Chapter 50
CHAPTER 50
E verything seemed to happen fast, yet in slow motion.
In mere seconds, Olive did a quick assessment of herself. Had she been shot?
She didn’t think so.
She saw no new injuries. Pain still screamed down her arm, from her earlier wound. Her cheek throbbed, but she didn’t think anything was broken.
She jerked her gaze toward the door.
Jason now stood over Sonny. The older man was sprawled on his back on the floor.
Her gaze swept over the men as she searched for blood on either of them.
She saw none.
“Jason?” His name came out sounding breathless.
“I’m okay.” His eyes zeroed in on her arm. “You?”
“The bullet just skimmed my skin. I’ll be fine.” She glanced at Sonny. “Is he . . . ?”
Then the man moaned.
Liquid began to moisten his black uniform near his chest.
Jason put both of his hands on Sonny’s wound to stop the bleeding. As he did, Olive grabbed Sonny’s gun—which had fallen to the floor—and she tucked the weapon into her waistband.
“Call 911,” Jason murmured.
Olive did just that.
“How could you have done this?” Jason asked Sonny as he continued to put compression on his wound.
“It wasn’t . . . supposed to . . . happen like this,” Sonny murmured, his words weak.
“I thought more of you,” Jason continued. “Do you even realize what you were about to do?”
“She told me.” He glanced at Olive before he groaned, and his eyes closed.
Jason simply shook his head and kept his hands on the wound.
But Sonny was fading fast. Hopefully, paramedics would arrive soon.
Because this man deserved his day in court for what he’d done.
Olive shifted her gaze to Jason again. She was so glad he was here and okay.
“I thought something had happened to you,” she told Jason quietly. “I tried to call. When you didn’t answer . . .”
His eyes narrowed. “Let’s just say that halfway through our conversation, Adriana realized I was onto her. An FBI agent caught me on my way into the building and told me he was aware of what was going on. I assume that was your doing?”
She nodded.
“I asked him to wait outside of the room, and he did. When I left, I confirmed his suspicions that Adriana was a Russian operative trying to steal classified US technology. He said they’d been working the case, and she’d just recently come onto their radar. He arrested her.”
Relief swept through her. “That’s the first good news I’ve heard all day.”
“She deserves everything coming for her.”
A stampede of footsteps clattered down the hallway.
Backup was here, Olive realized.
Maybe this was finally all over.
But if that was true, why didn’t Olive feel more at peace?
As the police and paramedics again flooded the SCI corridor, Olive stood back to give them space to work. Jason mingled with the detective and an FBI agent who’d shown up on scene.
No one could know who she was still, so she needed to blend in.
A bandage had been placed on her arm, and she held an ice pack to her cheek. She would take some Tylenol later to help with the pain. For now, she could deal with it.
Sonny was still alive. He’d been taken away handcuffed to a stretcher.
Alex had been found in another room on the corridor. He was sore but okay.
Sonny’s and Jason’s guns had been taken as evidence.
The situation could have turned out much differently.
Olive wanted to feel happy. Satisfied. But she didn’t.
Jason excused himself from the men he spoke with and paced back over toward her. “You sure you’re okay?”
His voice sounded so soft and tender that something melted just a little inside her.
“I’m fine.”
He studied her face a moment. “Then why do you look like you’re still not convinced this is over?”
She shrugged, the action taking entirely too much energy. “I don’t know. Something about this situation doesn’t fit, and I’m not sure what.”
“Any theories?” Jason stared at her as he waited for her reply.
“No idea. But I do find it curious that Duncan still hasn’t called me back. I thought he’d be down here right away, just like he was when I found Beau.”
“That does seem strange. He would normally be the first one to show up given the stakes of everything.”
The two of them exchanged a look.
Then as if acting in tandem, they slipped out of the corridor.
No one was watching. Maybe they should tell the police and get them to go upstairs to Duncan’s office also. But first, Olive needed to see if her theory was accurate.
She and Jason didn’t bother to wait for the elevators. Instead, they ran up two flights of stairs until they reached the fourth floor. Then they sprinted toward Duncan’s office.
Everyone else was gone, thanks to the fire alarm that had cleared the building.
The hallway was eerily quiet.
They reached Duncan’s office and threw the door open.
Olive sucked in a breath when she saw Claudine holding a gun to Duncan’s head. The CEO sat at his computer with sweat dripping down his forehead and stiff motions, as if he feared moving and triggering her.
Claudine swung the gun toward Olive and Jason as they stepped inside, and her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing in here?”
Olive raised her hands before Claudine did anything foolish. “You don’t need to do this.”
She let out a harsh chuckle. “Of course , I do. The best part about me being here is that I’ve always been underestimated. I’ve learned to use that to my advantage.”
