INTO DANGER (Secret Assassins (S.A.S.S.) Book 1) (24 page)

Cunningham studied her with narrowed eyes. His stutter was more pronounced. “Y-you don’t s-seem afraid, but of course a woman like y-you can’t fear m-much. But you must admit this makes you very s-sus-suspicious to me. You can be someone laying a trap, after all.”

Marlena shrugged. “Look, I have two years in the game without you bothering me.
You
contacted me, remember?” Then she frowned. “Wait a minute. You were the one who hired Stash for me, right? So you’re setting me up! What are you talking about?”

The older man looked at both Marlena and Steve for a few seconds. “I didn’t hire him. Mr. McMillan’s team of CIA agents got hold of the man who was going to take care of all those details you favor. As you know, they’re very interested in your current activities.”

“So why didn’t you warn me?” demanded Marlena.

“Why should I? I knew ev-everything that was happening and if I can see everything, the better my control.” Cunningham’s light eyes gleamed triumphantly. “Which brings us back to the is-issue at hand. You were interrogated. Mr. McMillan found out things that exposed you. How come they let you go? Unless you cut a deal with them or you had been working with them all along.”

“You fool!” Marlena stood up and stepped closer to the man sitting across from her. Something warned her he didn’t like being told he had made a mistake, and she ruthlessly exploited this suspicion. She wagged an accusing finger at him. “You allowed these guys in my apartment. You didn’t warn me of any of this, even at Pierre’s function the other night. I had to extricate myself from trouble, and now you dare accuse me of being on their side?”

To stress her point, she boldly stepped one leg on the low table, leaning closer, threateningly enough to have one of his men move forward, a hand going inside his suit for his weapon. Cunningham put up a hand to stop him. Marlena pretended not to notice, carrying on with her tirade. “You even tried to use me as a foil to kill off Pierre, didn’t you? They were after me because of the attempt on Pierre’s life, you idiot.” She tossed a sarcastic glare at Steve. “I suppose I have you to thank for saving his life, since if he were dead now, I would still be in that hole being questioned. Well, say something!”

Oh, but his mermaid was magnificent. Steve stood there admiring the quick way she turned the tables on the enemy with mere words, establishing doubt without an ounce of fear. And she gave him the perfect opening to say something without sounding fake. Tess had told him Marlena would try to feel out a situation before her next move and to wait for her prompting before giving her any clue

“You’re welcome,” he said, in the same sarcastic tone. “You can thank me later, darling.”

She didn’t show any sign she got the hint that T had sent him. “Harden put you up to it, didn’t he? Following me to find proof.” Marlena gave Cunningham an angry glare. “And your foolishness led him right to you. You’re an idiot!”

“Enough!” Cunningham ordered sharply.

Marlena ignored the warning. “I’m not going to do business with you,” she declared. “I only deal with professionals. And you, Mr. Cunningham, are obviously an amateur at this.”

“You forget, I have your f-f-files here,” Cunningham picked up the folder and slapped it against one hand. He was frowning, for the first time looking unsure of himself. “I can use this against you.”

“And who’s going to believe you? Anything can be faked these days.” Marlena straightened up and zipped up her leather jacket. “I don’t even believe you have anything to sell.”

“Does the Project X Solar Aquabotics 2000 ring a bell? And believe me, my electronic re-resources are beyond your imagination. I can see and copy anything in Mr. McMillan’s office.”

Steve stopped his sharp intake of breath. Man, she was good. She had that idiot boasting without thinking, which was exactly what Tess said Marlena’s main job was. Get information, record it.

Project X-S-BOT. He tried to remember what Hawk had told him. Hawk sometimes worked with a very covert SEAL team that was part of the Naval Warfare Development Group. Steve had thought of joining his cousin there at one time.

Hawk had mentioned a new solar robotics project called Project X-S-BOT when the network news reported a very important laptop had disappeared during a meeting between top scientists and politicians. Project X-S-BOT had technology that harnessed solar robotics and satellite technology in military espionage. Hawk and Steve had speculated over what was in the missing laptop that had the whole naval scientific community in a big brouhaha.

