Page 45 of Nothing to Fear

Once time resumed, Omega looked over his shoulder at Cobalt. “Sure you want me to deliver that message?” His tone was venomous.

No matter the response, the message would be delivered. Better to reinforce the threat with a show of confidence than let fear dilute the only possible play. “Positive.”

“You’ve got some volleyball-sized nuts. I’ll give you that.” A vicious cackle boomed under the overpass, but it was hollow, devoid of humor.

Omega got in the car, slamming the door. Engines revved. The SUV streaked past with the roaring entourage in tow, leaving a bitter chill in their wake.

19

Springfield, Virginia

Friday, July 5, 1:55 p.m. EDT

The room Gideon had been in earlier was empty when Willow emerged. She had accepted the truth: Gideon’s interest in her was only professional, a means to get the mole.

She wasn’t sure which was worse, her anger over being so gullible, the overwhelming sense of disappointment, or the sting behind his actions.

Despite everything, she needed him. Escaping danger of this magnitude by herself was impossible. She hated this state of helplessness and dependency on others.

Ken still worked on her passports. She glanced at the four closed-circuit TV screens mounted on the wall beside Ken, rotating between real-time images of the doughnut shop, the stairwell, and various points around the building.

“Where’s Gideon?”

“Supply run.” The respirator mask he wore muffled his voice. “He’ll be back soon.”

Pungent chemicals stung her nose, making her back away. “I need to make a phone call.”

Ken’s gaze snapped up to her as he stopped working. “Who are you going to call, sweetheart?”

Tapping her fingers on the side of her leg, she focused on Ken’s shiny raven hair instead of meeting his eyes. “My sister. My dad is sick at home on his own. Without me, he needs help.”

He peeled off his gloves, opened a drawer on the side of the desk, and fiddled with a cell phone, putting in components. “Keep the call under forty-five seconds. I’m sure you’re running from something that you don’t want to catch you, and I don’t want to get burned in the process.”

“Okay.”

He held onto the phone, eyeing her. “Forty-five seconds, sweetheart. No matter what.”

“I won’t do anything to jeopardize your operation. I understand.”

He tossed her the phone. She wandered into the kitchen, trying to formulate the right words. If there were any, they didn’t come to her. She dialed Laurel. The line rang twice.

“Hello.” Laurel sounded light and lilting as wind chimes.

“It’s Willow. I’m in trouble.”

An exasperated sigh. “Angels don’t get into trouble unless they fall from grace.”

Gritting her teeth, Willow swallowed her immediate frustration. “This is serious, Laurel.”

“I’m driving the girls to their piano lesson right now. Can it wait?”

“No! I have to leave town for a few days. I can’t explain, but Dad shouldn’t be left alone that long.” Anything could happen to him on his own.

“Are you pregnant?” Amusement raised the pitch of Laurel’s voice. “Are you going off with a guy? Some decoder from work?”

“You mean coder. Not decoder.”

“Look, I’m the first to throw a party that you’ve got a life, and as much as I’d love to help, I can’t drop everything to—”