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She tipped her head back and took a deep breath. Then she looked me straight in the eye. Over the past six months, I’d seen this woman mislead me, trick me, and lie to my face over and over again. But we had just crossed some kind of border. I could feel it. And somehow, in that moment, I knew she was about to tell me the truth.
“My name is Kira Sunlight,” she said. “And I need you to save my life.”
PART 2
CHAPTER 54
SUNLIGHT?!MY GOD!
That was the last name I expected to hear—orwantedto hear. But in that instant, at least I knew I wasn’t some random kidnapping victim. And my kidnapper wasn’t some local psycho. This woman and I were deeply connected. I suddenly realized that this whole setup had been decades in the making. Maybe a century.
“Sunlight?”I repeated. “You’re related to…” I stopped and let her finish the sentence, just to be sure I was right.
“John Sunlight,” she said. “Yes. He was my great-grandfather.”
I’d known about John Sunlight my whole life. And not in a good way. He was a part of my family’s past that I’d tucked away, further than the rest of it, thinking it would never surface again. But here it was, staring me in the face, three generations later.
I was amazed that this woman and I would ever be in the same room. Stunned, in fact.
Because her ancestor and mine had been determined to kill each other. Now I had to wonder about her intentions all over again. The change in her name changed everything. She was a Sunlight. I was a Savage. It was a bad combination.
“You realize that if John Sunlight had had his way,” I said, “I would never have been born.”
“Think howIfeel,” she said. “It’s kind of like being related to Hitler.”
From what I knew, it was a fair comparison. Because back in the 1930s, John Sunlight had also wanted to rule the world. And, like Hitler, he almost succeeded. He built his own private army and tried to corner the market on the world’s most devastating weapons. The only thing standing in his way wasmygreat-grandfather, Doc Savage. Which is why John Sunlight tried to wipe him off the face of the earth. But all that was in the distant past, done and buried long ago. Ancient history. I’d heard about the battle between Doc Savage and John Sunlight from my parents before they passed. But it wasn’t something I ever thought about. As far as I was concerned, it had nothing to do with me.
“Your great-grandfather has been dead for decades,” I said. “So has mine. I need to save your life?? Who the hell wants to kill you?”
She didn’t seem scared. But she did seem nervous. I’d never seen that before.
“Let’s just say my past is catching up with me,” she said. “So is yours.”
CHAPTER 55
Gaborone, Botswana
EIGHT THOUSAND MILES and eight time zones away, in a small neighborhood bistro, sprinter Jamelle Maina was on her first wine spritzer of the evening. The cool chardonnay was easing her guilt—slightly.
She was really enjoying the company of her fellow runners, but she had a definite twinge about leaving her infant daughter with a new sitter. Jamelle was so in love with that baby—the baby the trainers had told her she should never have. She hated to be away from her, even for a minute. But this evening was special. Herfriendswere special. And her apartment was just down the street.
She hadearnedthis evening, she kept telling herself. After all, how often does a single mom from the African bush get to compete in the Olympics?
“Jamelle! Where is yourmind??” It was her teammate Luanna, the tall runner. She reached across the table and snapped her fingers in Jamelle’s face.
“Sorry!” said Jamelle, coming back to the moment. “I’m here!”
Half a block away, in Jamelle’s tidy apartment, Irina was busy wiping down everything she had touched since she arrived. Light switches, refrigerator, toilet handle. It was an unnecessary precaution, since her fingerprints were not on file anywhere in the world. But she had been trained to be thorough. And it was her nature.
She could hear the music from the bistro down the block as she walked softly into the nursery and lifted the tiny black baby from her crib. The doctored formula had done its work. The baby would not stir for hours. Irina just hoped the diaper would hold out.
As she picked up the limp infant, she wondered if she would feel anything this time. She didn’t. Not really. No more than she would feel about any other piece of valuable merchandise. It was just another assignment. Get in. Get out. Deliver the goods. It did occur to Irina that the baby would not remember anything of this room, or this apartment, or her mother. That was probably a mercy, Irina thought. From now on, this little girl would have only herself. And someday, she would serve a bigger purpose.
Irina wrapped the baby in the blanket from the crib, then found another to add an extra layer of cushioning. She folded the top of the second blanket lightly over the baby’s face. She checked the Mother Goose clock on the nursery wall. Time to go.
The transfer team would be waiting.
As Irina stepped into the stairwell leading down to ground level, a couple passed her heading up. They were young and tipsy, interested only in each other. When the police interviewed them the next morning, along with all the other residents of the small apartment complex, the couple would only remember seeing a young woman with a duffel bag, looking as if she were leaving for a weekend trip. The surveillance video would be no help. For a few critical intervals, it would show nothing but static.
