Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
She’d had to crawl through air duct tunnels.
Her shoulders had barely fit. They’d scraped against the edges of the duct’s long and winding tunnel system.
She’d wedged herself and twisted and pushed forward with the flashlight between her teeth as she accessed the black ops building.
Sweat utterly drenched her body. Fear pounded through her.
Fear because she was afraid that Konstantin would kill Logan.
That he’d hurt all the people she cared about.
And fear because the tunnel was too tight.
Closing in on her. Her breath shuddered in and out, and her chest squeezed with every slow crawl and creep of her body.
The journey seemed to take forever. She had no schematics, so she was truly going blindly through the building.
Hoping like hell that she would wind up in the right place.
She’d passed multiple rooms already and peered down through the vents in those rooms, looking for her prizes.
Looking for a room, also, without a guard inside.
No luck, so far. The first two rooms had contained guards.
Or agents. Or whatever they were. But she was approaching another vent.
Light spilled into the duct tunnel through that vent.
Good luck had shined down on her because a lot of the old buildings in the area didn’t have air conditioning tunnels.
Unlike in the US, air conditioning wasn’t commonplace in England.
And though the exterior of this particular building made it look as if it had been there for over a hundred years, she’d discovered that looks were deceiving.
Konstantin had informed her that the CIA had overhauled the building.
From top to bottom, it was completely renovated, on the inside.
That renovation included a state-of-the-art air conditioning and ventilation system.
To keep the agents comfortable? To keep rare objects that might be brought in at some sort of climate-controlled level?
She had no clue as to the whys. Instead, Simone was just grateful for the gift.
For the good luck. Because without the vent access that she’d discovered after scaling the side of the building, she would have been truly fucked.
She’d gotten the idea of using the ventilation system from Logan. He’d done the same thing at her hotel. And, again, the hotel had only had the system because it was so freaking fancy. Over the years, she’d crashed at plenty of London hotels without AC.
I’m lucky this time. Maybe I need to listen to Ryan more when he talks about good luck. Good luck is a valuable thing and…
Ryan.
Ryan could not be dead. If he was dead, if he was gone…
He is not dead.
Ryan was strong. He was smart. He was so much tougher than Hugo. He is not dead.
Because if he was…
If he was…
Her breath shuddered out. She needed to get out of the tunnel! It was closing in on her. Bit by bit. Breath by breath.
Konstantin should have retrieved the stupid chip and egg himself. But, oh, no, even though only a small staff remained in the building, he’d worried that he might be walking into a trap. That anyone inside the clandestine location might shoot first.
He didn’t want to get shot.
He didn’t care if she died.
She’d reached the end of the current tunnel.
A peek through the metal grate showed what appeared to be an empty office.
Lots of filing cabinets. This was as good of a place as any to exit her tunnel of torture.
Simone shoved hard against the metal grate, and it popped forward.
It didn’t fall to the floor, just sort of dangled on one side.
A map of the building would have been so incredibly useful.
But maybe she’d find a map or something to help her in one of those filing cabinets.
Konstantin had been all proud of just finding the building’s location.
Right before she’d started her retrieval mission, he’d boasted to her that just discovering the building’s location had cost him one hundred thousand American dollars.
Now she was his tool. She was supposed to get in.
Get the prizes he wanted. And get out. All without being shot by any CIA operatives or MI6 agents who might happen to be around.
Oh, and for an extra challenge, she had no weapon.
She’d begged to be given something to defend herself, but he’d said she would just turn any weapon on him.
And, yes, fine, guilty. She totally would.
So that left her with the flashlight and the lock picking set.
Konstantin clearly expected her to work miracles.
What an idiot.
She was good, but not that good. No one was that good. So…
She had to think fast. She had to strategize like hell.
She had to—oh, look. What fun. A man in a black coat and black pants was pointing a gun at her.
He’d just walked into the room, and the door was still wide open behind him as he gaped up at her as she sort of balanced half in and half out of the air vent.
Fantastic.
Simone let the flashlight fall from her mouth. It tumbled out and onto the floor. Floor that was a greater distance away than she’d realized at first glance. “Hi,” Simone said, forcing a smile.
“Get the bloody fuck out of there!”
“I would love to do that,” she assured him.
“Love it. Crawling through what amounted to a very long and tight hole was a nightmare for me. Every moment was hell. But sometimes, we have to do things we really do not want to do.” For example, I really do not want to hurt you.
I’m pretty sure you’re one of the good guys.
“Put your arms up!”
They were up. Mostly. “Not a lot of room to do that, given my current position. How about I jump out, you catch me because it looks like I’m higher up than I intended, and then I can show you that I’m not armed, okay? Good plan for you?”
“Lady, I will shoot you between the eyes.” A sharp British accent.
“Let me guess. MI6?”
“Out, now.”
Fine. Her hands slapped on the walls near the vent, and Simone heaved herself forward.
She was preparing to tumble hard and fast for the floor, but, as she’d anticipated—fine, more like hoped—the MI6 agent surged forward to catch her.
Her body slammed into him, and they both crashed to the floor.
When they crashed, she made extra sure to clip his nose with her elbow.
To drive her fist into his stomach. And to rip the gun from his hand.
So once they slammed into the floor, she was on top of him. She had the weapon. “Hi, again.”
He stared at her with absolute shock in his pale blue eyes.
“I get that a lot,” she told him, nodding. “Now, I am seriously going to need some help from you. Cooperation. Everyone keeps going on and on about how that is key. So, tell me, is a lady named Jezebel here?”
He blinked.
“Is that a yes or a no?” Her hand shook around the gun.
