Page 3 of The Echelon (Spy Girl 7)
He bit his lip, a little embarrassed. It was sexy as hell.
“Cliffy means that the roads are all on cliffs, and I don’t want to drive off one of them and splat into the Med. What you are referring to is a stiffy. A boner. Hot. Hard. Ready for action.”
“Oh, yes, stiff. That would make sense.”
I drove to the end of the runway. “You ready for this?”
He didn’t get a chance to respond because I quickly revved the engine and dropped the hammer. The tires screamed for every ounce of grip they could find. I used the paddle shifters to switch gears, the car responding effortlessly. This car was stupid fast, and since it had a supercharger as opposed to a turbo, there wasn’t the kick every time I shifted. The car just rocketed down the runway.
“How fast are you going?” the prince yelled. “Slow down.”
“I read you race for fun. You should be used to this.”
“There’s a difference. I’m not driving. A girl is.”
When I reached the other end of the runway—which happened quickly—I slammed on the brakes, downshifted, and swung the car around ninety degrees to prove a point, and then I hit the throttle again.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, looking very nervous.
“We haven’t even hit top speed yet, but we’re going to try.”
“What’s her top speed?”
“Four hundred and ten kilometers per hour. That’s, like, triple the speed limit in America.” I pushed the car, finally getting it up to four hundred before I had to stop at the other end of the runway. “Holy shit. Wasn’t that fun?”
“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t just here for the history?”
When I get to the summer palace, the tears that fell down my face as I was getting here have dried to my cheeks.
And I managed to make the half-hour drive in less than twenty minutes.
T-MINUS:19:16:07
Josh meets me outside the hunting lodge.
“Damn,” he says, eyeing the car. “You get all the fun toys while I’m stuck out here, in the middle of nowhere.”
“Better than being dead.” I grab my backpack out of the car and turn to head into the house.
“I’ve missed you,” he says, stealing a kiss. “And I’m bored. We should go blow off some steam.”
“You’re very lucky I don’t have time to teach you a lesson about giving a woman an unwanted kiss,” I say seriously, pivoting on my heel and leaving him in my dust as I march off.
He must catch up because he grabs my shoulder and spins me around to face him. “Is Lorenzo the reason we can’t get together?”
“Josh, I’m in the middle of a mission. I have more important things to do. Like getting proof that the vaccine governments are going to give out worldwide will kill nearly everyone.”
He scrunches up his nose. “I heard Lorenzo got his fiancée pregnant already.”
I let out a sigh. “Wow. Well, thanks for being such a good friend and reminding me of that right now.”
He takes my hand, bringing it up to his chest. “We had something. And, if Lorenzo doesn’t die from the virus, I’ll kill him myself. In your honor.”
“I don’t have time to deal with your drama.” I tightly grip his hand, move my arm downward, taking control of the situation, and wrench his arm behind his back before pushing his face toward the ground. “If you ever speak of hurting Lorenzo again, I’ll kill you myself. Are we clear?”
When he doesn’t reply, I add more pressure by shoving my knee into his back.
He pounds the ground with his free hand in frustration, twice, tapping out. “Whatever.”
I don’t let go.
“That’s not an answer, S,” I say, using his Blackwood Academy call sign. “But, before you answer, I do have something to tell you. The second you told me your real name and that you loved me, I was out. That’s how we were trained.” I push down a little harder, trying to add more force without breaking his wrist.
“So, that’s it? We’re over?”
“We never even started.”
“Fine. I promise, I won’t harm your idiot boyfriend.”
“Actually, Josh, in case you haven’t heard, he’s my husband.”
“Oh, yeah, I heard. And it’s not legal. Also, you’re engaged to Daniel. Using the two of them just like you used me.”
What he says stings.
Because, sometimes, throughout all this, I’ve wondered the same thing. Did I let my emotions get wrapped up in Lorenzo and Daniel because of my mission? Was I just playing the part? Or is it real?
