Devious Minds (11 page)

We reached the steps and began our descent toward the gates that stood open with an armed security officer on either side. I knew the moment Mason stepped behind us. Once we passed the gate, he made his move, coming to my side and entwining his arm with mine.

“Bonsoir, ma belle. Que faites-vous avec ce vieil homme?”

I slowed, but continued to walk with him, since he held my arm hostage. He was taller and stronger than I thought, taking me by surprise. Along with that, his dark eyes and penetrating gaze gave me the uncomfortable feeling that I was like a fly caught in a spider’s web.

Blake pursed his lips before speaking. “Hello Mason, nice to see you too.”

Mason glanced at him before turning his attention to me, wondering why I didn’t answer.

“Uh... I don’t speak French.”

Mason threw back his head and laughed. He could hardly believe that Blake would bring an operative into the field who didn’t speak the language. Had he lost his mind? Maybe I was only there as eye-candy to lure him in. Or was there something special about me? He knew Blake never did anything without an ulterior motive, so what part did I play?

“Mason,” Blake said. “This is Shelby, uh... my niece.”

I gasped. What the freak? He was thinking that if Manetto could do it, so could he. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him no way, but I clamped my mouth shut... again. Instead, I turned to the man who held me a little too close for comfort, and raised my brow. “You can let go of me now, unless you want my uncle to clobber you.”

Mason chuckled, then caught my unrelenting gaze and, with reluctance, released me. He thought I was kind of cute, but definitely not an operative or field trained. In all likelihood, I probably was Blake’s niece. With that thought, a cold shaft of disappointment rushed through him, since he liked what he saw.

“Well, Blake, you got my attention. I’m here. What do you want?”

“I thought we’d get a bite to eat and talk, that’s all.” Blake was hoping that sounded harmless enough and Mason would take the bait.

“Right,” Mason answered. “You can’t fool me, Blake. I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but I’ll bite, since you went to so much trouble to find me.” He was curious to know what Blake really wanted, and thought it in his best interests to find out. “I know a café not too far from here.”

Mason’s challenging gaze caught Blake’s, pushing Blake to let him take over the lead from here. Was Blake willing to take the risk?

“Sounds great,” Blake agreed. “Whatever you want.”

Mason nodded, knowing Blake was in a deal-making mood, and wondered again what he was willing to put on the table.

“Good,” I said, wanting to get this over with. “Let’s go.”

Mason glanced my way and smiled, thinking I really didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. It bothered him some, but it also made this little meeting seem more harmless. Unless that was exactly what Blake wanted him to think, since he’d brought me for some reason. If only he knew what that was.

Blake was thinking Mason’s curiosity had gotten the best of him again, and he hoped to make some progress this time. He hadn’t spent the best years of his life training him for nothing, and he hoped Mason would listen to reason this time.

I sighed. Was this how spies thought all the time? Were they always looking for innuendos and hidden meanings? Why couldn’t they just say what they thought? It was enough to make my head spin.

“Is this your first trip to Paris?” Mason asked me, wanting to fill the silence with small talk. I nodded, and he continued. “How do you like it so far?”

“It’s amazing,” I said. Then, since neither of them was going to say much, I began to expound on everything I’d seen. I went on and on while Mason led us through the streets, only letting up when we finally came to the café he wanted.

“I’m glad you’re having such a good time,” Mason said, genuinely pleased with my enthusiasm. “Here we are. I have a room reserved for us in the back. Right through here.”

I followed him without missing a beat, but Blake hesitated, thinking this was a set-up, and he was walking right into Mason’s trap. He didn’t trust Mason, but if he wanted Mason to listen to anything he had to say, it was a chance he had to take. Still, it didn’t make him happy.

Oh great. A trap? What did he mean by that?

We passed all the tables on the main floor, then went up a short staircase, before heading down a hall. With each step further into the building, I could feel Blake’s concern grow, and it was starting to freak me out. At the end of the hall, Mason turned the corner and disappeared. I almost turned around, but then Mason came back and, with a smile, motioned us on.

I glanced at Blake. He nodded, so I turned the corner. My trepidation vanished, and I smiled with pleasure to find a small room with three round tables, all set with dinnerware, napkins and glasses. Pretty little lights were strung around the room, and each table had a candle centerpiece, giving the small space a cozy, warm feel.

Mason asked us to sit while he told the proprietor we had arrived. Almost at once, a waiter brought a plate of various cheeses and breads, then produced a bottle of wine and popped the cork. As the waiter filled our glasses, Mason came back in and sat down, pleased with the proficiency with which we’d been served.

“After I received Blake’s cryptic message,” Mason began, glancing my way. “This seemed like the best place for a private chat.”

“Works for me,” I said with a shrug, eager to try some famous French cheese and bread. The crusty bread tasted divine, and the cheese tasted mild, yet hauntingly complex. It was firm, smooth, sweet, and a little nutty. I moaned with pleasure and opened my eyes to find both men looking at me like I was nuts. “This is really good.”

Blake hid a smile and decided to get down to business. “Mason, I know we’ve had our differences,” he began. “But I was hoping you’d consider coming back to work for me.”

Mason sat back with a huff of disdain, his nostrils flaring. “You can’t be serious... after what happened? How can you even suggest such a thing?”

“Please,” Blake said. “Just give me a minute to explain.” 

Mason shrugged like it didn’t matter, but inside, a kernel of hope flared. “Fine. I’m listening.”

“I’m in a better position now,” Blake said. “I can make certain things go away, and you can start over. I want to make this right.”

Mason shook his head, determined not to let Blake bulldoze him until he knew exactly what he wanted. “It’s too late for that. Maybe if you’d come to me five years ago... but not now. I have my own business, and I do quite well for myself. I don’t need you anymore.”

