Devious Minds (21 page)

The entryway door opened, causing the last piece of glass to fall out and shatter. I cringed, then glanced up and froze. Cypher stood there, a surprised but calculating glimmer in his eyes. I gasped as he stepped toward me. Then scooted backwards until my shoulders hit the wall and there was nowhere left to go.

I picked up that he hadn’t expected to find me there alone, and wondered if this could possibly get any better. Then he caught sight of the computer on my lap, and a real smile creased his lips.

“I’ll take that,” he said, nodding toward the computer. “And I’ll let you live if you tell me one thing.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a knife, and flipped it open, fully intending to kill me once I answered.

“What?”

“Hand it over first,” he said.

If I could have bashed him over the head with it, I would have, but with my luck, he’d probably stab me before I got the chance. Wanting to keep as far away from him as possible, I slid the computer to the floor and, with my foot, kicked it toward him. “There. Now... you’d better go. My friends will be back any minute.”

He bent down and picked it up, keeping his gaze locked on mine the entire time. “Cypher wants to know how you knew about the ventilation system. You’ve set us back with all the police around, but mark my words, you won’t stop us.”

“How do you plan on releasing the bomb if you can’t get into the system?”

He frowned. “Not too bright, are you?”

“What kind of a bomb is it?” I continued. He just shook his head, but that didn’t matter to me. “Still planning on using the metro system as your gateway of choice?”

“You can’t believe I’d tell you and let you live.”

“No, I don’t,” I answered. “Since you’re planning to kill me anyway. But I know you’re Cypher, so you can quit pretending around me.”

His good mood vanished. “I’m not Cypher.”

“Actually, you’re right. The real Cypher died in Afghanistan. You stole his name.”

He froze. All kinds of swearing went through his mind. How did I know? He’d been so careful. This couldn’t be happening, but he could tell from my face that I wasn’t bluffing. As much as he wanted to kill me, he couldn’t do it now. Not until he knew how I’d put the pieces together and who had sold him out.

A door slammed. Voices came from the back entrance, along with the sound of police sirens in the distance. Cypher knew he couldn’t get me out of there in time, but it didn’t bother him too much. “Until we meet again,” he said, then turned and slipped out the door.

I heaved a huge breath, and tears flooded my eyes. I blinked them away, hardly believing that I was still alive. A few seconds later, Ramos and Suzette came into the foyer.

“They got away,” Suzette said with disgust, thinking they might have caught them if Ramos hadn’t insisted on coming back for me. It kind of bothered her that I was his first priority. She began picking up the scattered papers. Ramos moved to help her, but glanced my way first, and concern tightened his brow.

“Babe. What’s wrong?” The way I sat there, with my face so pale and drawn, sent sudden fear through him. Had I been shot and hadn’t told him? He rushed to my side, searching for signs of blood.

“I’m fine... well, not really, but I didn’t get shot. He was here.” I caught Ramos’ jacket, and my fingers clenched the fabric. Hearing this, Suzette hurried over. “Cypher.” I swallowed, then licked my lips so I could continue. “He came in after you guys took off.” Suzette swore in her mind and even stamped her foot a couple of times.

“He wanted the computer, so I gave it to him. Sorry.” I apologized mostly to Suzette since she wasn’t handling this very well.

“It’s okay,” Ramos said. He sat beside me and pulled me into his arms. I didn’t realized how freaked out I was until he did that. His strong arms holding me calmed my racing heart. Like a soothing balm, I finally relaxed enough to quit shaking.

Muttering under her breath, Suzette tromped back to pick up the scattered papers. Just in time, since the sirens outside ground to a halt, and several police officers entered. She took charge. Amid all of the French, I heard her mention Gabriel Dumont’s name a few times.

The officer confirmed our story by putting in a call to Gabriel, then spoke to us in English. “He wants you to come with us.”

Hearing this, Suzette shook her head and argued, then took the phone and talked to Gabriel for several minutes. In the end, she finally acquiesced to his demands, as long as he allowed us to come in her Mercedes. I wasn’t too happy about that, mostly because of Cypher’s mad bombing skills.

