Penumbra (Spook Squad 3)

“Why do you think it’s safer to have me as a friend than as a partner?” she asked. “I know you’ve lost partners, but you’ve also lost a sister and, I believe, a brother. Not being your partner is no protection from death. Not when you, the SIU and the Federation pursue the type of characters for whom dispensing death comes as easily as breathing.”

He stared at her. His face held no emotion, and yet she could sense his unease as clearly as if it were her own. He didn’t want to examine his reasoning, didn’t want to look closely at his feelings. If he had shut himself off from his twin brother, what made her think she had a hope of cracking his reserve?

She waved a hand before he could answer her question. “Forget it, Gabriel. Call me sometime and we’ll go out for coffee or something.”

“I will.” He stared at her a moment longer, his gaze searching her face, as if memorizing her features. Then he turned and walked away.

She picked up the folder and shoved it into her bag. Then she opened her desk drawer, grabbing the few personal items she’d left in there: perfume, the pin Joe had given her, a hairbrush and several scrunchies.

Then she stood and grabbed the coat from the back of her chair. But on the verge of leaving, she hesitated. As much as she’d hated what the broom closet had represented, at least it had been hers—somewhere she could escape to and be safe. A place few people knew existed or could be bothered finding. Whatever happened after the Wetherton assignment, she knew she wouldn’t be coming back here. One way or another, her life was about to change.

Whether it was for the good or the bad, she wasn’t entirely sure. And right at this moment, she didn’t really care. Any sort of change had to be better than stagnating—which was precisely what she’d spent the last few years doing. She’d let Jack take over her life to the extent that she had no life beyond the force. And, in some ways, she’d started to make the same mistake again with the SIU and with Gabriel.

“No more,” she vowed to the emptiness. From now on, she would try to follow her own course, no matter what.

Grabbing her bag, she turned and headed down to the labs.

—

Gabriel climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut. The headquarters of the Pegasus Foundation was on a huge strip of barren land out in the middle of goddamn nowhere. The main building was square-shaped, draped in black glass that seemed to suck in the light and cast thick shadows over the parking lot and the nearby limp-looking garden.

He took off his sunglasses and looked upward, squinting slightly against the bright sunlight. The building was six stories high, and even from where he stood he could see the radar dishes, antennas and various other bits of apparatus bristling from the roof. But he also caught sight of something else—security, armed with guns. And the uniforms those men were wearing looked a hell of a lot like military uniforms.

Once again, the same question arose. If the military was this involved with Pegasus, then why bring in the SIU? It didn’t make sense.

They were clearly being played—but to what ends? Well, he’d never find out by standing here. He rubbed the back of his neck and headed across the parking lot toward two black-glass front doors.

Behind him, the passenger door slammed and footsteps echoed, and Gabriel found himself clenching his fists. He slowly flexed them in an effort to relax. An hour in Illie’s company and he was ready to punch the man. Not the best of beginnings.

The glass doors opened. He headed across to security and flashed his badge. “We’ve an appointment with Director Douglass.”

The security officer nodded. “Take the second elevator down to level five. Someone will meet you in the foyer and take you to the director’s office.”

“Thanks.” Gabriel continued on. His new partner followed quietly. Maybe he’d finally caught on to the fact that silence got him more than an endless stream of chatter did.

As Gabriel punched the elevator call button, Illie stopped and cleared his throat. “Have you seen the recent photos of the director? She’s quite the babe.”

Then again, maybe Illie was silent only because he’d temporarily run out of inane things to say. “We’re not here to assess the director’s hotness rating.”

Illie’s responding grin was pure cheese. “Hell, man, it doesn’t hurt to look, does it?”

“I’d prefer it if you concentrated on the matter at hand, not on adding another notch to your belt,” Gabriel said severely. He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for sublevel five.

Illie’s gray eyes narrowed slightly. “That would be easier if I knew why the hell we were here.”

Gabriel shrugged. “If you’ve read the file, you know as much as I do.”

“Nothing like sending agents out blind,” Illie muttered. “Though it’s no wonder this place got robbed. Security didn’t even bother checking us for weapons.”

Gabriel smiled. Despite his years in the State Police, Illie had a lot to learn. “They didn’t have to. Did you notice the black globe in the ceiling?”

Illie frowned. “Yeah. Camera, wasn’t it?”

“No, it’s a device that renders energy weapons ineffective. There were also metal detectors on either side of the entrance, so if we’d been carrying standard weapons, the guard would have known.”

“I didn’t see any metal detectors.”

“You wouldn’t; they’re built into the frame. The only giveaway is a faint red beam.” Something human sight rarely picked up.