Show Of Force. Elle James

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СКАЧАТЬ Charlie said.

      “You are out of your mind.” Mack released Riley and lunged for Charlie.

      She backed toward the door, a frown pulling her brows together. “Listen, you two. We don’t have much time.”

      Riley glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Time. Damn. I forgot. They gave me C-4 to set off as a diversion. I’m supposed to kill Mrs. Halverson and set off the explosive to create a diversion and allow me to escape. They’re expecting the explosion.”

      “Good.” Charlie smiled. “That will give us time to get my dead body out of the hotel and off to the morgue.” Her smile faded. “As long as the explosion doesn’t hurt anyone else.”

      “It shouldn’t. I didn’t use a lot of the explosive and I set it in a storeroom surrounded by other empty rooms. No one was there, and it was empty. No one should go back there.”

      “Wait a minute.” Mack held up his hand. “I can’t possibly be hearing this correctly. You can’t set off explosives in a crowded hotel. It will start a stampede. Even if the explosion doesn’t bring the walls down, the guests will rush for the doors and crush the people in front of them.” Mack shook his head. “No. No. No. This is insane. Besides, I can’t let you take that pill. If it’s poison, what antidote is there? We don’t even know what it is.”

      “I’m not going to take the pill, silly. I’m only going to pretend I did. You’ll call for an ambulance. They’ll wheel me out. Riley will escape and you’ll go with her to help her find Toby, her little brother.” Charlie drew in a deep breath and looked from Riley to Mack and back. “You see? All I have to do is lie dying in a hospital long enough for you two to find Toby and get him back.”

      Riley’s eyes narrowed. “The instructions said the poison was fast-acting.”

      “So I didn’t take all of it.”

      “They’ll wait to give me Toby until they know for certain you’re dead,” Riley said.

      “Money can buy just about anything,” Charlie pointed out. “Even a fake death certificate.”

      “But they’ll come looking for the body.”

      “So we’ll give them one in the morgue.”

      “You seem to be forgetting something,” Mack said.

      “Am I?” Charlie frowned. “What am I forgetting?”

      “You’re not dead. You don’t belong in a morgue until you are.”

      “Then you’ll just have to find the boy while I’m lying on my deathbed in the hospital.” Charlie crossed her arms over her chest.

      “I don’t like it,” Mack said. “Why don’t we go to the authorities and get them to find the boy?”

      “The people who have him are Russian,” Riley said. “They’re not going to let the authorities find them or my brother. They’ll move him out of the country. If they do, I’ll never find him. As it is, I don’t know where to begin looking. I don’t know who my handler is.” Riley’s shoulders sagged. “Some Russian spy I am. I can’t even take care of my own brother.”

      “Don’t worry,” Charlie said. “Follow my plan. Poison me, set off your explosion, let me play the dying matriarch and see what happens from there. What could it hurt? You get a few days’ grace, and I get a rest in my husband’s wing of the hospital. I can’t see where this could possibly go wrong.” She waved toward Riley. “Go ahead. Set off your explosion. You’ll see.”

      Mack wasn’t quite as sure as Charlie. And he’d rather have brought his men in to discuss what was going to happen, but Charlie had it in her head that her plan would work long enough for him and Riley to save her brother. She wouldn’t be deterred.

      “Where’s the detonator?” Charlie asked.

      Riley pointed to the ornamental hair clip lying on the counter near the sink. “But—”

      “The longer you wait, the more suspicious your handler will become,” Charlie pointed out. “Just do it and we’ll take it from there.”

      “I don’t know.” Riley worried her handler would see through the plan.

      “Have you worked with C-4 before now?” Mack asked.

      Riley nodded. “But it’s been years. Back when I lived with my parents. Before I went to college.”

      Mack gaped. “As a teen?”

      Riley frowned. “I told you. I was trained to be a Russian sleeper spy. My parents prepared me for just about anything.”

      “I thought you were just an engineer...” He clapped a hand to his forehead. “Selling secret blueprints to your comrades?” He shook his head. “You were the one selling the top secret data to the Russians from Quest Aerospace?”

      “No, of course not. I thought I was in the clear. That when my parents died, their handlers would forget about me.” She snorted. “I was just another loyal American, trying to do good. Well, they didn’t forget about me. They drew my number and tasked me to kill Mrs. Halverson.”

      “Charlie,” the widow corrected.

      “Charlie,” Riley echoed. “They’re using my brother as an insurance policy. They didn’t give me a choice.”

      “Are you sure about the amount of plastics you used?” Mack asked.

      “Pretty.” She drew in a deep breath. “It should make a loud noise and shake the walls but not cause too much damage or a fire.”

      “For the record...” He caught Charlie’s glance. “I don’t like any of this.”

      “So noted.” Charlie gave him a mock salute. “But you’re going to go along with it?”

      Mack nodded and touched his hand to his headset. “Guys, be ready to lead the guests in an orderly exodus from the hotel,” he said.

      “Did you say what I think you said?” Gus questioned.

      “What are you talking about?” Mustang asked.

      “Can’t say,” Mack said. “Just be ready.” Then he nodded to Charlie. “Assume the position.”

      Charlie grinned and sank to the floor in her expensive gown.

      “You can’t smile if you’re dying,” Mack warned her.

      The smile disappeared from her face and she closed her eyes. “Ready.”

      “I’m calling the ambulance,” Mack said, and dialed 911. He turned to Riley, not sure he should trust her, but knowing it was what Charlie wanted and possibly the only way to get the woman out of the hotel safely if others were gunning for her. “As soon as they say the fire department is on its way, let ’er rip.”

      Mack reported a woman down to the dispatcher. Once he was assured the ambulance was on its way, he nodded toward Riley.

      She СКАЧАТЬ