Secret Agent Reunion

It had been that lack of color combined with the calling card she left behind at her “kills”—a small bundle of feathers tied together with black ribbon—that had earned her the moniker of the Sparrow. The manufactured identity and faked assassinations had allowed her to infiltrate SNAKE, but only for a few jobs and not deeply enough to confirm who was behind the group, despite SIS’s belief that the Dumonts were the masterminds of the organization.

When they entered the room, a large fruit-and-cheese basket and a bottle of wine sat on a long table to one side of the space. Dani walked over and pulled a card from the gift, smiled as she saw who it was from.

“Your Uncle Corbett wishes us the best on our honeymoon.”

Mitch came to her side and took the card from her hand. “My uncle is such a thoughtful guy,” he said with a grin.

Dani carefully unwrapped the cellophane from the basket, just in case it wasn’t really from the Lazlo Group, but as she did so, Mitch leaned in close yet again. Too close.

“Honey, do you mind if I check my e-mails while you unpack?”

She glared at him as possibly an annoyed newlywed wife would, although she realized what he really planned to do. “Promise me this will be the last time, sweetie. It is our honeymoon, after all.”

“Promise.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek. She shot him what she hoped would look like a playful nudge if anyone was actually watching them.

Mitch pulled a PDA from a case on his belt and while seemingly reading his e-mails, slowly paced around the room, checking it for bugs the way any good agent would. Especially in a case like this, where they didn’t know who in their organization might be working against them.

Dani watched him out of the corner of her eye as she examined the fruit basket. The top was, as expected, a collection of luscious fruits—peaches, figs, pears and grapes. The fruit, however, rested on some kind of platform in the basket. She wouldn’t pull it out to examine what was beneath until Mitch had cleared the room.

“Almost done, sweetcheeks? I’m ready to check out this nice bed,” she said, the tones of her voice sultry. As if to prove her need, she took a running step toward the king-sized bed in the middle of the room and launched herself onto its surface.

Mitch swung the modified PDA around one last time, but the unit didn’t register that there were any listening devices or cameras in the hotel room. It was clear. He turned his attention to the bed. Dani rolled around on its surface, doing a fair imitation of a flounder out of water rather than a needy newlywed. Not that that kept him from imagining just how things might be if she were ready for him.

Like she had been after that kiss at the front desk.

He had promised her to not make it personal. To keep to just being partners, but sweet Lord, he hadn’t expected it would be so damn difficult so damn fast.

He had forgotten just how Dani could affect him, even when she was being a total boob as she was now.

Which only made him want her more. It had been the same way when he had first met her nearly four years ago. He’d been intrigued by her bravado when she had approached him. Drawn by her beauty. But what had made him fall in love with her had been her complex nature—the mysterious side, which hid secrets behind her intense green eyes, and the goofy one she was now exhibiting as she flopped around on the bed’s surface.

Walking over to the bed, he stared down at her, a smile on his face. She met his gaze and stopped her movement. “Everything okay?”

He could have lied and jumped her bones on the bed. Taken the moment to sample another kiss and the enticing press of her body against his.

But he couldn’t do it. It would only cause more problems between them, and resurrecting old passions was the last thing either of them needed. When this mission was done, they had to go their separate ways. Like Lazarus, they might have both risen from the dead, but that didn’t mean their love had also come back to life. How could it, when it had been a love based on deception—on both their parts.

“All clear.”

At his comment, she flew from the bed back to the fruit basket, confusing him until she lifted out the fruit.

He approached, and they both looked down into the bowl of the basket, which was filled with DVDs and a portable USB drive. Judging from its size, one that could hold hundreds of gigabytes. He reached for one of the DVDs, but at the same time, his PDA rang.

The caller ID didn’t list who it was, but both he and Dani knew.

“Good morning, Mr. Lazlo.”

“Good morning, Mitch. I trust you and Dani had a nice flight on the corporate jet. Are the accommodations to your liking?” Lazlo said, the tones of his voice smooth.

