Pandora's Box (36 page)

So Roxie didn’t know Grainger had rendered the microchips useless.
 
That was a huge advantage for her.
 

Roxie removed a silver remote from her pocket, a smaller version of the one Grainger had used on
Madison
.
 
She pointed it at
Madison
.
 
“With this I can control the world—or destroy it.
 
Whatever rocks my boat.”

Madison
jumped to her feet.
 
She clenched her hands into tight fists.
 
What was she going to do about Roxie?
 
If the woman was her sister, she couldn’t kill her.
 

Roxie smiled as she headed for the front door.
 
Her voice was casual as if they were two old friends enjoying a nice visit.
 
“We’ll see each other again real soon, I’m sure.
 
Take care.”

Madison
pulled out her cell and quickly dialed
Tyler
’s number.
 
She was interested in hearing what his father had to say for himself, but that would have to wait.
 
She wanted to get to
Las Vegas
as soon as humanly possible.

Tyler
picked up and she said, “Feel like jetting off with me again?”

“Where to this time?”

“I think we should pay Rico Boracci that visit now.”
 
Her eyes went to the front door where her enemy had stood moments before.
 
“There are a few things he needs to clear up for me.
 
Either he’s working with his daughter or he has no idea what she’s doing.
 
If he doesn’t know, I’d like to be the first to tell him.”

Tyler
agreed to meet her at the airport, but this time they weren’t going to tell anyone about their flight plan.

******

The Boracci estate seemed deserted.
 
No party this time.
 
Scaling the wall was easier in trousers, and
Tyler
gave
Madison
a boost.
 
He practically hoisted her to the top.
 
When she hit the ground on the other side, she waited for
Tyler
to join her before heading for the house.
 
They ran across the lawn, heads down, but there wasn’t a security guy in sight.
 
Madison
wondered if Boracci was expecting them.
 
If so, they were walking into a trap.

Tyler
said, “You take the side door and search the first floor.
 
I’ll climb up to the balcony and enter that way.
 
Take out everybody you come across.
 
We’ll find Boracci, perhaps his daughter, and we’ll meet in his study.”

“Sounds good.”

“Don’t use your gun unless you have to.
 
Right now we have the element of surprise.”

She nodded.
 
“Be careful.”

Madison
fought the urge to touch him.
 
They were two agents on a mission, not lovers traveling in different directions with a tearful goodbye at the airport.
 
He shared a quick smile with her before turning away.
 
He scrambled across the terrace and ran around the mansion.
 
Madison
didn’t move until he had disappeared from view.

She went to the terrace doors and picked the lock.
 
Pulling them open as quietly as possible, she stepped inside and closed them behind her.
 
The sun hadn’t fallen yet, so it was too early for everyone to be in bed.
 
Madison
stopped and listened.
 
She couldn’t hear a sound.
 

She crossed the room, went into the hallway, and followed it to the end.
 
She opened each door as she came to it and glanced inside.
 
Nothing.
 
There wasn’t a soul in sight.
 
Even if Boracci had gone out for the evening there should be a multitude of bodyguards running around the house.
 
Madison
had a bad feeling about the whole thing.
 
Something didn’t feel right.

She found the door leading to the basement.
 
The sound of voices drifted up to her.
 
She pulled her gun out, getting ready even though
Tyler
had told her it was too risky to use it.
 
She couldn’t tell how many people were downstairs.
 
Her eyes went to the ceiling.
 
She should let
Tyler
know about the people in the basement.

The front door opened, and the choice was snatched from her.
 
She ducked through the basement door and shut it softly behind her before the newcomer could catch a glimpse of her.
 
She stood on the top stair, frozen with indecision.
 
If the newcomer opened the door it would be all over for her.
 
On the other hand, if she went downstairs she would probably be spotted by the owners of the voices.
 

Madison
carefully picked her way halfway down the stairs.
 
The voices grew louder, more clear until she could understand every word.
 
She immediately recognized Boracci’s angry voice, raised and sharp.

“Where is my daughter now?” he asked.
 
“Did she tell you to bring Agent DeMarco here?
 
What in the hell is going on?”

“Uh…she told us you wanted us to kill the guy, boss.”

“Did she?”

“Yeah.
 
She told us the agent is useless now and you’d want him put down.”

“What else has she been telling you to do in my name?”

Madison
barely heard the mumbled response.
 
Whatever he said set Boracci on a long ride of curses.
 
Apparently Roxie had been working her own angle behind her father’s back.
 
At least they weren’t working together.
 
They’d be easier to take down if they were fighting each other too.

Cold metal pressed against
Madison
’s throat.
 
She didn’t have to glance down to know it was the muzzle of a gun.
 
Roxie had come down the stairs behind
Madison
, quiet as a mouse.
 

