She sounded so apologetic, Nikki had to smile. One instant she was cutting the poor man down, then the next she didn’t want to leave him out here waiting.
“We’ll try to be quick,” Nikki said.
“Don’t worry, ladies,” Cam said. “Take your time. I brought…this…to keep me company. Have to take pointers.”
He whipped out a book from inside his jacket. It was a romance novel. Patty muttered something and walked into the
vault. Nikki laughed as she followed. She really found this couple amusing.
“Are you acknowledging that you committed perjury during the review process of Operation Urgent Stealth? You’re aware, of course, that this is a serious offense.”
Rick gave a negative shake of his head. He was taking no chances here. “I’m
offering
to admit to perjury.”
“And what’s the asset in having you do that?” Stadler sat back, eyeing Rick cynically.
“Do you really want me to repeat everything from our first meeting? Fine. If my wife’s file is reopened, the failed operation will be, too, and of course there’ll be a risk of a full-fledged investigation by the Judiciary Committee. As you realize, there is also a national security review board headed by Admiral Madison, given full authorization by the president himself, to analyze and review security issues of operations and agencies. My wife is currently an analyst for Admiral Madison. Her very presence is an asset to the whole review, Mr. Stadler. I don’t have to mention all the skeletons that might be brought up, do I?”
Rick watched Stadler’s lips thin as he considered the ramifications. A team of lawyers from the Office of General Counsel sat at every major review meeting to aid in covering up anything negative. With Admiral Madison not playing with the big boys and Nikki Taylor an independent contractor, the lawyers had a tough time reining in information that would be fodder for future investigation.
He quirked a brow at Stadler. “EYES knows I’m the only thing that might be able to stave off a big investigation on every directorate. How about that?” he mocked lightly.
Rick decided to keep his ace quiet for now.
The air was a bit stale. Nikki stood for a few moments as she took in the vastness of the room. It was just as Patty had warned her—shelves of documents and file cabinets among boxes of memorabilia from past cases.
Patty’s gasp swung her attention to the left. Three figures.
Two were working on something set against the far wall. The third man turned around. It was Agent Erik Jones. He pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at them.
“A letter signifying gross negligence is already in your file, Agent Harden. A case of perjury will turn it into misconduct.” Hal Stadler’s unblinking stare reminded Rick of a lizard looking at a small insect. “From a personal point of view, I understand the sacrifice of a man in love, but as a lawyer, handing over your head does nothing to stop our current problem. The implication of your ties to Gorman is enough to finish your career. Don’t take me wrong, we would prefer your head on a platter anyway, but…”
He shrugged, unwilling to admit aloud that the original plan had failed.
Rick allowed a small ironic smile and finished for him, “but the sudden appearance of my wife complicated matters, I’m sure. Not for Gorman, who seems to be having the time of his life behind bars, but for someone else.” He cocked his head. “Tell me, Mr. Stadler. Do you have Gorman, or does he have you by the short hairs?”
The lawyer bristled. “Agent Harden, former Deputy Director Gorman is not our business today.”
“I’m afraid it’s so,” Rick told him, clasping his hands in front of him on the table. “You see, if my
offer
of perjury is taken up, then I’ll be asked on the stand what the truth is, and my story will sound something like this: The truth will show former Deputy Director Gorman being aware of my supposed lies. He made a deal with me to cover up certain facts about my wife’s failed assignment. His appointing me to be his operations chief later wouldn’t help his case; he knew this, and that’s why since his incarceration, he’d tried to make damn sure that things look bad for me. To save his ass, Gorman started to name names, and warned EYES about a private list. I became dispensable, until a miracle appeared. How am I doing so far?”
“Enough. You’re speculating.”
“Am I? Remember Agent Denise Lorens?” Rick watched
as Stadler’s shoulders stiffened. “She was EYES’ setup for me, remember? Gorman in jail wanted me to take the brunt of all the leaks and she was planted to continue leaking information from my links while he’s behind bars. Except, of course, the president gave Admiral Madison the authority to have his own independent investigator on board, who turned out to be my wife, and miracles of all miracles, her past is somehow linked to someone on Gorman’s list. So now not only does the main man behind all this have to figure out a way to placate Gorman, he has to deal with my wife.”
