The Defender (The Carrier Series Book 2) (26 page)

I scaled the stairs two at a time and busted through the heavy
metal doors at the top. How could Darcy be here in Wisconsin? Why was she
fighting for Myers’s team? I suddenly felt very sick. Had she been playing us
the entire time?

I emerged into a dark alleyway at the back of the student
center. The cold air took my breath away, but I was so sweaty my skin didn’t
seem to notice the temperature change. I jogged down the perimeter of the
building, keeping my eyes open for movement. It seemed like we took out most of
Myers’s men, but I had no idea where the survivors retreated to. I half
expected to bump into Darcy again around the corner.

Down at the end of the brick wall I saw Adam. I tapped my
earpiece and reported that Agent Greene was in my sight. I approached, holding
my Glock down at the ground, anger filling my heart.

“God, Adam, what the hell were you thinking? You were supposed
to get her out of here hours ago!”

It was only a handful of minutes later when I excruciatingly
left my sweet Ava in the possibly incompetent hands of Agent Greene and ran
through the courtyards of the Student Center, Glock at the ready in case
Myers’s men were waiting for stragglers like me. I found Drew waiting by his
Tahoe, pacing and looking angrier than I had ever seen him before.

“She used me.” He kicked the tire and then raised his voice to a
yell. “Even her accent was freakin’ fake, Nolan! She’s on Myers’s team and I’ve
unknowingly been feeding her information this whole time!” He punched the side
of his Tahoe, leaving a slight dent and grunting loudly.

My heart sank in frustration and defeat, but I knew my friend
needed some comfort. “Come on, Drew. It’s not your fault. We had no idea.”

“Dammit! I thought I knew her! I was falling for her!”

“Where is she now?” I scanned the parking lot around me. “Did
she get away?”

He paused a few seconds before answering. “No, I tied her up.
She’s in the backseat.”

“What?” I moved over to look in the back window. There in the
dark backseat of Drew’s Tahoe sat Darcy with her wrists and ankles bound
together. “How did you do that?”

“I knocked her out with the butt of my gun first. She came to
just a few minutes ago.” He actually looked a little embarrassed.

“And what are you going to do with her?”

“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” Drew’s face exhibited a rare
state of disgust and perplexity all at the same time.

Agent Mathy buzzed in my earpiece. “Outlier, Raven, report.”

I stared at Drew, silently asking which one of us would respond.
When Drew didn’t move I pushed the button on my earpiece. “Raven and Outlier
are leaving the Center. ETA ten minutes.”

Drew walked around to the Tahoe as I opened the door to get in
the passenger’s side.

A voice with an American accent sounded from the darkness of the
backseat. “Nice to see you again, Agent Hill.”

Without turning around I replied to Darcy. “You sound much
sexier with your phony accent.”

Drew started the ignition and left the parking lot, still
looking mad as hell.

“Let me explain,” Darcy started.

“Shut up!” Drew yelled passionately from the front seat.

BOOM!

A loud explosion half a block behind the student center rocked
the car. Drew slammed on the breaks and Darcy bounced off the back of Drew’s
seat. Startled, I looked outside my window and saw the roof of a house covered
in wild fire and billowing smoke. Bits of roof rained down from the sky. My
mouth dropped in shock.

It’s Ava’s house,
my heart knew.

“Turn around, Drew! Ava’s there!” Suddenly Agent Mathy’s voice
rang out in my earpiece. “Outlier, Raven, have you cleared campus?”

“Yes, we’re heading north on Division,” Drew answered. “Are you
aware of an explosion near Miss Gardner’s residence?”

“Affirmative. Intel observed an immense jump on their satellite
thermal sensors and suspected bomb activity. They’re looking into it now.”

Darcy spoke, unconcerned from the backseat. “It’s Ethan’s
fail-safe. He’s probably decided he wants her dead…tonight.”

My stomach turned uncomfortably. “Do we have a 10-20 on Ava?” I
frantically asked Agent Mathy.

“Negative, her location is unknown. We are waiting for a report
from Agent Greene.”

I was downright nauseous and my head was pounding. We had to go
back to her house and see if we could find her.

Drew asked Mathy for further instructions. “Should we report
back to the rendezvous point or stay here?”

