The Spy Is Cast (28 page)

A couple of hours
later, my numbed brain belatedly reacted. I stopped my search and
flipped back a couple of records to the one that had caught my eye.
I was looking at one of the dead torturers.

I had my fist raised
to knock on the RV and wake Kane when I thought better of it. No
need to jerk both Kane and Hellhound out of a sound sleep just to
tell them I’d identified a dead man. He wasn’t going to get any
deader.

I made a note of the
name, and then, on impulse, ran a cross-reference check for any
known associates. Sure enough, the second torturer’s face appeared
in one of the records.

Elated, I wrote down
his name, too, and turned back to the database with renewed zeal.
Maybe I could find the first man, too. Only one to go.

By the time I heard
movement inside the RV, my enthusiasm had waned. Kane stuck his
head out the door as I yawned and rubbed my eyes.

“How’s it going?” he
inquired sympathetically.

“Great! I got two more
hits,” I told him.

“Why didn’t you wake
me?” He swung out of the RV and frowned down at me.

“They’re not the
captives. They’re the two guys you killed,” I told him. “I didn’t
think it was worth waking you up for two dead guys.”

“Next time, wake me,”
he said firmly.

“Okay. Sorry.”

“It’s all right. Let’s
get these up to Webb and see what he can find.”

“Poor Spider,” I said.
“Is he getting any sleep at all?”

Kane shrugged.
“Probably about the same as us. Speaking of.” He looked down at me.
“I’d like you to go over with Hellhound and check the network, and
then come back with Germain, same as before. And then it’s time you
got some rest, too.”

“Okay.” I followed him
into the trailer and grabbed a glass of water while he spoke with
Spider on the phone.

He was grinning when
he hung up. “Webb cracked that electronic device that was planted
on me.”

Hellhound and I both
leaned forward in anticipation. “What was it?”

Kane’s laugh lines
crinkled. “I absconded with a state-of-the-art re-engineered fob.
That’s why I didn’t notice the transition. I wondered how they’d
done it. So it wasn’t a tracking device at all.”

Hellhound’s shrewd
gaze darted between Kane and me. “I’m missin’ somethin’.”

“Sorry, need-to-know,”
Kane told him.

Hellhound shrugged.
“As long as it wasn’t trackin’ ya, that’s good news.”

“That little piece of
technology ought to make Spider very happy,” I observed.

“Yes, indeed,” Kane
agreed cheerfully. “And it makes me very happy, too. We can move
back to our original base camp tomorrow.”

Hellhound’s face fell.
“Shit. No more steaks.” He turned to me. “That was the best meal
I’ve had in a helluva long time. Thanks, darlin’.”

“Yes, thank you,” Kane
echoed.

“You’re welcome.” I
got up. “I guess I’ll get ready to go.”

I slipped into the
bathroom to don my leather pants with a little more modesty than
the morning. By the time I emerged from the RV, Kane and Hellhound
had rolled the Honda out of the cargo trailer, and Arnie and I
mounted up.

We rode back to our
usual spot beside Harchman’s. In the long beams of the setting sun,
we pulled off the road again. Hellhound cast a wary gaze around
us.

“I don’t like bein’ in
the same place over an’ over,” he growled. “We been here too often.
We stick out like turds on a sidewalk.”

I snickered. “Speak
for yourself. But I hear you. I need to look at that site plan
again and see if there’s another place we can try.”

“Well, might as well
get at it,” he grumbled. He lay down in the warm grass, and I took
my place beside him.

“Sure like those tight
leather pants on ya, darlin’,” he murmured, his rough-edged voice
teasing my eardrum.

“Sure like those chaps
on you.” I ran my hand up his leather-clad thigh and dragged my
fingernails lightly across the denim at the top.

He let out a growl as
he rolled over on top of me and pinned me to the ground. We were
both breathless by the time he broke the kiss.

“Have we got time for
a little walk in the woods?” I panted. I ran my hands down his back
to grope his ass and pressed myself up against the hard ridge I
could feel through his jeans.

He groaned. “Darlin’,
ya ain’t makin’ this easy. I gotta go relieve Germain.” He kissed
me again, moving slowly against me in spite of his words. Hot
hunger flared through me.

