All in all, not how she thought this would go.
“All right, I’m going first,” he finally said. “I don’t know if Huisman is behind that door or not. According to our intelligence, he hasn’t left the base in a week, but he sent home the rest of the non-security employees a few days ago. Be careful, eh? He might be a doctor, but he gave up on his Hippocratic oath a long time ago. He will be armed, and he won’t hesitate to kill you. Stay behind me.”
She moved to the door, using the key card and punching in a five-digit code. If he was going to be cool and casual about this, so could she. “You know I love it when you say ‘eh.’ And hey, if you want to get murdered first, who am I to stop you? What’s wrong with the comms? I can’t get my team on the line.”
Ben stared at the door. “Apparently the storm is wreaking havoc on our electronics. Stay behind me.”
Kenzie gripped her SIG, taking a long breath and trying to shove the drama out of her head. It would be okay. She could get through this. Finding Devi was the important thing. Finding Devi and getting rid of Huisman.
When they got rid of Huisman she wouldn’t have to see Ben again. She could move on.
The light came on and Ben glanced around the anteroom. “According to the plans we stole, this is where Huisman works.”
“This outer section is part of his office. The lab is in the back. It’s a level-four biosafety lab, so we’ll have to change if we go in there.” Did he think she didn’t read the reports?
A brow rose over his eyes, his annoyed look. Now that she thought about it, he sent her that look a lot. “Yes, I got that intel. And we don’t have to change at all. I’ll deal with it, and you’ll stay out here and watch for any stragglers. And Huisman. I haven’t found him yet. He’s got to be here somewhere.”
Who the fuck did he think she was? At least up until now he’d respected her professionally. “I’m not going to sit out here like a good girl and wait for you. I can bet what would happen. You would go in and the formula would mysteriously disappear.”
He simply turned and started down the hall.
He wanted to ignore her? Oh, she wouldn’t let that happen. “If you think I’m going to allow something that deadly to fall into your country’s hands, you don’t know me.”
They made it through the fairly utilitarian outer office to the more private part of the space. If she was right, the door to the left led to the lab. There was a green light blinking above. Why the hell wasn’t it locked? Huisman’s office was on the other side. It didn’t have the same elaborate security setup the lab had. This felt like a trap.
“I don’t know you at all, sweetheart. I don’t even know your real name. The only thing I know is that you’ll do anything for your country, including turning over a weapon of mass destruction when you would be better off destroying the formula.” He strode down the hallway. “And don’t even talk to me about our countries. Let’s see which one is known for being involved in every war it can send its troops into, and which one is known for maple syrup and delicious donuts.”
She followed him. “We have excellent donuts, too. And maple syrup. Have you never been to Vermont? Name me one thing Canada has that America doesn’t. Face facts. You’re nothing but America North, buddy.”
He chuckled, but it wasn’t an amused sound. “You know what we have that you don’t, baby? It’s called common sense. Sweet, sane common sense. Which is precisely why you’re not stealing this formula.”
Ben stopped at the doorway to the office, and something about how still he went had her getting the SIG ready.
Then she realized she didn’t need it. Not for Huisman.
“Is he dead?” Kenzie walked in and stared at the body on the floor. Yep. That was Dr. Emmanuel Huisman, and he had a bullet hole in his left temple.
Ben kicked the revolver away from the doctor’s hand, but he didn’t touch the body.
“He must have decided to kill himself rather than face the Agency.” Her dad was going to be so upset. He’d wanted to murder that asshole in very medieval ways.
“Maybe he knew he was facing CFI.”
Canadian Foreign Intelligence. It was an offshoot of CSIS.
Were they comparing dicks? It wasn’t how she thought he would use his dick on her. “You’ve been around for five years, buddy. You’re not known for being particularly ferocious when it comes to dealing with prisoners. You do tend to give them donuts and hope they like you enough to talk.”
Where was the Ben she knew better than her own heart? Whycould she hear her sister vomiting even though she’d only said the words in her mind and Kala wasn’t even here?
Huisman was dead. They should be celebrating, but Ben seemed shut down. As though that wasn’t truly the outcome he wanted.
Ben stared at the desk in front of them, avoiding looking at Huisman. This was obviously the man’s private office. The rest of the place was Spartan, with only utilitarian features, but this was luxurious. She counted three separate laptops and a desktop she would need to figure out how to download. She would take the laptops with her.
Would he fight her over them or agree to come back to her hotel so they could share the intel? A couple of minutes before she’d had a scene in her head. She and Ben entwined on that big bed, naked and sated and talking about all the intel they were finding.
Ben stood by a monitor and held up a sad sticky note.
Play Me
