Seth (Ghost Ops #3)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Callie stared at the data on her screen. Something wasn’t right, but she didn’t know what. She’d been over the lines of code more than once, and it seemed fine. But there was a heaviness that weighed on her soul, as if she was missing something obvious.

She wasn’t, though. The code was fine. So what else could it be?

A sound startled her as the lines of code blurred. She jerked her head up, gazing around the office. The lab was secure with no windows and only one door, but she knew it was dark outside. She’d stayed late again because the defense satellite project was running overtime and over budget and her skills were needed, but she wasn’t alone in the building. There were other scientists and engineers in different labs, diligently doing their work.

Or so she believed. Her heart thumped. What if she was wrong and everyone was gone?

Silly. Security would still be there, watching over the building. She was not alone. Nobody was ever alone in Griffin Research Labs.

No, she didn’t like the darkness, but she stayed because she needed the code to work. She needed the money this job brought, for one thing. She didn’t want to move again, couldn’t afford to right now. She had to make a home for her and Nikki. Had to give her sister some stability. Moving would wreck all the progress they’d made over the past year.

Callie focused on the screen in front of her, went over the code line by line. It should work, but it wasn’t working. Why wasn’t it working?

She didn’t know how much time passed before she smelled smoke. She jerked her head up, glancing around like a wild animal caught in the sights of something bigger and stronger.

Then the fire alarm sounded, and she shot up from her chair, fear squeezing her heart as smoke poured into the lab. She was frozen in place for too long before the voice in her head got through to her.

Run! She hit the logout, slapped her terminal closed, and bolted for the door.

But it wouldn’t open. No matter how hard she tugged the steel handle, how many times she swiped her card in the reader with shaking hands, the door didn’t budge. Smoke swirled around the room, making it harder to see by the second. Her eyes watered and her throat ached.

Callie coughed as she sank to the floor beside the door. Tears of rage and helplessness filled her. The door was barred, and the sprinkler system hadn’t come on. She stared up at one of the nozzles she could see through the haze, hoping beyond hope that water would begin to spray.

It didn’t.

Because she hadn’t been willing to play the game.

And this was the answer.

She was going to die here tonight, and Nikki would be an orphan. Callie curled her fingers into fists and bowed her head. She wished she’d never gone to Poland, never met Mikhail Volkov. If she hadn’t been so completely enamored of him and his attention, she might have seen the signs. Might have understood that he wanted so much more from her than a relationship.

He’d wanted her soul, and she’d understood too late.

Anger sparked as the smoke grew thicker.

“No,” she growled. “Not like this.”

The alarm still blared, hurting her ears. She looked up defiantly. There was no way he could be watching her, not inside a secure lab, but she had a strong feeling he saw her anyway. He’d told her what would happen if she didn’t cooperate. That last time she’d seen him, he’d said she was nearly out of time.

And now she was.

“No,” she said more boldly, dragging herself up. “You aren’t going to win.”

She grabbed the handle again, pulled.

Nothing happened.

Callie lost her cool, tugging and screaming and kicking the door, coughing as she dragged smoke deeper into her lungs.

She would not give up.

They would find her with bloody hands and broken toes, and they’d know she’d fought.

At least they would know that.

Above her, there was a small whooshing sound. And then a deluge of water rained down on her.

She sank to her knees, a sob erupting from her throat.

Too close.

Her brain frantically tried to process her options. If she went to the police, would they help her? What about the FBI?

Her gut told her the answer was no. First they needed to believe her, and she wasn’t sure they would. Without a confession note from Mikhail conveniently pinned in a place they could find it, why would anyone believe the fire was aimed at her?

She gulped in air and strained to hear sound outside the lab door. Would someone come to rescue her now that the sprinklers were operational? Or would something worse happen?

Callie shivered. If she made it out of this lab alive tonight, there was only one option.

She needed to disappear for good. Not immediately, because she had to make a foolproof plan for her and Nikki, but soon.

Callie had to cease to exist. Before Mikhail made it happen for real.