Blake was thinking that he never expected Mason to take him up on his offer. It was the business he was in now that worried him. If his suspicions were correct, Mason had no idea who he was dealing with.

Mason was thinking that Blake had come a long way just to offer him a clean slate, then his eyes narrowed, and he knew Blake must have heard about his business and some of his associates. Blake had never intended for him to come back to the agency. He just wanted to use him to get to someone else. The one man Blake had never been able to catch.

“I can see you don’t believe me,” Blake said. “That’s fine. I understand if you don’t want to come back, but maybe we can work out an arrangement that would be mutually beneficial.”

Wow, that sounded just like something taken right out of Uncle Joey’s playbook. They were both saying such different things from what they thought that it was hard to keep it straight. Did all spies have such devious minds?

Mason nodded. “Now it comes out. The real reason you wanted to talk. You want something from me.”

“Look kid,” Blake said, taking off the gloves. “You’re in over your head, and I’m worried about you. You’re playing too many sides, and it’s going to get you killed. Somewhere along the line, somebody’s going to decide you know too much, and you’ll end up dead. If we work together on this, I can protect you.”

Blake was thinking about the report of a weapon that had gone missing from a military facility in Turkey, and how they’d tracked it to France. If Mason was involved with a terrorist group... he was toast. But if he had any information that could help Blake find it, he thought it was worth the risk to get Mason out of there.

“You calling me kid,” Mason said, shaking his head. “Now that’s funny. Like I don’t know what I’m doing. So... tell me... what do you expect in return?” Mason was thinking that if he shared what he knew with Blake, he was a goner, so he had to play it cool.

“I just want to keep you alive,” Blake said, thinking that if Mason was involved in this, it couldn’t be voluntary. Mason might be a free agent, but he wasn’t stupid. “There’s something going down...”

“No,” Mason said. “You’re right, I could be in over my head, but I’ve learned some things, and maybe I’m just better at playing the game and looking out for myself. I don’t answer to anyone, which suits me just fine. Besides that, the only person I ever cared about is dead because of you. Why do you think I’d want to have anything to do with you after that happened? I have nothing to lose anymore, so you have nothing to offer that’s as lucrative as what I’m doing now.”

I gathered that Mason had been Blake’s protégé. Someone close to Mason had died, and they’d parted ways with a lot of blame and anger for each other.

Blake shook his head. “You’ve got it all wrong. I tried to save her. That’s why I’m here, dammit. To make it up to you. I think you might be in trouble.”

Mason snorted. “Don’t you think I know that? But hey... it’s how I got my business going. Everyone knows I got burned, so that makes me a free agent. I don’t work sides, and I don’t work for you.”

“Even if it means stopping hundreds of people from being killed?” Blake asked, thinking it was his last move, but it was all he had.

Mason shook his head. “It’s always saving the world with you, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Blake answered. “It’s the only reason I do this. It used to be your reason, too.”

Mason let out a breath. He was a fool to meet with Blake and think his conscience wouldn’t guilt him into risking his life. He’d tried not to care, since it meant he’d probably die, but what he was doing didn’t sit well with him either, and even though the chance was small, Blake might be the only way out.

Damn Cypher to hell and back. He never should have gotten involved with that man. Now Cypher owned him, and he was a fool. If he told Blake what he knew, he was a dead man. He couldn’t do it. He’d just have to take his chances and hope he could get out before Cypher suspected anything. Too bad that meant people were going to die. But at least Blake didn’t seem to know about his involvement with Cypher, or he’d never let him go.

“Uh... what does Cypher have on you?” I asked, knowing it was the only way to get Mason to talk, and let Blake know who he was dealing with. Shock came from both of their minds.

“Shit!” Mason said. He glanced around the room before whispering. “How did you... are you trying to get us killed?”

I shrugged and swallowed, hoping I hadn’t just made a huge mistake. Blake was thinking that if Cypher was involved in all of this, things were worse than he thought. Now it was imperative that he know what Mason was involved with. I also picked up a lot of animosity from Blake toward Cypher and figured he must be a long-time enemy.

“Look,” Blake said to Mason, coming to a decision. “You help me. I’ll get you out. No questions asked.”

Mason took a deep breath, then decided to risk it. Now that Blake knew about Cypher, he didn’t have much of a choice, but how the hell did I know? “Fine. But we can’t talk here. My place is secure. You come with me, and I’ll tell you what I know.” He was thinking that he had a backup plan with weapons and cash in case he ever got into trouble. Since he didn’t know if Blake had been compromised, going to his place was the best option.

Blake was thinking he was willing to trust Mason not to lead us into a trap, but he caught my gaze for my reaction to Mason’s suggestion. He was still reeling from my revelation about Cypher, and he figured if I had any sort of premonition about Mason, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell him it was a bad idea. I gave him a slight nod that we should go ahead, and Blake turned his attention back to Mason. “All right, we’ll come.”

Mason hadn’t missed the exchange between us, and his brows drew together. Besides knowing about Cypher, my role as Blake’s “niece” just took on a whole different meaning. He wondered again exactly what I was doing there, especially since it looked like I had Blake’s complete trust.

Just then, our waiter entered the room to check on us. Mason smiled with abandon, putting on an act of a man without a care in the world. In flawless French, he told the waiter to bring the bill along with a variety of desserts in a box.

I knew this because I heard him think it in English before translating it into French in his mind. Normally, I would have been pleased to take the assortment of French pastries with us, but the seriousness of the situation had totally ruined my appetite.

Plus, Mason knew more about the whole thing than he’d let on. His thoughts of the hazmat chemical suits, gas masks, chemical gloves, and chemical boots sent my stomach into a queasy knot. Everything put together pointed to the release of a biological weapon, and it was enough to make me wish I’d never come to Paris.