Project Enterprise (5 page)

“You have my item?”

“Yes. I see mine there, if it is mine?”

“It's yours.” A pause. “Mine's more valuable.”

“Certainly more dangerous.” Her turn to pause. “I accidentally fired it. I should make you pay for the paint job.”

“I guess you could try.” A sinister pause this time. “I wouldn't advise it.”

That sounded a bit too sinister for comfort. “I suppose not.”

“Make the switch and you can go.”

She almost believed him. He knew she hadn't come alone. And he knew she knew he hadn't come alone either. But she didn't think he knew about Fyn. Or he wanted her to think he didn't know? Her eye twitched. Maybe it would be better not to think too much until this was over.

“You get to see me, but I don't see you?”

“You can see me, but then I'd have to kill you.”

Okay, that was definitely sinister.

“How long you been waiting to use that line?”

A laugh. “Feels like my whole life.” Another pause. “I don't want to hurt you. I like you. I like your books.”

She knew, to her toenails, that he was lying. He didn't like her. He didn't like her books. But she had to play her part, pretend she believed him. She started toward the barrel, toward the mock-up, but something, maybe a gut deep instinct stopped her in her tracks.

“What are you doing, Ms. Smith?” Metallic anger in the voice.

“I'm having trouble suspending disbelief.” She licked her lips, then added, “Don't feel bad. No one gets the plot right the first time through.”

She shifted closer to the shadows.

“Stay where I can see you!”

I don't think so.

She dove for the shadows, the flash of energy heating her back as she went down.

R
ick eased around a corner
, then pulled back at the sight of the heat signature at the end of the corridor. Nothing happened, so he eased an eye out of cover and studied the figure. His posture was alert, but he had his back to him. Rick wasn't sure he could cover the distance without the guy hearing something. He wanted to keep it quiet for now, even though he was worried about Jilly.

He couldn't see what the guy hoped to gain from the meeting. He knew they were here. They knew his guys were there. He had to know their guys were surrounding this warehouse.

So why had he exposed himself like this?

Unless he wasn't in there? Could he be broadcasting from somewhere else?

He started to swear, but then stopped. Okay, if he wasn't going to show up for the meet, why set it up? If he wanted the weapon, then he wouldn't stop until he got it…right?

Unless he had another agenda…

It hit him all at once. He ripped off the goggles, jumped around the corner and downed the heat sig with one shot from the ray gun. Sweet.

“Fyn, move in now! We've got to get Jilly out of there. It's a trap! All teams move in! I say again, move in now!

F
yn saw
their signatures pop up on his HUD, even as he heard Daniels shouting in his head set. He'd cleared two sides and the back of the warehouse. Only three guys—make that two. He saw a door ahead and kicked it down, then rolled through the opening, firing right, then left, then straight ahead. In the sudden silence, he heard the thump of a body against the floor. He checked the HUD. That was odd, now he saw only one guy. Maybe Daniels took out someone. Guessed it was possible. Fyn jumped up and started making his way through barrels and crates toward what he assumed was Smith's position. He could see the one guy left moving in on her, too.

What made Daniels think it was a trap? He adjusted the satellite tracking tighter, looking for anything in the area around Smith that didn't look right…

“Bomb. I think we got a bomb.”

R
ick moved
into the main storage area of the warehouse at the same time Fyn gave the bomb alert. His gut kicked like a mule. The bright flare of an energy beam just missed him as he dove behind a crate.

“Jilly! He's going to kill you!” He popped up and fired to one side of the location the ray had come from, then to the other. Got a muffled yell for a reward.

“Like I didn't know that!” Jilly's voice sounded too calm. “I would like to know why, of course.”

“Why?”

The metallic voice seemed odd, like they'd wandered into an SF movie instead of the cop show more suited to the setting.

“You don't write mysteries, Meli. You peddle our secrets for this stupid world, pretending you created something.”

Okay, that was definitely SF.

“The book signing…” Jilly's voice sounded strained now and Rick could almost see her rubbing her temples. “You thought I'd recognize you.”

“You pretended you didn't. Your mistake. Maybe you should have been an actress instead of an author. Now you have to die.”

“Don't believe him, Jilly,” Rick called out, trying to draw the guy's attention. Hoping she'd use the time to work toward the door. He eased down an aisle, trying to work his way toward where he'd heard her. Light slammed into a support beam ahead of him.

An answering beam came out of the shadows across from him, hitting that spot. There was a thump, then a crash as a body tumbled to the floor.

“That's everyone, Daniels,” Fyn's voice came through the head set. “Only our people left…”

T
he pain was worse
than any she'd ever experienced.
Meli.
That name pounded through her head. She knew that name. Rick said to get out. She needed to try to get back to the door. The rest of it, all of it waiting to crush her, that could wait. He was trying to kill her.
He
—his name was Ambrel. A paper pusher. A jerk, even before they left the outpost…

No, don't think. Just move.

She felt the grit from the rough floor grinding into her hands as she crawled through a tunnel of crates and pain. She heard voices, saw flashes of light, but through it all, she saw her home, saw her people—before the scattering.

She hadn't written books. She'd told their stories, shared their history. How could she not know what she was doing?

“Jilly! It's clear!”

His voice was a light in the fog.

“Run! Run to the door! There's a bomb…”

That cut through everything like a beam slicer. Jilly pushed up, looking around to get her bearings. As she started toward the door, a bright beam of light cut through the air in front of her.

Transport beam.

She raised the weapon, waiting for the light to clear, then pulled the trigger. Ambrel only had time to look surprised before the beam hit him in the chest, knocking him back one step. She fired again and he staggered, then he tripped over something and fell.

Jilly ran forward. He was lying on top of another body.

Dragonslayer.

Ambrel's mouth moved once, before he managed. “You got me, but you didn't save yourself, bitch.”

Suddenly Rick was on one side of her, Fyn on the other.

“Nice shot,” from Fyn.

They grabbed her arms, swept her toward the door. Her feet didn't even touch the ground. As they pushed through the door, Jilly heard the explosion, felt the heat, saw the light, just before they went down…

R
ick lifted
his head cautiously and looked around. Hitchens' team saturated the area and he could hear sirens in the distance getting closer. Beneath him, he felt Jilly stir and rolled off her. Flames from the warehouse licked the night sky, sending smoke in huge puffs to hide the moon.

Fyn was already up, his arms crossed like he was bored and none of any of it had anything to do with him.

“It was a transport beam,” Jilly said, as she took the hand he held out to her. “He's—he's—an alien.”

Rick kept a hold of her hand. The other still held the ray gun. It was pointed at her head. He eased it out of her grip and stuck it in his waistband

“How do you know he's an alien, Jilly?”

She sighed, rubbing her head. “Because I'm one, too.” She looked at him, her eyes huge in her pale face. “I came here to escape people like him…” She rubbed her head again. “I forgot. I hit my head and I forgot, not completely, but enough. That's why you came, isn't it? To find out if I was—Garradian?”

“Yes.”

“I felt it, even with his voice disguised. I—knew him. I started to remember. I knew he was going to kill me, I felt it, even before my memory came back.”

“You got good instincts.” He brushed some dirt off her cheek.

“What happens now?”

“Area 51.”

Her brows arched. “It's for real?”

He nodded, gave a half grimace.

“Wow.” She was quiet a minute. “So, you and Fyn, you're like
Men in Black
?”

“Yeah. Only we wear jeans. I've never been big on suits.”

They started toward the car.