Page 52 of 72 Hours

“It’s good,” I said, referring to the radio, though maybe not, if I were being honest. Niall was still staring at me with that look. I bit at my lip and joked as only I knew how. “Going to pick up the early evening jazz channel as soon as you’ve reported back to the boss.”

He pursed his mouth and for a minute there was a flash of irritation in his eyes, just like the old days. Brief confusion followed, and then there was the beginning of a smile. “Idiot,” he said, his voice low but strangely affectionate. “You think we’ve got time for a song and a sax?” My jaw dropped at his rare teasing, but his smile grew broader. He stepped past me to examine the radio.

And I just let him.

IT WAS A HELL OF A relief to hear Brad’s voice on the radio. Niall had scorned my request for particular music frequencies as the joke it was, and spent just a few moments with what sounded like a shrieking banshee and a hissing goose until human voices came back to him from the contraption. He knelt at the foot of the couch, holding the earpiece and amplifier between us, and he spoke clearly into the microphone until he got a response.

Brad’s call barked out of the silence like a slap to the face. “Niall? At last! We lost all cell phone connectivity.”

“Yes, we did too. It’s all part of the campaign against us, Brad. We’re being isolated, we’re being manipulated and made vulnerable—”

“I know,” Brad said, interrupting him. Even with the diluted reception, I could hear the suppressed emotion in his voice. “Is Simon with you?”

Niall looked quickly up at me then back at the mike. “No, he’s being held hostage. He came after you and Greg has him—” He never got a chance to finish the sentence, as there was some kind of angry, gargled cry from the other end of the channel and a deep scraping sound as if furniture were being thrust aside.

The next voice we heard was even more welcome. “Niall? Tanner too? I need to know what’s happening at your end. Now!”

I dropped to my knees beside Niall and called urgently into the mike. “Judith! Are you okay? Do you realise who’s behind this? It’s—”

Brad was talking behind her, his voice sharp and fast and angry, but I couldn’t make out the words. “Tanner, be quiet!” Judith said, urgency in every syllable. “Brad says this frequency isn’t secure.”

“Forget it,” I snapped back. “Greg won’t be surfing the radio waves to catch us, he’s on his way over here right now.”

“What the hell?”

“Did you know it was him?” I talked right over her exclamation. “He must have been trailing us all for months. He’s got access to all sorts of places, he’s been stealing equipment and setting traps.”

“I know now,” she broke back in, and the tone of her voice was so stern that I swallowed my personal anger. “All of us here had come to that conclusion—but not soon enough. After the last attack on the office, I found all my records disturbed, some of them destroyed or damaged. Some files were removed completely, including my unofficial notes on Project Dove and the early raid on that obnoxious club, where Niall—”

“—was hurt, I know. What’s the connection, Judith? I don’t think Greg has any interest in the political agenda of Dove. It’s something far more personal than that.”

“He’s only been with us for a while.” Her voice sounded like she was struggling for control. “He took his own personnel records from my office, of course, but I have a copy of all those files at an off-site location, and I’ve had it brought to me here at the hospital. I’m searching the details now. His background checked out fine. There was nothing suspicious, no family history to concern us—an orphan, no family noted at all, actually. And we only took him on as a general assistant. We would have monitored his performance over the course of the next year or so. But somehow he worked his way up more quickly than that, making himself useful to Simon, appearing to us all as a committed and loyal employee. He joined us about six months ago, just about the time that Niall was in hospital.”

Six months ago....

“I signed off his application,” came Judith’s voice. It was small and sounded young. It was the first time I’d ever heard her show any distress, any uncertainty. “I treated him as I treated Cissy—as Simon’s best assistant. As a trusted companion.”

I felt the prickle of premonition on the back of my neck.

The thread of anguish in her voice was unmistakable, and when I turned to look at Niall I saw that he’d heard it too; he was very pale again. No one needed my specialist sociological skills to recognise overwhelming misery when they heard it. “Judith....” I drew a deep breath. “What’s happened to Cissy?”

“She was driving me to the hospital. We’d rescued what we could from the offices and evacuated. We didn’t know what other devices there might have been, what sort of timers they may be on. We left it all to the bomb squad and got out. We assumed any further attack would be directed at the building, like before. Not me, specifically. Cissy was driving,” she repeated. There was a shuddering gasp from her, and it was obvious that she couldn’t speak any more about it.

Niall stared at me.

“A car bomb?” I whispered.

“I should have checked everything.” Judith’s voice was a whisper. “Everything. But I was too busy just getting away.”

We were all silent for a moment, the horror stark and hideous in our minds. Cissy had been a friend to us all. She’d been an innocent in all of this. I thought I could hear Joe’s voice in the background, but I couldn’t be sure. I had a sudden, deep compassion for Judith, who treated all of her staff fairly and firmly, and yet showed a personal care for them. In that moment, I didn’t envy her the responsibility, or her pain.

She was the first to speak again. “I’m on my way, Tanner. Niall. You need backup.”

“No!” I tried not to snap, but I knew she’d take no notice anyway. “We can handle it, believe me.”

“Don’t be stupid, MacKay.” Like I said, she took no notice of me. But it was good to hear the imperious Judith back on track. “He’s dangerous.”

“No,” I said firmly. “He’s history. Niall and I have some issues with him, and we’re going to deal with them. On our behalf—and yours, as well.” Beside me, Niall nodded. His eyes were on me, and despite my refusal of backup, his gaze reflected my own determination. We couldn’t risk scaring off Greg anyway, but I was sure we were both aware now that Judith had enough to concern her.