There was a pause that took up several seconds. “Sir?” Drew
asked again.

“Agent Greene just called into Base Ops requesting an emergency
transport order for two. He’s with Miss Gardner, and they’re alive.”

I let out a loud sigh of relief, but the nausea didn’t
completely pass.

“Head to the safe house and wait for further instructions. My
team will arrive in ten minutes.”

“Copy that.” Drew merged onto Highway 59 and headed south toward
Plover. We all sat silently thinking our own thoughts.

Darcy’s fake-sounding voice cut through the silence. “Honey, I
can help you if you let me explain.”

“Don’t you dare call me that!” Drew yelled, slamming his fist on
the steering wheel. There was resentment in his voice, and heartbreak in his
eyes.

“Drew,” she pleaded. But before she could continue, Drew turned
around in his seat and jabbed her with a syringe right in her thigh. Her eyes
rolled and then closed, and she slumped over in the seat. The Tahoe swerved off
the road slightly, but Drew caught control and pulled us straight.

Somewhat horrified, I retreated back against the window. “What
the hell was that?!”

“Dammit! I can’t listen to her crap anymore. That’ll put her out
for an hour or so until we can pass her off to Mathy.”

“Fine,” I accepted. Then I added, “Don’t you ever think about
doing that to me.” I saw Drew smile out of the corner of his mouth. Mission
accomplished—Drew’s mood had shifted ever so slightly.

I stared through the dark window as Darcy’s words rang out in my
ears over and over again. He wants her dead tonight.
Find her right now
,
my brain instructed. I took out my phone and texted Adam—
Where are you?

I stared at the screen. Nothing. Several minutes passed and
still no reply. I looked up and out the windshield at the passing road signs.
We were almost there. I texted Adam again, but he still hadn’t answered by the
time we arrived at the parking lot of the safe house.

There were two Tahoes in the lot, but no other cars. As soon as
Drew threw the car in park, I had my door open and I approached Agent Mathy,
who stood away from the group of agents, talking on his phone.

“Have you heard from them?” I asked. “Is she okay?”

Mathy held up one finger while he finished his call. I paced
back and forth, waiting impatiently.

Finally, he hung up his call. “Agent Hill, calm yourself.”

“Where is she?” My voice grew uncontrollably loud. “Greene’s not
following protocol!”

Mathy said nothing, but collectedly stared into my eyes, trying
to find one shred of sense inside me. “Agent Hill, although your behavior is
unwarranted, you are correct on one account. Agent Greene never reported to the
Portage County airport for extraction. He’s not answering his cell, and he’s
disabled the GPS within his cell and his car.”

“Why would Agent Greene knowingly disable his GPS?” Drew
questioned.

“He wouldn’t! He and Ava must have been captured!” I was
freaking out, expecting the worse.

“I doubt he’s been captured, although that’s a scenario we can’t
discount at this point in time. Let’s give Intel a chance to locate him. The
agency has the most sophisticated satellite equipment in the world.”

You can’t just sit here and wait.

I paced back and forth, breathing heavily while Drew timidly
approached Agent Mathy. “Sir, on another note, we’ve captured a hostage.”

I had almost forgotten about Darcy.

“Excuse me?” Agent Mathy responded with annoyance.

“A hostage. In my Tahoe, sir.” He pointed behind him. “She’s
tied up in the backseat.”

Agent Mathy walked a few steps toward the vehicle. “Who is it?”

“Darcy McCombe. She plays for Myers’s team,” I confessed.

Agent Mathy looked in the window and then pulled out his cell
and texted someone. I looked at mine. Still nothing from Adam.

“Agents! Intel has tracked Agent Greene’s car heading south on
59 toward Madison. Agent Bowman infers he’s heading toward Myers’s new secret
headquarters.”

“What? He’s taking her straight to Myers?” I was beyond furious.

Drew chimed in behind me. “How does Greene know where Myers’s
secret headquarters are?”

“Haven’t you figured it out?” Agent Mathy asked condescendingly.
“Agent Greene is a double agent.”

My insides instantly caught fire. “No! He can’t take her to
Myers!”

The other agents had circled in around Agent Mathy.
“I’m not sure what motivation he has to take
Ava to Myers, but the FBI trusts Agent Greene. He must have a real and legit
reason.”

