The Spy Is Cast (23 page)

“And there are serious
consequences if he goes in uninformed,” I retorted. “Arnie, the
people you’re watching at Harchman’s are using a form of mind
control to torture people. If you get captured, you need to
remember that what’s happening to you isn’t real. It will seem very
real, but it’s all being done in your mind. Your body won’t
actually be damaged. That probably won’t help much, if it comes to
that, but…”

“Believe me, it
helps,” Kane muttered.

Hellhound nodded
slowly, and I could sense the wheels turning. I knew not to
underestimate him. The dumb-biker image disguised a brilliant mind
and a photographic memory.

“That explains a few
things. Thanks, darlin’,” he said.

I turned to Kane and
Germain. “I don’t think I’m in breach of my contract. But just in
case, I beg forgiveness. As opposed to asking permission.” I raised
my chin and looked Germain square in the eye.

His tense face relaxed
and he laughed. “If this is you begging, I’d hate to see
demanding.” He sobered. “Thanks for covering my butt.”

“You’re welcome.”

Germain and Hellhound
put on their riding leathers, and we all trooped out of the hot RV
into the cooler outside air. Germain swung astride his Yamaha and
Hellhound grimaced.

“Shit. Can’t believe
I’m gonna hafta ride on the back a’ this fuckin’ piece a’ Jap crap.
Lucky it’s gettin’ dark so nobody’ll see me. Why don’t ya get a
real bike?”

“It’s better than that
bone-rattling piece of shit you call a Harley,” Germain retorted
good-naturedly. “They’ve been making bikes for how long, and they
still can’t make one with a decent muffler?”

Hellhound perched
precariously on the back, struggling to hoist his boots up onto the
passenger pegs. “Why the hell d’ya wanna ride one a’ these goddam
crotch rockets anyhow?” he groused as he groped behind him for
handholds. “Ya like bustin’ your fuckin’ nuts on the tank? Maybe ya
ain’t usin’ your junk anymore, but I still wanna use mine.”

“Don’t they make a
cute couple?” I observed loudly to Kane.

“Hey, Germain,” Kane
called. “That’s got to be the ugliest girlfriend I’ve ever
seen!”

Hellhound flipped him
a stiff middle finger, and we laughed as they rode out of
sight.

I turned to Kane. “I’m
going to go and poke at that data a bit more, until Carl gets back
and wants to go to bed. Why don’t you call it a night? I’ll take
the first watch.”

“You don’t have to do
that. It’s not your job.”

“So, what, you’re
going to stay up all night? And all day tomorrow? No thanks. I’d
rather you stayed alert. I might need you to save my butt.” I
grinned up at him.

He chuckled. “All
right. Point taken. I’m going to wait for Germain to get back, too.
But I can take the first shift.”

“I’d rather take it,
if you don’t mind. I need some time to think.”

He eyed me seriously.
“If you’re sure.”

I nodded. “Very sure.”
I went back into the RV and got back to work, my nerves on edge. I
flipped through the photos with less attention than before,
wondering what Germain and Hellhound were getting into over at
Harchman’s. Memories of blood and scorched flesh kept intruding at
the edges of my mind.

I’d narrowed the list
down to a half-dozen possibilities by the time I heard the quiet
idle of the returning Yamaha, and the headlight flashed through the
trailer as Germain pulled up. A couple of minutes later, he and
Kane stepped into the trailer.

“So the bike’s in the
clear?” I asked.

He nodded. “Nobody
around, and the sweep came up clean. We moved it to the second
observation point, and Hellhound’s settled in for the duration.
He’ll bring it back. And there doesn’t seem to be any extra guard
activity. Everything’s the same as before.”

“Bizarre,” I said.

He shrugged and
nodded. “I’m going to call it a night.”

Kane turned to me. “We
can make up the dinette into a bed for you.”

“I don’t see why. Only
two people are going to be sleeping at a time. Two beds, good
enough.”

“If you don’t mind
sleeping in somebody else’s sheets.”

“No biggie. A bed’s a
bed. And we need as much space in this RV as we can get.”

I reached into my
backpack and pulled my baggy jeans and a T-shirt over my shorts and
tank top. I grabbed my fleece hoodie and jacket before delving into
the backpack again to extract an apple, my water bottle, and a
handful of cereal bars.