Must be something big. Was this what Tess meant about buying and selling at the party the other night? Was this the kind of deal that everyone was negotiating? Another world from his soldiering one, for sure.

It hadn’t taken him very long to realize every entity of importance in this town was crazy. How could anyone live and work here and differentiate between white and black? From the night at du Scheum’s party, he’d concluded both ends of the scale mingled together socially, almost daring the other side to catch them at their own game. No wonder he couldn’t tell which side Marlena worked for.

Even now he had no proof, apart from what Tess had told him. Yet he’d willingly went along with her plans because Marlena was in danger. He watched her now, in her element, walking the edge of a perilous situation, and understood why this woman was the way she was.

She wasn’t someone who played a role; she had to be the very person she was now. She had been living and breathing Marlena Maxwell for two years, so it was no wonder her act convinced him. However, he recalled the few instances when something had kindled in the depths of those remarkable blue eyes, something soft and vulnerable that never failed to give him a swift kick in the gut. He promised himself that he would peel past this layer to find that woman somehow. Later. After this “let the target tell all first” stuff.

He himself preferred some good old-fashioned ass kicking, but as Tess had pointed out to him earlier, one had to find out whose butt to kick first. So he’d gone along with her plan. Like the woman in front of him, Tess was more than she seemed, with extensive knowledge of covert activities. Steve didn’t think he could be surprised anymore, what with her getup earlier and the smooth way she changed from one person into another. He was dealing with a very well-trained entity.

He had even let her dress him up like some Mafia cowboy. Marlena would look closer, she’d said. He’d scowled at a certain item he had to wear. He hoped she noticed it, all right.

He studied this William Cunningham character, who looked nothing like any of the tough war-worn antagonists he had faced. This guy didn’t even look intimidating; he didn’t need to, with the two men in the room and the two outside the door.

Being in du Scheum’s residence came as a surprise. Why did Cunningham choose to bring Marlena here to meet him? He returned his attention to the conversation, even as he subtly loosened the knots behind his back. An old SEAL trick—a small razor blade was easier to hide than a big knife, and sometimes handier.

“The missing laptop from the Progressive Solar Robotics Technology meeting at the Naval Research Lab,” Marlena was saying to Cunningham. “That was in all the papers for a while. You have it?”

“It was surprisingly easy to just pick up a laptop and leave. Everyone has a laptop these days. Security is lax at the NRL,” Cunningham sneered.

Marlena unzipped her leather jacket and sat back down on the love seat. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why make me drive around there—to admire your workplace? That’s what that was all about, wasn’t it? You were showing me your access, your power.” Her voice had turned into a croon. Steve watched, fascinated, as she transformed from furious woman to languid female in two seconds. Her smile was dazzling, inviting. She played with her front zipper with lazy fingers, eyes half closed. “That laptop is worth a lot of money.”

“Yes,” Cunningham agreed.

“And do you have it here with you?”

“I thought you didn’t want to do business with me. An amateur.” It was the older man’s turn to mock.

Marlena pouted. “I thought you were trying to use me to get at du Scheum. You still are, but let’s hear what you have in mind.”

“Even at the expense of one of your men’s lives?”

Steve tried to ignore the jealousy burning his insides. Marlena and du Scheum an item? That explained their familiarity with each other the other night. His eyes were drawn to the bed. No. He wouldn’t think about that right now. But he wasn’t going to let her use and discard him. Soon she would know he was more than a lackey. The razor blade between his fingers gnawed slowly at the rope.

“Well, I prefer not think in terms like that,” Marlena told Cunningham. “Lives are expensive. And getting rid of them can mess things up. You have been so careful thus far—why the need to get rid of lives at all, especially du Scheum?”

“If I don’t, he’ll know who stole the laptop, and I can’t have that, can I? You see, when I took it, I didn’t know that du Scheum gave parties to f-facilitate business deals like these. Oh, I knew he had influence, but I thought he just had political pull.”

“Instead you discovered Pierre and I were good friends,” Marlena guessed.

Cunningham nodded, finishing his drink. “A complication, especially when he knows all the deals out there. So of course once the laptop becomes the object to bid, he would be informed, since part of Project X-S-BOT involved du Scheum’s own company.”