“Look, I am barely holding my shit together. I need to know—Ryan Quinn isn’t dead, is he?
” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I need you to go and get Jezebel to find Ryan. You get up, you run out of here, and you get Jezebel to find Ryan.” Had she just said that twice?
Yes, panic had made her do that. Konstantin had told her to alert no one, but the agent had been right there, so he’d been alerted already.
“You make sure that he’s not dead because I really, really need Ryan to not be dead and—”
Footsteps pounded as another agent raced into the room. Her head whipped up. Her eyes locked on the figure in the doorway, and Simone’s jaw dropped.
Ryan filled the doorway.
Ryan…Her Ryan.
“Not dead,” Simone whispered.
The man beneath her locked his hands around her hips. He tossed her off him, and she slammed into the side of a desk. Her head hit the desk’s edge, and she saw stars for a minute and then she felt his hand curl around her own as he fought to rip the gun from Simone’s fingers.
“Stand down!” Ryan shouted. “Now!”
The MI6 agent did not. He drew back his fist to punch Simone.
Ryan didn’t let that fist touch her. He grabbed the agent around the shoulders and ripped him away from Simone.
“No! I said stand the fuck down!” Ryan placed himself between Simone and the agent.
“You don’t touch her. You don’t hurt her.
You try to hit her again, and I will break every part of you. ”
That was Ryan. Ryan’s snarling words. His furious, alive form in front of her. Without hesitation, Simone leapt at him. She jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him, and hugged him as tightly as she could with her entire body. “I am so happy that you are not dead!”
“Same, baby, same.” His body was rock hard as she hung on for dear life. “You know who I am,” Ryan snarled at the other agent. “Holster your weapon and go get backup! Now!”
“But—” the man began, eyes wide.
“Backup isn’t really going to help.” Yes, she was still on Ryan’s back and holding him for all she was worth.
“Konstantin was outside, waiting down the road, but I’m afraid if he saw you enter the building, Ryan, then he’s already long gone.
” Her throat threatened to close. “He had Logan with him. Konstantin told me that if I didn’t bring back the egg and the chip, Logan would be dead.
” Not just Logan, though, as she’d learned in the back of that stupid Bentley… Logan and Nana.
“Get. Out.” Ryan’s arctic order to the blond agent. “Stand guard beside the door.”
“You’re really giving some conflicting orders here, mate,” the man snapped.
“Out. Stand guard at the door.”
Jaw locking, the MI6 agent went out. She assumed he was heading to stand guard at the door.
She should let go of Ryan. Stop clinging to his back. But everything was about to get horrible because, if Konstantin had seen Ryan come in…
Logan…oh, God, Logan…
Her legs unhooked from Ryan. Her arms. She slid down his body. Her knees felt incredibly weak, and Simone was sure she could fall to the floor in a puddle.
But Ryan whirled and caught her. His hands locked around her waist. “Baby.” His gaze swept over her. “You are soaked in sweat. What in the hell happened to you?”
“A whole lot of fear.” He was alive. “Had to crawl through some seriously tight places.” She shuddered even as she pointed back toward the open air vent.
His gaze darted to the vent. His curse was extremely inventive.
“I am so happy that you’re alive,” Simone told him, and she meant those words. “But if you’re here, and Konstantin saw you, then that means…it means Logan is dead. Konstantin was going to kill Logan if anything went wrong on this retrieval mission.”
“No one outside the building saw me enter. I came in via the secret corridor.”
“Secret corridor?” And this is why schematics and blueprints are so important when doing a job.
“It starts at an old museum four buildings over. Snakes under the street. Comes out in the basement.”
Her breath shuddered. “Would have been great if I knew that beforehand. Wasn’t exactly given adequate time to prepare for this mission.”
His hand slid under her chin. He tilted her head toward the light. “Why the fuck is your cheek so red?”
“Because a fist hit it? A fist belonging to Konstantin.”
“He’s dead.”
“He needs to be,” she agreed. “But it’s rather tricky because he has his goons holding Logan’s grandmother, and they are going to kill her and—do not smile at me when I tell you that people are threatening Nana! I happen to love that woman!”
He leaned forward. His lips brushed hers. “I’ve got her.”
“You do not have her. You have me. You are holding me.” So much panic and fear filled her. “I have to get the egg and that damn chip and get back to him. You have to help me, Ryan, please. Please help me.”
Another careful kiss. “There is nothing in this world I will not do for you.”
“I am so glad that you are alive.” Had she told him that already?
“I was scared to death. When Hugo said that ‘mission accomplished’ crap, I could feel something breaking inside of me. I do not ever want to feel that way again. I get that you’re a spy and you’re all about danger but, Ryan, it gutted me. ”
“I’m not all about danger. I’m all about you. I want a life with you. Any kind of life that you want to live.”
She wanted that, so badly. But…
International criminal.
Logan’s life on the line.
Nana…
“Nana is safe. Operatives recovered her two minutes before I walked in the door to this room.”
A sob tore from her. “Don’t you dare be lying to me.”
Ryan hauled her against him, holding her tightly. “She’s safe, and we’re going to get Logan. Then we’re going to lock Konstantin away. I have a plan.”
Her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She held onto him with all of her strength. She loved this man. So much.
A throat cleared. Not Ryan’s. Not hers…
Simone’s eyes flew open. She craned her head around Ryan and saw the figure in the doorway. It was not the agent Ryan had kicked out moments before.
Instead, Jezebel inclined her head toward Simone. “Ryan meant to say that we have a plan. Our plan will require your cooperation.”
Ah, that word again. “Can I get a weapon in return for my cooperation? Because that would be outstanding.”
Jezebel quirked one brow. “I have just the thing for you.”