“That’s bullshit!” The other men murmured their disapproval of
my outburst. I inched closer to Mathy. “We barely know anything about that
idiot!”

“Agent Hill, stand down or you will not be allowed to continue
as part of this mission. Hell, I don’t think you should even be here now.
You’re in too deep already.” Then he looked me dead in the eyes. “Maybe you
don’t know much about Agent Greene, but the agency has full confidence in his
loyalties.”

I took another step forward and opened my mouth to dispute, but
Drew swung his arm in front of my chest, physically jolting me back and
knocking some sense into me. “Get a hold of yourself.”

I grabbed a hold of my emotions and took a deep breath.

Drew addressed Agent Mathy, “What do we do now?”

“We get in the vehicles and follow Agent Greene’s trajectory.
Intel will continue to track Agent Greene remotely and give us our directions.”
The men immediately left the circle and headed back to the Tahoes.

Drew called after Agent Mathy, “And the hostage, sir?” but Mathy
kept walking and then jumped in one of the Tahoes as it pulled away.

We were an hour down the road when Darcy’s phone rang out from
the dash where Adam had stashed it. I picked it up and read the screen out
loud.
Adam’s on his way with Ava. Report your location immediately.

Darcy was still passed out in the backseat. “It’s Myers. Should
I respond?” I asked.
Drew
stayed focused on the road. “I could pretend to be her.”

“Give me the phone.” Darcy commanded. I hadn’t even seen her
wake up. Perhaps she had been faking for a while.

“Dream on. We’re not letting you converse with your evil
master.”

“Give me the phone so he doesn’t suspect I’ve been captured.”

I searched Drew’s face. Could we trust her?

“Come on!” she screamed. “You’ll blow my cover!”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

The phone buzzed again and I read the screen out loud again:
Alliance
protocol. Reply within 180
seconds or you’re out.

“Reply, reply! Come on!” Darcy yelled urgently.

I looked over at Drew for confirmation, but he kept driving,
looking angrily out the windshield. “You have sixty seconds to explain yourself
and if I am not convinced, I’m throwing this phone out the window.”

“Just give me the—” Darcy started, but I lowered my window and
held the phone out the crack.

“Fine! Fine!” Darcy’s spoke quickly but with an underlying
petition in her words. “First of all, you have to know I’m on the same team as
you—”

Drew interrupted, shouting at her. “Then tell me why you were
with Myers’s men tonight! Why did you try to kill me?”

“I’m a double, Drew. I work for Myers and the IIA.”

“Then we are decidedly not on the same team. I want nothing to
do with that rat bastard.”

Ignoring Drew’s ranting, she went on, quickly. “I’ve known Myers
for several years. He needed someone with an Irish background to do his
research related to
Caducuspetra Morbus
. He doesn’t know I’ve been
sending his secrets back to the IIA.”

“Then you’re Irish? What’s with the American accent?” I
inquired.

Still talking rapidly, she continued. “I was born in Ireland and
moved to the US when I was four. My father was IIA, placed in the US for a
special assignment. My mother decided to move us to Illinois to be with my dad,
and also because she had family in the midwest. We ended up staying for the
remainder of my school years. I picked up the American accent as a child in
grammar school and it feels most comfortable for me still. I moved back to
Ireland when I was eighteen and joined the IIA. I’ve been working for them for
the past ten years.”

“That’s all very interesting, but I still don’t appreciate being
used…or shot at.” I could tell Drew was relaxing a bit but still holding a
grudge, with good reason. “Nolan, drop the phone out the window,” he
instructed.

“Wait!” she pleaded. “If I hadn’t attacked you, I would have
proved to my teammates where my alliance falls. I couldn’t risk that. Not now
that we’re so close to blowing Myers’s operation wide open.”

I was starting to believe Darcy, but I needed a little more
information before I was ready to trust her. “How did you get in with Myers?”

“I went undercover for the IIA and spent years working my way
into Myers’s inner circle. That’s where I met Agent Greene and we discovered we
were both doubles. We’ve been working together for the last nine months to
gather enough information for the agency to take down Myers. We’re almost
there. If Adam doesn’t blow it tonight and if you let me reply to Myers, I can
lead you right to his front door.”

