Dark Enemy (DARC Ops Book 9) Read online

  “The what? What do you mean?”

  “Have you ever been back to the gun range, since we . . . you know . . .” He trailed off, feeling his tongue tie up with the memories. “Have you been shooting lately?”

  “No.”

  “So I’m guessing you wouldn’t feel comfortable with a gun.”

  She shook her head. “Nope.”

  “Well, there are other options. DARC has all kinds of stuff. We could go upstairs right now and look through their closet.”

  “Like what? I mean, a Taser or something?”

  “Anything,” Logan said. “Just . . . unless it’s more convenient that I show up? I mean, ideally, you wouldn’t need anything, because you’d have me close by, watching.”

  “Ideally, I wouldn’t need any kind of help. Ideally, it would go as smoothly as possible, they’ll give me the file, and then I’ll go on my way.”

  “Yeah,” Logan said, “ideally.”

  He felt his phone vibrate through his pocket. He knew without looking that it was Jackson. It was time to roll out. He asked Holly if she was ready.

  “No,” she said, “but that doesn’t matter.”

  “It does matter. And you’re ready. We’ve been over all the angles, all the code words, the layout of your location. We’ve got my observation nest across the street. We’ve got your tracking device and microphone. Oh”—he reached down under the table and fished the tracking device out of his pocket. It was the size of a grain of rice—“here, I’ll put it on you. Make sure it sticks.”

  Logan got up from his seat and walked around the table, behind her. She giggled and said, “Where?”

  “Hm . . .”

  “Where are you going with that?”

  “Hair is usually the best, along your scalp. They won’t ever see it there.”

  “How about their wand?” Holly said.

  “Their what?”

  “You know, one of those sensors? Those little wands they use like at the airport, waving it over your body to find metal or electronics or whatever.”

  “It won’t find this,” Logan said. “Nothing will, as long as you keep your hands out of your hair.”

  “Hm . . . Okay.”

  “Can I put my hands in your hair?”

  She laughed. “Okay.”

  Logan unwrapped the device from its plastic, his fingers already aching to touch her. He said, “Hmm,” as if he had to actually think about it, as if he wasn’t just about to caress through her hair.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “A little too complicated for you?” She turned around, breathing a quiet sigh. “Come on, let’s go. Stick it in there.”

  “Gladly,” he said, returning his hands to her hair, this time with no laughing between them. His smile faded. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling, remembering.

  13

  Holly

  For clandestine meetup places, the abandoned warehouse was adequately creepy. The pitch dark of it didn’t help, either. Once Holly entered through a hole in the wall on the ground level, she clicked on a headlamp and almost regretted having a clear and illuminated view of gang-style, spray-paint cave markings, broken glass, burnt-out mattresses, and decades of wind-strewn garbage underfoot. All the walls had been removed, only leaving rusted support pillars and spikes of rebar splayed out. Holly could look clear across to the other side of the building, a half mile of asbestos, flaking paint, randomly abandoned scrap.

  Somewhere in the rubble, she would find her Russian contact. Perhaps it would be the man himself, Andrei Godev. Half of her was frightened of that possibility; the other half—the enraged older cousin—wanted to grab him and yell and scream as loud as she could for an incoming squad of DARC men. Wrap Andrei’s wrists in plastic zip-tie cuffs, cover his head with a burlap sack, drag him by his feet across the floor of the warehouse, across the garbage like the piece of trash he was, and then deliver him straight to the FBI, or any confined, secure space. Torture out of him the details of Beth’s whereabouts.

  But Jackson didn’t think that would be a good idea. Especially not a good idea for Beth.

  It wouldn’t be a good idea, either, if Logan had followed as closely as he’d wanted. He kept asking Jackson for a closer following distance. A closer perch. But Godev’s team had made it quite clear that they didn’t want any extra personnel. Beth eventually wouldn’t want that, either.

  Instead, another abandoned building across the street was as far as Jackson would allow their most forward position to wait. Logan. But for how far he was, his vision would be improved with the help of a sniper scope. And his reach, too, would be bolstered by high-caliber rounds.

  Those were the only terms she could think about now. High-caliber rounds, high stakes with Beth. A smooth exchange with Godev’s men so they could speed things along and bring Beth out of captivity. She couldn’t allow herself time to revisit that moment she shared with Logan, perhaps one of their last, his fingers softly combing through her hair, neither of them saying anything, but saying so much. Feeling so much.

  Confusion, mostly. But other things, too.

  What she felt as she moved through the warehouse was a growing sense of fear.

  She remembered the 3D rendering of the building, the pre-planned route through the innards of the warehouse to their meeting place. The stairs they’d hoped still held together. The meeting would take place upstairs, with Andrei and, she hoped, not too many of his goons. She hoped it would last long enough for one of the DARC guys to find their vehicles, sneak over, and attach a tracking device. That’s what that day was really about, the initial stage of setting up a surveillance program, to finally shed some light on those cockroaches.

