Chapter 20
Hoping that Stemp would suggest a better strategy than going alone into a nest of enemies, I pressed the speed dial button on a secured phone.
When he answered, I drew a deep breath and told him about Riel’s invitation to Harchman’s.
“…so I was thinking of going,” I finished. “I don’t know whether Riel’s inviting me because he wants to talk or whether he’s just looking for a convenient way to get rid of me, but I don’t know how I’ll find out unless I show up.” I didn’t bother to add the part about looking for information about Dante.
Please tell me it’s too dangerous and forbid me to go…
“Excellent,” Stemp said.
Shit.
Over the clatter of my heart dropping to the bottom of my stomach, I barely heard his next words. “That ties in with another recent development. Please accept Riel’s invitation and return here for briefing at ten hundred hours this morning.”
“Ten hundr…” I glanced at the bedside clock. Seven thirty AM on a Saturday. Didn’t the man ever sleep?
But then again, the whole Department was likely working 24/7 on the terrorist threat.
“Can we make it ten-thirty?” I asked without much hope. “That’s cutting it a little fine.”
“Very well. See you then.”
Stemp hung up, and I fell back on the bed with a groan. Damn. Should have tried for eleven.
Avoiding frightening reality for a few more moments, I dialled Nichele’s number instead of Riel’s.
“Hey, girl.” Her greeting lacked its usual buoyancy. “Have… have you heard anything… about Dante?”
“Nothing yet.” My words came out sounding completely hopeless, and I injected some life into my voice with an effort. “But I’ll let you know if I do. Like you say, it’s probably just a big misunderstanding and he’s fine.”
“I h-hope so.” Her gulp sounded clearly over the line, and when she spoke again I could tell she was fighting to sound positive. “I’m sure they’ll find him soon. I’m going to work now, so call me if you hear anything.”
“I will. And my friend the security guard is watching your building. He might follow you to work, too, so don’t worry if it seems like somebody’s following you.”
“Okay. What does he look like?”
Shit. Should I describe Holt?
“He’s short, bald, and chubby,” I extemporized. “And he usually wears plaid pants.”
Laughter rolled through the speaker. “Omigod, Aydan! That’s just sad. Why couldn’t you have a hunky security guard friend?”
“Maybe because hunky security guards attract too much attention? But he’s good at what he does.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it.” I could still hear the smile in her voice. “It’s probably lucky he’s a crappy dresser. I could never resist a hot guy in uniform. It’s even better than an expensive suit.”
“You’re such a suit slut. Go to work and don’t stop to ogle any hot guys,” I admonished, grinning. “And… Nichele?” My good humour drained away and I had to swallow sudden emotion. “Be careful, okay?”
Her voice trembled. “I will. You, too. Call me at lunch so I know you’re okay, too.”
“Will do. ‘Bye.”
I fell back on the bed, heartsick at the thought of how little I could do to protect her. And how little I was doing to find Dante. Surely there had to be something…
Wait, maybe there was.
I punched in Spider’s number.
When he answered with a cheerful, “Good morning, Webb speaking”, I got straight to the point.
“Hey, Spider, would you be able to dig up some information for me?”
“Sure. What are you looking for?”
“Could you please get me a list of any real estate in and around Calgary that’s owned by James Helmand, Benoit Riel, Frederick Labelle, or Lawrence or Tawny Harchman?”
“I’ll get the team started on it right away. Anything else?”
“No, that’s it for now. Thanks.” We said our goodbyes and I disconnected, hoping he wouldn’t mention it to Stemp. Or if he did mention it, that Stemp wouldn’t figure out I was looking for places where Dante might be held.
Yeah, right. Stemp was far too smart to miss something like that. The only question was whether he’d rat me out to the chain of command.
Probably not.
Unless I totally screwed up my mission with Riel, and the chain of command demanded answers. But if that happened, Command’s disapproval would be the least of my worries. I’d have to answer to my own conscience for the death of innocents.
Please don’t let me screw this up…
I stared at the ceiling, the phone heavy in my hand. Time to phone Riel. What should I say? Should I pretend to be oblivious to any potential threats? Suspicious? Defensive?
