Page 64 of Wired Ghost

Sophie stood back and assessed herself in the mirror. She looked smart, powerful, well put together, and in control. Gone were the days of wearing yoga pants and carrying a knapsack filled with tech equipment; Sophie was a female CEO in the male-dominated world of private security, and she needed to look professional—especially today.

Sophie walked into the lower level conference room with the long stride of a confident woman in a hurry, her head up and her expression annoyed. “Agent McDonald,” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

She did not have to do much acting to seem surprised. McDonald, a portly man prone to loud aloha wear with the reddened nose of a drinker, had been her handler at the CIA during their attempt to recruit her some years ago. She’d neither seen nor heard from him since.

“We’re here to interview you on a matter of national security. “McDonald gestured to another man seated next to him. “This is Special Agent Pillman of the FBI.”

“I know who you are,” she said, as Pillman, gray-haired and pale-eyed, held up a credential wallet. She disliked the agent heartily. He’d worked for Internal Affairs when she’d been with the FBI, and he’d been particularly rough on her friend Lei Texeira during an investigation. “More importantly, what are you two doing in my building? I’m supposed to be giving a deposition.”

McDonald leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers, with their short, bitten nails, over his belly. “Ah. That, my dear, was a fabrication. We needed you to come back to the states on a matter of national security.”

“So you say.” Sophie had to keep an upper hand as long as she could; the men’s relatively relaxed demeanor told her that Raveaux’s warning to her had not yet been detected.She could add to his credibility with them.“That bastard Raveaux must be your plant. Remind me to fire him on your way out.”

“Don’t blame the man too much; he’s a guest in our country and wants to stay here.” McDonald hadn’t brushed his teeth after lunch, and a bit of parsley set off his grin.

“I will be recording these proceedings.” Sophie took her phone out of her pocket.

Agent Pillman stood up, and, faster than she would have believed, reached across the table and plucked it out of her fingers. He tossed it to McDonald. “Still unlocked. You can check her last calls.”

“Hey!” Sophie exclaimed, even as Pillman twisted an arm behind her back and forced her, face down, over the table. He frisked her one-handed, efficient and harsh.

“She’s clean.” Still keeping Sophie’s arm twisted up, he moved her over to sit down on a chair, and then zip-tied her hands behind it.

“I’ll scream for help,” Sophie said. “This is a security firm. You’d be taken down in minutes.”

“No you won’t call out,” McDonald said. “Because we have your daughter and your nanny, and they won’t like where we put them if you don’t cooperate.”

Bile surged up Sophie’s throat. “No.”

Her mind scrabbled to make sense of this. She’d just called the island; had spoken to Connor and Armita, both. There hadn’t been time for anyone to be captured. These men were bluffing.

But they’d tipped their hand that they planned to grab Armita and Momi to guarantee her cooperation, and Sophie hadn’t planned for that. “I feel sick.”

“Lean over and puke if you have to. You’ve got a cleaning service.” Pillman walked over and locked the door. “We’ve already checked for bugs in here—nothing but ours.”

“How dare you,” Sophie growled.

“Drop the princess act, Sophie.” McDonald poured himself some water from the carafe Paula had helpfully left on the table. “Your daddy can’t help you now. You’re being investigated for aiding and abetting an international fugitive.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Connor, that’s who we’re talking about. The cyber vigilante who calls himself the Ghost, and several other names, all of whom are now ‘deceased.’” McDonald made air quotes. “We want to know all you can tell us about him and his operation.”

“I can’t tell you anything, because I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, Sophie. We know you were lovers. We know all about the Todd Remarkian/Sheldon Hamilton switcheroo. Don’t play coy with me. This guy is bad news, almost as bad as your mother.”

“Now that’s just rude,” Sophie said. “I want a lawyer.” She pursed her lips and set her chin, glaring at both of them.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of the Patriot Act,” Pillman said. “You don’t get a lawyer, sweet cheeks.”

Thank God Raveaux had warned her.Thank God, and thank you, Pierre Raveaux!Walking into this trap unaware would have been even worse than walking into it knowing she was in for a rough time.

The door blew open with no warning, banging back to hit the wall with a boom. Two burly men in black Security Solutions uniforms held a door cannon, while another two moved in, weapons drawn.

Pillman and McDonald reached for their handguns.

“Hands up!” The Security Solutions section leader, an experienced ex-military officer named, Janner, barked out.

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