Page 98 of A Touch of Treachery
“And what does that make me?”Joan asked.
“A friend,” I replied in a soft voice.“Desmond’s friend, I hope.”
Her gaze swung back around to me, then skimmed over the documents, maps, and photos spread across the table.“You found him, didn’t you?You found Desmond and Henrika’s secret lab.”
“Isn’t that what you were counting on?”
Once again, Joan shrugged off my accusation.“Like you said in the honeymoon suite, you know Henrika Hyde better than anyone.”
“And you decided to use me to get your revenge by proxy.”
She shook her head.“Not revenge.Not today.Right now, all I care about is saving Desmond.”
Finally, something we agreed on.
Joan picked up her phone.“Tell me where Desmond is.I’ll text Gia, and she can start assembling the strike teams.”
“No,” I said in a sharp voice.“We’re not telling Gia anything.”
Joan frowned.“Why not?Desmond has already been gone for hours.Henrika won’t keep him alive any longer than necessary.”
“If you tell Gia, General Percy will seize control of the mission.Henrika will cut her losses and kill Desmond as soon as she gets wind of any strike teams closing in on her.”
Joan threw a hand up in the air.“Then what are we supposed to do?”
Gabriel pointed at himself, then me, and finally Joan.“Cleaner, analyst, liaison.We’ve got the Section trifecta right here.And of course, I can also double as a charmer if need be.”
He flashed her a smile.Joan rolled her eyes, then looked at me again.
“Let me get this straight,” she said.“You want me to help you infiltrate Henrika’s secret lab, find and rescue Desmond, and then somehow escape, all without being captured or killed?Oh, and without any Section intel, support, or backup?”
Gabriel’s smile widened.“When you say it like that, you make it sound even more fun.”
Joan rolled her eyes again.
“That’s exactly what I’m asking you to do.”I paused, and it took me a few seconds to swallow the hard knot of worry in my throat.“It’s the only chance Desmond has.We’rethe only chance Desmond has.”
Joan looked at me, her face smooth, her eyes frosty.Once again, I couldn’t tell what she was thinking or feeling, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from begging her to help us.Gabriel was right.This was a three-person job, and I didn’t know what I would do if Joan turned us down.
No, that wasn’t true.I knewexactlywhat I would do: try to rescue Desmond anyway and probably get myself and Gabriel killed in the process.
Joan stood up.My heart sank.She was going to leave.
She sighed, shrugged out of her trench coat, and sat back down.“All right,” she muttered.“Tell me your crazy plan.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
DESMOND
Onceagain,Idriftedalong in the black void of unconsciousness for quite some time.And once again, sensations slowly intruded on that peaceful bubble.
Low voices talking.Rough hands grabbing my arms and legs.Air flowing over my body.My back hitting a hard cushion.Tight bands cinching around my wrists and ankles.
That last one finally roused me to wakefulness.My eyes cracked open, and this time, I found myself staring up at a gray tile ceiling.I tried to roll to the side, but I couldn’t move.The fog dissipated from my mind, the world snapped into focus, and my gut twisted with dread.
I was strapped down to the chair in Henrika’s lab.
Thick, wide plastic bands anchored my wrists to the chair arms, while matching bands lashed my ankles to the metal footrest.I jerked forward, but my bonds were tight, and all I could do was wiggle around in the chair like a rabbit caught in a snare, going nowhere fast.
