Memory Zero (Spook Squad 1)

“Karl has them. I’ll contact him when all this is over.”

“Good.” At least something had worked out the way it was supposed to. She studied their entwined fingers, but made no attempt to remove her hand. Nor did he—and for that, she was glad. There was something very comforting about his touch. “I’m sorry about your brother.”

His hazel gaze was suddenly warm and sent a shiver skating across her skin. “My brother is fine.”

She frowned. “But Jack said Stephan was dead.”

“Because both he and Mary know that Hanrahan was Stephan’s other identity.”

“But Hanrahan was killed.”

“Sort of.”

How could someone be “sort of” killed? She rubbed a hand across her eyes, wondering if her inability to understand had something to do with the ache still in her head. “Did you know Jack’s wife is the one impersonating Lyssa? She’s obviously a multi-shifter.”

“That surprises me. I didn’t think Kazdan was one to share.”

“I don’t think he is. I think he was ordered to.” She hesitated, then added, “Suzy is pregnant, and I can’t help but think the child might be Stephan’s rather than Jack’s—even if Jack chooses to believe otherwise.”

“No wonder he wanted Stephan dead. And no wonder he wants to take the throne and kill Sethanon.”

“He’s not the only one Jack plans to kill.”

He frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

“Mary was coming here—”

“Mary’s dead,” he interrupted, his voice sharp.

Her gaze flicked across his face, and she sensed the pain under the calm exterior. “You killed her.”

“She gave me no choice.”

Had she given him another option, would he have taken it? She suspected not—not when Mary had almost killed his brother. “When did you shoot her?”

The edge in her voice obviously caught his attention, because his gaze intensified. “Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes ago. Why?”

“Because she was apparently confirming details of the PM’s itinerary. Sethanon’s planning a hit sometime today.”

“A hit or a replacement?”

She shrugged. Either was possible, given what they’d seen on Jack’s disks, though she couldn’t see what simply assassinating him would achieve. Better to replace him and have background control.

He climbed to his feet and offered her his other hand. “Can you move?”

There was only one way to find out. She placed her free hand in his and climbed slowly to her feet. The small room spun several times and, for an instant, it felt as if her stomach were crawling up her throat. She swallowed heavily and asked, “Do you know the PM’s schedule?”

He shook his head. “But my brother will. SIU works with the Fed and State boys when it comes to official government visits. Are you going to fall if I let you go?”

“No.”

He released her hands, but he watched her warily for a minute or two before he moved across to the door and tested the handle. “Locked tight.”

She pulled the pin the hirsute stranger had given her out of her hair, but its shape caught her by surprise. It was an abstract man and woman, standing back to back, one dark, one light. The image was similar in theme to the tapestry in Jack’s office, but this particular image was one she’d seen before. She just couldn’t quite place where.

“Here, try to open it with this.”

He accepted the pin, a sudden, rueful smile catching the corners of his lips. “This will test my skills.”