Mitch glanced around the room, assessing it. It was comfortably appointed with a king-sized bed that was possible for him and Dani to share without making contact. The table and chairs on one side of the room would give them somewhere to work and the door and windows to the courtyard provided a clear view of anyone coming and going. Possibly problematic, although it did afford a way for a fast exit as well.

As he met Dani’s gaze, he noted her inquisitive look and said, “Mr. Lazlo, I’m going to put you on speaker so Dani can hear you.”

With that, he hit a button and laid the modified PDA on the tabletop.

“Good morning, Dani. I trust you liked the little gift I sent.”

“Luscious, Uncle Corbett. I assume the DVDs and disk contain some information you would like us to review?” Dani reached in and took out the slim jewel cases, shuffling through them to examine their labels.

“Cordez had her staff gather some additional information for you. There are surveillance videos of the areas where the agents were killed. Their backgrounds and other information about what they were working on. The hard drive contains their case files, along with full reports on Randy Kruger. His past activities and connections,” Lazlo said, and Mitch met Dani’s questioning gaze.

“That’s a lot of information to review before we see—”

Lazlo cut him off. “We would have provided this to you in Paris, but I had been advised by my SIS contact that Kruger would immediately be available and time wouldn’t allow it.”

“And now?” Dani asked as she removed the portable hard drive from the basket, set it next to the DVDs and then rearranged the fruit in the basket.

An uneasy cough came from Lazlo before he said, “It appears it will take at least another day to make Kruger available. There’s interference from someone higher up at SIS. Possibly one of the deputy directors.”

“Do you know who’s causing the problem?” Dani asked and moved the basket to one side of the table so they would have a clear area for setting up their equipment.

“No, I don’t, but I suspect the reasons are more personal than professional. I didn’t keep many friends after my stint at SIS,” Lazlo said.

Mitch braced one hand against the table as he asked, “So it may not be possible—”

“It will. Much as some of my old friends might not like it, I will get access to Kruger. It may take longer, but I trust you two have enough to keep you occupied until then.”

Mitch glanced down at the DVDs and disk, but then his gaze swept to the bed and back, as did Dani’s. When she finally looked up at him, worry had crept into her features. He sought to dispel it. “We’re professionals, Corbett. We know what we need to do.”

“Good, lad. You have access to our headquarters in Rome if you need anything else. As soon as Kruger is available, I will be in touch.”

The click over the PDA speaker was followed by dead air.

Mitch slipped the PDA back onto his belt and glanced at Dani.

“So, what do you want to do first?” she asked.

He walked to the door and removed the Do Not Disturb sign from the knob. With a grin, he slipped the sign on the exterior knob, then closed the door and faced her.

“We do what’s expected of any newlyweds, right?”

Chapter 5

Dani’s gaze skittered from Mitch to the bed and back to Mitch again. Then she understood he was just kidding. For a moment she had thought he might be serious.

Seemingly well aware that he’d pushed her buttons, he shot her a knowing grin. He walked over and motioned to the table. “Want to set up the equipment here?”

“It’s as good a place as any.” She whirled from him quickly, wanting to hide the flush of color heating her cheeks. Grabbing her bag, she tossed it on the bed and immediately unpacked, removing her drab-colored clothes, short black wig and toiletries and efficiently stowing them away so she could get to the laptop and other equipment she had secured beneath the soft goods.

Mitch did the same. As she’d suspected, his bag held a greater assortment of clothing, so by the time she had her equipment assembled on the table, he had only just reached the section in his bag that held his computer and the supplies they had agreed to bring with them.

She held up the DVDs. “I guess I’ll get started with these until you’re ready.”

“I won’t be long. I want to put in some surveillance cameras so we can make sure the room stays secure.”

She nodded and slipped the first DVD into her laptop. It contained information on the murder of the Lazlo agent in Prague. The intelligence consisted of video from the various cameras near the Lazlo Prague offices as well as detailed reports on the investigations into his death. Also on the DVD were copies of all the open files on the cases the operative had been working at the time of his death.