“I was trained like you, X. To thrive on my own. To not crave emotional entanglements. We were brainwashed. When I said I loved you, it wasn’t real love. I loved you because we got the flag. I’m not capable of real love anymore, and neither are you.”
“I would have gotten the flag with or without you,” I say, finally letting him up.
“I know that,” he says as he dusts off his pants. “I’m sorry, X. I’m going stir-crazy. I should be out in the field with you.”
“If I don’t figure this out, you can take my place. I was at the opening ceremonies. It’s only a matter of time before I get sick and die along with everyone else.”
He looks down at the ground. “I don’t want you to die.”
“Let’s get inside then.”
We enter the small building and step into a cozy great room with a two-story stone fireplace, wood-paneled walls, and red Scottish plaid couches.
Terrance and Olivia have turned the dining area into a makeshift office, their computers and cans of energy drinks filling the long farmhouse table.
“Have you found her yet?” I ask them.
They both shake their heads in defeat, but The Bartender pops out of a nearby room.
“I just did. Sophie Andersen is in London, living with a flatmate from her university days at St. Andrews. I texted you the address, but I want to know exactly where she will be when you arrive. I was coming out here to get everyone to help me cross-search social media.”
“That’s awesome. Thank you.”
“No way you’re going to get across the border,” Terrance says. “The military is—”
“I’m not going across the border,” I interrupt. “I’m going under it.”
A phone rings before he can question me further. Olivia answers it and pulls up Ares, who is in his Uncle Sam disguise, on a screen suspended from what appears to be the antlers of a large moose.
“Is Huntley there yet?” he asks as Olivia motions for me to stand in front of a video camera.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Must have been driving pretty fast,” he says with a laugh. “Your hunch was correct. The royal family owns a small farmhouse just a few kilometers across the border. We’ll arrange for a car to pick you up there and take you to a nearby airport for your charter flight into London.”
“Thank you. I’ll start looking for the tunnel.”
“I’ve already started searching,” Blake says, appearing in the kitchen from a hidden door. “No luck yet.”
“Have you seen a spotted dog anywhere?”
“They have two sweet retrievers here, on the property, but one is yellow, and the other is black. Neither have spots,” Terrance states.
Josh laughs out loud, but I stifle mine. For someone so intelligent, Terrance can be a bit of an airhead.
“I believe there is a secret passageway leading to a tunnel that goes under the border and to the farmhouse. Lorenzo was taught a song when he was young. The spotted dog is your friend. Wag his tail then go to the end. Is there a war room here?”
“No,” Blake says, motioning for me to follow him. “But there is a study off the biggest bedroom.”
“I’ll help you look,” Josh says, giving me a wry smile.
When we get there, I find this room to be so much more ornate than the rest of the rustic cottage. There is a large fireplace, oil paintings of majestic animals, and shelves filled with books.
“Here,” Josh says, standing in front of one of the bookcases. “There is a small collection of dog figurines.”
“Try moving their tails to see if anything happens, but the one at the palace is carved into the wall,” I say as my eyes are drawn to something else.
Above the fireplace, ornately carved into marble, is a relief of Arcadia with Lorenzo the Magnificent’s Echelon crest scrolling from its edges. I imagine the first king coming to this room, opening a secret passage, and then making his way into Spain.
It makes sense. If you were worried about attacks, you wouldn’t want to bring spies into your country. You’d have your meetings somewhere off-site.
I take a few steps forward, getting closer, and then smile as I scour the animals for a dog, finally finding one with its feet practically resting on top of the mantel and with a thick, stubby tail protruding toward me.
But, when I try to wag the tail, it doesn’t budge.
Another poem suddenly fills my head.
All who enter
Must bear the key.
And keep it secret
For all eternity.
I run back to the great room, open my backpack, take out The Echelon ring, and slip it on my finger.
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath and wondering what I’m even doing. A glance at my watch confirms, whatever it is, it needs to happen fast.