Ready to leave, Ramos helped me up and kept his arm around me since I was still a little shaky. As we approached her car, I hesitated. “You sure there’s no bomb?” I asked Ramos, before he opened the car door. He brushed his fingers over the hood of the car and the car not only honked, but also shrieked with that annoying high-pitched alarm. Everyone jumped a little and covered their ears. A couple of police officers even pulled their guns.

“I think it’s okay,” he yelled, smiling over the din.

I couldn’t help the giggle that spilled out of me. Suzette pulled the keys out of her pocket and pushed the button, shaking her head at Ramos. She was thinking that if things weren’t so serious, she would have laughed at his little prank.

With a police escort, we drove back to Gabriel’s headquarters. On the way, I picked up that Ramos felt bad for leaving me alone. He could have killed Cypher right then and there if he’d stayed. Too bad it hadn’t worked out, but he’d make sure it didn’t happen again. That warmed my heart, but I couldn’t forget how awful it was to see the bullets flying around him. All because of me.

“We need to leave our guns in the car,” Suzette told Ramos. “There’s a compartment under the back seat. Push the button to open it.” Pulling the gun from her holster, she gave it to me. “Could you hand this to him?” I nodded, but hesitated to take it from her. “Don’t worry. The safety’s on,” she added.

Ramos took it with a wink and slid the compartment shut. Then we pulled into the same gated entrance as before and got out of the car. I picked up that Suzette didn’t like being seen at DGSI headquarters, but it wasn’t the first time, and Gabriel would make sure her cover was safe.

We found Gabriel in the room with all the surveillance cameras. He spotted us and hurried out. “Let’s go into my office.”

Gabriel sat behind his desk, and Suzette leaned against it, facing me. Ramos sat in the chair by the door, but I was too stressed to sit still. I paced the floor while we all gave him a rundown of everything that had happened. Then I told my story of meeting Cypher again, and his eyes widened with shock.

“What did he say to you?” Gabriel asked. This thought pretty much came from everyone.

“This is what I picked up,” I began. “He wanted to know how I knew about the ventilation system in the metro. He said it had made it hard to plant the bomb, because of all the police around. So we know he hasn’t planted the bomb yet.

“Then he was ... I mean... I picked up something about an underground tunnel or something. I’m not sure what that’s all about. Another thing I got was that the bomb... it’s filled with sarin gas.”

After only a second of silence, all kinds of swearing from their minds hit me. Once the shock was over, Gabriel caught my gaze. “Did you get anything else?”

“Yeah, but it was of something underground, like a tunnel system? Does that ring a bell?”

Suzette was thinking that there were all kinds of underground passageways in Paris. They were called the catacombs for a reason.

“That’s it!” I said, glancing her way. “The map on the computer. It had the letters C-A-T on it. It must mean the catacombs.”

“What map?” she asked, thinking it was a little dodgy that she’d been thinking that very thing.

Oops. I ignored that and continued. “Remember finding the name Dimension Zero on his bank statements? Once I got the computer running, I searched for it on his computer, and a folder with Dimension Zero came up. Inside the folder, I found three files. The first was like an inventory of some kind. The second seemed like a contact list, and the third was a map. I had no idea what it was, but with the letters, C-A-T, that has to be it, right?”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Suzette said. “If they’re planning to use the catacombs to get into the metro system, why would Mason have a map? From what you’ve told us, he didn’t know about the bomb or where they were going to put it. It must mean something else.”

“Oui,” Gabriel said. “If he was their supplier, it might make more sense that the map was to show him the drop-off point. Perhaps Cypher uses the catacombs for his headquarters? If Mason could have told you and Blake where it was, it makes sense why Cypher had him watched, and then killed him. Only now he has the computer. Do you remember anything special on the map that would help us find his location?”

I sighed and shook my head. “Not really. But maybe if I saw another map, it would help.”

“We’re snookered,” Suzette said. “I wish Cypher hadn’t gotten his hands on that computer.” She was still upset that we’d had it... and now it was gone.

