The Spy Is Cast (25 page)

Kane’s face was
composed, but I read his disquiet in the iron grey of his eyes. “We
can’t. We have to get more information.”

“But we know what’s
going to happen to him! You can’t just let him suffer like
that!”

Kane made a calming
gesture, frowning, and I realized I was half-way out of my seat,
fists clenched.

“Aydan, I’m sorry, I
feel the same way you do, but these are our orders.”

“That’s bullshit,” I
snapped. “Call Stemp again. That poor kid’s going to die a horrible
death. We can’t just sit here.”

Kane sighed. “I just
got off the phone with Stemp. We need identities before we can
move. Our orders stand, whether we like it or not.” He turned to
Germain, and I realized the subject was closed no matter how much I
might rant. “Any sign of physical activity last night?” Kane
asked.

Germain shook his
head. “Everything exactly as before. No sign of body transfers. The
usual guard patrols, on the usual routes. The only difference is
they’re using random timing now.”

“Damn. So we have no
way of knowing whether they pulled the bodies out yesterday
afternoon while our surveillance was down, or whether they’re still
there. Aydan narrowed the list of divers down to a shortlist last
night, but we can’t go any further down that road until Webb gets
back to us with more information.”

Germain nodded glumly.
“Or until we get a report of a middle-aged diver who died of a
heart attack yesterday.”

“So now what?” I
asked, keeping my voice calm and level, emotions under control. “Do
we just keep watching?”

Kane grimaced.
“Yes.”

I sighed and
straightened out of my slouch. “I did find something else
interesting in the network.”

“What?” Kane leaned
forward intently.

“I found a complete,
real-time sim of the security room. All the monitors clearly
visible, all up to date. Somebody’s set it up so they can monitor
remotely. I bet that explains why the network is so widespread.
They’d be able to access it from anywhere on the building
site.”

“Isn’t that
interesting,” Kane muttered. “I wonder why they need that.” His
eyes bored into me. “How did you find this? I told you not to
interact. You shouldn’t have been opening any sim files.”

“I didn’t. Harchman
was in the sim.”

“Monitoring the
security?”

“No. Getting his rocks
off. Again,” I said moodily. “I swear I’m ready to buy that asshole
a hooker just so I don’t have to watch him do me every day.” There
was a longish silence. “That was probably too much information,” I
added.

“A little,” Germain
agreed.

“Sorry.”

“I can see where that
would be upsetting,” Kane said diplomatically.

I shrugged. “I don’t
really care if he thinks it. It’s a free country. They’re his own
private thoughts. I just don’t want to have to watch it.”

“Understandable.
Anyway,” Kane brought us back to the point. “That sim could have
some potential for surveillance for us.”

“Definitely,” I
agreed. “But I don’t know what would happen if I went in and opened
it. I know anybody can walk into a sim while it’s in use. But I
don’t know if another user would notice if it was already open when
they accessed it. I’ll have to talk to Spider.”

I frowned, thinking.
“And I’d need to know how the date and timestamp record on the sim
file would work. If it’s real-time, maybe it’s always up and they’d
never notice. Or not.”

Kane stood. “Give it
some thought, and then call Webb and talk it over with him. In the
mean time, the sooner you get started on the database search, the
better.”

I nodded. “I’ll do
that right away.” I eyed Germain’s tired face. “I’ll take the
laptop outside so you can get some rest in here.”

“Thanks.” He got up
and threw his paper plate in the garbage as I picked up the
laptop.

“I’m going to wash up
before you get to sleep,” Kane told him, and headed for the tiny
bathroom.

I went outside and
settled into the folding chair. I had only been working for a few
minutes when Kane shouted my name from inside. I heard a slam, and
the RV rocked furiously to the sound of pounding feet.

Adrenaline spiked
through my system as I sprang up, unsure whether to rush to the
trailer or run for the forest. I compromised by standing dumbly
rooted to the spot. The RV’s door crashed open, rebounding almost
into Kane’s face as he leaped out. Germain hit the ground
immediately behind him.

