Chapter Fifteen

“T hat’s a mic?” Lucas asked, eyeing the tiny button-like disc Inda held up on the tip of her index finger.

“The tiniest bug you’ll ever see, courtesy of Zane,” she said.

“I still don’t know how you’re going to plant that without them seeing.”

“Have faith. This isn’t my first rodeo.” More like her thousandth. “We should probably go. I want to scope the place out first. Get settled into a good position before they arrive.”

They donned sunglasses and baseball caps to cover their faces and left the hotel through its rear entrance that led straight to the parking lot. It didn’t take long to reach the restaurant, which was already busy. Good. The more people the better. It’s easier to blend in, Inda thought.

Lucas parked the SUV beneath the low-hanging branches of a tree in the back corner of the lot where an employee parking sign was staked in the ground. They had a perfect view of every car entering or leaving via the main driveway.

Inda handed Lucas a small comms unit. “As soon as they arrive, I’m going in. I’ll keep in touch, and when the bug is in place, I’ll let you know. Check to make sure it’s working and then I’ll come back out and we can listen in.”

“If they see you—”

“They won’t. Besides, the only one I’ve had any close interaction with is Selma. That bitch tased me,” she grumbled.

“What if she recognizes you?”

“Stop worrying.”

“Can’t help it,” he grunted.

“Why, Lucas Sheridan,” she said in her sweetest southern accent, batting her lashes. “Are you worried about little ol’ me?”

“Yeah, I am.”

His flat voice meant business, that he wasn’t playing around, and she bit her lower lip as her heart constricted. Other than her team, no one ever worried about her. “That’s sweet, but I can take care of myself. Been doing it since I was seventeen.”

Returning her focus out the windshield, she studied the parade of cars driving in and out. She couldn’t look at Lucas, didn’t want him to see how his words had affected her, so she forced herself to focus on the mission. But there was no denying it—he cared. He’d chosen to stick with her because he truly liked her, and that put her emotions and heart on alert. It made her feel fragile, and that was a weakness she couldn’t allow.

“Hey,” he said softly, reaching over and threading his fingers through hers. “You don’t always have to be so tough.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Inda—”

She pulled her hand away. Vulnerability had never been a good look on her. “Just keep your eyes peeled. They should be here soon.”

“Yeah, right.”

She hated pushing him away, but now wasn’t the time to delve into her twisted past or try to analyze a potential future together. There was too much on the line and she couldn’t let her team down. Besides, revealing what she’d done…

Her stomach churned. Focus, Inda, she scolded herself.

“There’s Carlisle,” Lucas said, nodding to a blue sedan which just entered the lot.

“Roger.” She ditched the ball cap and sunglasses and opened her door. Lucas’ hand shot out, catching her wrist.

“Be careful.”

“Careful is my middle name,” she shot back and slid out.

“I thought it was dangerous.”

With a shrug, she closed the door. Let him wonder.

She hung back briefly, waiting for Carlisle to walk into the restaurant. As soon as he did, she was on the move. Her plan would work even better if it was just him. He had no idea what she looked like, whereas Selma did. All she had to do was slip in, plant the mic and slip right back out. Kid’s stuff.

She pressed the comms unit in her ear. “Heading in.”

“Copy. Be careful.”

“You already said that. Stop worrying,” she murmured, though it made her feel good. Touched her more deeply than she cared to admit.

Inda moved up beside a large group walking through the front door and blended right in with their party. While they stopped in the entranceway as someone spoke to the hostess, Inda veered to the left, scanning the dining room.

Not far away, Carlisle was following another hostess. Inda snaked around tables and chatting diners, keeping a close eye on him as he was led to a corner table in the back of the restaurant. The location was much more private and quiet, which would make it easier to hear what they said, but also meant she needed a solid reason to even approach the table. Carlisle sat down and Inda quickly scanned the space for the perfect props and purpose.

As a plan came into focus, Lucas’ voice crackled in her comms. “The Santiagos just pulled in and are getting out of their car.”

Shit. “Roger,” she responded quietly. Time to move.

Grabbing a white linen napkin from an empty table, Inda placed it over her arm and the hand holding the bug, then sidled past a hostess station and grabbed a bottle of ice water. She walked right up to Carlisle’s table and filled his glass with one hand while her other one disappeared beneath the table and placed the mic underneath.

“Your server will be right with you,” she said pleasantly. He didn’t even glance up at her, just grunted in response. That’s right, asshole, it’s all about you.

Quickly turning away, she put the water and napkin back and disappeared out of sight, walking around the corner that led to the restrooms. She pulled her phone out, pretending to be texting as she casually leaned against the wall and hit her comms.

“Mic is in place. Sound check.”

“I’ve got room tone,” Lucas reported. “Good job, now get out of there.”

“Roger.”

She lingered a moment longer, though, tilting her head and looking across the dining room as the hostess led Marcus and Selma Santiago toward Carlisle’s table. Damn. It would be so easy to take all three of them down at once. They’d fall like dominoes.

Stick to the plan, she told herself. With a final glare in their direction, she walked out the rear exit and jogged across the parking lot, hopping back into the car with Lucas.

“What’d I miss?” she asked.

