A phone rang at that moment, and Miranda drawled, “Maybe that’s him.”
The spinner frowned. “Who would call this late? It’s not my operative phone, and Will’s too polite to call after midnight unless it’s an emergency.”
Miranda glanced at the identification screen. “It’s a 213 area code.”
“Oops!” Kristie sprang for the phone and punched the speaker button. “Will? Hi.”
“Hey, beautiful. Did I wake you?”
“Even if you did, I’d never complain,” she assured him. “Is everything okay?”
“That depends on what you’re wearing,” the director’s sexy voice told her.
As Miranda bit back a smile, Kristie insisted, “This isn’t a good time, Will. I’ve got something boiling on the stove.”
“At midnight? Just as well, since this is partly a business call. Have you heard from Miranda Cutler?”
Kristie winced. “Why do you ask?”
There was a long silence, then McGregor-Director McGregor-said, “Because I’m in charge. And because I’m concerned about her. And because Ortega called me a few minutes ago, asking if she’s okay.”
“Well…” Kristie gave Miranda an apologetic shrug. “In that case, good news. She’s right here. Miranda, say hello.”
“Hi, Director McGregor.”
The silence was much longer this time. Then he muttered, “What’s going on?”
“Everything’s fine,” Kristie insisted. “Miranda’s plane got in late, so I told her to come here. That’s okay, right?”
“Of course. How did it go, Miranda?”
“Ortega and I had a very cordial exchange.”
“He said you disappeared without saying goodbye. He thought it was going well, then suddenly, you were gone. So he asked me to follow up.”
“I left him a note,” she replied coolly. “It was clear he wasn’t going to help us. He did his best to brief me about Kell. That’s why I came to see Kristie. But I didn’t see any reason to hang around. I can’t believe he called you,” she added ruefully.
“He feels like crap about the way he and Jane Smith used you. He was worried he blew it again. I promised to check on you, and now I have.”
“Right.” Miranda smiled in relief while motioning to Kristie to pick up the receiver. “I’ll give you two some privacy now-”
“Wait, Miranda.” McGregor’s tone had become businesslike. “I’m supposed to keep your superiors informed. I’m going to honor our agreement and ask that you be assigned to the anti-Brigade team, but that won’t happen for a few days at least. Should I tell them you’ll report for duty tomorrow morning, pending new developments with the team?”
“Miranda’s exhausted, Will,” Kristie interrupted. “Can’t you tell her supervisor I need her for a few more days? To debrief her properly once she’s rested?”
“She visited Ortega for less than four hours and you need days to debrief her?” McGregor protested, but his tone was teasing. “What’s going on, Goldie?”
Miranda waved her hand for Kristie to keep silent. “Director McGregor? Ortega told me the same basic story that’s in the file, but the nuances are intriguing. I want to be sure I communicate them to Kristie while they’re fresh in my mind.”
“Fine. Check in with your interim supervisor-”
“My what?”
“Sorry, I thought you knew. Your regular team leader didn’t know anything about Ortega and the alibi situation, so when we asked to borrow you, the agency reassigned you temporarily. To a guy named Bob Runyon. He apparently knows the whole story.”
Miranda winced. “He’s the one who broke the news to me after Jane Smith was apprehended. I’ll check in with him and let him know what’s going on.”
“Excellent.” McGregor’s tone softened. “It sounds like you did a great job, Miranda. I’ll be sure the powers- that-be hear about it. And when it’s time to put the team together, I’ll use my best efforts to get you on it.”
“Thanks. Good night, sir. I’ll just get that boiling pot off the stove while you two say goodbye.”
Kristie picked up the receiver. “McGregor?” She listened for a few moments, then murmured, “Me, too. ’Night.”
Miranda gave her a teasing smile after the call had been disconnected. “Lucky you.”
“I know. That’s why… Well, never mind.” Her tone became brisk. “What’s the story with Bob Runyon? Your reaction wasn’t positive.”
“He’s a pig, but I think that will work to our advantage.” She paused to join in Kristie’s laughter, then added, “I’ll go see him tomorrow and convince him to give me a couple of weeks off. Plenty of time to make round trips to South America and to Switzerland.”
The spinner rubbed her bloodshot eyes. “You really think there’s something in the drug company files we can use?”
“It stands to reason. Look how much you know about me from reading my psych profile and the rest of my personnel file. I’m hoping they have a really thick one on a nut like Kell, along with detailed files on his experiments. I know Ortega included a lot of that in his debrief, but-”
“But the more detail, the better? I agree. You’d make a good spinner, Miranda.”
“Puh-leeze. I’d go crazy sitting in front of phones and computers all day. That’s why we’re the perfect team for this.” She hesitated, then asked carefully, “I don’t want to get you into trouble with Director McGregor. I’m assuming that won’t happen, given how valuable you are to him, and given…well, you know.”
“He’ll have a fit, but if we succeed, he’ll get over it. You just have to promise-and I mean, promise-to follow the plan exactly. You’re going to South America for a simple break-in, right? And then, if we decide to send you to Kell, it will be short and sweet. Information gathering, not heroics. I won’t go any further with this unless I have your word on that.”
“You’ve got it.”
“And one more condition.” The spinner’s expression grew grim. “When all this is over, you’re going to get some counseling.”
“Huh? Where did that come from?” Miranda shook her head. “I keep forgetting you’re a shrink. But trust me, that visit to Ortega’s today was pure therapy for me. And I honestly think I’ll benefit from the relaxation technique he taught me. I’ve definitely put those demons to rest, once and for all.”
“I wasn’t talking about you and Ray.”
Miranda scowled, reminded once again that the spinner had seen her psych profile. She was about to assure her that she had completely recovered from her father’s moody dominance, but even Miranda knew that wasn’t true. So she stuck her hand forward for a shake instead. “Okay, S-3. You’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Mr. Runyon? Sir? They told me to come right in. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Come in, Miranda.”
Miranda struggled not to laugh as Bob Runyon motioned for her to take a seat, taking visible care not to let his gaze drop from her face to her body, even for an instant.
Still, she imagined he had already noticed her high, high heels and short, short skirt, both of which were as extreme as she had dared wear to headquarters, along with a gauzy black blouse that was sheer enough to afford a glimpse of her lacy bra. This was one of her favorite vamp outfits, and considering the fact that the CIA had taught her to dress this way, it seemed only fair to demonstrate to them, up close and personal, how proficient she had become.
“Director McGregor suggested I report to you, sir.”
“Give me a minute…” He leafed through a pile of folders until he found the one he wanted. “Obviously McGregor told you I’m functioning as your interim. I hope that’s not a problem for you.”
“Absolutely not, sir. I was actually glad to hear it.”
He looked up from the file. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“Because of the way I acted the last time I saw you?” Miranda sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t hold that
