Skin Dive (19 page)
Hawk kicked the door open and terrified the sole lab monkey working on premises this late. He fumbled a slide and damn near pissed himself. But he didn’t have time to plead long. Hawk snapped the tech’s neck quick as a dog with a chicken wing. The reverb shook him that time, but the pills must be helping. He didn’t blanch or stagger back. Calmly, he pulled out a flash drive. Fortunately, the goon’s computer hadn’t gone to screensaver yet, so no password required. They downloaded everything; Mockingbird could determine its value.
“I’ll be back once we sort those folks out.”
Hawk nodded and led the way back into the prison area. As he’d done months before, he overloaded the locks one by one. The doors kicked open.
Taye called, “We don’t work for the Foundation. We’re here to set you free.”
“If they attack, they go down,” Hawk said softly. “I feel for them, but we can’t set them on an unsuspecting populace if they’re unable to tell friend from foe.”
“Got it.”
They stood back, waiting for the exodus to begin.
“So this is
Wichita. Why am I here exactly?” Gillie asked.
Wichita. Why am I here exactly?” Gillie asked.
“Here” was a pretty apartment complex, picturesque with the delicate cover of snow. The buildings were Colonial New England style, cool blue, bordered with spacious walks and well-maintained private roads. They passed through an electronic gate with no trouble, so she guessed Tanager had been here already.
Tan signaled, driving with greater care than she usually did. Gillie might not have a brand-new ulcer if the woman didn’t have a lead foot and a predilection for playing chicken with oncoming cars. It might also be the light layer of ice on the road, or it might be their surroundings. Respectable, no question. Quiet.
“This is your new home.”
Her eyes went wide. “Really?”
“We rented you a one bedroom with den. Or you can use it for arts and crafts or to keep exotic animals. We really don’t care. The point is, this is your home base.”
“So I won’t be doing field work?”
Tanager laughed softly, maneuvering around a curve. “You’re not a fighter, Cardinal.”
Her breath caught as the other woman parked the car. It was a nondescript sedan, but sleek and modern. She still couldn’t get used to the new lines of the cars, even though it had been months. They seemed fragile to her, at least more so than before she had been taken.
“Neither are you, technically.”
“No, but I can make men fight and die
for
me.”
for
me.”
Gillie had no response to that. “Do I have a cover?”
“Yep. You’re Grace Evans, a transfer student from Ohio.”
“Transfer student?” She hated parroting like an imbecile, but everything had happened so fast. One minute she was in Taye’s arms, and the next, he was kissing her good-bye. Gillie shoved the ache down, trying to focus on the here and now. Surely he was doing the same.
Tan swung out of the car, snagged a manila envelope out of the backseat, and beckoned impatiently. Her gaze cut in a wide circle, making sure the charming landscape didn’t hide any unwelcome surprises. Since they had driven straight here and the woman hadn’t used her ability, Gillie didn’t see how it could. They should be safe. For now.
“I’ll show you the apartment and give you the synopsis. Then we’ll run some errands.”
Christ. Talk about overwhelming. Tanager hit like a train wreck, and Gillie felt like the body being dragged along the tracks. Nevertheless, she ran up the walk behind the other woman, who let them into the building and went up to the second floor. Inside, the building was still clean and welcoming, quite a step up from where she’d stayed in Detroit.
The other woman unlocked the door to her apartment with a flourish.
My God. It’s huge.
And it was pristine without resorting to the clinical white she’d hated underground. The carpet was beige; the walls were eggshell. All the fixtures shone, and the ceiling fan showed not a single speck of dust. She walked through, forgetting she was supposed to be briefed.
My God. It’s huge.
And it was pristine without resorting to the clinical white she’d hated underground. The carpet was beige; the walls were eggshell. All the fixtures shone, and the ceiling fan showed not a single speck of dust. She walked through, forgetting she was supposed to be briefed.
The front door opened into a good-sized living room. Angled in the far right corner, the kitchen was visible from that space, adjacent to the small dining area. To the left, she had a balcony overlooking a copse of trees. Taking a deep, disbelieving breath, she went on down the hall. First room on the left was presumably the den Tanager had mentioned. Next, she found the bedroom; it was considerably larger and had an enormous walk-in closet. Bath and laundry sat at the end of the hall on the right.
Finally, she turned and raised a brow at Tan. “Am I living here alone?”
“Yeah, why?”
Thank you.
“It’s fantastic. I guess you want to tell me what I’ll be doing now?”