My jaw dropped at the
sight. Both were nattily attired in underwear, firearms, and
nothing else. Kane showcased his considerable assets in hip-hugging
black briefs, nicely colour-coordinated with his Sig Sauer .40
calibre. Germain was slightly more discreet though just as
impressive in a pair of snug black boxer briefs, accessorized with
a matching Glock.

Overloaded by all the
luscious naked muscle and bountiful endowment, my mind spun its
wheels wildly. Kane had been washing up, Germain was going to bed,
right, that explained the underwear.

My brain slipped a few
more gears as Kane jerked his head at Germain and they quickly
secured the perimeter, offering me two magnificent rear views as
well. Old, jagged scars marred Kane’s powerful back. The bullet
must have gone right through his chest. I knew it had been a
near-fatal wound.

I heroically dragged
my eyes up to their faces as they turned. Germain placed his back
to the RV, scanning the woods and access points, his gun at the
ready. Kane reached into the trailer and threw my boots, leathers,
and backpack at me.

“Vanish,” he barked.
“Don’t tell me where. Contact Webb for a rendezvous point. Leave
your cellphone here.”

My body was already
scrambling to obey while my brain caught up. I kicked off my shoes
and skinned out of my jeans. A small, silly part of my mind
congratulated me for wearing black panties today. We all matched.
Fashion tips for the well-dressed spy…

“What are you
doing
?” Kane demanded.

I bent to pick up my
leather pants, trying to keep the thong back of my underwear out of
direct view. I jerked the pants up my legs as I looked up to meet
two frozen stares. “They don’t fit over my jeans. What the hell’s
going on?”

Kane gave his head a
quick, forceful shake. “We may have been compromised. Get out as
fast as you can. Don’t stop for anything. Good luck,” he added as I
wrestled my backpack over my jacket and jammed my helmet on.
Germain ran to swing the gate open, and I jumped on the Honda and
accelerated hard up the hill.

I cracked the throttle
open on the highway and glared frantically around me as I hit the
speed limit. There was no sign of pursuit. My heart pounded
furiously for several miles, but the light morning traffic looked
utterly normal and nobody gave me a second glance.

I took the first
available turn toward Millarville and started to relax as I headed
south on the quiet highway. Barring an attack from the air, it
would be pretty hard for anybody to sneak up on me here.

Forty minutes later, I
pulled into the small town, shaking with fatigue and surplus
adrenaline. In a tiny coffee shop I gratefully downed a cup of
herbal tea and a muffin, still watching vigilantly just in
case.

All was quiet.

I got directions to a
public phone and dialled Spider’s number.

He answered on the
first ring. “Spider’s Webb Design.” I could hear the overtone of
tension in his voice.

“Spider, it’s
Aydan.”

“Thank God. Are you
okay?”

“Fine. What the hell’s
going on?”

“Germain will fill you
in when you meet him.” I thumped my forehead as I realized that he
couldn’t tell me anything on this line.

“When and where?”

“Calgary. Not before
one o’clock. Call me later and I’ll update you.” I looked at my
watch. Nine AM. At least four hours to kill.

“Okay. I’ll call you
later.”

“Be careful.”

I hung up the phone.
What the hell was I going to do for four hours?

I shrugged. Might as
well take the scenic route. It would use up the time, and I’d be
hard to find as long as I kept moving.

Back on the bike, I
headed south. It was a beautiful morning for a ride, and the
highway wasn’t too busy. I relaxed as much as I could and tried to
enjoy the cruise.

At Turner Valley I
finally turned east, beginning to angle my way back up toward
Calgary. Just before Okotoks, I pulled off beside the road for a
rest. My sleepless night had caught up with me, and I was
struggling to stay alert. Now was a bad time to start getting tired
and careless, right before tackling Calgary traffic.

I jogged around a bit,
trying to get my blood circulating. The air was getting warm again,
and it didn’t help. Right now, cold would be better. I shook the
tension out of my hands and wrists and tried to formulate a
plan.

I really needed sleep.
I couldn’t check into a hotel at ten o’clock in the morning just
for the sake of a couple of hours of sleep. Anyway, I didn’t have
enough cash on me, and I didn’t want to use a credit card.
Shit.

My tired brain ran in
tight circles.

Must stay alert.

Must have sleep.

