Cloak and Dagger (The IMA Book 1) (30 page)

I leaned forward. “Keep your fucking hands off her.”

“
Don't worry, Michael. I will leave that distinct pleasure to you. For now.” Unperturbed, he rested his hand on the back of her seat. “This is a warning.”

“
Against what? Taking public transportation?”

“
Now let's not pretend that you haven't been sneaking around behind his back. He knows you have contacts that you meet with in private. You are useful to him at the moment, which is the only reason you remain alive. But that could change if he perceives you as a nuisance — even if you are
the best
.”

“
You managed to catch me off guard once. It won't happen again.”

“
I'm terrified,” the Sniper said mildly.

Cocky little shit
. “What about what he's doing to the IMA? You're OK with that?”

“
As long as I get paid, I could care less who the money is from,” the Sniper said, proving Callaghan right. Mercenaries were mercenaries; they didn't play favorites, they played hands. “Some have resigned, yes, and a wave of insurgents were killed, but the agency remains largely intact. Mr. Callaghan is a capable man. I suggest you remember that and heed his warning.”

“
Callaghan doesn't scare me. Neither do you.”

“
Oh no? He said blithely, reaching up to pull the stop cord. Turning towards Christina in a pretend aside, he said, “I'm sure you've seen that scar on his stomach…among…other things. Ask him how he got it sometime.” He smiled at me. “Farewell, Michael.”

If I'd had a gun, I would have shot him.

Christina:

I touched his shoulder tentatively. He whirled around, looking like he could kill. “We have to get out of here,” he said, pulling the cord. Hard. “Now.”

“
Why?”

“
The Sniper probably isn't alone — and he could have bugged the bus.”

I stumbled to my feet, gripping one of the metal support rods as the bus slowed to a stop. “So what are we going to do now? Kill him?” I hissed. “I thought we were supposed to lie low.”

Michael looked like he was considering murder a viable option. “Can I get two transit passes, please?” The driver handed him two pink slips of paper. “Thanks.”

“
Michael
.
”

His face was flushed and his eyes were narrowed. “No, I'm not going to kill him,” he said, which made me feel better until he added, “Not yet, anyway. Not until I found out what his angle is. Now help me find a fucking payphone.”

Easier said than done. Since the dawn of the cell phone age, payphones had become scarcer than two-dollar bills. We eventually found one on a deserted street corner, covered with graffiti and fliers for Seattle strip clubs. I waited on a bench, shivering, while he made the call.

“
Did you get a hold of him?”

“
Her. And yes, she's going to meet us here, instead.”

Her?

Michael:

Shannon Luo always had a penchant for the dramatic but showing up in a red Mercedes took the fucking cake. “You couldn't have chosen a less conspicuous car?”

“
I'm sorry.”

I grunted, looking her over. She was wearing a tight, black t-shirt, in spite of the cold weather, and low-rise pants. A gold heart-shaped locket glinted at her cleavage. I hadn't seen her in almost two years and she still looked exactly the same. Her hazel eyes sought mine out, saying she both noticed and appreciated the quick once-over.

She glanced at Christina hovering nearby and the provocative look gave way to suspicion. “Who is this?”

“
Christina.” She jumped at the mention of her name. On the phone, I'd told Shannon Christina's parents were wanted by the mob and had paid me to be the girl's bodyguard. Which was true, to an extent.

Christina held out her hand. Looking surprised, Shannon shook it. I'd never realized how tall the girl was, but she dwarfed Shannon, who barely topped 5'. “I'm so sorry about your parents. That must be awful. But you're in good hands. Ed's
amazing
.”

Christina's tentative smile disappeared. Her eyes swung towards me. “Ed?” she mouthed.

Oh, Jesus.

“
Hmm. You're older than I expected. He said you were a child.” Shannon shot me a look I pretended to ignore. “How old are you, honey? Fourteen? Fifteen?”

“
I'm
eighteen
.”

“
Hmm,” she said again. “Hardly a child at all.”

“
Come on,” I said. “Let's go.”

Shannon talked at great length over the sound of the euro-dance on her speakers. She was one of those women who can say a great deal about nothing. I barely heard a word she said, but at least she drove as fast as she talked.

I leaned back against the leather seats and tried to relax. The music was too bright, though, and the buzzing edge of the synthesizers got on my nerves. It was like listening to a fucking swarm of bees. “Hot enough for you, Ed?”

A flash of movement in the side view mirror caught my eye: Christina removing her sweatshirt. She was wearing one of the white tank tops. My mouth went dry. It was the twin of the one I'd ripped off her body last night.

My cock jumped to attention, like this was fucking roll call for it. Images began to flood my brain, a mixture of real and fantasy, I began to sweat. “Yeah.”
Stop thinking about that
. I shifted in my seat, pinning it under my belt so the bulge wouldn't be obvious.

Shannon shut off the heater. “Good.” I glared at her. She rewarded me with a saucy smile. “Wouldn't want you to catch cold.”

Or anything else
.

We stopped at a small warehouse. “Here we are!” That damned music finally turned off. Too little, too late. I could already feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. My cock returned to where it was supposed to be when I stood up, and I breathed out a little, mopping my forehead with the back of my hand.

“
I got a car all lined up for you, Ed,” she was saying. “And a gun, and a phone, and a couple other things you asked for.” She paused at the threshold of the other room. “About the wire transfer — ”

“
You got the money?”

