The fierce reality of the weapon stunned me.

  Slowly, Zorba brought it down, trailing it across Wirenut’s chest. Taunting him.

  Wirenut swallowed, but made no other movement.

  Zorba twirled away, wielding the sword and the cane, slashing them through the air.

  I stared at Wirenut, hoping he’d look at me, willing him all the emotional support I could. He wouldn’t take his eyes off his uncle, though.

  Zorba tapped the picture wall with the sword. “As you can see, I’ve kept tabs on you. I knew you’d turn out to be great. I saw the possibilities in you even when you were a baby. That’s why I saved you, you know? Because you were gifted. The rest of your family”—Zorba flicked his wrist—“useless. All of them. Especially your father, my big brother. I hated him. I always hated him. And your mother? We were engaged. Did you know that? She used to be mine, until my big brother met her.”

  His venomous words spoken in a nonchalant, whatever tone brought tears to my eyes. He’d massacred Wirenut’s family because they were useless?

  “And actually, I told your father I’d kill his family if he went to the police about all my business dealings. Guess he didn’t believe me.” Zorba sauntered over to one of the urns. “I’m a man of my word.” He stroked the blade through the flame of the candle that sat in the corner. “I lost track of you after the New Mexico arrest. Where you first met my precious Katarina.”

  He slid the cane into a side holster on his hip. “I set all this up, you know? Katarina impersonating the Ghost. The neurotoxin. It was all to test you. To flush you out. Turns out I flushed out a few people with you. But don’t worry, I’ll take care of them when I’m ready.”

  He turned from the candle. “So look at me. I’m brilliant. Because here you are.”

  “What do you want with me?” Wirenut asked.

  “Why, nephew, I’m surprised by your query. I want you to come work for me, of course.”

  “Never.”

  Zorba slid his finger over one of the sword’s tips, bringing blood. “You’re probably wondering why I didn’t just keep you. Raise you myself.” His cordial tone turned menacing. “Kind of hard to do with being arrested, getting a new identity. And you got lost in the system there for a while, too. Turns out it worked better to watch you from a distance. To see where your gifts lie. Unfortunately, I think I should’ve taken you sooner. Seems this organization you work for has brought out too much goodness in you. Time to get you back.” Zorba stroked his bloody finger down one cheek and then the other.

  Wirenut’s chains rattled, jerking my attention away from Zorba. Wide-eyed, shaking, Wirenut stared at his uncle, seeming hypnotized by him.

  The bone-deep fear sent a chill through my body.

  Zorba trailed blood across his forehead. “Look familiar?”

  Wirenut gasped for a breath. And then another.

  This was probably what Zorba had done right before butchering Wirenut’s family. Some sort of ritual.

  Which meant Zorba planned on doing the same…to us.

  TL rotated his wrist in a steady, repetitive pattern. Clickclack. Clickclack. Clickclack.

  The soft clinking of his chains drew my frantic thoughts. I focused hard on his bound wrist and seconds later looked into his eyes. The assured calmness in their depths brought me peace and confidence. I knew what TL was doing. He’d told me once that making a repetitive noise would calm a nervous teammate.

  “Good, GiGi. Now Wirenut,” TL whispered. “Let’s get him focused and under control.”

  In unison we clickclacked. TL with his chains and me tapping my nail to the steel band around my wrists. Little by little, Wirenut’s body stopped shaking. He dragged his eyes from his uncle and focused on us.

  Mentally, I transmitted all the confidence I felt.

  We’re going to be okay.

  Seconds later his expression softened, and I knew he felt it, too.

  Zorba turned and pointed the sword at me. “Tell me, dear, where do your talents lie?”

  I glanced down at TL, and he nodded.

  “Computers,” I answered. “Code.”

  “Oh, yes. Can’t have a team without a computer genius.” Leisurely, he crossed the short distance between us, stopping at TL’s head.

  Zorba loved being in control, toying with a person’s psyche. He reveled in it. It was written all over his face.

  He put the sword tip down next to TL’s ear. “I’ll assume you’re the man in charge. Tell me, man in charge, how did you go about getting such talented kids? I’ll bet you have a whole group of them somewhere.”

  TL shrugged. “Not that I know of.”