Gabriel ignored her. “I will get a map for you.” He picked up his phone and made the request, then hung up. “It will be here shortly. So... from your encounter, we know he has not planted the bomb yet. That means we are doing something right. Now we must expand our search to the catacombs. But, I have an excellent resource, and I will ask for his help. He spends a lot of time there, so I have hope we will flush Cypher out, or at least find his hiding place.”

“You also need to see if there is a way to access the metro system from the catacombs,” Suzette said.

“Oui,” Gabriel agreed. “Then I must get started. We have a long night ahead of us.”

“There is one more thing you need to know,” I added. “I’m pretty sure they want to plant the bomb tonight, but if they can’t plant it in the metro system, I think they have a plan B.”

“Why do you think that?” Gabriel asked.

“Because I saw an image of a building. I don’t know which one it was, but it looked important, and Cypher was think... um... it was like he thought that placing it there wouldn’t kill as many people, but it would still send a message.”

Chapter 11

Talk about bombs... it seemed like I was dropping them all over the place, so I tried to look on the positive side. “You know, as awful as that was to bump into Cypher, I think it helped us out. Don’t you? I mean... from what I picked up, we have a lot more to go on now, right?”

Suzette and Gabriel were seriously questioning my sanity... well I knew Suzette was. Gabriel was thinking in French, so I didn’t know for sure, but based on how high his brows rose, it was probably true.

I think you should stop now
. That came from Ramos, and it kind of hurt my feelings since I’d already figured that out.

Gabriel let out a breath and nodded. “Oui. And for what it’s worth, I believe you... for the simple reason that you have confirmed what I found out earlier today. That the stolen bio-weapon we have been tracking was indeed sarin gas.”

After letting out a breath, he continued. “Now, I need to do my job with this information you have given me. If it is possible, I would like for you to stay with Suzette. I believe you will be safe there.

“It is also my hope that you will take the time this evening to study the various buildings in the city and come up with a match for what you saw with your uh... premonitions. Is that acceptable? Suzette?”

“Yes, of course,” she agreed. Glancing at me, she continued. “I’m sure Blake would approve, and you will be much safer at my place.”

While I nodded, a knock sounded at the door. It opened, and a woman handed Gabriel a piece of paper. He thanked her, then handed it to me. “Here is the map. What do you think?”

“It looks similar, but honestly... there were no markings on the map in the computer. The only things I remember were the letters. They were just along here.” I pointed the area out to Gabriel.

“Could you pencil them in, s'il vous plait?”

“Sure.” I did as he asked and handed it back to him.

“Merci. Now... I have much to do, and a long night ahead. If you remember anything at all, please call me. Otherwise, I will let you know of our progress. Hopefully, it will be good news. And Shelby, don’t forget to take your luggage.”

“Oh yeah, thanks.” It sat in the corner looking pretty pathetic with all the bullet holes and the burn marks. From the way Gabriel grimaced, I was also sure he was happy to get rid of it. Then I caught Suzette thinking that I was like a cat with nine lives if I’d survived that attack, let alone what had happened to me at Mason’s apartment. Why Cypher hadn’t killed me was a mystery. Those premonitions of mine... well... it was hard not to believe them after seeing me in action. Still...

Not wanting to hear any more of her thoughts, I shuttered my mind and glanced at Ramos. With a lopsided grin, he took my luggage, and we filed out of Gabriel’s office and down the hall. As I glanced inside the high-tech room, I noticed a lot more people crammed inside than there had been earlier. In fact, there were at least twice as many. Some of them looked up, but most stayed intent on their work.

I realized that Gabriel was handling things pretty well. I didn’t know if it was the indomitable French spirit, or if he knew something I didn’t. But whatever the case, he seemed pretty hopeful, and I was grateful to leave him and all these people to it.

Darkness had fallen while we were inside. It took me by surprise but, in a way, I was relieved the day was almost over. After everything that had happened, I could hardly believe that just last night, I’d been listening to a concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral. Who would have thought?

Since then, I’d nearly been killed three times... or was it four? If I counted getting away when Blake and Mason got caught as one of the times, it was four. Sheesh! No wonder I was a little shaky. At least the two times today I had Ramos by my side. Or should I say three? It worked if I counted the shooters from the car, as well as the car bomb, and Cypher and his goons. That totaled up to five all together. That was insane! My legs got a little shaky again, so I decided it was best not to think about it.

