Chapter 41

“I never screwed Rand!” I barked into the phone. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll come down there right fucking now and take a lie detector test. I needed his intel to do my job, and I needed you to do your job and pass the intel on to me when he offered it!”

“You were gone. Holt was here so I sent him instead,” Dermott snapped, but I could hear the doubt seeping into his voice. “And Rand told Holt he could only talk to you.”

“And from that you deduced that I was sleeping with him?” I unleashed a violent punch to Ian’s mattress, making him twitch again. “You-

Fortunately Dermott interrupted before I could get started on his irregular parentage, deviant sexual proclivities, and inadequate genitals.

“Rand didn’t tell Holt anything, just joked around about getting in your pants. Didn’t give him any valid intel at all…”

It wasn’t difficult to imagine the conversation between Holt The Asshole and Rand The Liar. Rage momentarily short-circuited my hearing.

By the time I refocused, Dermott was saying, “…so Holt figured Rand was just bored and looking for a-”

“RAND!” Clenching Ian’s hospital gown in my fist, I came within a hair of shaking him until his brain dripped out his ears; but he clutched his head protectively and the fear in his face stilled my hand at the last moment.

I drew in a deep slow breath.

“Director,” I said sweetly. “Rand has something he wants to say to you.” Still clenching Ian’s gown in my fist, I held my phone to his face.

“Rand here,” Ian said faintly. “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding…”

A few minutes later, Ian concluded, “…Holt wasn’t assigned to the mission, so protocol prevented me from disclosing anything to him. I assumed…” His accent took on the condescending tone that Brits do so well. “…that your man would do his duty and pass on my message. It certainly never occurred to me that he, and you, would take such a blatantly sexist stance against Agent Kelly. If she were male, there would have been none of this nonsense.”

An ominous silence swelled from the phone.

Shit, Ian, you had to poke the bear, didn’t you? You couldn’t just give a straight-up report for once in your life…

When Dermott spoke again he sounded like he was strangling on his tongue. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.” The line went dead.

“That’s him settled, then,” Ian said cheerily.

Finger by finger, I released my hold on his gown, glowering at him the whole time. When I finally removed my hand, Ian smoothed the crumpled fabric and batted those gorgeous dark lashes at me.

“Smile, Storm,” he coaxed. “You’re so beautiful when you smile.”

Glaring at him, I breathed through the urge to punch him. Then I breathed through the urge to shoot him. Then I breathed through the urge to take my razor-sharp jackknife to his balls…

“Penny for your thoughts?” he chirped.

I let out a slow breath.

He wasn’t worth it.

“So what’s your intel?” I asked.

When he beckoned me closer, I didn’t bother to argue. He looked slightly disappointed when I stood up without comment and leaned down so my ear was next to his mouth.

“Make it quick,” I said flatly. “I only have a few minutes.”

To my shock, he obeyed. “I had my team pull the records on the chemist who created the last dose of Substance X, and also the chemist who ruled that the dose had expired. It was the same man.”

My heart gave a hard thump. “Is he still-”

“He has also expired,” Ian interrupted before I could finish the question. “Of a heart attack, a week after he filed his report on the doses.”

“Fuck.” I pulled away to stare at him. “Was there an autopsy?”

“Natural causes.”

“Bullshit.”

Ian spread his hands in a ‘what can you do?’ gesture. “He was middle-aged, overweight, sedentary, and was being treated for high blood pressure. Nobody thought to look beyond the standard toxicology screens, and his family cremated his body as soon as it was released. If there was any evidence in his bloodstream, it’s long gone.”

“For fucksakes!” I thumped a fist on the bed. “We can’t catch a break here!”

“Or it’s all coincidence,” Ian said.

“You don’t really believe that.”

He sighed. “No. I’ve set my team digging for any possible relationship or contact between Nora and the chemist. They haven’t found anything yet, but I know it’s there. I know this is the connection we’ve been looking for.”

My phone vibrated.

With a sense of foreboding, I slowly raised it to read the message.

“Call home.”

Oh, hell.

“I have to go,” I said.

“Is everything all right?”

