Chapter 33

After pacingaround her apartment most of the night, Kathy Robertson was bone tired and out of ideas.

How could I have possibly been so stupid?

She'd trusted Spencer. She'd trusted his vision for a better country. She'd put her faith in him to bring about that vision. She'd given him unwavering loyalty. Hell, she hadn't so much as blinked when he killed the two men he'd sent after Malone. They'd failed, right? So that meant they were out. Easy peasy.

She wasn't about to fall into the same trap. She'd done everything for the man. She kept his schedule immaculate. She also kept her mouth shut. Sure, she knew about the board and their part in the unfolding plot Spencer was working toward. She wasn't sure how it involved Malone exactly, but overall, it didn't matter. She would be by Spencer's side, making his vision a reality—until one act made her rethink her devotion.

He killed the board.

They'd been with him for years, and he snuffed them out as though they were strangers. She hoped she'd imagined the glee in Spencer's eyes as they took their last breaths, but her stomach roiled. She knew Spencer was an egomaniac, knew he'd kill to bring everything to fruition, but for him to wipe out the people who'd gotten him this far?

Is that how he rewards loyalty?

Once that question had arisen in her mind, more arrived hot on its heels.

Where would he draw the line? What about all the scientists who were working for him? What about everyone who'd fucking bled to help him get to where he was now?

One question took precedence, however.

What about me? AmI safe?

Kathy believed in his dream that their country could be a place where people could become the best versions of themselves. She'd sacrificed more than anyone else, because she wanted that dream to become a reality. Then he committed yet another act, but one so heinous that it made her wonder if the man had any soul at all.

She couldn't come up with an answer that she liked, let alone one that didn't scare the crap out of her.

He killed innocent kids.

If he was willing to do that, what would stop him from killing her too? With as much as she had stored in her head? She'd thought that would be enough to keep her beside him, but after the "removal" of the board, she knew better.

He would discard her as soon as he thought she'd outlived her usefulness.

Kathy stopped pacing, her mind made up.

I'm not going to roll over and play dead for that son of a bitch. It was time to get out before Spencer called in the cleanup crew to dispose of her. After all, she'd kept track of where the bodies were buried—literally—and in her mind, that made for a perfect bargaining chip.

She dressed hurriedly, forgoing her usual crisp cream-colored suit with the black lapels, grabbing instead a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. There seemed little sense in dressing for success anymore.

Nowshe had to dress for survival.

She hustled to the garage, the keys of the capri blue Genesis with glacier white two-tone interior in her hand. Then she paused. Spencer had given it to her, and she'd loved that car, but now she knew better. What if he's done something to it so he can blow it up remotely?Or maybe he's had someone coat the interior surfaces with poison. Once upon a time, she would have called such imaginings paranoid and too fantastical for words, but not anymore. She'd trusted Spencer with her life.

Now she knew the only person she could trust was herself.

She called for a cab and had him drive her to the building on Spencer Court, the name a gift from the city for everything Spencer had done for them. She kept the snort in check.

You have no idea what's coming. What impact it's going to have on all of you.

No idea how many of them could potentially die very soon.

The cab stopped down the street from the office. Kathy paid the driver, tipped him fifty, and asked him to wait for her. His eyes widened when she told him there was another fifty for him if he did this. She got out and power-walked toward the building's main door. She waved at Matt as she passed by the Security booth and got a smile in return. From there it took three minutes to get to the office.

I need to get this done quickly and be out of the building before anyone knows.

She went to her computer and downloaded everything from her important files to a flash drive, which she slipped into her pocket. Then she hurried into Spencer's office. He wouldn't arrive for a few hours—she hoped. Kathy sat at his desk, switched on the computer, and searched for the files. She inserted the device once again, then made copies of what she considered important, but not vital. For what she had planned, she might need everything she could get her hands on.

That left Spencer's private drive, the one she didn't have access to, but the password stymied her. She tried his birthday. She entered his middle name. She even tried his mother's maiden name.

None of them worked. The damned screen told her she had two more attempts before it shut down. Two more attempts before she got noticed, too.

Come on, brain. Think. What would he use as a password?

One idea brought a well-needed trickle of amusement. World domination? But then another thought came to her, sending a shiver through her.

That might work.

She'd never know until she tried. She typed in the ten letters, holding her breath.

WhiteHouse

Relief swamped her when she was granted access. She needed to get the hell out of the building before Spencer came in and found her, and she'd already used up way too much of the time she'd allotted herself. She spent twenty minutes copying as much as she could, then yanked the drive from the computer, stuffed it into her pocket, and scurried back to her own desk. She knew she should leave everything and make a run for it, but she had to take the crystal paperweight she'd bought for herself when she'd gotten the job. It had always reminded her of her mom.

Then she remembered. Take the laptop too. Duh. She shoved it into the messenger bag she'd brought with her, then fastened it up.

Kathy practically flew out the door. She forced herself to breathe normally as she approached the Security booth, doing her best to suck in some calm.

"That was a short one, wasn't it?" Matt quipped. "Wish I had days like that."

She chuckled. "I forgot something on my living room table. Some days I have a mind like a sieve. I'm popping home to collect it, but I should be back before the place opens."

He nodded and opened the gate to allow her to pass. She ran back to the cab, got in, and threw another fifty at the driver.

"Take me to the airport," she told him. "And there's another fifty in it for you if you get me there in fifteen minutes."

"Lady, you got it."

As they sped toward the Santa Ana airport, she almost felt bad for the guy. As soon as Spencer tracked down how she'd left, he'd probably go after the cabbie for details.

Oh, well. At least the cabbie would come out of it alive.

Maybe.

She had nothing but her purse and the clothes on her back. She had to trust that once the right people got her information, they'd take care of her.

Hopefully not in the same way Spencer took care of people.