“That’d be nice. Unless you’d like to open all the kitchen cabinets first.”
Gillie grinned at her. “’Kay. Be right back.”
“Noob.” But there was certain amusement in her tone.
Once she explored to her satisfaction, they sat down crosslegged, facing each other on the living room floor. Gillie petted her carpet. “I’m listening.”
“Like I said before, you’re Grace Evans, a transfer student from Ohio.”
“What happened to her?”
“The kid died on vacation, and Mockingbird snagged the death notice before it could make its way through channels, and . . . now you’re her.”
“Does she have family?” It seemed inordinately cruel if she did.
“None that we could find. Only child, adopted by older parents who passed on during her first year of school.”
“That’s so damn sad.”
“Focus. We figure it’s unlikely anyone will see an IRA operative in the innocent face of Grace Evans from Ohio. Crow told us you want to go to college. Well, we can work with that.”
“I wanted to go for real.”
“And you will. You have sixty-three hours of transfer credit. She was studying business, but she hadn’t gotten deep into her major. Those taken are mostly humanities and liberal arts requirement classes.”
“Which I haven’t passed.”
“For fuck’s sake. Read
The Odyssey
and smoke a bowl with a philosophy major.”
The Odyssey
and smoke a bowl with a philosophy major.”
“I’ll look up the required reading.”
“Seriously?” Tanager shook her head. “Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Anyway, you’re smack in the center of the US, which is perfect. Among other things, we’ll be using your apartment as a safe house for agents recovering from wounds. I’ve already proofed the place. Painted with the special tungsten blend, and then did a cover coat. You can power up safely within these walls, and we’ll expect you to care for anyone we send your way. In return, we pay your living expenses and your tuition. You can study whatever the fuck you want.”
Gillie considered. “So counseling is fine with you?”
“Ah, Jesus. You want to be a headshrinker? That’s hilarious.”
She bridled. “Why?”
“Cardinal, you gotta be beyond fucked up from your time underground. Maybe you just want to poke in other people’s neuroses to avoid your own?”
Maybe.
Tanager went on, “We do expect you to act like a college student. You’re supposed to be three years younger than you are, but you’re small, so I don’t think it’ll be a prob.”
“I’m . . . twenty-two?”
“Twenty-one. Don’t be a smart-ass. I know you haven’t hit the quarter-century marker yet.”
Gillie nodded at the packet Tanager was twirling on the bare floor. “Is all of this in there? The facts I need to know about Grace?”
“Yep. You’ll need to go get your student ID tomorrow. We have a driver’s license in here for you, but I’m thinking you don’t know how to drive.”
She arched a brow. “When would I have learned?”
“You make a good point. You’re less than five miles from campus, so you might take the bus or you can get a bike.”
“Bike.”
“So I take it you know how to ride?”
Gillie smiled. It was one of the best memories she had. After she recovered from the leukemia, her dad had taught her—a few years later than other kids, but yeah. She still remembered the pleasure of pumping her legs and flying down the sidewalk, wind in her hair. Her dad’s laughter rang out: bright memory, a silver star of childhood.
“Yeah.”
“Final business before we head out. Mockingbird wanted to furnish for you, order online. But since this is the first place you’ve ever had to decorate yourself, I figured you might want to pick your own stuff out.”
Pure happiness.
Gillie launched herself and hugged Tan. The other woman warded her off with an
oh what the hell
look. “Uhm. Yeah. You’re welcome.”
Gillie launched herself and hugged Tan. The other woman warded her off with an
oh what the hell
look. “Uhm. Yeah. You’re welcome.”
“No guy would have ever understood. But you’re so right. I will be
so
much better equipped to deal with whatever comes my way here, as long as I can put my mark on this place.”
so
much better equipped to deal with whatever comes my way here, as long as I can put my mark on this place.”
“Right. Anyway, you have a Visa card in the packet. Nice limit. MB will take care of clearing it for you. Last thing—there’s a cell phone in there. You need to have that on you
at all times.
It needs to be charged
at all times
. He has to be able to get a hold of you if we need you for an op.”
at all times.
It needs to be charged
at all times
. He has to be able to get a hold of you if we need you for an op.”
“I thought I wasn’t doing field work.”
“You’re not. But it’s a just-in-case precaution, and part of the deal. Take it or leave.”
“Sold.”
“’Kay.” Tan pushed to her feet. “Then let’s get to Crazy Jay’s. You have some furniture to pick out, and he has some nice shit. After that, you need clothes suitable for a co-ed.”