If I hadn’t just been jerked around repeatedly by Ian’s lies, I might have been touched by the concern in his eyes.

“Probably not.” I headed for the door.

“Will you come back?” The undisguised anxiety in his voice tugged at my heart even though I knew damn well that he was playing me.

I sighed. “If I’m not incarcerated or dead.”

I closed the door on his plaintive, “Is that likely?

“If Nora Taylor shows up here, don’t let her anywhere near Ian,” I said to the guard. “And I mean, nowhere near. Not even close to his room. And make sure he doesn’t get any food or drink that didn’t come directly from one of the nurses.”

“Got it.”

Striding down the corridor, I punched the speed dial on a secured phone and snapped, “It’s Aydan.”

The analyst’s voice was devoid of expression. “Director Dermott would like you to come in for an immediate briefing.”

What the hell, I was tired of living anyway.

“I’ll be there in five minutes.” There wasn’t anything else to say, so I hung up.

The short drive to Sirius gave me far too much time to think. There was only one reason why Dermott would summon me right now, and it sure as hell wasn’t to pat me on the back and apologize. He was probably revoking my clearances right now.

Would I even make it through the security sign-in before the guards seized my weapons and slapped on the handcuffs?

The fight-or-flight instinct hammered at me.

Run.

Run now!

A block away, my fears won out and I twisted the wheel to the right instead of the left.

The bowling alley parking lot was sparsely populated, and I spotted Hellhound’s Forester without difficulty. Pulling up beside it, I parked and got out.

Hellhound swung out of the driver’s seat and met me at the front bumper. “Hey, darlin’. How’s it goin’?” He gave me a hug and a kiss.

Closing my eyes, I wrapped my arms around him and deepened the kiss.

He responded with enthusiasm, his hands winding into my hair while he teased me with exquisite little flicks of his tongue.

God, the man was a virtuoso. I pressed closer, running hungry hands down his back and up under his jacket to find the hot bulky muscles beneath.

He trailed whiskery kisses across my jaw and down the side of my neck as I let my head fall back, turning my mind off and absorbing every glorious tingle.

This kiss might have to last me for the rest of my life.

Pausing at my throat, Arnie nibbled his way up to my lips again, finishing with a light kiss as he drew away. When I opened my eyes, he was studying me. His battered features were almost grotesque in the harsh streetlights, but as always the gentle warmth of his eyes held me.

“What’s wrong, darlin’?” he rasped softly.

Too much to say. I shook my head.

I wanted to say ‘I love you’, but when I opened my mouth all that came out was, “I have to go.”

He stiffened. “Will I see ya again?”

Somehow I managed a smile. “I hope it’s not going to be that drastic. Just a meeting with Dermott.”

“Can I help?”

“No. But thanks. I just needed…” I sighed. “I just needed one good thing to remind me of why I keep trying.”

Arnie smiled, the tension easing from his shoulders. “Ya keep tryin’ ’cause you’re a good person. Don’t let that asshole get ya down.”

“It’s not just that asshole, it’s all the assholes.”

His lips twisted with wry humour. “I hear ya.”

“I’d better go.”

As I pulled away, he caught my hand and brushed a kiss across my knuckles. “I love ya,” he said quietly. “Be safe.”

“I love you, too.” This time the words came easily, and I kissed him one last time before getting back in my car.

My heart pounded as I walked in the door of Sirius, but no guards swooped down to capture me. My clearances still worked when I signed in at the security desk, and my security fob let me into the office area.

My knees wobbled while I climbed the stairs. Back straight, chin high, I marched down the hall to Dermott’s office. He might be able to bury me, but he couldn’t make me crawl.

Rounding the corner, I halted in Dermott’s doorway; mainly because my muscles had locked while my brain fought an internal battle between striding forward and fleeing pell-mell.

Holt and Dermott gave me matching hostile glares from inside the office. That was why Dermott hadn’t called security. He hadn’t needed to. Holt could take me with one hand tied behind his back.

“What are you waiting for?” Dermott barked. “Get in here. And shut the door.”

Mechanically, I obeyed. My face felt frozen stiff. Somehow my legs walked to the only vacant chair and sat me down.