I looked at Drew and he returned a glance. “Give it to her.”

“Actually, you’ll have to text for me, my hands are still tied
up,” she replied, nodding behind her.

“Fine, what should I say to him?”  

“Text,
Got separated from team at Center. On route now
. Hurry.”

I thought for a few seconds about giving Myers a piece of my
mind instead, but decided I better play it safe for the time being, and texted
only what Darcy said.

Drew spoke next. “So, the whole time we were in Ireland…?”

“Yes, I was feeding Myers the info you boys found, but only
because we believe Myers will be the only one to put all the pieces together.
We need him to discover the cure for us before we could take him down. There is
a legitimate need for a cure of this kind throughout the US and parts of
Europe, and that’s part of my mission as a double agent.”

“And what about in St. Ives?” Drew questioned.

“Myers had you captured and roughed up without me knowing
anything about it. Once I realized what had happened, I discovered where you
were taken, and broke you out when I thought no one would be around.” She
squirmed a bit in the backseat. “God, Drew, did you have to clock me so hard?
My head is pounding!”

“Sorry, Darce.” Drew was starting to thaw out a little.

Darcy’s phone rang out in my hands. I swiped the screen.
Hurry
back. I’ll need you at dawn.

“Looks like he bought it,” I said.

“Nolan, untie her hands.”

“Are you sure?” I whispered. This was all a beautiful story, but
could we really trust Darcy just yet?

“Just do it,” Drew replied.

I untied the ropes restraining her hands behind her back and she
instantly rubbed her wrists and then her right temple. “Thanks, Nolan.”

“No problem.” I checked my phone. Still no new messages from
Adam or anyone else.

Darcy asked me to call Agent Mathy so she could give him exact
directions to Myers’s headquarters, and then she laid down in the backseat and
went to sleep.

 *
    *     *     *

It was 3:30 in the morning when we approached downtown Chicago.
I was incredibly tired, but had offered to stay awake with Drew while he drove,
so on our way out of Wisconsin we stopped quickly just north of Milwaukee in
Delafield for coffee.

Drew woke Darcy as we approached the Windy City. “Darcy, wake
up. You’ve got to get us to Myers’s front door.”

She sat up and looked out the window, trying to get her
bearings. She turned on her phone’s GPS and then instructed Drew to get off the
Kennedy Expressway and take the Dan Ryan to Garfield Boulevard.

Seeing the city reminded me of the years I spent attending
college and when I was recruited to train for the CBB. I thought of the undying
excitement that coursed through my soul during that period of my life, and how
it paled to the passion of the one summer in Wisconsin Dells with Ava.

“Guns at the ready, agents.” Drew said half jokingly as he
pulled into a sketchy south-side neighborhood. Abandoned storefronts lined the
streets, fires roared out of barrels in the alleyways, and groups of young men
shouted obscenities at us as we drove by. Most of the cars on the street looked
like they belonged in a junkyard, but a Mercedes was scattered every few blocks
or so. I had no doubt where that Mercedes owner earned his money.

“Darcy, are you sure this is it? Why would Myers choose one of
the most dangerous areas of Chicago for his hideout?”

“Not sure. Perhaps he wants to make sure no one stumbles into
his research.” She was looking out the window, rubbing her eyes. “Turn here on
South Prairie and park in the public lot two blocks down.”

“Public lot? At four in the morning? You in with the South Side,
Darcy?”

“Go to the second floor ramp,” Darcy replied. “Just trust me.”

Drew snorted loudly. “Oh, right. Trust you. Good one.”

Darcy’s phone rang on the dash, so I picked it up and checked
the screen. It was a text from Adam—
We’re here. Where are you?

I handed it back to Darcy, excited at the prospect of seeing Ava
soon. I wondered if she was sleeping, or awake and scared to death. A huge ball
of sympathetic panic fired up inside me.

“Nolan, call Agent Mathy,” Darcy instructed as we pulled into
the parking garage. “Ask him to have mission tech hack into Myers’s security
system and put the parking garage video on a loop. I’ll give them the
location.”

I did as Darcy said, and within minutes we received word we
could proceed.

“Okay Nolan, let’s go get your girl!” Darcy exclaimed.