And shit, what if I made the call and then learned something in Stemp’s briefing that changed what I should have said? Or what if I said something completely stupid and blew my cover?
“So don’t say anything stupid,” I growled, and punched in the number before I could lose my nerve.
At the sound of Riel’s pleasant “Allô?” my heart thudded into overdrive.
I held my voice steady with all my might. “Hello, Benoit? It’s Arlene. Thank you for the spa invitation. When are we expected?”
“Ah, you will come then?” He sounded sincerely delighted, and I had to remind myself that he might simply be delighted that I was walking into his trap.
“I’m considering it, but I’d like more information.”
“Ah, naturellement; of course. If you would wish to attend, your room would be ready by eight o’clock this evening; and I would be honoured if you would join me for a dinner here in Calgary at six. I have discovered a wonderful restaurant downtown and it would be my pleasure to buy your meal. We could drive out to the spa together or separately, as you wish.”
“Separately,” I said. “I have other business and I might get called away.”
Or I might run away. Just get in my car and drive until I found a place where I could disappear and pretend none of this had ever happened…
Riel was speaking again and I shook myself back to the conversation at hand.
“We may stay at the spa as long as we wish, of course. We shall enjoy the delicious food and the massage and the mineral pool…”
“I can come tonight, but I may not be able to stay long,” I said firmly. “What’s the name of the restaurant? I’ll meet you there.”
He gave me the name and address and repeated his pleasure at my company before hanging up with a warm ‘Au revoir’.
Quivering, I lay on the bed for a few more moments before rolling to my feet to groan my way through a too-short but gloriously hot shower. I was pulling on my jeans when the sound of a key in the lock made me straighten hurriedly and yank my T-shirt over my head.
Miss Lacey must have forgotten something. At least I wasn’t naked this time.
Hooker made his usual beeline for the door and I followed, pasting on a smile.
The burly figure that shouldered through the doorway transformed my fake smile to a real one as the weight of world rolled off my shoulders.
“Arnie!” I flung myself at him, burrowing into his broad chest as his arms wrapped around me.
“Hey, darlin’.” The soft gravel of his voice soothed my ears as his embrace soothed my heart. “Good to see ya.”
“Good to see you, too.” I gave him an extra squeeze before pulling away to study him. “Are you… okay? Did you get done what you needed to do?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Helluva long job, but it’s done.” He let out a tired breath and pulled me close again to murmur into my hair, “Damn, ya feel good, darlin’.”
“You feel good, too.” I cuddled into his arms.
Warm lips and tickly whiskers nuzzled my ear. “I can make ya feel even better,” he growled.
“Mmmm, I know you can… umph!” I let out a grunt of shock as a heavy weight struck the middle of my back, followed by jabs of pain as the cat used me for a climbing post. Moments later Hooker launched himself off my shoulder at Hellhound.
“Shit!” Hellhound snagged the furry missile in mid-air, tucking the cat safely against his chest and glaring down at him with mock ferocity. “Goddam dumbass furball, how many times’ve I gotta tell ya? Don’t climb the chicks!”
Unrepentant, Hooker planted a front paw on either side of Hellhound’s neck and pushed his face into Hellhound’s beard, his purr rumbling like freight train.
“Ah, ya big fuckin’ dumbass,” Hellhound muttered, tenderly massaging the cat’s scruff. “Aydan, are ya okay?”
“Yeah, the bleeding should stop in an hour or two,” I joked.
“Damn, did he get ya?” Hellhound inquired with concern. “Lemme see.”
“I’m just kidding. It’s no big deal.”
“No, lemme see.” Freeing a hand from the cat, he gently turned me around and lifted my T-shirt. “Fuck, he did get ya. That’s it, no more lovin’ for ya.”
“Wha…?” I turned to protest before realizing he was talking to Hooker.
Hellhound stooped to jettison the cat, then kicked off his boots and shed his jacket. “Come on, darlin’, let’s get those scratches cleaned up.” He guided me to the bathroom with an arm around my shoulders.
Inside, I lifted the back of my T-shirt and twisted to examine the damage in the mirror. “It’s fine,” I reassured Hellhound. “It’s just a few surface scratches. The skin’s only broken in those two little spots.”