Jason bristled beside her, his body poised to act if necessary. But he remained quiet—for now.
“I can see where that’s something you might use for your benefit,” Olive said. “I’d do the same if I were you. But why are you going after Duncan?”
Olive and Duncan were the only ones who knew the information had been split and stored in two different spaces.
Satisfaction glimmered in the woman’s eyes. “I slipped a covert listening device into his pocket today, so I overheard your earlier conversation. I know he split up the specs on the smart dust so even if someone did get into the SCI corridor they wouldn’t get the full picture of this new invention.”
“Even if Duncan gives you the second part, you still won’t have the first,” Olive said.
Claudine snorted. “Of course, I will. I mean, that’s all I was able to download before Beau walked in on me anyway. He cut my stay in the SCI corridor short.”
Facts began to click into place.
Claudine had tried to use Beau to get the information she needed. She must have gone into the SCI corridor to retrieve the information . . . only to have Beau walk in on her. He probably realized exactly what she’d been up to.
Then Claudine had shot him to keep his silence. Being the IT specialist she was, Claudine had gone into the computer system and erased any signs she’d been on it—the logs recording who signed in and what they were doing. Then she’d manipulated the video footage.
Claudine’s mom had never been threatened. She’d made up that story to gain sympathy.
But Sonny really had tried to manipulate Alex.
The whole thing was tangled and messy—but it was beginning to make sense.
“What about Sonny?” Jason’s gaze shot lasers at Claudine, but he remained in place. “How is he involved in your scheme?”
A smile quickly curled Claudine’s lips. “He’s been working with that other woman. Adriana. I knew what they were doing. I really have to hand it to them. They were an excellent distraction for me while I did my own work. The timing was pretty amazing.”
Olive was almost impressed, though she refused to let her thoughts go there.
She glanced at Duncan again. More sweat dripped down his forehead. He seemed frozen with fear.
Not that she could blame him.
Jason shifted beside her. “You set me up in the security video, didn’t you? Made it look like I was the one who’d been down that hallway?”
Claudine grinned. “I needed to buy more time, and who better to set up than our head of security.”
His scowl deepened. Claudine might be amused, but he wasn’t.
“Who are you working for?” he demanded.
“My home country.” Suddenly, Claudine’s American accent disappeared and was replaced with a new one.
“Iraq?” Olive questioned.
Claudine twisted her head. “Impressive.”
“You had your colleagues go after Adriana.”
Claudine narrowed her eyes into a scowl. “If you want something done right, you should do it yourself. So here I am. But enough of this talking! I need to get on with business. I’m really sorry the two of you came down here. At this point, you’ll all just be collateral damage.”
“You don’t want to do this.” Olive pleaded with her using her gaze.
“Of course, I do. I’ve worked here two years, and I’ve been waiting for this day. I was assigned to come here specifically to learn what technology was being developed that my country could pilfer. Then I heard about the smart dust, and I knew we needed it. I’ve invested entirely too much in this assignment to walk away now.”
Olive had to think of something and fast. She couldn’t let Claudine get away with this.
But the woman had a gun, and they didn’t.
Just then, something flew by the window—and then slammed into it.
Olive flinched.
Then she realized it was a drone. A drone had hit the window.
It was Tevin. He couldn’t get into the building to help them, so he’d sent up his drone instead.
The man was brilliant.
Claudine jerked her head toward the sound.
The distraction gave Olive and Jason just enough time to lunge at her.
Jason reached Claudine first and tackled her to the floor.
The gun flew out of her hand.
Olive grabbed it and aimed at Claudine as Jason subdued her. “It’s over, Claudine. You’re not going to get away with this.”
Claudine sneered at Olive as Jason pulled her to her feet. “You can’t stop me now. I was so close. Everything was going just according to plan.”
“Too bad, so sad,” Jason muttered.
Olive fought a smile. He used to use that expression back in high school.
Boots stampeded down the hallway before FBI agents flooded the room.
“I hit an emergency button underneath my desk when you guys came in,” Duncan explained, his shoulders slumped with relief. Sweat stains dampened his armpits and the front of his dress shirt. But he was okay. “I was afraid no one would get here in time.”
“This was a close one,” Olive said.
“Too close,” Jason added.
“But you did it.” Duncan offered a grateful smile. “I hope you realize the gravity of your actions. People should thank you for what you’ve done—but they can never know.”
“That’s okay with me,” Olive said. “I don’t need any praise.”
“Unfortunately, this won’t be the last time our enemies will try stunts like this.”
“You always know where I am if you need me.” Olive shrugged.
“I appreciate that.” He offered a curt nod. “Thank you again.”