Flying high with excitement and somewhat paralyzed with terror,
I exited the car and Drew hit the locks. The parking garage was completely
empty at this time of night, and it radiated an eerie feeling of impending danger.
Darcy’s heeled boots clicked too loudly on the concrete as she led us over to
the elevator.

When the doors opened, Darcy looked in and then turned toward
us. “There’s a camera pointed at the northeast wall. Stand over there and
you’ll miss it.” We followed Darcy’s instructions and stood where she pointed.
“I’ll stand over here. I need Myers to see I’ve arrived.”

As the doors closed, Darcy pulled a tiny silver disk from her
pocket and stuck it to the wall of the elevator. “Bug killer,” she explained. “You
can talk freely.” Then she pressed the button labeled B2 at the same time as
the tenth floor button. The panel above the buttons suddenly came to life as it
turned into a small computer screen.
Enter passcode,
it read. Darcy
peeled down the plastic advertisement above the screen to reveal a hidden
keyboard on a hinge. She typed in a long password and shut the keyboard again.

The elevator gently glided down what felt like two floors, and
then it violently shifted directions and somehow began to move backward
horizontally. The sudden change surprised Drew and me, and we were flung to the
floor. We scrambled back to our posts by the wall so the camera wouldn’t see
us. Darcy, who expected the switch, had held tight to the handrail and was
still standing, laughing at us.

Drew looked at Darcy. “A little heads up next time, please!”

“Ah, but that was too funny!” She smiled widely.

I clung to the railing as we continued to travel parallel to the
ground for several minutes. I wondered if we could possibly be under Lake
Michigan.

Darcy read my mind. “Myers built his lab under Washington Park.
It’s virtually undetectable by FBI satellites, and it has been impenetrable
until now.” She smirked. “When the elevator stops, you’ll have to stay in the
vestibule right outside it for a few moments while I check in with Myers. I’ve
got to confirm his progress on the cure before we bust up his operation.”

“We’ve got to get Ava out of there no matter what,” I protested.

Darcy stayed calm and tried to spread the feeling to me. “Trust
me, Nolan, she’s safe under the watch of Adam and me.”

“I apologize, Darcy, but it’s a bit challenging trusting anyone
these days. Ava needs to be out of Myers’s reach as quickly as possible.”

The elevator began to slow down, preparing to stop. Then Darcy
took off her wristwatch and turned toward Drew. “I’ll communicate with you when
it’s time to advance.” She stared intently into his eyes as she fastened the
slightly masculine black watch around his left wrist. Drew’s perplexed gaze was
stuck on hers, unsure if he should listen to his heart or his brain. And then
without waiting for any sign that he wanted one, she laid a tender kiss on his
lips.

My eyes and heart sank down to the ground. When would I be able
to kiss Ava again?

Finally, the elevator came to a stop and the door opened,
breaking up their kiss. Darcy pulled away abruptly and, without giving Drew
another glance, walked confidently through a dark and empty waiting area before
us. She punched another code into the keypad on the wall, and a steel door slid
open with a hiss of pressure being released. Darcy walked through the door, and
it slid shut the second her heels cleared the threshold, leaving us in the dim
room all by ourselves.

Drew stood stunned, still shocked from the kiss. “God,” he said,
wiping his lips with the back of his hand, “women really know how to mess with
us guys, don’t they? One second I want to smash her face in and now I want to—”
He scrunched up his nose and made some movement with his hips, but I quickly
cut him off.

“Hold it right there, hound dog. Let’s see if we can get out of
this place alive before you start planning your next overnighter with Darcy.”

Our instructions were to stay, so we sat on the floor to the
right of the elevator doors and contemplated what we might be facing when we
were allowed through the door.

It wasn’t long before I began feeling jittery. “I can’t just sit
here and wait.” I stood up and paced the perimeter of the room.

“Dude. Relax. We’ve gotta let her set us up before we storm the
castle.”

He was right. I sat back down, but had trouble calming myself.

It was more than thirty excruciating minutes before we heard
Mathy’s voice in our ears. “Raven, Outlier. We’re…par…arage. Can’t…we…code…”

Drew pressed the button on his earpiece. “Sir, you’re breaking
up.”