Page 8 of The Echelon (Spy Girl 7)
“Because we are three smart and gorgeous women who were cheated on. What is this world coming to? It would be one thing if Chad had traded up, found someone prettier or skinnier than me, but, no, he goes for some basic twat because she gets him. And poor Madelyn here was with her beau through uni, and just when she was expecting a proposal, he broke up with her to go to some third-world country to find himself—oh, Sheila is here. You two talk.”
Madelyn appraises me. “I’ve seen you in the tabloids.”
“Yeah.” I roll my eyes.
“Leslie is pretty drunk already. Although I suppose, with everything going on in both the world and her life, why shouldn’t she be?”
“Maybe we all should be. I ordered a pint but couldn’t stomach it. My breakup is pretty fresh.”
“And you just ruined all my fantasies about the extremely fit Daniel Spear. Who did he get pregnant?”
“I think I’m going to need that shot first,” I tell her.
She goes over to the bar, orders shots, and brings them back. “To love,” she toasts.
“To love? Why would you toast to that?”
“Because, without love, there is no hope for our world,” she replies.
I suck in a breath, her words touching me deeply.
“I feel the same way.” I take her shot glass and set both it and mine on the table. “And I’m here tonight not because of a bad breakup—although that did happen—but because I need to talk to Sophie. I know she’s been staying with you.”
The change in her demeanor is instant. She’s scared.
“How—”
“Did she tell you anything about the time she lived in Iraq?”
“She said she hated it. Her mom had died, and there was sand everywhere.”
“That’s where we met. My mother had a meeting with her father. Not long after, she was murdered. I know Sophie’s father died recently, and I don’t believe it was an accident. A man like her father, if he knew he was in danger, I know he would have left Sophie something important. She’s on the run, right? Are there people after her?”
Madelyn nods. “She hasn’t turned on her phone since it happened. Men came to her house and ransacked the place. She was lucky to get out alive.”
“She told me her dad was like a superhero because he was able to fight viruses. I believe there are evil men in this world. I believe they took one of his discoveries and unleashed it on the world for one reason—to force the mandatory vaccines. And I believe that it’s the vaccines that will kill off most of the population.”
“She doesn’t know what to do,” Madelyn says, tears filling her eyes. “She’s so scared.”
“Does she have information about the disease? Did her father leave her something?”
“I think so. Maybe.” She nods. “Two days after he died, I received a post from her father. Inside was an envelope with Sophie’s name on it. I hadn’t heard about the accident, and when I couldn’t get ahold of her, I set the letter aside. I figured she was traveling and that I’d hear from her when she got back. She showed up at my flat a short time later.”
“Where is she now?”
“I can’t tell you. She swore me to secrecy. I’ve said too much already. I have to go,” she says, rushing out of the pub.
I take a deep breath.
There’s no need to follow her. I know where she’s going.
T-MINUS:10:27:15
The fact that I showed up at the pub and not at her home means that Madelyn will assume I don’t know where she lives and will feel safe going there. More than likely, she has a throwaway cell phone that she will use to contact Sophie. I’m hoping that, if she does, Sophie will remember me. Maybe even request to see me.
I’m also hoping, for Madelyn’s sake, that this doesn’t get ugly. I don’t want to hurt her, but if I don’t find Sophie, she’ll die soon anyway.
M’s smiling face pops into my head. We lived together for two years, and she was the closest thing I ever had to a real friend. I really wish Black X had taught her how to keep her mouth shut. She should have known I was working undercover. And she should have known better.
And so should Madelyn.
I understand secrets. I learned to thrive on them. But I also understand there are times when you need to trust someone with what you know—particularly times like now, when our world is in jeopardy.
I leave the pub and walk back to Madelyn’s building where I take a seat on a nearby bench. I have a feeling Madelyn might come back out and lead me straight to Sophie.
While I’m waiting, I get a call from Intrepid.
“The Society sent another message,” he says. “It’s not good.”
“What did it say?”
“They have acquired a special supply of vaccines that are of a slightly stronger dose than what will be administered to the general public. Each member, as well as the one hundred people on their lists, will have their vaccines delivered directly to their doorstep via drone for their convenience.”