Suzette took us to Ramos’ hotel first, so he could check out and get his things. We waited in the car, but I didn’t feel much like talking. Suzette didn’t have any problems though, and told me some of her favorite things about Paris. It took my mind off my close brushes with death, but also made me a little sad.

“I hope I live long enough to see some of those places,” I said, feeling a little sorry for myself. I mean, here I was in Paris, and I hadn’t been able to do hardly anything fun. Plus, I knew about a bomb that could kill a lot of people. It was just wrong.

“I’m sure you will,” Suzette said. “We’ll get him. And a lot of it will be thanks to you.”

Did she really believe that? I listened and decided she did. “Thanks Suzette. I appreciate that.”

Suzette was just about to ask me about my relationship with Ramos, but he opened the door before she got the chance, and I let out a relieved breath. She could tell that we cared for each other, but she didn’t know if it was more than that. He seemed especially devoted to me, but wasn’t that his job?

Then she wondered if we’d be offended if she offered us separate rooms. She’d noticed my wedding ring, but not one on Ramos’ finger. If he was my bodyguard, like Gabriel told her, then she’d better go with separate bedrooms and see what happened.

I swallowed, grateful that I’d just dodged another bullet. Today was hard enough without dealing with those sorts of issues. She drove through the streets, deliberately passing the Eiffel Tower in all its sparkling glory. Then we pulled up to her gate, and she put in the code.

As the gate shut behind us, we continued up the drive onto the well-lit grounds, and the tension went out of my shoulders. After today, it felt good to be someplace safe. Suzette took us inside, showing us to our separate rooms which were situated right next to each other on the second floor.

“Go ahead and get changed and rest up a bit, if you like,” she said, sending a glance at my torn jeans. “I have an excellent cook. Dinner will be ready at seven. You can look through my books on French architecture after that.”

Ramos carried my luggage inside my room for me. The large bedroom was decorated with flowered wallpaper in hues of spring green and pale pink. Dark blue drapes covered the windows, and a queen-sized bed, with pink and green bedcovers and blue accent pillows, took up most of the space.

“This is great,” I said, totally enchanted with it.

“I’ll just put this on the floor,” Ramos said, thinking I wouldn’t want to get the bed dirty.

“Oh, right. I should probably go through it and see what’s salvageable. But right now, all I want to do is take a... um... nap.” I was going to say bath, but really didn’t want to know what Ramos thought about when I said that.

His lips twisted in a smile. I hadn’t fooled him. He checked his watch. “We’ve got a little over an hour before dinner, and I’ve got to make some phone calls. Go ahead and take that bath. After what you’ve been through today, you probably need it. I’ll see you at dinner.”

With that, he left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. I let out a sigh, grateful to have some alone time, then went straight to the bathroom. As I filled up the tub, I knew I should call Chris. It was around ten or so in the morning at home, so at least he’d be awake.

Now that I had some privacy, I could tell him what was going on, although I could leave the worst of it out, since he’d be at work and wouldn’t have enough time to hear it all. That way he wouldn’t worry about me so much. Deciding that was a good plan, I placed the call.

“Hi honey,” he answered. “I’m so glad you called. I’ve been thinking about you all morning. How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” I said. All at once, tears flooded my eyes, but I blinked them back and cleared my throat. “It’s great to hear your voice. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

“How are the kids?” I asked.

“Good. They’re taking care of themselves in spite of me. It’s made me realize how fast they’re growing up. So, can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I think so. How long have you got?”

He chuckled. “A good half hour. Is that long enough?”

“Probably not, but I’m sure I can leave the worst parts of it out.” This time I laughed.

“Yeah,” he said. “No doubt about that. So did you meet with that guy?”

I took a deep breath and told him about our meeting with Mason, and how I’d picked up that something pretty awful was going down. “Blake was thinking it was a bio-weapon that the terrorists were planning to set off at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change here in Paris, because it had been stolen from someplace in Turkey, I think.”

