Page 42 of A Touch of Treachery
“Good.I’m glad we understand each other.”My father speared me with another hard look.“This is strictly between the two of us, Desmond.Understand?Gia doesn’t need to know about this either.Neither does Charlotte.”
I nodded yet again, still trying to think through the remembered pain skittering through my skin like a live electrical current scorching everything it touched.
“Good,” he repeated.“Go prep for the mission.I’ll find you later.Dismissed.”
I spun around and left the office.My father had given me a mission, but for the first time in my life, I wasn’t going to complete it.Icouldn’t—not if I wanted to be able to live with my own conscience.
The General wanted me to eliminate Henrika?Okay.As soon as Charlotte got her answers from the other woman, then I would follow his orders and kill Henrika.But I was going to destroy every single sample of Redburn that I found before the formula could fall into the wrong hands—including my father’s.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
DESMOND
StillplottinghowIcould keep the General or anyone else from getting their hands on any samples of Redburn, I rode the elevator down to the sixth level.
The armory always reminded me of a massive department store that carried everything a spy could ever need.Shelf after shelf of weapons, tech, gadgets, and clothes stretched out as far as I could see, and the entire floor was divided into large squares cordoned off with clear bullet- and magic-resistant glass walls to keep any stray weapons fire, smoke bombs, or explosions from escaping and hitting anyone walking past.
Joan was in a square close to the elevator, plucking guns, knives, and ammunition out of an open metal locker and laying them on a table.Charlotte’s arms were crossed over her chest, and she was watching Joan with a wary expression.Diego was also here, swiping through screens on his tablet and cataloging the weapons and ammo.
Joan waved her hand over the table like a magician unveiling a trick.“I got all your favorites, Dez.”
I nodded at the assortment of weapons.“An impressive spread, as always.”
Joan jerked her thumb over at some suitcases on the floor.“Your suitcases have the usual secret lead-lined compartments.Henrika will no doubt have her security team search your luggage, but she did say you could bring all the toys you wanted.”
“Yes, I suppose it’s no fun if the prey you invite into your death trap isn’t armed to the teeth,” I muttered.
Joan shrugged, then gestured over at a single gun on another table.“Are you sure you don’t want to take more weapons, Charlotte?You never know what might happen.”
“I’m not a cleaner, so I’m not nearly as deadly as Desmond,” Charlotte replied.“If I can’t think my way out of a situation, then using a weapon will be a last resort.”
Joan shook her head.“Your loss.”
Diego grinned at the liaison.“You love this, don’t you?Picking out just the right gear for the mission.”
Joan returned his grin with an even wider one of her own, and the ice-blue aura around her heart pulsed with happiness.It had been a long time since I’d seen her look so relaxed, and her good mood lightened my own.
“Absolutely!It’s like being a personal shopper for a bunch of badasses who have access to the best toys money can buy.”Joan waggled her eyebrows.“Speaking of toys ...”
She moved away from the weapons locker, opened a glass door in the wall, and stepped into the next square.Charlotte, Diego, and I followed her.This area was filled with racks of clothes in different colors, sizes, and styles, from luxurious cashmere sweaters to classic black tuxedos to glittering sequined gowns.
Joan looked at Diego.“What’s the weather supposed to be like?”
The tech guru hit some buttons on his tablet.“Cold and blustery.A big storm is supposed to move in tomorrow, Saturday afternoon.The forecasters are predicting a foot of snow, maybe more.”
Charlotte grimaced.“That sounds like the Tannenbaum mission.”
It had snowed quite heavily during the Christmas Eve party, which had been great for the mercenaries, as it had cut off easy access to Tannenbaum Castle, and bad for Charlotte and me because it had taken so long for help to arrive.
“We survived that storm,” I said.“We’ll survive this one too.”
Charlotte smiled, but her eyes remained dark and troubled, and the aura around her heart dimmed with doubt.
Armed with the weather forecast, Joan plucked one garment after another off the racks and laid them on two separate tables, along with shoes, jewelry, and other accessories.
“I’ve reviewed the Winterfest schedule posted on the website,” Joan said.“The daytime events are all casual, but there’s a formal themed party each night.”
“Of course there is,” Charlotte muttered.
