The Operator
Page 110
“You’re never going to get it, Michael,” she said, feeling drained as the words passed her lips. “Helen is holding your leash now instead of Bill. Kill me, and your chance for acceleration is gone. I can give you what you want, but you’re too scared to take it,” she accused, and he turned stiffly. “You’re afraid. Just like those old men you hate so much. You hear me? I got what you want, and nohow are you going to get it unless Silas is safe. Never.”
He pointed a finger at her, a lifetime of being told no on him. “I’m not letting you out.”
Because he was afraid of her. “Send Silas for it,” she said, concentrating on making the words come out right. Please stay alive, please. “He knows where it is. He can put it somewhere only I know about.” She forced her wandering gaze back to him. “And when I’m sure he’s safe, we’ll go collect it and see just who is the better agent, Mickie.”
Michael didn’t move, poised in the center of the room, thinking. Scared he wouldn’t go for it, she blew him a kiss and eased herself all the way down to the cold floor, pillowing her head on the wadded-up WEFT jacket. She had no intention of getting Silas involved other than getting him free. But the seed had been planted. It would fester until he pulled it out or it grew into full paranoia.
“I don’t have access to Silas,” he said. “I’ll send Harmony instead.”
Tension zinged through her. “No.” She rolled over onto her back, feigning indifference as relief swept through her. There was a grate in the ceiling, too tiny to fit through. “I’m not getting her involved anymore.”
“Harmony tried to kill me yesterday and got herself caught.” Michael ambled back to her fencing. “She’s involved up to her cornrows.”
Shit. Peri turned her head, a wave of dizziness blurring her vision. When it cleared, Michael was swiping through his phone, smiling as he turned it to show her a picture. Peri’s eye twitched as she took in Harmony’s anger and frustration in what looked like an Opti cell. Damn it all to hell and back.
Silas was bad enough, but Harmony? Harmony hadn’t asked for this. She had not only helped her stay out of Steiner’s cage but had risked her career doing it. Peri didn’t care Harmony’s motive had been to bring in Michael and save her career—she had trusted Peri to remain true to her word when she had every reason to think otherwise. That this trust had put her in danger, a cage like the one she’d gotten Peri out of, was intolerable. Peri never abandoned those she worked with. Jack didn’t count. He had turned his back on her first.
Michael turned the phone and studied the photo. “She’d be fun to play with.” Smiling, he closed out the app and tucked the phone away. “Here’s the deal,” he said as he crouched before the fencing and Peri sat up. “You stay right here. I send Harmony and Jack—”
“Jack!” she blurted, and Michael grinned at her sudden flash of anger.
“He was with Harmony. I’m guessing they were aiming for you? But Jack is good backup. He’ll continue to play both sides of the fence,” he said smugly. “You gotta love Opti conditioning. They collect the accelerator. Bring it to me. And if it works, I let you all go.”
Fat chance. Even higher than a cirrus cloud, she knew better than that. “They collect the accelerator, call me, and I tell them where to drop it. Once I know they’re safe, I’ll take you to it,” Peri countered. I’ll get you out, Silas. I promise.
Michael inclined his head in thought. “Okay.” He took a surveillance camera from his pocket, one suitable for tucking atop a blind or under a TV. “But if your friends show up, I’m killing them all,” he said as he toggled on the tiny battery with a pen tip.
Peri grimaced. Harmony wasn’t getting anywhere near the accelerator currently tucked into the gearshift of her Mantis. “What about Silas?”
“Your credit isn’t that good. I can get you Harmony. That’s it. Yes or no.”
Peri grasped the chain link, trying to think around the drugs he’d pumped into her. She had little time to figure out how to get Silas in the mix to even the odds, but she wasn’t giving Michael anything unless Silas had a chance. “You give me no choice,” she finally said.
He shifted the chair back another foot, eyed her, then pulled it back some more. “Good.”
Her pulse quickened as he set the camera up on the clutter and strode to the door, his pace fast with intent. It screamed a protest as he opened it, but then the door slammed shut and the light clicked off, leaving her in thick darkness broken by the muffled sound of Michael giving orders.
Peri let go of the fencing. Slowly a crack of light showed from under the door as her eyes adjusted. Slumping, she sat where she was, pulling Helen’s coat tight around her again.
Evocane shot—check. Implant the idea I’m Michael’s ticket to remembering his drafts—check. Ascertain where Silas is . . . unknown but currently alive. He was alive. Her first hour of captivity had gone as well as she could have hoped.
Somehow, though, as she thought of Silas and Harmony, it didn’t feel like a win.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
Somewhere between searching for Peri’s cell tower pings and scanning blurry plates from the tollbooth records, it had gotten dark. Bill pushed back from his desk, eyes smarting from the bright glow of his laptop. Past the big plate glass windows, Boston was just beginning to glitter against the bay. He cracked his neck, thick fingers pushing his notes and maps aside so he could think. The afternoon spent looking for shadows of Peri on the I-95 corridor had been met with minimal success. It was as if she had dropped off the face of the earth, even his request for a ping on her radioactive tag culminating in nothing. He couldn’t believe she’d gone into hiding. Not to mention giving up on her revenge against Jack. It wasn’t like her and would mean she’d not only bucked the deep-set conditioning he’d installed that she never be alone, but she’d divorced herself from her ingrained loyalty to those she worked with as well. It was the loyalty that made her the perfect, easy-to-manipulate agent, but it was her need for revenge that convinced him she hadn’t given up and simply gone ghost.