  The stairs, fortunately, were in decent shape and clear of the disgusting garbage that littered the rest of the floor. What she met on the second floor, however, was a little more unsettling than extra garbage. Once she climbed the top step, the light of her headlamp shone down a narrow corridor. She was entering the offices section of the building, a maze of hallways, doors, and blind corners. Her first few steps were taken slowly, her mind forgetting the planning of where she was supposed to go. Her mind spiraled back to Logan, wondering how close he really was, how effective he could be from that distance and from behind so many of those damn walls.

  The bullets from his sniper rifle could definitely pierce the walls. That was more than evident as she walked past the cracked and flaking drywall. But Logan’s eyes had no access to her. She would have to wait until she entered the meeting room, with its east-facing windows that looked out across the street that separated her and the watchful eyes of her old lover.

  “Stop right there.”

  The voice had come from one of the rooms. Nothing inside but compete darkness. She turned her headlamp into the doorway, and an empty room lit up to a brick exterior wall. No windows. She moved closer to the doorway, seeing more of the room, still not seeing any windows. Still not seeing who had spoken to her.

  At the doorway, she heard the man’s voice again: “Step inside, Holly.”

  She didn’t want to. It was not the room they’d planned on. It was not in Logan’s view. It was, probably, a trap.

  “Why don’t you step out?” she said.

  “If you won’t cooperate . . .”

  Fuck. “I’m cooperating.”

  “You know what will happen.”

  “I know,” she said quietly.

  “Step inside,” he said. “Right in here.”

  She stepped inside, shining her light into the corner to find the sunken-eyed glare of Andrei Godev. She could identify him from an old mug shot, that same steely glare, a network of veins erupting over his forehead. A high widow’s peak. He wore a dress shirt and khakis as if he’d just gotten off work from the office.

  “Thank you,” he said, “for coming. And for coming alone.”

  “Of course,” Holly said, careful not to take a step farther. “I wouldn’t want to risk anything.”

  “That’s exactly
the point, Holly. It would be a huge risk if you told anyone, or brought anyone. Oh, it would be so terrible, I wouldn’t want to even think about it.”

  Holly had thought about it, a lot. How terrible it could be . . .

  “We won’t find anyone, right? Our team?”

  “Your team?”

  “We have men searching the perimeter,” he said, “and beyond. They won’t find anyone with a radio or a gun, right?”

  “No. No way. At least no one affiliated with me.”

  “Who are they affiliated with, then?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Other crackheads? I have no idea, but it’s got nothing to do with me.”

  “Because you haven’t told anyone,” he said, “is that correct?”

  “I haven’t told a single person.”

  “Not even a well-placed sniper?”

  Holly paused for a split second and then remembered that she’d better at least say something to break up the awkward silence that would have perhaps indicated some form of deception. “No.” A sudden trip up over a question like that was a terrible way to begin their exchange. She moved on, hoping to speed past that gaffe. “So, where is it? You have a file for me?”

  “Multiple files. Will you be able to implement this tonight?”

  “Umm . . . No, not tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’ll have to do it at work. If I come in after hours, it’ll arouse too much suspicion.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you’ll arouse something,” he said, suddenly smiling. She almost wanted to turn off her light so she wouldn’t see his teeth any longer. They looked sharp and animalistic, particularly the eyeteeth. A Russian vampire staring back at her.

  “So I’ll do it tomorrow.” She hated the delay, but she hoped it would be worth it. One more day in captivity for Beth, but it would also give DARC a chance to find her and rescue her before anything went down.

  She heard footsteps outside of the room, then turned to see two of Andrei’s bodyguards lumber into the room. They weren’t dragging anyone in with them. Not Beth, not Logan. She guessed that was as good as things would get.

  “Tomorrow is fine,” Andrei said. “But any later than tomorrow, and we’ll have a problem. And I mean, Beth will have this problem.”

  “Don’t worry about it, I’ll do it tomorrow,” she said, the words coming out in a rush. When she was sure the two men weren’t coming too close to her, she turned back to Andrei. “So, where is it? I kind of don’t want to be in here for any longer than I have to.”

  “I really hate that you’re in a rush, Holly. That’s not very nice.”

  “Well, what do you want?”

  “I was hoping to get to know you a little better.”

  “Maybe under better conditions,” she said, peeking back at the guard again. “Tell them to get away from the doorway.”

  “No.”

  Her heart hammered, but she didn’t push the point. That would be a supremely stupid decision. Instead, she tried a different tack. “Where’s the file?”

  Andrei reached into her pocket, and Holly felt her limbs going hot and numb with another wave of panic. Even if she’d had a gun, just the act of holding and aiming without shaking so much would have been a big problem.

  He was still holding the USB stick, waving it across slowly like a magic wand.

  “You made me go through all this and you’re not going to hand it over.”

  Andrei’s eyes grew cold. “You’re lying about not being able to come in to work tonight.”

  “I never said I couldn’t. Just that it would bring about more suspicion that way.”

  “We selected you because you’re one of the rare associates there who can come and go as you please and with unrestricted access. You, as they say, make up your own hours. Isn’t that correct?”

  She nodded.

  “Then you have seventy-two hours to upload these files and deactivate the problem. Then bad things happen.”

  “No problem.”

  “So no more tricks.”

  “Of course,” she said, barking it out. “Why would I be here if I was going to do that?”