Nuts. I don’t have a wallet for my credit card, a purse for my cell phone, or any idea how to drive a car, and yet I have a license to do so.
That gave her a clear idea how powerful her allies were. Taye had certainly made the right choice because she was feeling more hopeful than she ever had. Maybe if she cooperated and saved some lives, they would relax the “no contact between agents” rule. If she fought hard enough, she’d see him again.
That gave her a clear idea how powerful her allies were. Taye had certainly made the right choice because she was feeling more hopeful than she ever had. Maybe if she cooperated and saved some lives, they would relax the “no contact between agents” rule. If she fought hard enough, she’d see him again.
“Toiletries, too.”
“Yeah, yeah. I have orders to make sure this place looks like a normal person lives here by the time I leave town.”
“Then let’s get to it.”
CHAPTER 14Chicago bit in
winter, but this was where the Foundation wanted to do the exchange. Since it wasn’t too far from Detroit, and he had been eager to put the motor city behind him, Cale had agreed. Now he sat in Clarke’s Diner in Lincoln Park, waiting for his contact. The waitress had already taken his order.
winter, but this was where the Foundation wanted to do the exchange. Since it wasn’t too far from Detroit, and he had been eager to put the motor city behind him, Cale had agreed. Now he sat in Clarke’s Diner in Lincoln Park, waiting for his contact. The waitress had already taken his order.
The place was close to DePaul University, so there was a mix of neighborhood folk and college students. He remained watchful as a man in a black knit cap walked in the door. It was angled so it didn’t show much of the shape of his head, and the heavy beard covered the rest.
Cale lifted a hand, waving them over. He recognized the girl at least from an e-mail attachment. The man didn’t linger long, just glanced at Cale’s ID, then he muttered to the woman, “Siddown. The man’s havin’ dinner.”
Rude little prick, aren’t ya?
He eyed the man as he left, and then studied the woman before him. She was tall, close to five-ten. His weird contact at the Foundation said her name was Kristin Shaw, but she only answered to Kestrel. She was also very thin—model thin—which would’ve been elegant if her skin wasn’t so pasty. Her hazel eyes held a dull weight, and her shoulders slumped as she bore his scrutiny.
He eyed the man as he left, and then studied the woman before him. She was tall, close to five-ten. His weird contact at the Foundation said her name was Kristin Shaw, but she only answered to Kestrel. She was also very thin—model thin—which would’ve been elegant if her skin wasn’t so pasty. Her hazel eyes held a dull weight, and her shoulders slumped as she bore his scrutiny.
Yeah, there’s something wrong with this one.
But she sat, as instructed. Misery covered her from head to toe.
“Care for a bite to eat?”
The waitress brought his meal as she shook her head. From the looks of her, she hadn’t eaten anything much in a while. His foreboding about this assignment deepened. Cale needed the edge she could offer but he didn’t look forward to spending long hours in her company. He ate fast and dropped a twenty for the server.
“You fine to travel?” he asked.
Somehow he didn’t think the usual pleasantries would bear any fruit. She gave a mute nod and got up. It didn’t seem right to accept charge of another human being without her saying a word, but these Foundation fuckers were a weird lot. There was no telling what they’d done to keep her cooperative and quiescent. At the very least, she was drugged. His unease returned; this wasn’t the way he did business.
Cale led the way out to his car. She put her bag in the backseat and then climbed in front, obedient as a child.
Or a lobotomy patient.
This whole contract stunk to hell.
The last of your retirement fund,
he told himself. Smart mercs didn’t stay in the biz after their reflexes slowed; as with professional athletics, thirtyfive was old in his game, and he was three years past that.
So try not to think how pathetic she is. Focus on what she can do.
Or a lobotomy patient.
This whole contract stunk to hell.
The last of your retirement fund,
he told himself. Smart mercs didn’t stay in the biz after their reflexes slowed; as with professional athletics, thirtyfive was old in his game, and he was three years past that.
So try not to think how pathetic she is. Focus on what she can do.
“Is anybody powered up right now?”
They’d explained to him how she worked, but he couldn’t imagine what it must be like. So he was trying to understand. To best make use of a tool, he had to grasp it from all angles. But now he found himself reluctant to use her at all, just from fifteen minutes in her company. That didn’t entirely make sense, but he had a strong feeling he should give her back before it was too late. Too bad the man who’d brought her was long gone, making her Cale’s responsibility.
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