The frown on Stadler’s forehead deepened. “Agent Lorens is dead. Nothing she did or said could be of use for your defense. You cannot possibly want to concoct a story that there is another list when there is none found, except one with your name on it.”
Rick used his ace. “Except I did get close enough to Agent Lorens, Stadler, to get a copy of that famous list that Gorman has over your head.”
Nikki pushed Patty hard. The automatic weapon discharged, and for an awful moment, she thought the younger woman had been hit because she wasn’t moving. Instinctively she dove in the opposite direction and heard the weapon discharge once more, its echo strangely loud in the huge vault. The room plunged into darkness.
“Shit! You hit the lights, you idiot.”
“Go get them!”
There seemed to be some confusion among her attackers. In the ensuing minutes there was a loud thud and groan. Taking advantage, Nikki crawled toward where Patty lay. She couldn’t see how injured she was, but she had the keycard in her hand still. If she could reach the entrance…A large hand covered her mouth and she jerked back, reaching for the throat.
“It’s Erik.” the man whispered. As if she hadn’t seen him before he pulled the trigger. She would rip his lying throat out. “Nikki, I just shot at the light, honest!”
She hesitated, and Erik rolled away from her. “I meant to
shoot them, but I couldn’t do it.” There was misery in his voice. “But I got them in the dark just now. They’re out.”
“How do you know?” she whispered back.
“I know how to fight,” Erik replied. “Now can I turn on the emergency light without you killing me?”
“Yes.”
She sat up slowly as she followed Erik’s movements around the wall closest to her. He appeared to be groping around for a switch. There was an electronic hum.
“Shit, why do emergency lights always glow reddish?”
Nikki looked around quickly. The other two men were lying on the floor. “Why didn’t you just shoot them?” she asked as she went to Patty. “I think I hurt Patty.”
“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t shoot a man in the back. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Agent Jones, are you going to tell me why you’re down here and why you felt you had to shoot at something?”
“No time to explain. It has to do with orders from my directorate. We’ve got to get out of here. Those aren’t exactly good guys, Nikki.”
“The Directorate of Administration?” Nikki lifted Patty’s head onto her lap. “Open the entrance and get Cam. We have to call for help.”
Erik picked up the keycard and slid it into the slot. After he punched a series of codes, there was a loud click as the lock unbolted. He pushed it open quickly.
“Candeloro, we need you in here. Get the women out. There is a—” Erik started backing away. Nikki looked up. Instead of Cam, a very large man, well over six feet, strode in.
“Finish the sentence, Agent Jones.” He had an accent.
Backing away even more, Erik said slowly, “There is an explosive charge in here.”
The man nodded. “Yes. You tried, but you’re not good at hiding which side you’re really on. You make a really lousy spy, Jones.”
Nikki screamed in horror as the man calmly shot Erik twice. Erik ducked, then crumpled, gasping and gurgling, blood dripping down his face. She started toward him, but his
attacker kicked his shuddering body and stepped over him. Erik gave an odd moan, there was a pause, then—silence. Nikki covered her mouth as she stared up at Erik’s killer.
“We’ll have to verify this list.”
Rick shook his head. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Internal Investigations wants to sweep everything under the carpet, Stadler. You want to do your own investigations, make as little noise as possible. That’s why you’re willing to deal with me. Once you have the list, business is back to usual. Gorman will have nothing. I will be nothing. And this open-ended offer will be dead-ended.”
“You distrust your government too much, Agent Harden.” Stadler clicked open his suitcase and took out some papers. “I’m a lawyer, not a traitor. It’s my job to defend the interest of the United States—”
“Mr. Stadler, spare me the lecture. Hiding the traitors from the American taxpayers isn’t in the interest of the United States. Worse, ignoring the problem is going to put our security at risk.” Rick waved away a response from the other man. “I know, I know. We’re not here to discuss these insignificant matters.”