Not wanting to let the reports influence her and possibly lead her to wrong first impressions about the video feeds, she left them for last. As she opened the initial MPEG file, she watched out of the corner of her eye as Mitch worked on slipping a needle-fine fiber-optic camera into a picture frame on the opposite side of the room.

He pulled the PDA from his belt and fiddled with something before he walked to another section of the room and went to work again.

Deciding he had things under control, she started playing the video—footage of the front of an ordinary-looking building, apparently the Lazlo location in Prague. Few pedestrians passed in front, and not much more motor vehicle traffic moved by the site. Either the area was not that well- frequented or it was early in the morning.

She decided morning had made the difference in the traffic conditions since it seemed slightly dark at first, but within a short period of time, the sun rose behind the building. A small alley a few doors down from the building was in shadow thanks to its western-facing opening and the larger structures around it. A good hiding place for an early-morning capture or kill.

Advancing through the video, she noted an occasional car or pedestrian, but not much activity until a well-dressed man walked north toward the Lazlo offices. He looked downward, his attention totally focused on the morning newspaper in one hand. He held a briefcase in the other.

As he passed the alley she had noted earlier, someone grabbed him.

The video lacked sound so it was impossible to tell what was happening in the shadows of the alley. Besides, the killer had probably had a silencer on his weapon.

“Find something?” Mitch asked as he finally sat at his computer, right beside her.

“The agent’s capture and, presumably, where he was killed.” She gestured to her screen and replayed the segment. “He never realized what hit him.”

Mitch detected the mix of condemnation and distress in Dani’s voice. He opted to focus on the first. “He wasn’t really a secret-agent type. More like a bean counter. His latest assignment was to investigate the financial records of a charitable foundation. Maybe he was murdered to stop him from discovering a connection between the foundation and SNAKE.”

“So he probably had no idea he had been targeted or how to handle it.”

Mitch nodded. “Once you get to the report, it will probably indicate that there was little sign of a struggle.”

Dani faced him. “And the rest of the dead operatives? Also non-secret-agent types?”

He winced and rubbed at the scar down the middle of his abdomen. “Not really. The agents killed were a mix, but I’m told they all had one thing in common—each of their cases could possibly be connected to the crime syndicate.”

Dani’s gaze tracked the motion of his hand, but then she ripped it away and back to the screen. “I’d like to make that call for myself after I get a chance to review all this material. It’s also possible there’s no connection between them and SNAKE.”

“Then what’s the reason for targeting them?”

“Do sadistic killers need a reason? Besides, I get the sense Lazlo may have made a few enemies over the years,” she said and focused her attention solely on the video.

She had shut him out. Fine by him, Mitch thought and turned to the copies of the case files on the hard drive. He first downloaded them to his computer and then shut down the portable drive, disconnected it and passed it to Dani.

“Thanks,” she murmured without taking her eyes from her screen, where she reviewed digitally enhanced sections of what video they had. Whoever had done the kills had been very good, leaving few clues for them to follow.

His examination of the case files confirmed there was little information except the killer’s unique MO on the last two kills. The first two attacks…

He once again rubbed his scar, recalling how Kruger had surprised him on one of the narrow side streets not far from their current location. He had been distracted, worried about how Kruger had managed to elude them. He had also been concerned about what might happen if the chase left the narrow, twisting side streets and exploded out onto the more crowded neighborhood avenues. Kruger would have not been above opening fire even with innocents nearby—collateral damage meant nothing to people like him. Dani was right that sadistic killers didn’t care.

Or people like Dani, he thought, shooting a glance at her and wondering whether when she was on duty as the Sparrow she had cared about those around her. About him, he thought, his mind drifting back to the day he had “died.”

An arm snaked around his neck and Mitch instinctively knew what would follow.

Reaching upward, he managed to block the swipe of the knife at his throat, but the blade bit deep, slicing across his forearm.

He ignored the pain and dipped his shoulder, used the shift in his weight to throw his attacker up and over him.