Roxie said, “You got here fast.”

She pushed
Madison
forward, and
Madison
nearly fell down the remaining stairs.
 
She grabbed onto the metal railing, kept herself on her feet, but she lost her gun.
 
Three steps and they were standing on the concrete floor of Boracci’s basement.
 

Madison
looked around in awe, her eyes wide.
 

The basement had been converted into a five star laboratory.
 
A scientist’ dream.
 
There were cubicles, gurneys, test tubes, Bunsen burners, computers and microscopes.
 
State of the art machines that
Madison
had only seen on television blinked a variety of lights.
 
Now she understood why Grainger had been so willing to trust Boracci.
 
Any scientist worthy of the title would have killed to work in such a well-stocked environment.

DeMarco was tied to one of the gurneys, looking like a cat who’d been dragged through a wringer in reverse.
 
He mumbled incoherent words and his head rocked back and forth while his hands shook, obviously delirious.
   

Roxie said, “You should be more careful, Rico.
 
This one was eavesdropping on you.”

Boracci made a violent gesture with his hands.
 
“I don’t care about that!
 
I want to know what you think you’re doing telling my men what to do, giving them orders in my place!
 
This is my operation.
 
Not yours.
 
Mine!”

 
“Relax, Rico.
 
Don’t have a coronary.
 
Everything’s fine.”

“No, everything is not fine!”
 
Boracci took a deep breath and lowered his voice.
 
He pinned his adopted daughter with a cold, black stare.
 
“You weren’t even born when Grainger and I first met.
 
The microchips, using them, was my idea.
 
I set everything up, I got Grainger to cooperate, and I will be the one who decides when and how the president dies.
 
On top of that, you kill Grainger without my permission.”

Madison
glanced around again, working on a plan.
 
Even if she could get her hands on a gun, knock Roxie’s away, she was still outnumbered by Boracci and his two men.
 

Roxie smiled at Rico.
 
“Actually, you haven’t been in charge of this for a long time.
 
I’ve been calling the shots.
 
Want me to prove it?
 
Roberto, who do you work for?”

Boracci’s bodyguard pulled a gun and aimed it at the boss.
 
The other guard grinned, smug about turning the tables on Boracci.

“You’re going to regret this,” Boracci told them.
 
“All of you.”

“You killed your own father,” Roxie said.
 
“Remember when you shared that bit of information with me?
 
You and your buddies killed your father so you could take over his empire.
 
I’m surprised you didn’t see this coming.”
 
Roxie laughed.
 
“Is it because I’m a woman?
 
You weren’t intimidated by me?
 
Maybe you thought I didn’t have that killer instinct.
 
Or did you think I lacked the ambition?”

Tyler
appeared behind Roxie.
 
He pointed his gun at the back of her head and said, “Drop it.”

Madison
took her first easy breath since entering the basement.
 
“What took you so long?”

Roxie’s loud laughter drowned
Tyler
’s reply.

“This is too delicious,” Roxie said.
 
She lifted a smaller version of Grainger’s remote to her mouth and spoke into it.
 
“Kill Rico for me.”

Tyler
’s expression changed, hardened as the light in his eyes died.
 
His gun swung in Boracci’s direction.
 
He squeezed the trigger without hesitation.
 
Surprise registered on Boracci’s face as he clutched his chest.
 
Blood seeped through his fingers.
 
He went down.

“Now kill Madison Grey,” Roxie said to the remote, not missing a beat.

Before
Tyler
could turn his weapon in her direction,
Madison
jumped high and kicked at the gun.
 
Her foot caught the barrel.
 
The gun flew sideways.
 
Madison
didn’t wait around to see what would happen next.
 
She flew through the air, landed on a gurney and rolled over the side of it, tipping it and taking it with her.
 
The gurney crashed next to her on its side, blocking her body from view.

Two wild shots rang out, missing her by a mile.
 
The sound bounced off the walls and echoed around the huge warehouse like room.
 

“Forget her,” Roxie said.
 
“Let’s go.”

Madison
peeked around the gurney’s edge in time to see
Tyler
racing up the stairs after Roxie.
 
Overwhelming grief rocked her body and soul.
 
This whole time she’d been worried about having a microchip in her head, but it hadn’t even occurred to her that
Tyler
might have one.
 
Now he could be lost to her forever.

Roxie stopped at the top of the stairs and shouted, “If I were you, I’d head down to
Mexico
, Maddie.
 
If I see you again, I’ll kill you for sure.
 
Or
Tyler
will.”

Then they were gone.

Madison
sagged against the gurney, defeated.
 
She couldn’t fight
Tyler
.
 
She couldn’t hurt him.
 
A bloody hand reached out and touched hers.
 
Rico Boracci struggled into a sitting position.
 
He leaned against the tipped gurney, his face close to hers.