“Nothing yet.” The bug connected to his phone was on speaker so they could both hear the conversation. “But, I have a feeling things are about to get good. Selma is starting to sound annoyed.”

Inda leaned closer to Lucas’ phone, which sat mounted in a cradle between them. She’d take any excuse to get closer to him, especially so she could breathe in his crisp pine scent.

“I want to know who took out Orlov,” the woman hissed, her voice loud and clear through the tiny speaker.

“It had to have been Ex Nihilo,” a man who Inda pegged as Carlisle responded.

Inda exchanged a look with Lucas. Guess again.

“They were at Orlov’s home in Boston,” she confirmed. “Dammit, how are we supposed to get our hands on the Novichok now?”

“Maybe we should forget about it,” a different male said—Marcus, Selma’s cuckold of a husband. The team knew Selma and Cross Mills were having an affair. Zane and River had witnessed it firsthand.

“Selma wears the pants,” Inda informed Lucas. “In The Agency and her marriage. She’s having an affair with Cross Mills, too.”

“Damn,” Lucas commented.

“No,” Selma argued. “It’s a perfect way to eliminate enemies. The chemical weapon makes the victim’s death look like a heart attack.”

“The Cardinal works, too,” he responded.

Inda perked up. They’d heard a reference to the Cardinal before but had no idea what it meant.

“The Cardinal charges half a million dollars for a hit, Marcus,” she responded tartly.

Oh, shit. Now they knew the Cardinal was a hitman.

“We don’t need the Cardinal. We can take care of them another way,” Carlisle stated confidently.

“How?” Marcus asked. “They’re obviously much more capable and dangerous than anyone gave them credit for. They took out the Mercier twins, for God’s sake. Who else are we going to send in to get the job done? You?”

“How about we send you?” Carlisle snapped back.

“Sounds like there’s trouble in paradise,” Inda murmured, and Lucas nodded.

They continued listening to their conversation, which mostly revolved around them losing the Novichok and how they were going to eliminate Ex Nihilo, but it was the same old bullshit. Nearly an hour later, the trio finally finished dinner and Inda was disappointed they hadn’t revealed new intel she could share with her team. Except for that tidbit on the Cardinal, anyway. After a ton of back and forth, Carlisle finally agreed to deposit more money into the account, but Inda couldn’t miss the reluctance in his voice.

“But, on one condition,” he continued. “Get your shit together. I don’t like pissing my money away with no results.”

“Of course,” Selma responded smoothly. “We’ll be in touch.”

The sound of a single chair scraping across the floor signaled Carlisle’s departure and he walked out the front door a minute later.

“Should we follow him?” Lucas asked.

“No,” she murmured thoughtfully. “I think we should follow the Santiagos.”

“They might all just return to the resort.”

“Maybe,” Inda said, but her gut was saying something else entirely. “Let’s just see what happens next.”

The only sound coming from the mic now was room tone and she had a feeling the Santiagos were on the move. After several minutes, they walked out of the restaurant together, clearly bickering. Standing on the sidewalk, heated words were exchanged. But then Selma said something and Marcus calmed down.

“I wish we could hear them,” Lucas said.

Inda watched them walk over to their car and slip inside. Lucas turned the SUV on and they watched as Marcus pulled out of the driveway, heading away from the resort.

“Follow that Beamer,” Inda ordered. “But don’t let them know they’re being followed.”

Lucas hit the gas. “You want me to drive casual?”

She chuckled. “That would be great.”

They followed the rental BMW at a distance, staying several car lengths behind. The area began to grow more rugged and it wasn’t long before they were in the middle of nowhere.

“Where the hell are they going?” Lucas asked, a frown creasing his brow. “We’re the only cars out here. If they see us—”

“Pull over,” Inda said, pointing. “Over there behind those rocks.”

Lucas parked the SUV behind the cluster of boulders and turned it off. “Now what?”

Not too far ahead, Marcus also stopped, exactly where Inda thought he would. They were in a very scenic section of what must be a park. Utah, especially this area, was famous for its numerous parks and stunning scenery dotted with endless cliffs and mountains. Rock climbing enthusiasts swarmed the region and Inda itched to try it herself.

But first, she wanted to find out what the Santiagos were up to. Of course, it could be something as innocent as watching the sun set in a gorgeous location. Maybe Selma regretted her affair with Cross and wanted to spend time with her husband. However, their heated fight earlier didn’t put much stock in that guess.

“C’mon.” They slid out of the SUV and followed the couple, sticking to the growing shadows and using the shrubbery as cover.

“Maybe they just came to admire the view,” Lucas whispered, echoing Inda’s earlier thought.

“I don’t know.”

Marcus and Selma walked up to the edge of the cliff and, once again, began arguing. Trying to hear their conversation, Inda hurried forward, getting as close as she dared. The couple’s angry voices floated across the breeze, and Inda and Lucas reached the edge of the treeline just in time to see Selma turn.

She had a gun in her hand and didn’t even blink as she shot her husband point-blank. With a surprised shout, Marcus clutched his chest. Selma pulled the trigger three more times and Marcus toppled backwards, right over the edge.

Then she spun around, aiming the pistol in their direction.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Selma called.