Kruger landed with a thud, but before Mitch could attack, his legs started to buckle. He wondered about it for a second, but then looked down and noticed the handle of the knife buried deep in his midsection.

Staggering back, he shifted to remove the blade, only Kruger swiftly jumped to his feet. He lunged at Mitch, grabbed the knife and drove upward with it, a vicious smile on his face.

As he struggled to stay upright, Mitch hit the wall behind him, which kept him on his feet for only a second as his legs finally gave out and he slumped to the ground.

Kruger bent toward him then, intent on finishing the job.

He tried to raise the hand that still held his gun, but his body refused to cooperate. Kruger didn’t have to worry about him. It would only be a short amount of time before he was dead. He could tell from the way all the warmth in his body pooled at his center, trying to keep his vital organs functioning. It was a futile effort. He sensed the growing trail of heat down the middle of his body from the blood escaping him.

Kruger stopped suddenly and shot a quick glance up the side street. With a look of fear etched on his face, he bolted away and out into one of the bigger thoroughfares.

He had to let Aidan know what was happening, Mitch thought, fumbling for the cell phone at his belt—only, his fingers seemed inflexible. Thick and useless.

A moment later, a shadow passed before his eyes and suddenly Dani appeared, kneeling beside him.

“Oh god, Mitch. God, no,” she said, slipping an arm around his upper body and cradling him close.

“Dani…be…safe,” he somehow managed to say and found the strength to pick up the hand holding the gun. He placed it over hers, where it rested at his midsection, trying to stem the flow of blood. He pressed the gun into her hand.

“Take it. Stay safe…love you.” The words were interspersed with his rough, pain-filled breaths.

Dani stroked his cheek, wet with her tears. “Hold on, love. I’m going to get help.”

“No…time. Be…careful,” he warned her, worried that Kruger would come back to rid himself of Dani as well. He suspected she had likely witnessed all or part of the attack. Kruger would want to leave no witnesses behind.

Dani bent her head, dropped a kiss on his forehead and then another on his lips. “I love you, Mitch. Please, just stay with me a little longer. I’m calling for help.”

A second later, she instructed over her cell phone. “This is Sparrow. I need medical assistance…”

“Mitch?”

He seemed surprised when Dani repeated his name. “Are you okay?”

“When did you find out Kruger’s location?” he asked, apparently shaking off whatever had been troubling him.

The question came out of left field and threw her. “What? Why are you asking—”

“SNAKE. It’s got to be them behind this. I think that we’ll eventually find all the dots connect these attacks to them.”

Dani shrugged. “It may seem that way—”

“May seem that way?” Mitch challenged and shot up off his chair. He paced back and forth before facing her and raking a hand through his hair in frustration. “What kind of proof do you need?”

Proof? She had it every time she looked into a mirror, and so did Mitch. They both bore the scars from the crime organization’s attacks, but the other deaths might be just sheer coincidence.

“Why single out the Lazlo Group? Unless it was because you were all getting too close to SNAKE’s operations, only…”

“Only what?” he challenged.

“These kills. The latest MO indicates there’s more to it. These are personal. A challenge. But how can we determine the motive when we don’t know who really runs the syndicate these days now that Max Dumont is dead?”

“So the Sparrow didn’t even come close to completing her mission?” He placed his hands on his hips and glared at her, egging her on.

Dani refused to take the bait. She rose from her chair and walked to stand before him. Looking up at his greater height, she said, “I didn’t complete my mission because I let my personal feelings get in the way. I’m not going to do that again, Mitch, so you can stop goading me.”

His shoulders slumped and he released a tired sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s just that—”

“You need defenses. I understand. I need them, too.”

She shocked him with her confession almost as much as she surprised herself. She hadn’t meant to admit that she needed to protect herself from the feelings she still had for him. But maybe it was better that it was all out in the open. That both of them were aware of it so as to avoid problems.

When he didn’t say anything else, she said, “It’s time for a break. I need some air.”