“Let me guess, you hired that man to kill du Scheum the other night,” she said dryly.

“Except for Mr. McMillan’s interference, I would have suc-succeeded! Then you would have the item out for sale and negotiation, without any suspicion falling on me.” Cunningham used his empty glass to point at Steve. “He had to get in the way. He was responsible for making your identity known, too.”

Marlena sighed. “I didn’t anticipate knocking off all my current men. My price just went up. They’re both important to me.” Her smile at Steve was full of mockery.

“I’m flattered,” Steve murmured, planning revenge. The bonds tying his hands were already loose. He understood that Marlena was giving him the time he needed by keeping Cunningham talking. After all, he had firsthand knowledge of how crafty she could be, and how aware of unseen things around her. No doubt she already anticipated Tess would make a move soon. He kept an eye on the other two men. There was something expectant in their stance, as if they were listening for something.

“Tsk. Lovers can be replaced,” Cunningham suggested silkily.

Marlena cocked her head. “Do you think I’ll off these two just like that, for you? And how do you propose to do this, since you already appear to have a plan in mind?”

“It’s simple really. When du Scheum returns, you can surprise him. He won’t be expecting you in his bedroom.” Cunningham looked at his surroundings, then shrugged. “We’ll make it look like he surprised sailor boy, who of course will get blamed for his untimely death. He’ll be our sc-scapegoat, and no one will question much since he was there when du Scheum was shot, too. They’ll think he botched that one chance.”

“Don’t you think the authorities would be suspicious and investigate further?”

“You don’t have to worry your pretty little head about the investigation. Du Scheum has many enemies, and I’ve ensured that if they look deeper into McMillan’s past, they will find enough things to make him look bad.”

Ah, that explained the overseas account. Marlena would bet money Stash had no idea about what Cunningham was talking. “What about his bodyguards?”

“My men will take care of them, but I only trust you with du Scheum. You can prove to me once and for all you’re what you say you are, if not exactly who.” Cunningham’s voice had a darker edge. “Take care of both of them, and the laptop will be out in public without any questions. What do you say, Marlena? You and I can make a good team.”

This was it. Steve felt the tension gathering thicker. He watched as Marlena approached him, her blue eyes searching his. He willed himself to silently let her know he was ready. She clasped her hands behind her back, like someone contemplating a decision. She came closer and slowly lifted a hand to touch him. She reached up and flicked a finger at the little pearl dangling from his ear.

She cocked a brow at it, and her smile turned positively evil. He didn’t dare respond in kind. Tess’s handiwork—a little pearl earring with a microbug in it. Ostentatious enough to catch Marlena’s attention. Pearls, he was beginning to guess, were his mermaid’s secret passion. GEM. Pearls. The rings on Tess’s fingers. Hmm.

Clasping her hands behind her back again, she pivoted around to face Cunningham, who was watching them carefully. “Do I have a choice? You hold all the cards,” she said softly. “But where is this laptop? How do I know you won’t renege?”

Cunningham pulled out a laptop from a briefcase. Steve recognized it immediately as a similar to the one in Marlena’s possession when he searched her belongings.

The older man’s smile was triumphant, with a touch of cunning in it. Clicking the laptop open, he turned it on. “Come and see.”

It took a few minutes for the program to run its course. Steve wished he could just walk over there, too. There was a look of concentration on Marlena’s face as she stood there looking at the screen, her arms folded across her chest.

Something else caught his eye. The man guarding Cunningham wasn’t looking at either his boss or Marlena. He kept looking at the entrance to the room every few minutes. It made Steve uneasy. He also realized the bigger man who was supposed to be behind him was no longer there but was standing closer to Marlena. Granted, he was supposed to be tied, but still, shouldn’t he be guarded?

Steve’s instincts kicked in again as he brought back his hostage-taking training. It was a trick he’d learned from his cousin—he blurred his mind, putting aside what was obvious. There was always a hostage decoy.
He wasn’t the target here.

Marlena didn’t seem aware of anything wrong as she leaned down and tapped a few keyboard keys. “Encrypted,” she murmured. “It could be junk.”