This was met by total silence, so I continued. “Anyway... to make a long story short, it turns out he was right. The conference is day after tomorrow. So... a lot’s happened since then, but I think I’ll skip to the end and just tell you that I’m now working with French Intelligence and a British spy to find the bomb before it goes off. Oh... and Ramos is here. It’s a good thing, because he saved my life from the guys who shot Blake.”

“What?” Chris sputtered. “Ramos is there? And Blake got shot?”

“Yeah, crazy, huh? But we’re staying with Suzette in her mansion, so it’s all good. She’s the British spy. Oh, and Mason is... dead. Blake almost died too, but he’s here with us where Cypher can’t get to him, and there’s a doctor to help out, so he should be fine. On the plus side, I’m alive, and I know the identity of the terrorist, so we’re hoping to catch him before the conference... and you know... before the bomb goes off.”

“Holy hell! Are you freaking kidding me?”

“Uh... no,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I wish I was, and I wish this hadn’t happened. It’s been pretty awful, and I nearly died...” I took a shuddering breath and tried to hold back the tears.

“Shelby... I’m sorry I yelled, but this is a lot to take in. I mean... you’re talking about terrorists and bombs. For real. I know I joked about it, but I never thought it would actually happen. Now it sounds like you’re right in the middle of it. How could I not be upset?”

“Well, yeah... of course you’d be upset, but I think the worst is over. At least for me. The police and French Intelligence are handling things, so I’m not involved right now. With the information I’ve given them, they should be able to stop the terrorists.”

“So you’re safe now?” Chris asked.

“Yes. I am. But... you probably shouldn’t tell anyone about the bomb or anything.”

He let out a huge breath and took another before answering. “Uh... okay.”

“And try not to worry... I know that’s asking a lot, but I’m safe, and I’m not planning on going anywhere... or doing anything dangerous from now on.”

Chris sighed, and I could picture him rubbing his forehead like he does when he’s upset. “Yeah... well, I’ll do my best not to worry, but this is... I mean, considering there’s terrorists and a bomb involved... it’s huge, and I’m pretty sure there’s more going on that you haven’t told me.”

“Well... yeah, but it would take about two hours to tell you everything, so I had to give you the short version.”

Chris sighed again, and this time I was pretty sure his eyes were shut in frustration. “Just do me a favor, and don’t take any chances, all right? Do it for my sake... or at least for the kids. I love you, Shelby. I’d die if anything happened to you, so make sure that it doesn’t. Okay?”

“I love you too, honey, and I won’t do anything reckless. I’ll be fine... I promise. Give the kids an extra hug and a kiss for me, okay?”

“Sure,” he said.

Our half hour was up, but I wasn’t ready to let him go. “Hey... I know this is probably not going to work because it’s such short notice, but... could you think about coming here, to Paris? I mean... once this is over? Which should be by day after tomorrow. I’d really like to stay and see the city... with you. Just think about it, okay? It might not be too hard since you’re a partner now. Plus, you just won a big case. That should earn you a few days off, right?”

“You know... you make a good point, and I’d like nothing more than to be there with you. Let me see what I can do.”

My eyes filled with happy tears. “Really? That would just be so great. And don’t forget to throw in the fact that I helped you win that case.”

He chuckled. “That’s true. All right, I’ll talk to Larsen and Pratt and see what’s up. In the meantime, promise me you’ll be careful.”

Filled with elation, I was willing to promise him anything. We said our goodbyes and disconnected. Knowing there was a chance he’d come to Paris helped settle me down, and gave me something to look forward to... as long as the bomb didn’t go off. That kind of ruined my good mood, but it also made me more determined to do whatever I could to make sure it didn’t happen.

I had to add more hot water before the temperature in the tub was hot enough, but once I settled into the soapy water, I finally relaxed. I didn’t have my soothing, aromatherapy bath salts, but I’d found some rose-scented bubble bath that smelled just as good.

Before I was ready, it was time to get out. I rinsed off in the shower and toweled dry. Now came the moment of truth, and I unzipped my luggage to see the damage. The box of chocolates had been in front, so it was riddled with bullet holes. I picked through them and managed to salvage two chocolates, which I promptly ate, and threw the rest away.