Page 64 of Spy With Me
TJ let out what could be described as a horror-movie screamwhen that goose got one of his fingers.
“Don’t you dare shoot that goose, TJ,” Lou yelled.
That was when she noticed Kala had a hand on the chicken.She was petting Miss Rachel, and a big smile came over her face as TJ startedrunning.
“You go, Caleb. Get him,” Kala shouted.
“She’s cool now.” Cooper held a hand out to his brother.“You can let her go.”
Zach sighed and took his brother’s hand. “Sorry. I wasn’ttrying to hurt her. I was doing my best to not.”
He looked awkward, and Zach almost never seemed awkward.Except when he was emotional. He was only awkward around people he cared about.Loved. There was no question he loved his brother.
Cooper’s head shook, and he pulled Zach in for a manly hug.“I know that. She doesn’t really want to hurt you either. She’s worried aboutDevi and some of the shit we’re hearing about Huisman. Come on. And Lacey wasnot in the house when we went in, so I would bet she saw us coming and ran.Probably thought we were cops or something.”
Zach hugged him after a moment’s hesitation. She could feelher Dom’s relief as he passed the rope to Cooper.
Lou ran out to help TJ.
Devi did not because her brother could use the cardio. Heate a lot. The only way to counter the insane amount of food he ate was cardio.
“Lacey wouldn’t have left.” She was worried now.
Zach stepped back and let Cooper handle his wife. He got therope from around her, and Kala managed to stand up with the chicken in herarms. Miss Rachel looked around as though approving of her suddenly heightenedposition. A couple of the other chickens were clucking like they were jealous.
“No, she wouldn’t have,” Zach agreed and reached for herhand. He threaded their fingers together.
“Who is Lacey? I don’t want some cover. Who is she really?”Kala asked, brushing off her tactical pants with her free hand. “She’scertainly not some sweet animal activist. Though you should know I do approveof the attack goose. It’s kind of evil. Build a sanctuary for animals and trainthem all to be your army.”
One of the big mastiffs lumbered up and walked to Devi,looking for a pet. She used her free hand. “Yeah, see, so brutal. Lacey didn’tmean to get involved in international espionage. She just wanted to save abunch of animals. And the planet. Her mom is active in…well, activism. And youshould meet Arthur. He’s the vet. Also involved in animal rights.”
Kala sighed and turned. She was covered in mud but calmernow that she had something to pet. “Well, good for them. I would like to meetthem. I can’t find pictures of these people. She has no socials and no trace ofher on the web. Lou can’t find her. That tells me one of two things.”
“It should tell you she’s smart,” Zach replied. “Do youthink I haven’t vetted her?”
“How can you vet her, Zach? How do you vet someone whodoesn’t exist?” Kala asked.
Devi didn’t see the problem. “I mean you don’t exist. Likeyour constructthingeedoes, but I was told theyscrubbed you from existence. Your birth certificate doesn’t exist.”
And yet here she was.
“Of course my birth certificate exists.” Kala frowned. “Imean I think my mom has it somewhere. What doesn’t exist is any realinformation on me anywhere except in the records of the Agency. Which isprecisely why I want to meet Lacey.”
Zach looked worried for the first time. He was always sosure of Lacey. “She’s been more than helpful. She’s saved my life a couple oftimes. I don’t think she’s spying for some foreign agency. She’s managed towork her way into Disrupt Europe. She’s looking for Huisman, too. Now tell mewhat you did with her because if you didn’t kill her, she would be here.”
“She wasn’t there,” Kala said with a stare. And then shegrinned, watching as TJ ran past the cows, goose still in full pursuit. “That’sa Highland cow. Lou went on and on about them. Shaggy cows. Cute.”
There were two things that could distract her cousin. Cooperand cute animals. Lucky for her they were both here. “Aren’t they the best?Lacey names all the animals. That’s Mel and Cass. And Lacey went into that roomI’m not supposed to know about. She said she picked up some intel in town andmight be a while. She wasn’t sure she would have time to cook dinner, so Ioffered to make a salad or something.”
Zach dropped her hand. “She’s in the comms room. It’s also asafe room. You need a code to get in and out. Fuck. You also need power. Didyou turn it off, Kala?”
“I didn’t. Lou did,” Kala admitted. “It was the only way shecould cut the phone and Internet, too. She said it’s all wired weird. Or wiredby paranoid spies.”
“She’s not a spy,” Zach insisted as he started to move. “Notthe way you think. I’m going to get the power back on and let her out and tryto explain why my whole team is here.”
Zach strode away.
Lou was a bit out of breath when she rejoined them. “TJmight be lost to us now. I’m going to be honest, when I read Jane Austen anddreamed about running around moors in the UK, there was never a gooseinvolved.”