“That means, they know how to cure it. We just—”
“I’m not done yet,” he interrupts. “It also said that, for those in Montrovia, they are sorry, but they cannot get into the country, and they suggest members take the vaccine that will be made available to them.”
“They are going to kill off everyone in Montrovia,” I say in stunned shock. “Even their members?”
“It appears so.”
“You need to get some of their special supply! It must be the real cure.”
“We don’t believe that to be the case,” Ares says, surprising me.
I didn’t realize I was on speaker, but I’m glad to know they are still working together to try to unravel this mess.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I might have hacked into a certain World Health Organization’s database. Here’s what we know. A deadly disease was spread at the opening ceremonies, for which there is no known cure. If there were, The Society would find a way to save those of us here. That means that it was the point of the sword—the start of the attack. They needed people to die so that the vaccines would be given worldwide. If the disease was going to actually spread globally and kill everyone, why would they even need the vaccine?”
“Because it won’t,” I say in understanding. “Has anyone who wasn’t at the opening ceremonies actually died?”
“Not from what I can tell. Their plan worked. They even have scientists panicked,” Intrepid says.
“So, in other words, whatever they are sending to Society members is neither vaccine nor cure.”
“That’s our theory,” Ares says. “It must be a placebo or a simple vitamin shot. The instructions mentioned taking the shot upon its arrival and then retreating to their vaults until the all-clear is given.”
“That probably won’t be until a lot of people are dead,” I surmise.
“Exactly,” Intrepid says. “And think about how many world leaders were at the opening ceremonies. Their deaths alone will change the political landscape of the world.”
“Nearly everyone I care about was there. And not only did Lorenzo attend, but he also took the vaccine. Are you saying that they will all die, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it?”
“You were there, too,” Ares reminds me. “Are you ill yet?”
I swallow, testing my throat. Still sore, but I say, “Not so far. What do you think it means for Lorenzo?”
Ares sighs audibly. “I would expect that he will die very soon. That the combination of being exposed to the virus at the opening ceremonies and taking the vaccine will speed up the process. Any luck finding the girl?”
“Not so far,” I say before I end the call.
T-MINUS:10:04:49
I’m considering my next move when I notice two men dressed in black enter Madelyn’s building. While it’s not a full eight-man team, the guys have the same look as the other Echelon mercenaries I’ve recently seen.
That means one thing: her phone was tapped, and she made a call.
>
I spring into action, sprinting across the street. I stand with my back against the front facade and then carefully peek into the foyer. The men aren’t visible.
The old door squeaks upon my entrance, but no one is there to notice. As I make my way further into the posh foyer, I discover a bloodstain on the wall behind where the concierge usually stands. I don’t need to look to know what happened. The men entered the building and dispensed of him without thought.
I take the stairs, not wanting the dinging elevator to announce my presence on Madelyn’s floor. I’m almost to the top when the door for the third floor opens, and a woman rushes in.
“There’s something bad going on in the apartment next to me. I heard a girl screaming!” she says.
“Did you call the police?”
“No, I was going to ask the concierge to investigate.”
“The concierge was shot.” I hand her my phone and hit the button for Intrepid. “The man you’re going to talk to works for MI6. Please tell him everything you know and get out of the building until the authorities arrive. I’ll get my phone from you later.”
“Ohmigosh. Okay,” she says, clutching her robe to her chest as she flees down the stairs.
I open the fire door to the third floor and hear Madelyn cry out.
I don’t waste any time. I slam my hand onto the concrete wall in the stairwell, causing the spike to come out of the setting of my black diamond ring. I click the Givenchy flats I’m wearing on the floor, each one equipped with a knife at the toe. I set my bag down. Even though it can be turned into a small bomb equal to three grenades, I don’t want to kill the innocent people living here.
So, I move.
Madelyn’s door is standing open, the mercenaries not caring to be subtle. No one is in the main living area, which tells me both men are in her bedroom. That, and I can hear them talking—well, interrogating her by asking a question and then slapping her when she doesn’t respond.
