Page 116 of Spy With Me
“It’s not the kind of vaccine they give to kids,” Shannonsaid as they moved around the back wall, avoiding the area that led to thekitchen where they had no line of sight. “Mostly military or medicalprofessionals and first responders who might come into contact with it. You andI will die quickly, but with the way the winds blow, everyone in the villagebelow will likely die as well.”
“You think he would destroy this whole place?” Were they onborrowed time or had Zach already taken him out?
“Sweetie, you said it yourself. I believe if that man thinkshe’s going down, he’ll take everyone with him.”
They needed to find Zach and get out of here. She was surethey had brought aheloand hadn’t climbed themountain. Cooper could pilot anything that flew. He would have brought them up.
She was not panicking. She was calm and cool and steady. Shewas Erin and Theo Taggart’s daughter. She was Captain Zach Reed’s fiancée.
No. She stood there for a second, and something deep settledin her.
She was Devi Taggart, the sum of all those parts, but herown person. She was made from everything that happened to her and how shehandled it. She was made from love, but she was her own person.
If she survived, she wasn’t going to sit and wait for somedesign house to notice her.
She would build her own. She would build a house for hercreativity, a home for her soul, and she would let her family help her. A homefor her husband and children built on her strength and her dreams.
But she had to survive first. It had only taken three damnkidnappings, but she was ready to move on with faith in herself and her family.
“Then we have to figure out how to stop him. If he blows theplace up, we won’t exactly have time to get out. The team will have to splitup,” Devi said. “So how do we stop it? If we pull the wires, would that help?”
“We need to find his system.” Shannon’s voice was quiet butcertain. “I’m sure he has one system that controls the entire base ofoperations.”
Devi had paid close attention when she was allowed out ofthe lab. “I think the control room is one floor down.”
Shannon’s head shook. “He wouldn’t keep this in the controlroom. It’s in one of the four rooms that make up his residence. One floor up.That’s where we need to go. That’s where he’ll have it.”
“Do you think it’s possible we can shut it down remotely?”Devi asked.
“I find it hard to believe he doesn’t have a wirelessconnection. He’s obsessed with technology. Being able to remotely detonate isone of the things he wants from me. I told him I couldn’t do it in the time heneeded, but I could,” Shannon admitted. “He wants to be able to stand anywherein the world and have power over some place far away. He’s a megalomaniac. Iknow he’s smart, but his downfall will be his arrogance. He views everything asa game, and he doesn’t imagine he can lose.”
“Then we need to find where he would keep the controls andlet you try to shut it down,” Devi said.
Shannon’s head shook. “Honey, I’m excellent at a lot ofthings, but not computers. I use them but I don’t hack. We need a hacker.”
They were almost to the door, and Devi had the keycard out.“Luckily, I’m pretty sure we have at least one working right now.”
She pressed the key card to the reader but got nothing.“Damn it.”
She was about to turn and tell Shannon they needed a newplan when a face appeared in the window in one of the doors.
Huisman. She gasped and stepped back because… Well, firstbecause it was shocking that anyone was there, and also he was covered inblood, a hole in his forehead.
He grinned, a ghoulish expression, and then slowly peeledoff the hole on his forehead and wiggled it in front of her. “Cesimbeciles.” He winked, and sheworried he had a way in. “Tell your uncle I hope everyone enjoys my countdown.Tick tock. I wish I could have changed the timer, but I still think this willwork. You have less than an hour to find your way out of here, little mouse, orthe whole place falls down. Enjoy the maze.”
She tried the keycard again. Locked. She saw Huisman’sshadow disappear as he made his way to whatever insane exit plan he’d put intoplace.
“He’s already set it in motion,” Shannon said, her voicehollowing out. “Zach needs to get out of here if he can.”
“He won’t. He won’t leave me.” She knew it deep in herbones. If she died here, he would go down trying to save her.
So she had to survive.
“How do we get these doors open?” Devi asked.
“I don’t think we do.” Shannon studied the keycard reader.“I think we need to worry more about the power going out completely and usbeing truly locked in. Once he gets out, I suspect that’s what will happen. Hemight have the bomb on a timer, but he’ll also have some remote way to controlthe rest of the building.”
“Devi!”