“Just a quickie,” I
breathed against his lips. “Come on. I’ll find a nice fallen tree
to bend over.”

“Jesus, darlin’, have
mercy,” he rasped. We both started as an eighteen-wheeler thundered
by and laid on the air horn. “I think we’re attractin’ a little too
much attention,” he said wryly as he rolled off me and sat up.

I sighed. “Shit.
Nothing like a clandestine operation. All right. Here goes.” I
closed my eyes and drifted invisibly into the network.

I fell into my usual
routine, my heart beating rapidly. My stress level ratcheted up as
I peered into each room, riding a roller-coaster of emotions. First
afraid to look, then limp with relief at the sight of an empty
room.

When my ear caught
faint noises emanating from up ahead, I tried to smother my burst
of adrenaline while I listened. Some of the tension leaked out of
my shoulders when I identified a male rumble embellished with the
grace notes of female giggles. The flute soundtrack provided a
melodic backdrop. Thank God. Some porn would be a relief. Anything
but more torture.

I peeked in but
quickly drew away, embarrassed. It was definitely sex, but it
wasn’t porn. A middle-aged man and woman occupied the bed, laughing
and kissing, their love for each other glowing in their smiles.
Their tenderness opened a hollow ache in my chest, and I turned
away hurriedly to continue down the corridor.

I drifted through the
firewall and began on the next set of rooms. When I discovered the
handsome naked man, I froze, staring. I wasn’t quite sure what I
was seeing. Well, scratch that, I knew what I was seeing, and it
was definitely worth looking at. But…

His longish blond hair
was in an artful disarray that would take an hour with the
hairdresser to achieve. Steady bright-blue eyes watched the door
intently. Anticipation or dread? I couldn’t tell.

He was tied to the
bed, wrists and ankles secured with heavy leather straps. I could
read the tension in his smoothly-muscled body, and a faint sheen of
sweat glistened on his chiselled chest and abs. A little too young
for me, maybe late twenties or early thirties, but what a
picture.

I dropped my eyes,
feeling like a cheap voyeur but unsure whether I was seeing a
bondage fantasy or a prisoner restrained against his will. When he
called out, I started guiltily.

“Come on, honey.” His
words were light, but his voice was edged. “Don’t keep me waiting
like this.”

I took another quick
look, still wondering. He was smiling, his gaze never leaving the
door, and I backed away, trying to shake off my discomfort.

I waited as long as I
dared, but no one came down the corridor. Urgency hammered at me
until I finally gave in and shot back to the portal, nerves
twitching.

This time, I made an
attempt to control my reaction when I stepped through, and I
managed some quiet, sibilant obscenities while the air hissed
through my clenched teeth. I opened my eyes against Hellhound’s
chest as he held me. I straightened up, massaging my temples.

Hellhound caressed the
hair away from my forehead, frowning. “Why does this hurt ya so
much? Why can’t they fix that thing in your watch so ya don’t hafta
go through this every time?”

“They can fix the pain
issue, but then I’d be a sitting duck,” I told him. “As long as
it’s hurting me, the bad guys don’t know I’m doing this.”

“Well, that fuckin’
sucks.”

“Tell me about it.” I
dragged myself to my feet and shuffled over to the Honda. The more
stressed and tired I got, the more the pain seemed to take over my
entire body when I came out of the network. Everything ached, and I
rolled my head and shoulders without much effect. I sat heavily on
the bike. “Ready to roll,” I mumbled.

Arnie searched my
face. “Ya sure you’re okay, darlin’?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just
tired. Headache. This really takes it out of me.”

“Okay. Don’t forget
this.” He handed me my helmet and kissed me lightly. “Stay alert.
Ya don’t wanna get careless when you’re ridin’.”

“Thanks.” I smiled up
at him. “I’ll be okay.”

By the time he and
Germain switched places and we arrived back at the campsite, I was
fighting to stay focused.

I slumped at the table
across from Kane and rubbed my still-aching head. “Just more porn
tonight. I think.”

He frowned. “What
exactly does that mean?”

I eyed him dully,
trying to force my brain to function. “Oh, right, I didn’t tell you
earlier. I’m beginning to wonder about Harchman’s so-called
wellness spa.”

