Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
Adam’s phone buzzed in his hand. He looked at the screen and saw it was a text from Kai, who stood beside him in the elevator.
We should ask Marina about Steph’s father
Adam nodded.
Kai ducked his head to his phone. Three dots popped up in the thread on Adam’s phone and then a message.
I already sent her a text
Of course, he had.
“It’s pretty obvious you’re having a conversation behind my back.” She didn’t look over her shoulder, just kept staring at the doors.
Dan, who stood by the buttons, said, “We’re just curious about you. And it’s important to us to protect each other, which means knowing who we’re working with.”
Ice was to the left. Kai stood back with Adam. She would have protection, no matter what she’d just brought down on herself. Or they’d be able to guard anyone else from her if it came to that.
Adam didn’t know what else he could do right now except manage the situation. Find out what he could. Help her, then cut her loose. “She waited until we were away from the castle to make her call. Which means she didn’t want to allow anyone to know her location when she was there.”
“It wouldn’t have worked anyway.” Ice folded his arms.
The elevator doors opened.
“Didn’t I say that?” She stepped out and turned to them. “I haven’t done anything that would put any of you at risk.”
Adam lifted one brow.
“Except that. And I was under orders, okay? There wasn’t much I could do except get the job done, and that meant pointing a gun at you.”
He considered that. “There’s plenty you can do when the job is something you don’t want.”
She scoffed. “You guys were in the military. You followed orders, didn’t you?”
Kai chimed in, “That might be why we’re not currently in the military.”
“Speak for yourself.” Dan glanced at Steph. “I never enlisted.”
Kai shrugged and headed down the hall to Johannsen’s flat, which was most of the way down to the end. Number 23. “My man, Jay!” The two shook, hugging it out in the hallway like this was a social call.
Jay’s attention settled on Adam. “Apartment is clear. Your buddy isn’t here.”
Adam nodded.
“Next stop, local hospitals. Police station. Morgues. That kind of thing.” Jay tucked his fingers in his jeans pockets. “He doesn’t have next of kin.”
“Call Marina. See if she can do some poking around for you.”
“Sounds like they’re in the thick of something.” Jay sent a questioning glance at Steph.
“We’ve discovered mutual interests,” Adam said. “For now.”
Jay nodded. “I’ll catch up.”
“I’ll go with,” Dan said. “The three of them are good here.”
“There are four of us.” Steph put a hand on her hip. “Adam, Ice, Kai, and myself.”
“Right.” Dan looked at Adam. “Later.” He headed back to the elevator with Jay.
Adam tipped his head. “Let’s take a look at the flat.”
Kai picked the lock, and Ice drew a weapon.
“Didn’t Jay already check the place out?” Steph asked. “Or is Ice the paranoid one of the group?”
Kai grinned. “Definitely paranoid. Surprised he doesn’t wear a foil hat.”
Adam said, “Go clear the back rooms.”
Kai snapped a salute. “Yessir.”
Adam let out a sigh, trying to decide if he should apologize for the guy or if she thought Kai’s antics were endearing.
“Never a dull moment?” She stepped into the flat.
“Problem is, a dull moment sounds nice.” Adam closed the front door and looked around.
This wasn’t anything like what he’d expected from Johannsen.
But then again, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting.
Certainly not chrome accents, white vinyl furniture, and a gray couch.
The artwork on the wall was textured white.
“Pretty sure we could all use a vacation.”
“I’d think the CIA has rules about that,” Adam said. “So you don’t get burned out.”
She didn’t follow him, so he glanced back and found her biting her lip. “I’m pretty sure by now you realize I might not be on the usual ‘officer’ spectrum of CIA employees, assets, and agents.”
“Wanna tell me about that?”
“I’m not accustomed to…sharing.”
“Or trusting people?”
She laughed. “You might as well ask me to eat broccoli.”
“Not a fan?”
She made a face that told him enough of how she felt about broccoli.
Regardless, Adam moved closer to her. “I need you to tell me about that thing around your neck, and the phone call you needed to make.”
“I couldn’t have borrowed a phone for that call.” She didn’t look guilty over this.
“I heard you offer them the book.” He figured he may as well say it. “Giving it to the CIA in exchange for your career and your life back isn’t a bad idea. If that’s who you were talking to.”
“I don’t know who was on the other end of the line, but I can guess.”
“Not a friend of yours?”
She winced. “I was trying to talk to my father. I’m surprised it worked actually. I figured they’d have disconnected it.” She lifted the necklace over her head and held it up, the small vial thing dangling from the end of the chain. “It’s a communication device.”
“I figured that out.”
She flushed, smiling. “It’s for me to communicate with my father. I can also call for help, if I squeeze both ends.”
“Better lifeline than a phone. Even if you can only call one person.”
There was more. Just like when she’d been talking about the woman, Vesper, he got the sense she was holding back.
Seemed like sharing even what she had shared was huge for her.
He wanted to know everything because he needed all the information, and he was curious about her, but he wasn’t going to be pushy about it.
“You’re right. It is a lifeline.”
“Is your father all right?”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing I can do about it without finding that book.”
“I don’t think it’s here, but looking is a start.”
She glanced around. “Whatever we’re looking for, I’m not sure we’re going to find it. This place looks like a bolt hole. Is this guy with the CIA?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“Come on.” She waved a hand. “His ‘home’ has all the personality of a hotel room.”
“It’s where he lived.” Adam shrugged. “Check those drawers.” He sent her to the rolltop desk in the corner, which had no cables or even a pen. Just a chrome lamp.
“Are you worried about Johannsen?”
“It’s suspicious he just up and disappeared. We’ll be home by dinner. What’s the harm in looking?” Adam didn’t need to oversell being here, but he needed to see the place with his own eyes.
“Just seems like maybe you care about him more than just some guy who hired you for a job.”
Which meant he needed to be careful. “If Johannsen is wrapped up in this, he’s in danger. That’s what you said. And if he’s in danger, then finding out what happened and where he is could provide a lead.” He turned to her. “Assuming you don’t know where to find this Vesper?”
She shook her head. “I’d love to know what happened to Doctor Warrington, but I have no way of finding him, either. Unless we somehow capture her and ask her where he is.”
Adam frowned. “Is she the one who kidnapped you in Germany?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I think it might.”
“Well, that’s too bad because I found something. The only thing in here that’s not part of someone staging the place for potential buyers.”
“You found something personal?” He wandered to her.
She had a postcard in her hand, addressed to Johannsen at this address. “Uh, that’s what I said. I found something.” She handed it over.
Maybe it was more like, he took it from her.
Kai wandered in. “You guys fighting already?” He ducked his head back down the hall. “Mom and Dad are fighting!”
Adam was gonna knock the guy into next Tuesday. “Kai—”
Behind him the wall of windows in the living room blew inward. Adam slammed into Steph, tucked her under him, and rolled. She cried out, and the sound rang in his ear.
Gunfire hammered the wall above their heads.
Over the rat-tat of the rounds, he heard the whir of a drone before it swept into the apartment, along with a breeze from outside.
The drone hovered for a second, then rotated to point two pistols at them.
“Gun!” Adam scrambled up, dragging Steph with him.
She swung around, a gun in her hand, and squeezed off a series of shots. Adam reached for his weapon…
It was in her hand.
The drone sparked and the engine sputtered. It fell to the floor and shattered.
Adam said, “Wanna give me my gun back?”
Another drone flew into the room. Then a second, and a third.
“Let’s go.” She shoved him from the room. “We need to get out of here!”