Page 108 of Spy With Me
Three small bombs he meant to explode midair over threeheavily populated cities here in Asia.
Shannon turned from her place at the high table where she’dbeen working diligently. Or rather seemed to be working diligently. Devihappened to know Zach’s mother could have finished this project two days beforebut she kept putting it off, forcing Huisman to collect more “parts.”
She’d done a good job of buying them a little time. Time forZach and the team to move into place and make plans.
Devi had to hope they were out there and they’d worked theirmagic. Last night when she’d been allowed to go to the loading docks to pick upa package for Shannon, she’d taken a chance. She’d stopped in front of one ofthe CCTV cams to tie her shoe and flashed a peace sign, hoping her brotherwould remember the signals she and Bri and Daisy used when they were younger.She hoped it told TJ that she was safe and they could take their time. Rushingin might get someone killed. It was all she thought about when she lay awake atnight. She thought about her cousins dying. Her brother dying.
Zach’s big body cold and still.
“I need to…” Shannon began.
Huisman held up a hand. “I need you to think about whatyou’re going to say next. If it’s anything beyondyes, sir, it’s readywe might have a problem. My patience only lasts so long. Your son is comingsoon. My men are picking him up in the village below us. They can treat himwith care or they can be careless with him. It’s up to you. I need him alive,but I don’t need him unharmed.”
Devi’s stomach threatened to turn. She’d spent her daysmostly locked in this lab with her future mother-in-law. She’d only beenallowed out to gather things Shannon needed or when they ate in the smalldining hall. Then they were shadowed by guards. For the most part, they’d beenleft alone to work. There was a guard on the door, and they had to deal withHuisman’s creepy check-ins.
They’d been offered separate rooms to sleep in, but Shannoninsisted on keeping them together. She didn’t even like sending Devi off tograb the parts she needed. Zach’s mom was watching over her like she wassomething precious.
Of course Devi had to protect her, too. Zach’s father wasalmost always around. Always watching Shannon with greedy eyes.
And now Zach was coming.
She knew deep down he wouldn’t be coming alone. Things wereabout to get complex.
“They’re ready. All you have to do is slide the canistersin. They’re wired to respond to the detonation and will release in an umbrellapattern that will give you maximum coverage.” Shannon’s arms crossed over herchest. “Why do you need my son? I told you I would do what you wanted.”
“Ah, but you didn’t do what I wanted,” Huisman said, facingoff with her. “I wanted you to teach me how to make the bombs. I wanted you todocument your process.”
“I couldn’t do that and get them done in time. You gave me afew days to basically invent a new system. The bomb itself wasn’t made todisperse biological weapons.” Shannon seemed fragile at first, but now Deviunderstood how strong the woman was. “I assume you’ll want more at some point.”
Huisman stared at her like he was trying to decide how therest of this conversation was going to go. If Devi had learned one thing aboutthis man, it was that he was mercurial. Cautious one moment. Utterly recklessthe next. “You assume correctly, and that is the only reason I don’t kill younow. Well, that and I’m going to need leverage to get the captain to do mybidding.”
The reality hit Devi. This had been his plan all along.“You’re going to make him do it, aren’t you? You’re going to make him drop thebombs.”
“Well, I’m certainly not going to do it myself. I’m going totie Captain Reed to the Chinese and implicate his boss, Ian Taggart, as well.It shouldn’t be too hard. His wife has Russian syndicate ties,” Huismanexplained with a smirk. “Most of the materials you used in those bombs werebrought to me by that same syndicate. You’ll find that mobsters don’t take thetime to vet who’s paying them. They don’t care, but I do. There’s a cleartrail. Tying him to the Chinese and making your uncle look like a double agentwill be far trickier, but I think there are some people at the Agency who willbelieve anything to get Ian Taggart behind bars and out of their lives.”
She was horrified because she knew he was right. There werepeople in the Agency who would love to see her uncle fall. “Zach won’t do it.”
One shoulder shrugged. “Then he will watch you die in ahorrible way.”
“If he has to choose between me and a million people, Iassure you he’s going to choose the people,” Devi said and realized her mistakethe moment she made it. She’d been so good at keeping her damn mouth shut, butshe was starting to fray. Something would happen and it would happen soon.
Huisman turned on her like a predator scenting prey. “Thenhe will not be useful to me either, and I will still find a way to pin it onhis dead body. Do I make myself clear? Miss Taggart, this is not a negotiation.If Captain Reed complies, you will be allowed to leave. He will be allowed toleave. I would honestly rather have him alive and on the run, but I can manageit. So if you care about him at all, you will cry prettily and convince him.”
She wouldn’t. She would try to save them both, but shewasn’t about to allow Zach to kill millions of people to save her own skin.
“He’ll do it.” Shannon moved between them. She did it a lot.She placed herself between Devi and whoever was coming at them. “I assure youmy son will do anything to save his fiancée. He’ll get it done for you.”
Huisman stared at her for a moment, the air ripe withpotential violence. “He better, and Ms. Reed, if those bombs do not work, Iwill let your ex have you. I’ve kept him on a leash. For an old man he stillhas quite the sexual drive.”
“They will work,” Shannon replied, the tremor in her voicethe only sign she was affected by his words.
“You should hope so. I will inform you when your son ishere. Perhaps seeing you will make it easier for him to make the correctchoice.” Huisman turned and walked out.
Devi got a glimpse of the guard outside the door and then itclicked closed again.
“We can’t let Zach use those bombs.”
Shannon reached out and took her hand. Her voice went low.“You are going to let Zach do what he needs to do to get you out of here. If Icould have found a way to fake the bombs, I would have, but he’s monitored usfar too closely, and despite what I said he could probably reverse engineer itat this point. He’s had a camera watching us for days. The last few adjustmentsI obscured with my body, but it won’t take much for him to figure out what Idid.”
