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“She passes!” Naomi crowed. I jerked my gaze to her in surprise.
“Wait, this was a test?” I blurted.
Laughing, she shook her head, then shrugged. “Not really, but since you actually know basic gun safety, we’ll even give you bullets.”
I wasn’t entirely sure she was joking.
Philip produced a holster that attached to my belt at the small of my back, and for the next twenty minutes I practiced drawing the unloaded gun from the holster until I stopped fumbling awkwardly and could actually draw it with relative ease.
Finally, the others pronounced me ready enough. I loaded the magazine, chambered a round, then secured the gun in the holster. It was heavier loaded, though I wasn’t sure how much was simply my imagination. I’m wearing death on my butt, I thought, then coughed to cover the slightly hysterical giggle that bubbled up.
“Remember, we’re keeping our eyes and ears open for anything and everything that could be useful for a later extraction of Mr. Ivanov,” Philip said as we made last minute adjustments to gear.
“Got it.” I fought the urge to scratch at the place on my side, and settled for rubbing the itchy spot on the crook of my arm instead.
Naomi checked a few more things on the tablet, then slid it into a backpack. “Kyle and I will be in front of the Saberton building, keeping tabs on everything from the car,” she reminded us. I managed not to roll my eyes at the mention of the car—a sleek hybrid SUV that had rolled off a production line less than a year earlier. Apparently the combination of spy work and way too much money meant that Naomi had a half dozen vehicles stashed around the country in long term storage. Not in south Louisiana, though. No, that would have been way too easy. “If you see any problems, vocalize them if at all possible since I can’t see what’s going on,” she continued, oblivious to my internal snarking. “Any questions?” When no one had any, she gave a crisp nod. “Let’s do this thing.”
Naomi and Kyle left as soon as Jane called to arrange for us to meet her at Washington Square near the arch. Philip and I waited about five minutes, to give the pair time to get into position, then we headed out.
Philip shifted from foot to foot in a very uncharacteristic show of nerves as the hotel elevator descended.
“You okay?” I asked.
A worried look passed over his face. “I’m still not sure it’s the best idea for me to go in.”
“Cut that out,” I said sharply. “You haven’t had any problems since we started taking the stuff Dr. Nikas recommended. Not to mention, you actually know what you’re doing. I sure as hell can’t do this by myself.”
“I’m still having some dizzy spells. Kyle could go in with you,” he said, but it was a weak protest. We’d already hashed this out several times. Naomi couldn’t go in since there was too much chance she’d be recognized, and it didn’t make sense to split her and Kyle up when they worked so seamlessly together. Philip grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. It keeps surfacing. The worry.”
“You’re my partner,” I told him. “Not my romantic partner,” I hurried to add in case he’d misread me. But the smile that twitched at his mouth told me he understood perfectly fine and found it more amusing than insulting that I’d felt the need to clarify. “I mean you’re more than my damn zombie kid or any shit like that,” I went on. “I got your back, and I know you got mine.” I smiled and bumped him with my shoulder. “It’s cool, ZeeBee.”
He returned the bump and the smile as the elevator doors opened. “Got it, ZeeEm. I’m good.”
We took the subway to Washington Square without incident, and Jane’s black sedan pulled up shortly after we arrived, with Victor and the Escalade only a second behind it. Philip took the front seat of the limo, I slid into the back, and we were on our way.
“Damn, you look awesome, lady,” I said as I swept an appreciative gaze over Jane. With a perfect updo, sleek navy suit, white silk shirt, and current no-nonsense expression, she pulled off sophisticated power perfectly.
“Even with the circles under my eyes?” she a
sked, but she smiled as she smoothed out a fold in the skirt.
“Oh, please,” I said with a snort. “It’s obvious you’re ready to kick ass and take names. Again.”
Jane’s expression turned to southern ice. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get Pietro out of there.” She looked down at her hands, folded them gracefully on her knee and exhaled. “He asked me to marry him.”
“Oh. Wow.” I didn’t quite know what to say after that, and I made myself take a few seconds to gather my thoughts before blurting out something really stupid. “I’m sure he’d’ve told you about him being a zombie,” I finally said. “I mean, if you said yes. Before you, er, did it.” Okay, only partly stupid. Jeez.
She glanced at me. “I did say yes. We were going to wait until I was bit more established in Congress before making it public.” She shifted her attention to the sights beyond the window. Traffic was lighter than usual, though still way more than I was used to. Yellow taxis meandered uptown with us, and a bike messenger with a thick chain slung across his shoulders expertly wove between vehicles. “I’d like to think that he would, indeed, have told me,” she continued, “but right now none of that matters. What does matter is that bitch has my husband, whether it’s official or not.”
“Damn straight,” I said with a firm nod.
Jane closed her eyes and leaned her head back, but I doubted she was taking a nap. She looked more like a warrior preparing for the battle of a lifetime, psyching herself up and doing whatever meditation or calming mental exercises would help her win the day. Meanwhile, I tried not to fidget in my supposedly badass outfit. Philip looked like an action movie hero, while I felt more like a kid in a costume.
I pulled out a packet of brains. We’d already tanked up, but a little extra edge couldn’t hurt for a situation as serious as this, right? I zipped off the top and sucked down the contents. A few seconds later a delicious tingle swept through me, colors sprang to life, and everything looked as cool as a 3D movie, but sharper.
Philip glanced back at me, forehead creased in concern as he noted the empty brain packet in my hand. I gave him a reassuring I know what I’m doing smile. We’d be done with this crap and out of there long before I needed some crash time. He gave a slight nod and returned the smile, but a whisper of worry remained in his eyes as he faced front again. He was most likely tense about this whole excursion, I decided. There was no reason in the world for him to be worried about me when it came to brain consumption. I’d been managing my own supply for over a year now, and I knew better than to waste them.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of the Saberton building, and Jane opened her eyes. She looked calmer, more centered. I needed to learn that trick.