I looked up to see
Germain’s eyes crinkle in amusement. “How much food have you got in
there, anyway?”

“It’s mostly food,” I
admitted. “I don’t carry a big wardrobe when I’m camping. So if you
were thinking of asking me to the prom, forget it.”

He laughed and headed
for the bathroom while Kane briefed me. “Stay within arm’s reach of
the trailer at all times. Your only role is to watch. If you see
anything suspicious, anything at all, thump on the outside of the
trailer. Then run away and hide in the woods. Don’t try to help us.
Understood?”

“Got it.”

“I’ll spell you off
when Hellhound and Germain switch shifts. But if you need to quit
before then, just come and get me. You’re sure you’re okay with
this?”

“I’m fine. I like
being outside at night. Get some sleep.”

I went out the door
and settled into the folding chair beside the trailer. I heard the
men moving around inside the trailer for a short time before the
lights went out. I relaxed into the silent darkness, my eyes
adjusting so that the trees showed as black silhouettes against the
paler sky in the west.

I let my mind drift
while the sky darkened over the mountains. Coyotes howled in the
vicinity of the small creek about a mile away. Stars gradually
appeared, and I heard an owl’s hoot.

The air slowly chilled
and I leaned my head back, watching the comforting blanket of stars
wheel overhead. The moon rose over the horizon, silvering the
trees.

I huddled into my
jacket and ate a cereal bar, listening to the quiet night noises.
In that safe, silent place, I took out the day’s memories and
examined them again as dispassionately as possible, working to
reduce their impact.

My watch was so old it
had no illumination, so I marked time by the position of the moon.
When it had advanced over about a quarter of the sky, I heard
movement from inside the trailer. In a few minutes, Germain stepped
out, leather-clad.

“How’s it going?” he
asked softly.

“Fine. Beautiful
night. I love it out here.”

“Why don’t you spell
off with Kane? You need some sleep, too.”

“I’m going to let him
sleep a little longer. I’ll wait until Arnie comes back.”

“Okay. See you later.”
He got on his motorcycle, and I closed the gate behind him as he
idled quietly into the night.

About twenty minutes
later I heard another soft rumble, and the approaching headlight
bounced over the uneven ground. I swung the gate open, then closed
it again behind the tall black motorcycle.

Hellhound dismounted
stiffly, stretching and rolling his shoulders.

“Halt, who goes
there?” I quipped.

He turned, his smile
gleaming in the moonlight. “Lemme see if I remember the password.”
He pulled me into his arms and kissed me thoroughly.

When he broke the
kiss, I smiled up at him. “That was pretty close.”

“Nah, I don’t think
so. I think it was more like this.”

By the time he paused,
I was clinging to him, breathless. “That was definitely it.”

“Hmmm.” His growl
vibrated through my body as his lips and whiskers teased my ear. “I
know some other passwords.”

The sensation sent
tantalizing messages to sensitive places, making me shiver. I
pulled away from him reluctantly. “And I really want to hear them.
But I’m going to sit out for a while longer. Go get some
sleep.”

“Come in with me. Your
shift’s done, let Kane take over.”

“No, I want to sit out
a little longer. He went through hell this afternoon. Let him
sleep.”

“Darlin’, he ain’t the
only one that went through hell this afternoon. Ya gotta get some
rest.”

I sat down in the
chair again, hiding in shadow. “If I sleep, you won’t be able to.
You’d better go and get a head start.”

He squatted beside me.
“What d’ya mean?”

“I mean I’ll probably
have nightmares. I’m staying up as long as I can. Maybe if I tire
myself out, I’ll sleep better. You go ahead. I’ll come in a bit
later. And if I start making noise in my sleep, any noise, throw
something at me to wake me up before I start screaming at the top
of my lungs. You’ll be doing everybody a favour.”

“Okay,” he said
doubtfully as he rose. He stepped quietly into the RV, and I
settled down to watch some more.

Some time later I
heard movement from inside and Kane came out. “Why didn’t you wake
me?” he asked. “I slept right through the shift change.”

“You needed it. And
I’m fine out here.”

“Well, you’d better go
in now. You’ve been up for nearly twenty-four hours.”

I sighed and rose, my
chilled body unfolding grudgingly from the chair. “Don’t worry if I
start screaming. It’s just my usual crap. I told Arnie to wake me
if I start up.”