Finally, I hit on the
best compromise I could manage. I climbed wearily back aboard the
bike and rode up through Okotoks to connect with Highway 2. A few
miles north, I turned off and pulled into the parking lot of a
manmade recreational lake at the south end of Calgary.

Families were already
staking out their spots on the warm sand and the concession stands
were in full swing. I parked the bike and staggered a few steps
away to collapse on the grass under a tree. With a long sigh I
leaned back against its trunk and rested my elbows on my drawn-up
knees. Eyes closing, my aching head sank onto my crossed arms.

A dog barked sharply
close by. I jerked upright, swiping my hand across my chin where
I’d been drooling. How attractive.

I checked my watch.
Out like a light for nearly thirty-five minutes, right in the
middle of a public place. Dangerous. Real spies probably didn’t do
things like that.

I hauled myself to my
feet and massaged my butt. The parts of it that weren’t asleep hurt
like hell, and I walked back and forth and did a few stretches.
Nobody paid any attention to me, which pleased me immensely.

I found a pay phone
and called Spider again. “Hi, Spider. Any news?”

“Yes. Meet at one
o’clock. Where you first met Hellhound.”

“Okay, got it. Does
that mean we’re all in the clear?”

“So far, yes, but Kane
says to stay alert.”

I hung up the phone,
smiling at the memory of my first encounter with Hellhound. He’d
nearly punched my head in, and I’d returned the favour by slamming
his face into the side of a building and slugging him in the
throat. Funny how things work out.

Arriving at the strip
mall a few minutes early, I cruised past the parking lot once as a
precaution. The RV was easy to spot with the cargo trailer hitched
on behind it, and I pulled into the lot and parked a few slots
away. The sun had turned the asphalt into a shimmering griddle, and
I pulled off my helmet and jacket gratefully. As I did, the RV’s
door swung open, and Germain beckoned me over.

I was heading in that
direction when Kane rode up and swung off the BMW. Riding chaps
again. Jesus.

As we sat down in the
RV, I concentrated hard on their faces. All I could think of was
black underwear.

Wrestling my dirty
mind into submission, I made an attempt to focus. On something
besides firmly-packed black underwear.

Shit.

“What happened?” I
demanded. “Is Hellhound okay?”

“He’s fine. We left
him on surveillance,” Kane said. “I wasn’t concerned about that
part of the operation. I was afraid I’d compromised our base
camp.”

“
You’d
compromised it? How?”

“Through my own
carelessness,” he said through his teeth. “Stupid. We ran a sweep
on my bike, but we didn’t run one on me. When I went to wash up, I
discovered an electronic device attached to the back of my neck.
They must have slapped it on me while I was recovering from the
stun gun.”

“They were tracking
you? Why the hell wouldn’t they have just come and picked you up
last night, then?”

“I don’t know,” he
growled. “That’s why I didn’t want you to waste any time getting
out.”

“What did you do? I
presume you’re not harbouring any electronics now.”

“No. I saw you turn
east on the highway, so I gave you twenty minutes’ head start. We
swept everything while we waited. There was only one device. I got
on the road carrying the device and headed west to circle around as
a decoy while Germain broke camp and pulled out. Webb set up a
rendezvous for me with Richardson here in Calgary, and I dropped it
to him. He’ll take it up to Silverside so Webb can analyze it at
the Sirius lab.”

“Yikes.” I leaned back
in my seat and blew out a long breath. “So now what?”

Kane shrugged
irritably. “Nothing about this situation makes sense. I’d feel
better about it if there was some logic somewhere, but if there is,
I can’t find it. Now we go back and watch some more. Try to figure
this out.”

His fist clenched. “I
can’t believe I was that stupid. We’ll have to find another
location for the base camp, too.”

“Minor detail,”
Germain said. “No harm done.”

“This time. A mistake
like that could have blown the whole operation,” Kane said grimly.
“And put Aydan and the network key into enemy hands.”

“You know you can’t
play the what-if game,” I told him. “You’re always on top of every
little detail, but you can’t be perfect. Let it go. Nothing bad
happened.”

He shrugged again,
obviously still kicking himself. “I’ll go and scout out a new
location for us. Aydan, we’ll load up your bike in the cargo
trailer, and you can ride out to the new camp in the RV.”