“I emailed you!” Holt burst out. “Don’t you ever check your fucking email?”

My lips opened and a word fell out. “What?”

“Your fucking email, you idiot! I went to see Rand, he bullshitted me, and in the end all he said was to ask you to come over and see him. He didn’t say it was urgent and he didn’t give me any details. So I emailed you.” Holt scowled. “I meant to call you, but I had to report to Dermott, and then I got sidetracked with Grandin and…”

“Wait,” I croaked. “So you…” I turned to Dermott. “…sent Holt over to the hospital as soon as Rand called.” Dermott nodded, glowering. “And you…” I turned to Holt. “…got a load of shit from Rand, came back here, and emailed me right away.”

“Yes!” Holt leaned forward. “I wasn’t trying to mess with you, I just…” His fists clenched. “Look, it wasn’t because you’re a woman…”

“Hold it.” My muscles finally thawed and I held up a hand to stop him. “Forget that part. In fact, forget the whole thing.” A gush of anger heated my blood and strengthened my voice. “This is Rand’s fault. That asshole!”

I gave Holt a look. “Actually, you’re both assholes for talking about me like that; but I know you’d never jeopardize a mission.” I turned to Dermott. “Rand is a twisty prick who gets his jollies from messing with people’s heads. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t mean any harm, but you can’t trust him. This wasn’t Holt’s fault, and it turned out that Rand’s intel wasn’t time-sensitive anyway. He’s just jerking us all around.”

Dermott flushed and opened his mouth.

I added, “And I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Dermott’s mouth stayed open. After a moment he closed it and scowled. “Get the hell out of my office, both of you. Be back here in half an hour for our conference call with Stemp.” He turned to his computer and started clicking keys.

Holt and I left in silence.

At the door to my office, Holt finally spoke. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Rand’s an asshole.”

“So am I.”

I shrugged. “Only part-time. You’re ’way ahead of him.”

Holt scowled. “I fucked up.” Old demons haunted his eyes, roughening his voice and clenching his fists. “That could have been bad. Really fucking bad. I wouldn’t tolerate that kind of incompetence from anybody I worked with.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said lightly. “But you’re an asshole, remember? Normal people like me know that sometimes shit happens, even to the best agents.”

For just an instant his steely eyes softened. Then he barked out a derisive laugh. “You? Normal? Nice try, Kelly.”

I grinned. “Hey, I almost slipped it by you.”

An answering smile tugged unwillingly at his lips. “Not hardly.” He hesitated, sobering. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

He nodded and strode away, and I quivered into my office and collapsed on the small sofa.

When I was sure my legs would hold me, I trudged back down to the lobby and hit the speed dial for Hellhound.

He picked up on the first ring. “Aydan?”

“I’m here. Still in one piece.”

The hiss of his exhalation tickled my ear. “Glad to hear it. Ya comin’ back here?”

“Not yet. I have another meeting in a few minutes…”

I hesitated, calculating the time zones. At nine PM our time, it would only be four AM in London. Stemp wouldn’t likely go to the hospital until later, when his presence would be less noticeable in the bustle of daytime hospital activities. So I shouldn’t have to go into the network for a few hours at least…

“Aydan? Ya still there?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking. My nine o’clock meeting shouldn’t take long, so I’ll meet you at the bowling alley afterward.”

“Okay, darlin’, see ya then. Love ya.”

“I love you, too.” Smiling, I disconnected. He was my one safe port in the shitstorm that surrounded me. What would I do without him?

All too soon, I was plodding down the hall toward Dermott’s office again. My heart vibrated anxiously against my ribcage.

Would he have me arrested and jailed this time?

Surely not, when Stemp was expecting me to be present at the briefing. But he might lock me up immediately afterward.

No, he couldn’t. They still needed me until Rebecca was back where she belonged. But after that…

Dermott was determined to take me down, and I had no defense. Nora was still leaving without any evidence against her; and Kane was still not coming back. Two failed missions plus a bad case of insubordination. That could only equal life imprisonment.

I clenched my teeth and kept walking.

Don’t think about it.

Just don’t think about it.