He engulfed my cold
hand in his big, warm one. “I’m sorry you had to witness that
today. Try to remember, it wasn’t real.”

“I know. I’ll deal
with it. It’ll just take some time. It was just… when I had to take
over the sim… that was…” I stopped and took a deep breath. “Anyway,
I woke a few other ghosts today, too. It’ll take at least one night
to get it all out of my system.”

I turned toward the
trailer, but he didn’t let go of my hand. “What ghosts?”

I shrugged in the
dark. He already knew about this particular ghost. “You nearly had
to pry me off a fencepost today.”

I felt him stiffen.
“What happened?”

“Riding an unfamiliar
bike too fast. I nearly high-sided coming around the corner up top.
Scraped the shit out of the footpeg, and I probably damaged the
front fork seals when I took air coming down the hill. I hope
you’ve got an understanding with the bike supplier.”

“I don’t care about
the bike. As long as you’re all right. I was surprised when
Hellhound told me you still rode after that accident.”

“Well, it’s good for
me to get back on a street bike. It’s been nearly ten years. You
have to get over it sometime.”

“I guess.” He squeezed
my hand. “Go get some sleep.”

I crept into the
trailer as silently as possible and took my backpack into the
bathroom without turning on the light. I washed up quickly and
stripped down to my shorts and tank top again, shivering in the
cold moonlight.

As I slipped out of
the bathroom, Hellhound stirred. “That you, darlin’?” he
croaked.

“No, it’s Kane,” I
whispered as I headed for the back bedroom.

He chuckled and I
heard him get out of bed. Strong arms caught me from behind just
outside the bedroom door. His skin felt scorching against mine, and
he drew in a sharp breath.

“Darlin’, you’re
frozen!” He stroked hot hands over my icy arms and legs and I
backed closer, soaking up his body heat.

Warm lips brushed my
ear and his deep, sexy rasp tickled my eardrum. “I can warm ya up.”
His hands slid slowly under my top.

I’d spent the last
several months trying to convince myself his hands couldn’t have
been as good as I remembered them. As he lightly caressed my
breasts, I realized I’d been right. His hands weren’t as good as I
remembered them. They were much, much better. Adept fingers teased
me into mindless desire.

I arched back against
him and his lips found that sensitive spot just above my
collarbone. He nibbled my neck, prickly whiskers heightening the
sensation. One of his hands drifted down into my shorts to make
small, delicious circles.

I sucked in my breath
at the rush of heat while his skillful touch threatened to empty my
brain of everything but pure dumb lust. Just before I lost all
ability for sentient thought, I pulled away with a supreme effort
of will and turned to face him.

“About that audience.
I’m pretty sure Kane’s going to notice if the trailer starts
rocking.”

He closed the distance
between us, steering me backward into the bedroom. “I can put a
smile on your face without ever rockin’ the trailer, darlin’.” He
kissed me deeply, and the touch of his tongue reminded me he was
telling the absolute truth.

My clothes went away
and he lowered me onto the bed. A few more hot kisses while his
hands worked their magic, and a small, breathless moan escaped
me.

“Ya gotta be quiet,
darlin’.”

“You know I’m never
quiet!” I gasped.

“Shhh.” He trailed
slow, whiskery kisses down my stomach.

I grabbed the pillow
and jammed it over my face.

A short time later, he
lifted the pillow from my nerveless hands to peer down at me. “Ya
still with me, darlin’?” His grin flashed in the moonlight.

“Ohmigod,” I panted,
the last waves of ecstasy still rolling through me. “No. I’ve died
and gone to heaven. And if you bring that magic stick of yours a
little closer, I’ll stay there.” I reached for him hungrily.

He caught my hands.
“Thought ya didn’t wanna rock the trailer.”

“Rock the trailer.
Please! Rock the damn trailer right off its wheels!”

“Nah. That’d be
indiscreet.” He chuckled softly. “Besides, I gotta leave ya
somethin’ to look forward to.” He kissed me lightly and rolled off
the bed.

I made a grab for him,
but missed. He left the bedroom, and I heard him lie down again in
the other bed. I sprawled limply for a few minutes, catching my
breath. As soon as my legs stopped trembling, I was going to go
over there and jump him, discretion be damned. I could be very
persuasive. He wouldn’t say no to me for long.