Down to the Wire (8 page)

David packed up Wirenut’s tool pouch. “It’s humbling when he tells you he admires you, isn’t it?”

“Man,” Wirenut half laughed. “You can say that again.”

“Respect goes two ways. He gives it and expects it in return.” David flicked off the Rayver System lasers. “You lose it, and it takes forever to get it back.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Wirenut snatched up his tools. “Catch ya later.”

He disappeared through the door, leaving David and me alone.

“Looks like things are reversed now. You’re going, and I’m staying.” David took my hand. “Don’t be nervous.”

“Not I’m.” I shook my head. “I mean, I’m not.” I closed my eyes. I
hated
when nerves made me jumble my words.

I felt him move closer, and I opened my eyes. “What am I going to do? I’ll have to get on another plane.” And he wouldn’t be there like last time.

“You’ll be fine. Wirenut will be there. And TL, too.”

“They’re not you,” I whispered.

David’s eyes crinkled. “No, they’re not. But I’ll be there in spirit. Just close your eyes, and I’ll be there.”

I smiled through a sigh. Months ago I never would’ve gotten on a plane. I never would’ve made it over to Ushbania if not for David sitting beside me, holding my hand.

The door opened again, and Erin stepped in. “TL’s sending me to town. You two need anything?”

We both shook our heads.

With a nod, she shut the door, leaving us alone again.

David exhaled a heavy breath. “We’re always getting interrupted, aren’t we?”

I nodded. It did seem like every time we had a moment alone, someone ruined it.

“So, umm, did you two used to date?” It probably wasn’t the best time to ask him such a thing.

“We did. For about a month.”

“What happened?”

He shook his head. “I’ve known her a long time. We’re friends. We weren’t meant to date. There wasn’t any chemistry.”

Chemistry was the one problem David and I didn’t have.

“I was thinking…” David ran his thumb over the top of my hand and looked down at my lips.

My stomach did a jig as I recalled the horribly embarrassing kiss I’d given him in Ushbania. “You were thinking?” I croaked.

He closed the small distance between us, putting his face a mere inch from mine.

I shook my head. Hold on. We couldn’t kiss yet. I needed to brush my teeth. Our first real kiss had to involve fresh breath. But maybe it doesn’t matter—we’re finally getting our kiss.

I held my breath and looked into his eyes…and then the door opened again and TL stuck his head in. “David, I need you.”

My heart paused a beat with disappointment. Yet again I’d have to wait for a kiss.

TL turned to me. “GiGi, the briefing will be back here in thirty minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”

“When you get back?” David whispered.

I nodded.

He smiled and dropped a quick kiss to my cheek. “Good.” Then strode across the room to join TL.

My paused heart kicked to light speed. A kiss. When I got back. Oh boy. How was I supposed to concentrate on the mission with
that
waiting for me?

Thirty minutes later,
I walked back into Wirenut’s electronics room. TL, David, and Wirenut were already there standing on opposite sides of a tall wooden table.

I stepped up beside Wirenut.

David slid a yellow folder across to me. “In there you’ll find your new identity, information on Rissala, and details about the mission.”

Opening the folder, I quickly perused the inserted sheets. My name for this assignment would be Dana. Wirenut was Stan, and TL’s new name would be Tim. Our cover? Vacationers. Simple enough.

TL opened his file. “To recap. There are three encrypted messages. We know the first one is in the Museum of Modern Art. That message will lead to the next, and that one points to the final. Finding these messages will uncover where the neurotoxin has been hidden.”

“We know the first message is protected by the Rayver Security System. We also know the messages are on some sort of
timed computer code, which is where GiGi comes in. This code might have to be deciphered right there on the spot. It might not. There could be a delay in satellite transmission, so with everything being on a timer, we don’t want to take any chances sending the code back to here.” TL clicked his pencil and slid it into the folder’s pocket.

Wirenut raised his hand. “Sir, are you saying that GiGi has to go in with me while I break the Rayver System and retrieve the messages?”

“With the timed computer code, we don’t know what to expect.” TL looked at Wirenut and then me. “So, yes, GiGi will be going in with you.”

Wirenut cut me a sideways glance, and I swore he looked a little sick to his stomach.

Come on. I wasn’t that bad.

Early the next morning,
the plane’s engines vibrated beneath me, and I shut my eyes.

“You want a sedative?” TL asked from my right.

Shaking my head, I curled my fingers into my thighs.

You can do this. You can.

“It’s going to be okay,” Wirenut whispered from my left. “Think about computers or something.”

Not a bad idea.

I forced my brain to run code.

[%TENLEME sartt:! Q—]

[<& nqouitat - - >tsroh]

[#<#> IUR gsm 118(*)]

The plane picked up speed as it rolled down the runway, and I squeezed my eyes tighter. David’s words came back to me.
I’ll be there in spirit. Just close your eyes, and I’ll be there.

I conjured his image. Tall, dark, great brown eyes. Wearing his faded jeans and that pale blue T-shirt that hugged his biceps. I saw him laughing, eyes crinkling, flirting with me. His jaw had dark stubble and he smelled…heavenly. We’d had a lot of stolen little moments since the Ushbanian mission. Holding hands, talking, a kiss on the cheek. I couldn’t wait for the real thing.

The muscles in my body relaxed, and I rested my head back. I opened my eyes and immediately felt both TL and Wirenut looking at me.

“I’m fine,” I reassured them.

