LITMIR.BIZ

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to Dylan’s room. He was sleeping quietly now, his arm wrapped around that panda of his. He looked sweet, innocent and just enough like Kane to make her heart break. Neither she nor Kane were innocent, but they’d vowed to protect the world so that more people could be. What had happened to radically change Kane?

      Ano hadn’t changed in the year since Sasha had seen her boss. Ano moved into the room as if she owned it. She was a tall woman, almost six feet, and her brilliant auburn hair was pulled back in a sleek-looking ponytail. Her eyes radiated the kind of quiet intelligence that Sasha respected. Sasha and Orly had made good time in the Aston Martin that Kane had given her as a wedding present.

      A.R.C. headquarters was located in the Trafalgar Square section of London. Trendy nightclubs surrounded them. Sasha couldn’t have felt more out of place if she’d tried. This was a world away from her quiet life of playing in the park with Dylan and talking to B and B owners about room security.

      This was the game she’d left behind before it chewed her up anymore and spit her out. Sasha felt an odd sense of déjà vu. She’d never expected to be here again. Reconciling the conflicting emotions wasn’t easy.

      “Nightshade, it’s good to see you,” Ano said. She gestured for Sasha to take a seat in one of the brocade guest chairs.

      But was it good for her? Sasha wondered. She was a mother now, a wife. In the old days she’d never left the house without her gun, her GPS unit and her two-way radio. These days she never left without baby wipes, a pacifier and a plastic container of Cheerios. “Thanks, Ano. I’m not exactly happy to be here.”

      “Given the circumstances, I understand.” There was compassion and a bit of doubt in Ano’s eyes.

      Sasha took the compassion and ignored the doubt. She had her own trepidation about taking on this assignment. But overriding that gut reaction was the reality that she wouldn’t let anyone else go after Kane.

      “Your mission is to retrieve Agent Sterling and do some recon on Townsend to identify his location.”

      Her gut tightened at the thought of retrieving Kane. She still had so many questions.

      “Why is Kane out there?”

      “Our intel didn’t say. Only that he took the STAR list.”

      Sasha inhaled sharply. That list was an extensive database that was used by all global intelligence agencies. It held the location of all the safe houses the agencies used and a list of code words. If the list were compromised, there would be no way to warn all the agents in the field until it was too late. Kane held the lives of agents all over the world in his hands. No wonder he was wanted back. “Why?”

      “Townsend wants it in return for the hostages he’s holding.”

      “Kane wouldn’t—”

      “Forget about your husband, Nightshade. This is a rogue agent. Sterling needs to be brought in. Is it going to be you or should I send someone else?”

      Ano didn’t pull her punches but then Sasha hadn’t expected her to. Sasha closed her eyes and searched inside herself. The world disappeared and she found the quiet place that she always visited before a mission.

      Each time it was the same, she realized. Her doubts and fears weren’t new; she’d always questioned if she was ready to go out and face an enemy who was willing to kill her to achieve his objective. And this time she knew with utter certainty that she was the only agent who had a stake in keeping Kane alive.

      “I’m the agent for this job,” she said quietly.

      Ano didn’t say anything, but steepled her fingers and watched Sasha. Sasha had no idea what Ano was hoping to find in her expression, but when Ano nodded Sasha knew she’d found it.

      Ano passed her a manila folder. She opened it and skimmed the contents. Kane had walked out of HMIA’s headquarters twenty-four hours ago, leaving behind his shield and agency-issued guy. He’d taken the STAR list on a microchip and knocked out three guards.

      His current position wasn’t known, but American Renegade Company had a lead from one of their sources that indicated Kane was headed to Southampton, a port town south of London.

      “I’ll start in Southampton,” Nightshade said.

      “Agreed. I’ve got Charity and Justice down there now. They haven’t been able to pick up his trail.”

      “I can.”

      Ano smiled for the first time since Nightshade had entered the room. “I know. What do you need?”

      “Access to your databases and satellites.”

      “Weapons or backup?”

      “Dad packed my weapons bag. I’ve got handguns, rifles and probably a few other surprises. Orly’s the only backup I need.”

      “Nightshade?”

      Sasha glanced back over her shoulder. “I brought this to you because you are the only one who can do it.”

      Sasha nodded and walked out the door. She knew that deep inside her seethed a kind of darkness that had been waiting a long time to get out again.

      She and Orly were just south of London near the docks at Southampton. The area comprised mainly warehouses and berths for large shipping vessels. Nightshade left Orly behind in their mobile computer-information center and headed for the warehouse where she’d determined Kane would be. Charity and Justice were working the town, talking to contacts and trying to find a lead.

      It had been a long day of fruitless searches, and Nightshade realized that she’d forgotten the tediousness of undercover work. It was 2100 hours and she was glad to finally have a solid lead. A man matching Kane’s description had been seen in a tavern in this area earlier today.

      She’d called her dad a few minutes ago and sung Dylan his bedtime song—“Mockingbird”. His sweet little voice babbling nonsense words had calmed her. And had made her more determined to find Kane. Damn the man, he was a father. He couldn’t take these kinds of risks anymore.

      Now she left behind the last traces of Sasha and transformed herself into Nightshade. She focused on the transition, letting all her senses grow more attuned to the night. The air was cool and brisk on this April evening, and if it weren’t for the possible loss of her husband, she would have relished being back at work.

      The alley behind the Ramman Brothers warehouse reeked of trash, rotting fish and, unless she was mistaken, some kind of excrement. Ah, the glamorous life of an operative. Nightshade adjusted her shoulder holster and scanned the area.

      Kane might not be too happy to see Nightshade again. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d rescued him. Not that he hadn’t saved her ass a time or two. They’d worked well as a team. Both sensing each other’s reactions and playing off each other’s strengths.

      Sasha had forgotten all about those days. Well, not exactly forgotten—she’d suppressed those memories.

      Just the thought of Kane in trouble was enough to enrage her, but she bottled up those feelings for later. She slipped past the Dumpster and decaying fire-escape stairs into clear view. No one was in the alley.

      Dammit, Kane. What was he thinking? She was being slowly drawn back into the life she’d given up. And she began to understand why she’d been afraid to come back. She might not be able to leave it behind again.

      She scanned the area one more time. Townsend didn’t play around. If he wanted that list, he wouldn’t stop until he got it. Why was he suddenly going after it now?

      In the past he’d been one of the most successful smugglers in Europe. When he decided to grab a hostage and move, he did it quickly.

      There were large metal storage tanks littering the dock and Sasha searched for a lorry—a big eighteen-wheeler or an animal-cargo vehicle. That was the common way to smuggle people in and out of the country.

      “I’m

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