“
Yes, but isn't it a little too — ”

“
I paid you what I owe.”

“
It's your money.” She shrugged her shoulders and sashayed away while I waited for a bottle of aspirin to fall from the sky. Christina stumbled out of the car, looking shaken.

“
Ed?”

“
She thinks my name is Edward. You are not to tell her otherwise.”

She nodded dizzily, leaning back against the car. “Anything else I should know?”

“
Your parents are being chased by mobsters. I'm your bodyguard. Don't tell me you get carsick.”

“
I don't, usually. Where are we?” I watched her take in the residential/light commercial area, all of it shrouded in a thin haze of vapor. Her frown deepened. “Is this Seattle?”

“
We're in the suburbs. Shannon's giving us a car.”

“
Lending,” Shannon corrected, as we stepped into the room. She turned and her smile faltered for a brief instant, flicking to my hand around her wrist, before returning at twice the wattage. “You scratch up the paint job and I'll kill you.”

“
Try it. I'll have you on the floor in two seconds.”

“
Mm,” she purred. “Sounds fun. Is that a date?”

“
No.” I gave her a look she pretended not to see. “I'm driving.”

The rain had abated to a light drizzle by the time we got into the more heavily populated areas. I was grateful for the downpour — anyone following us would be hindered by the rain and the Sniper would have trouble orchestrating another photo shoot in inclement weather, though the tenacious little bastard probably had a waterproof camera.

The city was lit up by neon, blurring in the misty darkness, giving the shopfronts a frosty glow. I watched the girl. She never took her eyes from the window. Once, she made an appreciative sound and started to say, “Oh, look at tha — ” before flushing uncomfortably and falling silent. I wondered what she'd seen that caught her eye.

“
Nice area, isn't it?” Shannon piped up. There was savage proprietorship in her voice, as if in her mind she not only owned this part of the city, but was responsible for its creation, as well. “It's one of the more upscale areas,” she added, as we pulled up to her apartment. “We don't have anything like Saks Fifth Avenue” — she laughed deprecatingly — “but if you want to shop in the city, this is as close as you get.”

But while expensive — city housing wasn't cheap — her place, and the surrounding area, weren't quite upscale. Definitely looked as though it'd seen a roach or three in its time. I popped the lock and Shannon sighed. “You're not going to walk me to my front door?”

“
I have to watch the girl. This is an upscale area, remember? You won't get mugged.”

“
It's
dark
,” Shannon said. “And the girl's not going anywhere.”

“
She
is right here,” Christina said, sounding irritated. “And she has a name.”

“
You're eighteen, honey. You can't play by yourself for a few minutes?”

“
Enough.” I drew in a deep breath.
Fuck
. “I'll be right back.” I twisted the automatic locking mechanism from the keyring I'd retrieved from Shannon. “If anything happens, hit the panic button. Not that anything will.”

I slammed the door behind me, locking it manually, and walked up the steps. They were slippery from the rain. I held onto the rail as I ascended, wondering what scheme that woman had up her sleeve. Shannon didn't need help walking to her door. She'd gotten there long before me. Was already inside, in fact. I walked into the familiar hallway and said, “If you're so concerned about safety, you probably shouldn't leave your door unlocked.”

“
You should have seen your face when I pulled up.” She laughed, turning around. Her shirt was unbuttoned now. “Did you really think my Mercedes was the car I'd picked out for you?”

“
It's nice to see you have some sense, after all.”

She moved closer. “Aren't you going to thank me?”

I cracked a smile, amused that she'd bothered. “Thank you.”

“
I didn't mean with your mouth.” She let her lips brush against mine. Her shirt fluttered to the floor. “Well. We could start with your mouth — and work our way down.”

I hadn't thought that she'd jump me in the hall, but I wasn't surprised. I wasn't pleased, either. “You almost got me fired.” I held her at arm's length. “Do you want to get me killed?”

“
I didn't know you were an agent.”

“
You still shouldn't. You pried into my personal life, finding out things you had no business knowing — until I was left with no choice but to tell you.”

“
I missed you.” She slid her hands down my chest. I could feel her nails through the wife beater. Red polish. “I bet you missed me, too.”

“
I barely thought about you.”

Shannon leaned closer, tugging at the lapels of my coat. “So cruel.”

“
It comes with the job.” I pushed her away again.

“
But I bet you're thinking about me now.” Her mouth covered mine, her breasts pushing against my chest. I tasted a vague sweetness from her lip gloss as she slid one of her hands down my pants. “Oh, hello.” She squeezed me and my breathing hitched. “Looks like you are.”

“
Shannon. No.”

“
Stay with me.” Her grip tightened and I groaned. “One night. You won't regret it.”

With effort, I said, “The girl is in the car.” I tugged her hand out of my waistband. “I'm being paid by the hour.”

“
I don't remember time being an issue for you.”

She was beginning to piss me off. “The answer is no.”

“
Why not? Is it the girl?” Shannon slipped her shirt back on but didn't button it. “Look, ditch the kid. Take here — wherever she needs to go. Then come back.”

“
It's not her,” I said.

“
Then what's the problem?” She stared at my face. “Me?”

“
You're getting warmer.” I started to push past her. She halted me again.

“
Why? What's wrong with me?”

“
Nothing. I'm just not fucking interested.”

“
Is it because you're giving it to your sweet-faced client, Ed?”

“
I'm not discussing this with you.”