  Zorba teetered the sword back and forth. “Don’t suppose you’d be in the mood to do a little swap. Your life for the location of your special kids?”

  TL didn’t take his eyes off Zorba. “No deal.”

  “I’ll pay.”

  “No thanks.”

  “All right then.” Zorba flicked his wrist, and TL stiffened. Blood flew across the room.

  “You bastard!” I screamed.

  Zorba snickered at my outburst.

  I glanced down at TL. I couldn’t see exactly where he’d been cut, but it looked like his ear.

  Zorba whistled his way over to Wirenut. “Let’s see if my little nephew still has his scars. He tried to save his family, you know? He jumped on my back and tried to choke me.” Zorba clucked his tongue. “Silly five-year-old boy.”

  Zorba trailed the sword from Wirenut’s shoulder across his chest down to his hip. Then did the other side, tracing a giant X on Wirenut’s body.

  Wirenut kept his attention fastened on TL. Good thing, because he wouldn’t see calmness in my eyes. He’d see downright pissed-offness.

  “Leave him alone,” I warned, anger boiling in my veins.

  Zorba cut me another one of those condescending, amused glances. “Or what?”

  I tightened my jaw.

  He peeled Wirenut’s wet suit away, revealing his entire upper body. Wirenut flinched. A long, jagged scar bisected his shoulder.

  The gruesomeness of it morphed my boiling anger into full-on rage.

  Way back in the crevices of my subconscious, I felt TL’s eyes on me. But my fury made me ignore him.

  Zorba tapped Wirenut’s scar with the sword. “Scars make great conversation pieces. I think it healed quite nicely.”

  Wirenut’s breath quickened. His stomach contracted. And I went over the edge.

  With my bound ankles and wrists, I propelled my body weight headfirst over TL, dropped to a roll, and swung my feet out.

  Zorba tripped to the ground.

  Chains clanked. I’d triggered my teammates’ torturous restraints.

  One of them groaned.

  I blocked my need to help them and focused on Zorba instead.

  I tumbled toward him just as he pushed up, brought my feet back, and rammed them into his crotch.

  He dropped to his knees with a grunt.

  I swung around to my back and crammed my heels into his throat.

  He gagged.

  I swerved to my knees, grabbed the cane with my mouth, and ripped it from his side holster.

  Immediately, I tasted blood.

  Chains cranked. TL and Wirenut groaned.

  With the cane clenched between my teeth, I slid away. I put it on the ground pointing toward Zorba, and, with my nose, I mashed the button I’d seen him press.

  The paralysis cathode.

  Zorba thunked to the floor.

  “The red button!” Wirenut shouted over his pain.

  I ground my nose into the red button. The chains halted. My heart stopped.

  I looked at TL, stretched to the limit, gritting his teeth against the pain. Blood from his injury pooled under his head.

  “What do I do?”

  “Get your tool belt,” Wirenut hissed.

  Get my tool belt? It was still strapped to my thigh.

  I hobbled up beside Zorba and lay down next to the sword. I slid my thigh along one of the blades to cut it from my leg. Instead, the blade nicked my skin, and I cringed. My wet suit split open.

  “Hurry!” Wirenut yelled. “He’s waking up.”

  I glanced up, right into Zorba’s eyes.

  [11]

  Zorba’s black eyes narrowed to two tiny slits.

  Not giving him a chance to think, move, or even breathe, I used my knees to ram the sword in his direction.

  He roared in pain as blood squirted my face.

  “The cane!” Wirenut yelled.

  I rolled away from Zorba over to the cane, squirmed my body toward the handle, and crammed my nose into the button controlling the paralysis cathode.

  Zorba passed out.

  I looked at him to see where I’d stabbed him. Both blades stuck clean through his knee, visible on both sides. Any other time I would’ve gotten queasy at the sight.

  Retribution settled my stomach though.

  “Come to me.” TL sounded as though he’d adjusted to the pain of being stretched.

  “You have three minutes,” Wirenut informed us, “before he wakes back up.”

  I pushed to my knees. “How do you know?”

  “I watched the clock when you knocked him out the first time. The cathode’s only good for two shots. Then the fuse has to be switched out. So when he wakes up, he wakes up.”

