Lily pushed into their suite, listening to Liam ramble about their find.
“Did you see the size of the pincers on him? Boy, was he pissed when we dug him out-oh, God! Jude!”
Liam dashed past her and ran to the man slumped in the hallway, dropping to his knees. “Jude? Talk to me.” He patted the other man’s face, shook his shoulders. “Shit, we never should’ve left him alone.”
Lily jogged over and knelt beside them, noting the stains from what had been a pretty bad nosebleed. A chill went down her spine. “Do migraines cause bleeding?”
“I don’t think so. Jude’s never have. Hey, buddy?” he called louder.
Jude shifted, eyes fluttering open. His face was pale, lined with pain. “Liam… get out of here.”
The younger man frowned. “What? I’m not going anywhere. Did you hit your head?”
“No. I want you on the next plane to New York.”
“What? Why?” Liam’s face blanched in hurt. “Never mind that, let’s get you cleaned up and in bed.”
Jude waved him off. “Give me a few minutes.”
“I’ll get you a wet cloth,” Lily said.
“Don’t bother,” he replied. Cold as the Arctic.
Liam shot her a concerned look.
Fear crept in, forming a chunk of ice in her gut. “You’re bleeding.”
His laugh was scary. Sarcastic and angry. When he lifted his chin, she swore he could see into her soul.
“I don’t have a high tolerance for toxins, Agent Vale. But then, you know that already, don’t you?”
The bottom dropped out, the earth tilting on its axis.
“You-you remember,” she said hoarsely.
“Fat lot of good it does me, huh? Give me the third dose and I’ll be dead before Dietz whisks you out of the country.” His expression twisted into a snarl. “Are you fucking him, too? What are you getting out of helping a traitor?”
“What in the holy freaking hell is going on?” Liam was starting to appear frightened. “All of a sudden you guys are talking a different language.”
For the moment, they were too wrapped up to answer him.
Lily laid a hand on Jude’s chest, desperate to make him understand. “I’m not a traitor.”
“Save it, honey. Tell me you didn’t slip me poison.” His face was hard.
“Once! But that was before I knew you were innocent!”
“Of what?” he asked in disbelief.
“Of the theft of the weapon. Dietz took advantage of Michael’s absence and pinned the whole thing on you,” she said quietly. “My mission was to-”
“Worm your way into my life, fuck me if necessary, locate the files, then watch me die slowly.” He gave a sad, bitter laugh, the sound strangled. “Yeah, I get it.”
“When I figured out what Dietz had done, and after Liam was attacked to blackmail me into complying with him, I forced Michael to listen,” she insisted.
Liam stared at her, rocked back on his heels and brought his fingers to his still-healing throat. “I was attacked to teach
She grabbed Liam’s hand and squeezed. “I’m so sorry. I know this doesn’t make much sense right now, but it will soon.”
“I’m starting to get some of the picture. This has to do with all of Jude’s trips, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, in part.” Addressing Jude again, she said, “I told Michael everything and he suggested we leave the country and lay low for a while. I never gave you a second dose, Jude. I swear it.”
“Then the guy who delivered my breakfast wasn’t working with you?”
“No. You got sick right after you ate?”
“As a damned dog. A lot worse than before.”
Liam clutched her arm. “Lily, on our walk, you were looking at that big guy in the resort uniform. You said he looked familiar.”
The pieces fell into place, and her fear grew. “Oh, God, I should have recognized him! He’s one of Dietz’s men. And if his men are here, we’ve got to get the hell out. Now, before they realize we’re escaping.”
“And after we get gone, someone’s going to fill in the gaps for me,” Liam said. “Jude, can you walk?”
“I don’t know. I’ll try.”
It took both of them to get Jude into the bedroom and lower him to sit on the bed. His face was white, beaded with sweat. His breathing was too fast, and he was clearly in agony.
“Liam and I will pack only what we absolutely need into one bag. A couple of changes of clothes, and leave the rest here. Clothes can be replaced.”
Lily grabbed a duffel and stuffed in some clothes for herself and Jude. Liam hurried back in, face pinched in anxiety.
“Is this too much?” he asked.
“No, that’s fine. Anything else we need, we’ll have where we’re going.”
Liam paused. “We’re not going home?”
“No. I’m phoning Michael, our boss, and giving him the heads-up that things here are FUBAR and we’re taking off for the safe house in Tennessee. Michael and some of our trusted men-the ones not working around Dietz-will meet us there for reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements,” Liam repeated, in a daze. “Groovy. Shit.”
“They’ll have our doctor come with them to take care of you,” she said to Jude.
He nodded. “How are we getting to our ride?”
“Rental. I’m going to the front to secure a car, and while I’m there, I’ll make a point to say Liam and I are going sightseeing since you’re not feeling well. Then we all make tracks. Michael will give us the rendezvous point.”
Liam, bless his heart, was trying so hard to keep calm. “I take it we’re not flying commercial.”
“No. Helicopter. Fast, efficient, and totally under the radar.”
“Fantastic. I’ve never escaped a foreign country with a posse of arch villains on my ass.”
Jude managed a sideways smile at his friend. “And you thought your life was boring.”
He snorted. “I just want it on record with the Powers That Be that I never once complained about that.”
While Liam distracted Jude, Lily used her secured, SHADO-ISSUED cell phone to dial Michael’s house. On the third ring, Simon answered.
“Ross residence.”
“Simon, this is Lily Vale.”
He sighed dramatically. “Miss Vale, I’m sure-”
“Pass a message to Michael, and I guarantee he’ll want to speak with me. It’s urgent.”
“Carry on,” he said, reluctant.
“Tell Michael that Lily Vale said Granny’s apple pies make big thighs.”
“I say! What a lot of nonsense,” he huffed.
“Just do it or you’ll be job hunting tomorrow.”
“No need to be rude. One moment.”
Michael came on the line within seconds. “Lily?”
“Dietz’s men are here. One of them posed as a resort employee and slipped Jude a second dose of the toxin. Probably meant to pin it on me. He’s in trouble, boss. We’re
“All right. I’ll send Kelly along with the copter-he and one of our pilots are in south Texas and they’ll be able to reach you within the hour. He’ll back you up until I can get to the safe house with the team.”
Blaze Kelly was a damned fine agent, and a good man to have at your back. Lily knew Michael might be slightly delayed getting the others mobilized, and she’d feel safer with Blaze there.
“All right. We’ll be rolling in fifteen. Where do we meet them?”
He gave her a location not too many miles from the resort, which was both good and bad. Good that they didn’t have to travel long to get there-bad because neither would Dietz’s men, if they pursued. While they waited on the copter, there wasn’t really anyplace to hide.
“Be careful, Lily, and tell Jude… tell him I’m so damned sorry for fucking up his life.”
“It’s not your fault.” But it was, a little. “You can tell him when you arrive at the safe house.”
“I will.”
