Where’s the sentry?”

“Opposite corner.”

Slowly, she opened the door. The dim bulb provided scant illumination in the corridor. “I’m in. Do you have me on your screen?”

“Gotcha. There’s no one moving near you.”

“Gotcha,” she said, taking a few moments to oil the hinges on a second door before carefully opening it. It opened without a sound and Nightshade slipped quickly into the total darkness of the room beyond.

Damn. She didn’t want to use a penlight. She had a pair of night-vision goggles in her pack and put them on quickly.

“I’ve lost you on satellite,” Orly said.

“I’m in. This floor looks like mainly office space. Did you access the blueprint for the building?”

“The only one on file is from 1977. Heads up. The figure on the stairwell has moved past your floor.”

She acknowledged Orly and then paused to scan the area around the door and move slowly into the room quartering it. Everything was coming back to her. Old instincts coming to the fore; it was like putting on a comfortable pair of jeans. She’d missed the feel of this, she realized.

Sasha stopped and considered Kane and the way he worked. This is what he had wanted her to do. Ironically he’d gotten his wish. They were in the field together.

She knew where he’d be. Whatever location had the best advantage for watching the dock. And that would be the northeast corner of the building.

There were a ring of offices against the walls and an open area in the center. She checked the center area first and found nothing.

Starting at the back, she worked her way from office to office, carefully opening each door and scanning each room for any signs of life. She kept Orly posted so they’d have a fairly accurate report of what was on this floor. Empty offices with desks but no sign of Kane.

Was she in the wrong place? She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, focusing instead on the darkened office. The next two offices had closed doors. She checked the hinges first; they were new-looking and not rusty.

She turned the first handle and pushed gently, but the lock was jammed. She put her shoulder to the door and forced it open. Stepping into the room, she found the window open a crack. Just large enough for the barrel of a rifle.

“I think I’ve found something,” she muttered.

“Are you alone?”

She scanned the interior of the room. “Yes. But someone’s been here recently.”

“Nightshade, that’s a negative. Someone is still there.”

Before she could move, a man stepped out from behind the file cabinet and grabbed her. He shoved the barrel of a gun up under her chin, forcing her head back.