  Glancing at the wall-mounted clock, I made a mental note of the time and shuffled toward TL.

  He wiggled his fingers. “Put your tool belt next to my right hand.”

  Lying down next to his hand, I scooted my thigh as close as I could.

  “What do I need?” TL asked Wirenut.

  “Get the number three giclo wrench,” he answered. “Should be right in front.”

  TL’s fingers slipped past one tool to the next, and he tugged it from its slot. “Got it.”

  There was no way I could identity a tool by touch. Hammer, sure. But a number three whatever wrench? No way.

  He positioned the wrench between his thumb and forefinger. “Put your wrists next to my hand.”

  I checked the clock as I sat up. “One minute, fifty-eight seconds.” I positioned my steel bands next to his fingers.

  TL inserted the tool. “Wirenut?”

  “Right ninety degrees. Left forty-five.”

  Two tiny tings and my hands were free. I grabbed the wrench from TL. “Same for my feet?”

  Wirenut nodded. “Yes.”

  I took a couple of steady breaths and then slipped the tool into my feet bonds.

  Right ninety degrees. Left forty-five. Two tiny tings, and I was free.

  I jumped to my feet and glanced at the clock. One minute, one second.

  “Wirenut first,” TL instructed.

  “Different locks. You need a four-point-one tes wrench.”

  “Four-point-one tes wrench? What the hell’s a four-point-one tes wrench?” I reached down and yanked the belt off my thigh. I ran to Wirenut. “Show me.”

  Quickly, he scanned the tools. “Third from the left.”

  Pulling it out, I dropped the belt. “What do I do?”

  “My right foot first. Insert the wrench into the foot bond one centimeter, click it left thirty degrees.”

  “One centimeter? Thirty degrees? Are you serious?” I can’t do this.

  “GiGi,” TL barked. “Focus.”

  Oddly enough, his harsh tone didn’t intimidate me. It zapped me full of confidence.

  Ignoring the ticking time, I squatted at Wirenut’s right foot. I inserted the wrench and clicked it left. Ting.

  “Now my left foot. This time click it right, though.”

  I did.

  Ting.

  “Right wrist, clicking left again.”

  Ting.

  I moved to his left hand. “Click it right. I got the pattern.”

  Ting.

  As his iron bonds fell free, Wirenut dropped from the wall, and Zorba shot straight up.

  Wirenut shoved me out of the way. “Get TL. Same pattern. I got Zorba.”

  I scrambled across the cement to TL. In my peripheral vision, Zorba jerked the sword from his knee right as Wirenut leapt.

  My heart banging, I zeroed in on TL’s restraints.

  Right foot. Insert one centimeter. Click left thirty degrees. Ting.

  Out of the corner of my eye, Wirenut kicked Zorba’s hand. The sword sailed across the room and landed, handle down, in one of the candle urns.

  I focused on TL’s left foot. Clicked right. Ting.

  Zorba punched Wirenut, snapping his head to the left.

  I scooted over TL’s body to his right hand, inserted the wrench, clicked left. Ting.

  Wirenut whipped around and delivered a flying roundhouse to Zorba’s stomach.

  Left hand. Clicked right. Ting.

  Zorba stumbled back a few feet and then came roaring forward, striking Wirenut’s sternum and jaw at the same time.

  TL’s bonds fell away.

  Grabbing his chest, Wirenut sucked in a breath, and Zorba sneered.

  TL sprung to his feet, and Wirenut held up his hand. “Don’t. He’s mine.”

  Wirenut dropped to his knees, spun, and swept Zorba off his feet. The older man landed hard on the floor, his head thudding against the cement. Wirenut scrambled on top of him and rammed his elbow into Zorba’s throat.

  Gagging, Zorba reached up, seized Wirenut’s hair, and yanked.

  Gritting his jaw, Wirenut grabbed Zorba’s head and slammed it into the cement again.

  Sounds of bones crunching echoed through the chamber.

  With my heart stampeding in my chest, I glanced over at TL. Aren’t we going to do something?

  He shook his head.

  Zorba twisted his body and threw Wirenut off. He rolled across the floor.

  Zorba staggered to his feet at the same time Wirenut jumped to his.