Stadler slammed his briefcase shut. “Think about it, Agent Harden. We’ve agreed to some of your key points. Your wife’s case reopened. Gorman done. That’s the deal. Your career”—he shrugged—“that’s hardly anything you could do if you’re going the perjury route. Put that list in the EYES’ hands and everyone is happy, even you. Isn’t that what you want?”
Rick had to admit EYES had a point. Everyone would be happy with the results. Gorman would be truly cornered. That was a revenge of sorts, if nothing else. So why was he hesitating?
Nikki kept her eyes on the killer. He kicked Erik’s gun away from reach.
“You can always spot the new ones,” he remarked casually. “Too many questions, shifty eyes, always trying to please.”
Nikki avoided looking down at Erik, blocking out the
memory of blood running down his face where he was hit. The horror of his death hadn’t truly registered yet. She clenched her hands that had gone sweaty. She had to keep this stranger talking. “Do you also work for the Directorate of Administration? What did Agent Jones mean about the explosive charge?”
His size intimidated her and she took a step back as he strode closer. “Agent Denise Lorens used to work down at one of the other levels. Guess what a closer examination of her keycard shows?” He looked around. “She spent too much time down here.”
Nikki drew in a breath. Denise’s record of Gorman’s network of traitors. The vault would be perfect to hide a list of names as well as research on past forgotten files of individuals she was going to use to further her and Gorman’s ends.
The man flipped open a small cell phone. “Like you said, she’s here. Yes, she’s alive.” Nikki controlled a shiver at his narrow-eyed scrutiny as he continued talking. “The other two won’t give me any trouble. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of one of the three you sent down here. He tried to help her. Hmm, let me check.”
He continued to aim the weapon at her as he tracked toward the two who were with Erik. He nudged one of them with his foot. The man on the floor elicited a groan. “Yeah, I think they’re alive. I’ll take care of it. Yes. Not a problem.”
He ended the call. He gave the downed man another kick. “Get up, Butchner. Butchner!” The man groaned a reply. “I said, get up!”
He took his eyes off her for a moment to study whatever the men were working on before Erik took them out. Taking a chance, Nikki stepped toward the exit and stopped short at the sound of the weapon being cocked. Her heart in her throat, she met his eyes for a moment. He had the steady gaze of a trained assassin.
“Who are you?” she asked. “You’re going to kill me, anyway. Who’s behind this?”
To her surprise, he put away the gun as he approached. “Oh no, I won’t kill you yet. You’re too valuable at the moment.”
He reached behind his back. Nikki’s eyes widened at the sight of the ugly-looking knife he brandished. Built like a wrestler, he had the advantage of height and strength. With the entrance still locked, there was nowhere to run. He stood over Patty Ostler’s unconscious body.
“Come here, and I won’t plunge this knife into your friend.”
Nikki shook her head, backing a few more steps. “What do you want?”
“Come here or this woman dies.” He jerked his knife threateningly. “Slowly. That way, you might listen to instructions.”
She had seen him kill Erik in cold blood. She couldn’t just stand there and watch him murder again, she just couldn’t. She slowly came forward, willing herself to stay calm.
The flat of the blade tipped below her chin and her heart raced as she stared up defiantly. His dark eyes were dead, unemotional. Unless she figured out a way to save herself, sooner or later, this man was going to kill her. She cried out in pain as she was unexpectedly jerked onto her toes. She kicked out as hard as she could.
“Did anyone leave any messages for me?” Rick asked his secretary.
“No, sir, there aren’t any messages.”
Damn, he’d hoped Nikki had called. He wanted to talk to her about his meeting, tell her that he found Denise’s password while she was with Jed. He frowned. She couldn’t still be in debriefing, could she?
As he walked to his desk, he called her cell phone. No one answered.
Nikki struggled to loosen her bonds, listening to the soft conversation between her captor and the two men who were back on their feet. She felt her cell phone vibrating against her hip but her hands couldn’t reach it. She ignored the pain burning through her wrists as she kept working. Tears of frustration welled up.
“How long do I have?”
“We’re about to set it to go off right after working hours, as was ordered.”
“Give me another couple of hours.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We need to clean up, especially the kid’s body. We can’t have one with bullets found afterward. Too many questions. Dump him.”