“Then let’s roll,” he said and suddenly became all-action guy. He shut down his computer, packed it and the portable hard drive into a small bag that he tossed over his shoulder.

Following his lead, she stowed the DVDs and her laptop in a stylish leather knapsack—her one concession to fashion—and made sure that when she slipped it on she still had easy access to the Glock in the holster at the small of her back.

She watched as Mitch checked the same, but then he slipped another PDA from his bag and walked to the table, which was now devoid of any telltale items. Only the fruit basket and typical hotel paraphernalia rested there.

Mitch slipped the second PDA under the table and pressed upward, apparently adhering it to the underside. “This will broadcast the video signals via a satellite connection to one of the Lazlo servers. We’ll be able to access the recorded videos or live feeds from our PDAs or any PC. That way we’ll know if the area’s been compromised.”

“Sounds good. What about the exterior sector?”

“We should stay out until dark. It’ll be easier to plant the cameras then.”

“So we familiarize ourselves with the area—”

“And grab dinner. I’m hungry,” he said.

She smiled, plucked a pear from the basket and tossed it to him. “It’s too early to eat dinner in Rome. This should tide you over for a few hours.”

He caught the pear and grinned. “You’re a hard taskmaster, Sparrow.”

“I’m glad you figured that out, Agent Lama. Makes life easier for both of us.”

The grin on his face slowly faded and he took a step closer, reached up and cupped her cheek, the action achingly familiar.

In low bedroom tones, he said, “I suspect life with you could never be easy.”

She inched her chin up defiantly. “Are you so sure about that, or are you too afraid to find out?”

Chapter 6

Dani didn’t wait for his reply, afraid of what it might be. She charged out of the room, and Mitch quickly followed, catching up to her to stroll side-by-side into the courtyard. As Dani noticed the hotel clerk by one set of doors, tending to a large terra-cotta pot filled with flowers, she stepped closer to Mitch and wrapped an arm around his waist.

Mitch eased an arm around her, pulling her tight against him. He bent his head, nuzzled the side of her cheek and whispered, “You’ll have to make this look good, you know.”

She went up on tiptoe and silenced him with a kiss, pressing her body to his, opening her mouth to taste him and run her tongue along the outline of his lips. When he groaned, she shifted away slightly and whispered in his ear, “Was that good enough, amore?”

“Too good,” he muttered beneath his breath and shifted inches away, a bright flush of color on his cheeks. He waved at the clerk but applied gentle pressure at the small of her back to urge her in the opposite direction and out of the courtyard.

They remained close together, arms around each other’s waists until they reached a larger street a few blocks away. Dani separated from him then and stopped to get her bearings. It had been over a year since she had been in Rome, but it took her only a second to know where she was.

“Lazlo offices are across the river. Actually, quite a distance away. There’s a tram we could take.”

Mitch glanced up the street, scoping it out before facing her. “Are you up to hoofing it?”

“Hoofing it? If you’re up to it, then so am I.” Besides, she could use the exercise and time to stretch. The annoying pull she had experienced along her midsection the other day had come back with a vengeance, likely from sitting so many hours as she watched the videos.

At his nod, she started walking, intent on reaching the Tiber. Mitch matched his longer strides to her shorter ones. She kept the pace steady but reasonable. It was quite a walk to the Lazlo Group location, which was on a small street close to the Spanish Steps and the Villa Borghese.

It was odd walking beside him in uneasy silence, considering how many times they had been together in Rome. In that wonderful year, whenever had Mitch visited, they had regularly strolled the streets, exploring the sights of the ancient city. The talk had been non stop then, as had been the loving.

Of course, none of that was possible any longer. He had deceived her—as she had him. The fact that both of their deceptions had been for good cause did nothing to alleviate the concern that they both had carried out their deceptions quite well.

It left her wary, uncertain of whether Mitch’s actions could be trusted now, and yet his honor had been one of the things that had drawn her to him in the first place. As for her own deception…

It had been necessary in her quest for justice.