  He rushed Zorba, pushing him across the room, right toward the sword and the urn. Wirenut shoved, and Zorba flew backward, straight onto the double-bladed, lion-engraved sword.

  Both blades sliced clean through his back and straight out his stomach.

  His body twitched and then slumped lifeless over the urn.

  I turned away from the gory scene and covered my face with my hands.

  Zorba’s tool for sick, twisted pleasure had brought him to his end.

  Twenty minutes later, Nalani cut through calm water, motoring us away from the private island back toward mainland Rissala.

  Dark red lit the horizon where the sun would rise in the next thirty minutes or so. A thin layer of fog hovered on the water’s surface. Under other circumstances, this would’ve been a beautiful, peaceful morning.

  TL stood on the other side of the boat, talking on his cell phone. Wirenut sat beside me, arms folded, staring at the boat’s floorboards.

  He hadn’t said one single word since exiting the mansion. I knew if I asked him if he was okay, he’d just nod his head. So I kept quiet and left him to his thoughts. He’d talk when he felt ready.

  TL clicked off his cell phone. “Clean-up crew’s on their way.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Clean-up crew?”

  “They’ll take care of the mansion, evidence, Zorba’s body.” TL connected the satellite and punched in the scrambler code.

  Balancing the laptop in his lap, he took a seat between Wirenut and me. Chapling, David, and Beaker appeared on the screen. All three sets of eyes widened in matching shock.

  In that second, I realized what we must look like. Wirenut shirtless, tiny nicks on his chest, bruised eye, scar on display. TL with a makeshift ear bandage, soaked through with blood.

  And me with dried blood on my face and mouth, sporting a (I moved my tongue around) yep, missing tooth. I touched my forehead, grimacing at the knot.

  “Um.” Chapling cleared his throat. “Need I ask what happened?”

  David frowned as he studied me, but didn’t say anything.

  I sent him a small smile to let him know I was okay. His frown softened to a slight curve of the lips.

  TL punched a few keys. “I’m sending you a digital image of the sword. We have it here on board if you need a live shot.”

  “Okay, give me a sec.” Chomping her gum, Beaker did some key strokes on her end. She zoomed in on the image TL had sent. “Code is in the handle. Million to one says it’s engraved. That’s thirty-three-hundred-strength sterling. Mix one part citeca acid to two parts riumba enzyme. Heat to one fifty Celsius. Coat handle with mixture using a rubber rod. It’ll take three seconds, and you’ll see the final message.”

  TL nodded. “Fantastic work, Beaker. Anything else?”

  They all shook their heads.

  “Signing off.” TL closed the laptop and dialed his cell phone. He began a conversation in Rissalan.

  I heard citeca acid and riumba enzyme. He was probably arranging to have those chemicals waiting when we got to our destination.

  Nalani stuck her head out of the pilothouse. “Six minutes to dock.” She tossed a duffel bag at us. “Clean up. You guys definitely need it.”

  I unzipped the duffel. Three sets of clean clothes lined the top; first-aid supplies scattered the bottom. I handed the guys their stuff and then stepped inside the pilothouse to change.

  Nalani glanced at my thigh as I peeled my wet suit down. “You’ll need a couple stitches and some antibiotics. Tape it together for now. Bandage it up good. Let me see your mouth.”

  I opened wide.

  She whistled. “Tore the root out and everything. It’s a molar. Don’t worry about it. We’ll get you a replacement.”

  I wiped my face with a wet nap. “What about TL?” That slice had been bloody.

  Nalani idled down. “You’d be surprised what plastic surgeons can do. Everyone’ll be good as new in no time. Hurry and put on your clothes. We’re almost there.”

  Over my bathing suit I slipped on an island dress. Similar to the flowy, gauzy ones the locals wore.

  Nalani pulled the boat alongside a rocky slope.

  Wirenut and I followed TL over the rocks, up to a dirt road where a car waited. Behind us Nalani motored off in the opposite direction. She’d done the same thing in Ushbania. Just disappeared.

  This time I knew I’d see her again.

  We climbed into the car, TL cranked the engine, and we were off. He cut across a field and into the woods. Twenty minutes later we parked behind a stone shack hidden in thick overgrowth.