“Yeah, but ya don’t wanna let a cat scratch go,” he admonished. “Take off your shirt an’ turn around.”
“Oooh, kinky,” I teased as I obeyed.
He lifted a bottle of peroxide out of the medicine cabinet, grinning. “This ain’t my usual idea a’ foreplay…” I shivered as he dabbed the cool fluid on my back. “…but maybe it’ll do,” he finished, leaning down to nibble whiskery kisses up my shoulder to the magic spot on my neck.
“Mmmm…” I pressed backward to gyrate slowly against the stiffening bulge in his jeans. Eyes half-closed, I watched in the mirror while his clever musician’s hands lightly traced the curves of my hips, dipping in at my waist and moving unhurriedly upward to cup my breasts.
His gaze met mine in the mirror while the pads of his thumbs skimmed the lace of my bra in exactly the right places.
“Hot, darlin’,” he growled against my neck. “You’re so hot…”
Enjoying the rough slide of his jeans against mine, I purred wordless encouragement for a few more moments before turning to face him with a sigh. “Unfortunately I’m also a tease.” I reached up to give him a long slow kiss. “I have to leave right away. I have a meeting with Stemp. I’m already going to be late.”
“Well, hell,” he rasped. “If you’re gonna be late anyway, what’s a few more minutes?”
“Mmmm… or a few more hours…” I lost myself in the artistry of his kiss for a long moment before pulling away. “I really do have to go. It’s urgent, and I was just getting ready to leave.”
Hellhound blew out a resigned breath. “Damn.”
“But first I need the bathroom,” I added.
“It’s all yours.” He withdrew while I did what had to be done.
A few minutes later I slipped into his bedroom to see the closet door standing open while he methodically packed away the gear from his rucksack. He looked up with a smile. “Thanks for doin’ my laundry. Ya didn’t hafta do that.”
I gaped at him. “How did you know?”
“Hell, it ain’t like I could miss it. I had a T-shirt in there I’d forgotten at the gym for a coupla weeks an’ I could damn near smell it from the parkin’ lot. Ya shouldn’ta touched it, darlin’; it mighta burned your hands off.”
“I thought that one seemed gamier than the rest. Sorry I didn’t fold everything for you. I thought… um… never mind. Um… you’re not freaked out, are you?”
He laughed. “Nah. I ain’t dumb enough to pass up clean clothes. But if ya start hangin’ up curtains or puttin’ a bow on the cat, we’re gonna have a problem.”
“You’re safe from curtains, I promise. And Hooker would probably rip my hand off if I tried to put a bow on him.”
He reached down to ruffle Hooker’s fur as the cat wound between his ankles, still purring. “Nah, the big suck’d prob’ly love it. So, should I ask why my parka an’ duffel bag needed washin’, too?”
Post-larceny guilt struck me momentarily dumb. I cleared my throat. “Um… no, you shouldn’t ask.”
A short silence hovered between us while he surveyed me warily. “Okay. Any chance a’ me gettin’ any surprise calls or visits ‘cause a’ what I shouldn’t be askin’ about?”
“Nope, no chance.”
“Anythin’ that might show up with Luminol or a Geiger counter or a munitions swab?”
I laughed. “No blood, radioactivity, or explosives; I promise. I only had to wash them because they were muddy.”
He smiled, relief warming his voice. “Okay, good. That’s all I need to know.”
“Thanks.” I stepped over for another hug. “Um…” I pressed my cheek against his chest, not quite able to say the words face to face. “Thanks… for trusting me,” I mumbled.
“No problem, darlin’.” His arms tightened around me and he dropped a kiss on my hair. “So when’re ya gonna be in town again?”
“Actually, I’m coming back this afternoon.” I pulled away to give him a hopeful look. “I might have a bit of time before my next thing.”
“Should I ask what your next thing is?”
I sighed. “No.”
“Awright. I’ll be here, so call me when you’re gettin’ close to Calgary again.” His voice dropped to a sexy growl and he bounced his eyebrows suggestively. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
I shivered with hot anticipation. “Mmm, I know you will. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Be safe, darlin’. See ya later.”