“Oh, good.” Wirenut blew out a dramatic breath. “Didn’t want to contend with a puke bag.”

I elbowed him.

Wirenut glanced around me to TL. “Thanks for the send-off party.”

TL smiled a little. “You’re welcome.”

I recalled the send-off party they’d given me for my first mission, and how I’d passed out.

TL lowered the window shade, shutting out the sun and clouds. “Long flight to Rissala. Try to sleep.”

Hours and hours and
hours
later, our plane began its descent
into the capital city. With the time change it was early morning again.

Glancing past TL, I gazed out the window, taking in the scenery. The capital city sprawled across a large cliff, looking out over the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. One-, two-, and three-story stone buildings crammed the cliff, trickling off as the city stretched west from the water. Green hillsides rolled from there with an occasional house or farm.

We took a cab from the airport, zigzagging through a tight maze of the town. The only vehicles I saw were cabs. The few people out and about this early either drove mopeds, rode bicycles, or walked.

Narrow dirt roads led to cobblestone, back into dirt, and then rock. No pavement. The pastel-colored stone buildings sat close to the road with no sidewalks. Our driver honked as we neared a woman, and she plastered herself to the wall.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, we bumped to a stop in front of a two-story tan stone building.

The driver climbed out. “Hotel.”

We grabbed our luggage and trucked it through the arched, open doorway. The inside mirrored the stone outside. To the left, a dark-haired woman stood behind a wood counter. She smiled as we approached.

As TL checked us in, I wandered the rustic lobby decorated with bamboo furniture. Paintings with flashes of color in no particular pattern hung on the walls.

“Let’s go.” TL led the way through the lobby and past an
elevator to the stairwell. We climbed a flight of stairs up to our floor.

“This place has only twelve rooms. Six on bottom, six on top.” TL handed me a key. “You’re in room ten. We’re eleven.”

The guys let themselves in their room, and I went into mine. There was nothing unique about it. Tan stone walls and tile floors just like the hallways and lobby. Two double beds with a painting like the ones in the lobby hung above each. A small desk sat between the two beds. A door connected my room to the guys’ room.

I peeked in the bathroom. Standard porcelain toilet and sink with a shower stall and no tub.

Crossing the room, I gazed out the small window down to the red-tile roof of a house. A tiny alley separated the two buildings. So tiny I could probably climb out of my window and easily jump down to the roof.

I cranked the knob on the window and let in the fresh cool air. I wished David were here.

A knock on the connecting door brought me out of my thoughts, and I opened it.

TL stepped in. “Upload intel.”

Fishing my laptop from my backpack, I quickly connected to the satellite and keyed in the scrambler code. “Nothing new.”

TL nodded. “The Museum of Modern Art is a ten-minute walk west of here. There’s a café right across from it. Get some breakfast. I have calls to make. I’ll meet you two there.”

Wirenut stuck his head in. “Did someone say café? Food?”

I laughed. “Let’s go.”

We left the hotel and walked around the corner to the shadowed side alley. We headed west, away from the sparkling sea. Minutes passed as we strolled, and I trailed my fingers along the stone buildings bordering the street. The texture ranged from gritty to chalky to smooth. The narrowness of the cobblestone path prohibited cars. Only bicycles and the occasional moped zipped past. The city seemed to be waking up, with people opening windows, sweeping their small doorsteps, shaking out blankets.

Pipe music drifted from a couple of the windows. Must be a popular type of music from this area.

Ten minutes later, we neared the café. A green canvas awning billowed out, covering a dozen or so empty wrought-iron tables. Wirenut and I chose one in the center and made ourselves comfortable. Yawning, I closed my eyes, enjoying the early-morning breeze. The scent of fresh baked bread and strong coffee floated through the air.

Wirenut inhaled long and loud, bringing me from my sleepy haze. “Nothing compares to traveling. Seeing cool places. Meeting different people. Trying new foods. Speaking of which…” Wirenut signaled the Rissalan waitress.

Before joining the Specialists, adventure was absolute last on my list of things to do. I had to admit, though, being somewhere different
did
excite me. It made me feel like a completely different person.

Smiling, the waitress wound through the outdoor seating
area, her long flowery skirt blowing in the dry, cool air.

She stopped at our table.
“Naz o jimo zua?
” May I help you?

“Oh, yes.” I slipped an English/Rissalan dictionary from my back pocket and flipped through it. “
O.
” I. Flipflipflip. “
Xuamf.
” Would. Flipflipflip. “
Moli.
” Like. Flipflipflip. “
E.
” A. Flipflipflip. “
Hmett.
” Glass. Flipflipflip. “
Ug.
” Of. Flipflipflip. “
Odif.
” Iced. Flipflipflip. “
Duggii.
” Coffee.

I beamed a grin up at the waitress, proud of my bilingual abilities.

“You could’ve just said
‘odif duggii
’ and she would’ve gotten it.” Wirenut pointed to the chalkboard menu sitting on the cobblestone walkway. It displayed a breakfast special. “
Qmieti.
” He held up two fingers.

With a nod, she made a note on her order pad and headed past us. Wirenut discreetly glanced over his shoulder, looking the waitress up and down as she swerved around a table and entered the restaurant. I smiled to myself and thought again of how much I missed David.

“Mmm-hmm.” Wirenut approvingly mumbled of the waitress.

“Hey,” I laughed, throwing my napkin at him. “You’re here for a reason, remember?”