“In what way?”

“Earlier, there was
some guy having a porn fantasy with three Barbie-doll clones.
Tonight there was…” I hesitated. It just seemed wrong to say
something crude about that couple. “…There were a few more people
using the network for recreational purposes. But one bothered me.
The way he was tied, I don’t know whether he was a prisoner or
not.”

Germain raised an
eyebrow. “If he was tied, I’d say definitely a prisoner, wouldn’t
you?”

I felt a flush
climbing my cheeks. “Not… necessarily.”

“Oh.” Germain became
suddenly absorbed in rummaging through the cupboard.

Kane sighed. “You look
beat. Get some sleep, and then hit the database again. The more we
can find out about who’s in the network, the sooner we can satisfy
Stemp and end this.”

I told Germain his
steak was in the fridge and staggered into the back bedroom. I
didn’t even hear the sound of the microwave.

I jerked awake, eyes
wide. The faint illumination from the moon outlined a large, dark
figure in the doorway of the bedroom.

“Aydan.” Kane spoke
softly again, and I resumed breathing with a gasp of relief.

“What?”

“Sorry to wake you.
Germain’s going out to relieve Hellhound. Do you feel up to going
with him to check the network again?”

I rolled stiffly off
the bed. At least I wouldn’t have to get dressed. I hadn’t even
taken off my boots before I fell asleep.

“Okay. I just need to
pee, and then I’m ready to go.”

I stumbled into the
bathroom without turning on the light. When I came out of the RV,
the cool night air woke me like a slap. I shivered over to the
Honda, and Germain and I rode quietly out of the campground.

Back at Harchman’s, we
pulled over beside the road and crossed the ditch to fade into the
shadows of the trees. The rush of cold air on the ride over had
chilled me to the bone. I left my helmet on for warmth and shivered
miserably as I sank down and propped my back against a fence
post.

Inside the network, I
found the security room sim active. A man sat at the virtual
security console, and I studied his face, memorizing him before
continuing down the virtual hallway to recheck the rooms.

The flutes still
played in the room occupied by the couple. Unwilling to invade
their privacy a second time, I pressed my ear to the virtual door
instead, and was rewarded with the sound of the man chuckling,
followed by whispers and giggles. I let the sound ease my strained
nerves, and floated away to finish my reconnaissance.

I held my breath when
I peeked into the room that held the blond man. Air leaked out
between my teeth when I discovered him uninjured but still bound.
His face was turned toward the door, his eyes closed. His chest
rose and fell with his unhurried breathing, but still I sensed the
tension in his body. Waiting. Not asleep.

I watched his splendid
nakedness a few seconds longer, fear for him warring with faintly
queasy arousal. Then I turned away and floated uneasily back down
the corridor.

Back at the security
sim, I drifted silently inside and hovered behind the operator to
see the monitors. He flipped briskly through views of the deserted
interior of the house and exterior views of the main house, guest
house, and outbuildings. I noted a sentry still posted at the door
of the guest house.

Then the displays
shifted to show another view I hadn’t seen before. We examined the
gatehouse briefly as the single guard slouched in his chair. While
we watched, he sat up, stretched, and luxuriously picked his nose.
I invisibly mirrored the watcher’s grimace as he toggled the
display to another unfamiliar view.

I tried to puzzle out
what I was seeing. As the views flipped by, I realized extra
cameras had been added to the system. We were now looking at a much
larger perimeter, mostly in the forested area surrounding the
building site. In one view, the patrol guard and his dog walked
past directly below the camera.

I suppressed a gasp
when the next view came up. I thought I recognized that clearing.
Thank God, Hellhound was using the other one for surveillance
tonight. Fear slammed into my veins. What if they’d discovered both
surveillance points? Had they captured Hellhound?

When the next view
appeared, my heart kicked my ribs once before rattling frantically
in the vicinity of my throat.

The monitor showed two
shadowy figures leaning against fence posts by the highway.

Smothering my yelp of
dismay, I shot through the wall and halted abruptly in front of the
portal. If I went through too fast now, all would be lost.

I stepped carefully
through, jerking in silent pain. As soon as I could speak, I
croaked, “Run! Busted! We’re busted!”