“I do,” Jackson answered. “Unfortunately, Ihave a duty.”
“All I want is the woman. Let me have herand I will leave you unharmed.”
Jackson only shook his head. “I wish Icould, man. I really do.” He looked over his shoulder at the rearopening of the van a score of feet away. “Simms, get out here!We’ve got company.”
The other agent from the previous nightappeared and paused in surprise. “What the fuck?” Simms spared anod for his partner and the pair charged Hugh in unison, determinedto take him down by force. But Hugh was prepared for their attackand had even practiced what to do in such a scenario with hiscousins. When they were lads, Keir and one of his brothers wouldoften launch such a surprise offensive, much as Hugh had in turn.Lads would be lads after all. It had honed their responses, keptthem agile.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a skill lost to yearsin a more civilized court.
The fight was violent but thankfully brief.Hugh was able to use one man against the other, making one agentinto a shield and the other into a weapon, deflecting blows untilthe agents were doing more harm to one another than they were tohim. Finally, Hugh trapped Jackson’s head beneath his arm, bracinghimself against the struggle, and was fortunate enough to catchSimms across the cheekbone with a raised knee as he turned,rendering the man unconscious. Jackson followed him into oblivion amoment later.
Hugh cracked his neck to the side as heclimbed the stairs into the back of the van, finding the remainingagent standing nervously to the side, wringing his hands. He was ayoung fellow, barely a man at all.
“You-you can’t go in there,” the lad boldlyannounced, stepping forward to impede his progress, but Hugh simplytook the young man by the neck and slammed his head into the bankof monitors mounted across the inside wall of the van, and the ladslipped silently to the floor.
All that remained was behind that door. Twoagents, one presumably the tenacious Special Agent Jameson, andSorcha, his bold, defiant lass who would be in need of a soundscolding when he got her out of there.
The door opened like magic beneath his handand Sorcha was there, haggard, surprised, and utterly bonny as shestared at him. Flames of joy licked at Hugh’s but burned to acinder when he noticed one of the agents had a tight grip on herarm. His eyes shot up hotly to meet the astonished gaze of herassailant.
“Who the hell are…”
The low, protective growl came from deepwithin Hugh and served as the man’s only warning before Hugh’s rockhard fist lashed out and took him down with a single blow.
Sorcha sagged with relief almostindiscernibly before she straightened once more. “What is this?What are you doing here?”
“It is my turn to remind you that much canbe excused if it’s done for the right reasons,” Hugh said softly.“I am here tae save ye.”
“From what?”
A grin jerked at the corner of his mouth.“From yerself.” Hugh caressed her cheek with the back of hisfingers before he opened his hand and dangled the little TokidokiThor USB from one finger. “Ye forgot this.”
Chapter 41
“Who the hell are you?”
Hugh lifted his head to study the otheragent standing behind the small desk that was the only furniture inthe room besides a small chair in the cramped space. “Are yeJameson?”
“Agent Nichols,” the man corrected with somejustifiable wariness. “INSCOM. And who the hell are you?”
With a nod, Hugh stepped forward, taking theagent’s measure. There was none of the fanaticism in his eyes thathad been so readily apparent in the other agent, even at a glance.Hopefully here was a man who could be reasoned with. “My name isHugh Urquhart. I am a friend of Claire and her brother. I’ve cometo ask ye tae leave them alone in this matter.”
“And how are you aware ofthe matter?” Nichols asked, clearly trying to visibly dissect Hugh,to determine exactly who he really was. Undoubtedly he was suspicious but Hughbore almost no resemblance to the savage who had once been housedin a cell at the lab.
“I’ve done some light reading on yer projectwi’ Mark-Davis Laboratories,” Hugh said.
Sorcha tensed by his side, no doubtwondering at his words, but Hugh had been well drilled by Danny inthe past hour. He knew what he was about. “I’ve managed to unearthevery last detail of Dr. Fielding’s project and the entirelyunethical uses INCSOM has planned for his discovery. Sneaking up onthe enemy? Planting evidence where none existed? Espionage here? Abomb dropped there? The ability to assassinate anyone in their ownbed and behind locked doors?” Hugh tsked with a shake of his head.“I doubt even your allies or my government and those of all theother UN nations would like that, considering that there was nointention of sharing with your friends. That’s one way to rule theworld, is it not?”
“I doubt the media would be able to keepquiet about it,” Sorcha chimed in. “I doubt the president and theFBI would be too happy, either. A little interdepartmental tantrumover who has the best toys. Boy, that could get ugly for you.”
Nichols stiffened but his tone remained aspleasant as ever. “Are you threatening the federal government, Mrs.Manning?”
“No, Agent Nichols, just you and Jameson.Because I bet it would look really bad on your record to havesomething of this magnitude leak.”
“I could just take you out … both of you.That would solve the problem.”
There was no doubt in Claire’s mind that theimplied threat of death wasn’t an idle one. The tenacious SpecialAgent Jameson was clearly capable of doing anything to protect hisinterests, and she was beginning to think that Nichols was nodifferent, though his methods were certainly gentler. “There areother