  “I can think of reasons,” he said. “Let’s get started with pat-down to make sure you mean what you say.”

  “I mean it. I mean what I say, I’m cooperating. Andrei, I’m scared about Beth, and I don’t care about . . . I don’t care about what you’re doing aside from that. And I don’t care what I have to do to make this trade happen. I can cover those tracks. I can upload this and cover my tracks, and no one will know anything.”

  “Okay,” he said, looking bored and disinterested at the end of her speech.

  “Well?” she said.

  “Okay,” Andrei said again in the same fashion. “Mind if I pat you down?”

  “Why? For what?”

  “To make sure you mean what you’re saying.” Then he spoke some words in Russian before one of his goons came over with an electric wand, turning it on so she could see a glowing red dot on the end.

  “Don’t worry,” Andrei said. “He’s going to do a communications sweep, real quick. Nothing invasive. We don’t believe in anything invasive unless you’re one of our products.”

  She thought about Beth, unwilling to settle her mind on the fact that she was a product of some sort of slavery ring. She could almost hear the screams in the darkness of her mind.

  “And you know what we mean by invasive. Yes?”

  “Yes, I fucking know, you asshole.”

  “You wouldn’t believe all the different kinds of places people can think to hide something like tracking devices, or something else.”

  “Fuck you.”

  The guard waved his wand higher, over her breasts, his hand mere inches away. She made sure he kept him there. “Watch it,” she said. “Andrei, tell your goon in Russian what I’ll do to his hand if he touches me again.”

  Godev smiled. God, that was creepy. “Holly, I assure you, he’s being as professional as possible.”

  The wand went higher, past her face, then over the top her head, back behind, her chest tightening with the worry that she would suddenly hear the sound of the wand indicating that they’d found the tracking device. When would it happen? Where would they find it?

  More importantly, when did Tansy turn it off so it wouldn’t be detected?

  Tansy was the first in a long time to receive that type of blind trust. Jackson, who she’d already held in high esteem, talked him up enough for that to happen. Logan’s recommendation, of course, sealed the deal. The DARC men clearly worked as a team, a solid unit, and she was glad to have them with her, wherever they currently were.

  What was that code word again?

  “Thank you,” Godev said when his guard finished with the surveillance sweep. “We’re almost done.” When the guard backed off her, it was Godev’s turn to move in for his own sweep. No wand, just his hands. “You don’t mind, do you? One last check?”

  She felt his hands at her hips, and she stepped backward into the solid body of one of his guards. Hands behind her pushed her back toward Godev. “Stop it,” she said, trying to spin away. “Stop touching me!”

  “Well, stop moving around so we can get this over with.” He placed his hands on her again, this time, running them behind, up her back. She tried to stay as still as possible. She gritted her teeth. “You know,” he said, “it’s very possible that you’ve turned off the device, so that—”

  “What fucking device!? I don’t have any device!”

  “I know,” he said, “I know,” his hands continuing to travel up and then around, under her arms and—

  “Stop it!” She pushed him away, Godev looking somehow surprised that she wouldn’t let him feel up her breasts. She yelled, “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “I told you, I’m looking—”

  “I know what you’re looking for.”

  He shrugged, like a boy.

  She hoped the device was still powered off so that none
of the DARC guys, especially Logan, could hear what was going on. The last thing she wanted was for him to know that Godev had laid a hand on her. The last thing anyone needed for was this to get any more personal than it already was.

  “Okay,” he said, grinning. “Well, I suppose I trust you.” Then he finally handed her the small, cheap-looking USB device. “There it is. Good luck. Oh, one more thing . . .” Then he pulled out a business card. “Give this number a call when you’re all done. Remember, seventy-two hours, or else we don’t have a deal. Okay? It’s really so simple.”

  “Great,” Holly said through gritted teeth. It took everything she had not to turn her back on the monster and run.

  “Any other questions?”

  “Not a single one.”

  “I have a question,” he said.

  “Hurry up.”

  “We could use someone like you.”

  “Forget it.”

  He continued. “Your looks, your skill. We’ve been needing an American woman. Someone sexy like you to—”

  She did it, reaching back and slapping him across the face. It felt and sounded so satisfying. He stepped back and held the side of his face, then started laughing. “Okay,” he said. “Okay, see? I like that. You’re feisty. We need that, too.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “In fact, maybe we could work out another arrangement. Maybe we could forget this whole file insertion thing, and we’ll insert something else.”

  “Can I go?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  “Fuck off.” And then she turned and walked between the two guards, separating them with a glare. More likely, their boss was indicating to let her pass.

  Feisty, sure.

  “Oh, just one more thing,” Andrei said.

  She stopped, taking a deep breath. She said, “What is it?”

  What could he possibly want?

  What more could he try taking from her?

  Andrei said, “Turn around.”

  She turned, and felt the hard and stinging smack of his hand across her face, the sound of it echoing in the small, windowless room. He hit her so hard it made her teeth sore. His other hand grabbed her throat and shoved her backward, through the door. Holly stumbled, struggling not to fall on her ass. Godev stood there, hands on hips, leering at her. “We’re even now,” he said.