“Maybe I’m going about this the wrong way,” he murmured, reaching for the intercom. “Sean? Are you here?”
He pointed a finger at her, a lifetime of being told no on him. “I’m not letting you out.”
Because he was afraid of her. “Send Silas for it,” she said, concentrating on making the words come out right. Please stay alive, please. “He knows where it is. He can put it somewhere only I know about.” She forced her wandering gaze back to him. “And when I’m sure he’s safe, we’ll go collect it and see just who is the better agent, Mickie.”
Michael didn’t move, poised in the center of the room, thinking. Scared he wouldn’t go for it, she blew him a kiss and eased herself all the way down to the cold floor, pillowing her head on the wadded-up WEFT jacket. She had no intention of getting Silas involved other than getting him free. But the seed had been planted. It would fester until he pulled it out or it grew into full paranoia.
“I don’t have access to Silas,” he said. “I’ll send Harmony instead.”
Tension zinged through her. “No.” She rolled over onto her back, feigning indifference as relief swept through her. There was a grate in the ceiling, too tiny to fit through. “I’m not getting her involved anymore.”
“Harmony tried to kill me yesterday and got herself caught.” Michael ambled back to her fencing. “She’s involved up to her cornrows.”
Shit. Peri turned her head, a wave of dizziness blurring her vision. When it cleared, Michael was swiping through his phone, smiling as he turned it to show her a picture. Peri’s eye twitched as she took in Harmony’s anger and frustration in what looked like an Opti cell. Damn it all to hell and back.
Silas was bad enough, but Harmony? Harmony hadn’t asked for this. She had not only helped her stay out of Steiner’s cage but had risked her career doing it. Peri didn’t care Harmony’s motive had been to bring in Michael and save her career—she had trusted Peri to remain true to her word when she had every reason to think otherwise. That this trust had put her in danger, a cage like the one she’d gotten Peri out of, was intolerable. Peri never abandoned those she worked with. Jack didn’t count. He had turned his back on her first.
Michael turned the phone and studied the photo. “She’d be fun to play with.” Smiling, he closed out the app and tucked the phone away. “Here’s the deal,” he said as he crouched before the fencing and Peri sat up. “You stay right here. I send Harmony and Jack—”
“Jack!” she blurted, and Michael grinned at her sudden flash of anger.
“He was with Harmony. I’m guessing they were aiming for you? But Jack is good backup. He’ll continue to play both sides of the fence,” he said smugly. “You gotta love Opti conditioning. They collect the accelerator. Bring it to me. And if it works, I let you all go.”
Fat chance. Even higher than a cirrus cloud, she knew better than that. “They collect the accelerator, call me, and I tell them where to drop it. Once I know they’re safe, I’ll take you to it,” Peri countered. I’ll get you out, Silas. I promise.
Michael inclined his head in thought. “Okay.” He took a surveillance camera from his pocket, one suitable for tucking atop a blind or under a TV. “But if your friends show up, I’m killing them all,” he said as he toggled on the tiny battery with a pen tip.
Peri grimaced. Harmony wasn’t getting anywhere near the accelerator currently tucked into the gearshift of her Mantis. “What about Silas?”
“Your credit isn’t that good. I can get you Harmony. That’s it. Yes or no.”
Peri grasped the chain link, trying to think around the drugs he’d pumped into her. She had little time to figure out how to get Silas in the mix to even the odds, but she wasn’t giving Michael anything unless Silas had a chance. “You give me no choice,” she finally said.
He shifted the chair back another foot, eyed her, then pulled it back some more. “Good.”
Her pulse quickened as he set the camera up on the clutter and strode to the door, his pace fast with intent. It screamed a protest as he opened it, but then the door slammed shut and the light clicked off, leaving her in thick darkness broken by the muffled sound of Michael giving orders.
Peri let go of the fencing. Slowly a crack of light showed from under the door as her eyes adjusted. Slumping, she sat where she was, pulling Helen’s coat tight around her again.
Evocane shot—check. Implant the idea I’m Michael’s ticket to remembering his drafts—check. Ascertain where Silas is . . . unknown but currently alive. He was alive. Her first hour of captivity had gone as well as she could have hoped.
Somehow, though, as she thought of Silas and Harmony, it didn’t feel like a win.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
Somewhere between searching for Peri’s cell tower pings and scanning blurry plates from the tollbooth records, it had gotten dark. Bill pushed back from his desk, eyes smarting from the bright glow of his laptop. Past the big plate glass windows, Boston was just beginning to glitter against the bay. He cracked his neck, thick fingers pushing his notes and maps aside so he could think. The afternoon spent looking for shadows of Peri on the I-95 corridor had been met with minimal success. It was as if she had dropped off the face of the earth, even his request for a ping on her radioactive tag culminating in nothing. He couldn’t believe she’d gone into hiding. Not to mention giving up on her revenge against Jack. It wasn’t like her and would mean she’d not only bucked the deep-set conditioning he’d installed that she never be alone, but she’d divorced herself from her ingrained loyalty to those she worked with as well. It was the loyalty that made her the perfect, easy-to-manipulate agent, but it was her need for revenge that convinced him she hadn’t given up and simply gone ghost.
“Maybe I’m going about this the wrong way,” he murmured, reaching for the intercom. “Sean? Are you here?”
