This, though? I knew Erin. Even if she was bad now. It’d be like Bruiser sitting there being strangled by TL. I’d find it extremely hard just to stand here and watch.

  TL knows what he’s doing, I reminded myself. You have to trust his tactics. He knows Erin. He knows what will work. Thousands of lives are at stake.

  His bicep contracted. Veins popped on his hand and forearm. Erin’s eyes glazed over with an eerie, unfocused gaze.

  He’s squeezing the life out of her.

  I tried to swallow, but my throat had swelled with dryness. Dragging my eyes off TL and Erin, I focused behind them on David.

  With a stiff jaw and clenched fists, he stared unblinking at a spot above my head. Clearly, this bothered him as much as me.

  “Okay,” she wheezed.

  David’s eyes snapped down to her and so did mine.

  “I won’t stop next time.” TL eased the pressure. “What do you have to say?”

  Erin gagged. “I…c-can’t…breathe.”

  “I don’t care.” He retightened his grip. “What do you have to say?”

  She gurgled. “To-xin…buried…”

  After she choked out the coordinates, TL released her. “Get her out of my sight.”

  Erin grabbed her neck, wheezing for air.

  Wrenching her out of the chair, Jonathan led her from the room.

  What’s going to happen to her? I wanted to ask, but I kept quiet, waiting for TL’s instructions.

  He checked his watch. “Let’s go.”

  Standing in the southwest corner of the ranch’s property, I stared at the coordinates Erin had given: 122.04.70 north, 38.18.70 west. A patch of moonlit grass.

  TL flipped on a flashlight. “There’s no evidence the dirt has been disturbed.”

  David tucked his hands in his jacket. “You think Erin lied? That nothing’s buried here?”

  “What about injection?” Wirenut squatted down. “A small toxin vial could be inserted, leaving the area virtually untouched.”

  “Let’s X-ray.” TL pressed the talk button on his two-way radio. “Chapling, cue satellite. You’ve got the coordinates. Let’s see what’s below us.”

  “Satellite cued,” Chapling answered through the radio.

  Opening my mini-laptop, I watched the dark screen. Seconds later a black-and-white picture flicked into view. “Upload complete.”

  The guys moved in around me to see. David, TL, Wirenut, and I appeared as phantom images. I had a weird urge to wave, just to see myself move.

  Rows of piping and wiring tunneled the earth beneath us, everything the ranch needed for security.

  “There it is.” Wirenut pointed over my shoulder at the screen.

  Slipping on my glasses, I leaned in. Sure enough, a tube of liquid lay about a foot beneath us. Scary to think that small amount could infect and kill everyone here at the ranch. As well as the city of San Belden and beyond.

  “Huh.” Wirenut tapped the screen. “See those two wires? One coming out the top of the vial and the other the bottom.”

  I nodded.

  “Those are hematosis detectors.”

  Hematosis detectors?

  “They’re still under development. No one’s actually used them yet.”

  “Um, not to be ignorant here, but what are hematosis detectors?” I seemed to be the only one who didn’t know.

  “Hematosis detectors,” TL explained, “are a security measure, programmed to unlock with certain blood, certain DNA. They can be used on anything: explosives, government documents, safety deposit boxes.”

  I propped my glasses on top of my head. “According to Zorba’s documents both Katarina and Wirenut have to be present to disarm the toxin. So obviously we’re going to need both their blood.” It all made sense now.

  Wirenut moved away. “Couple of issues we’re looking at here. Number one: hematosis detectors are still under development, meaning they’ve never been documented successful. Basically, we’re doing a trial here. There’s no proof they’ll work. Number two: these detectors are rigged to read a certain number of drops.”

  “Five.” The number popped into my head and out my mouth.

  Everyone looked at me.

  “Zorba’s theme has been five.” I closed the laptop. “How much you wanna bet it’s five here, too? Five drops of blood.” Oooh, I’m good.

  Wirenut smoothed his fingers down his goatee. “Okay, so going with that, there’re two detectors. Each has to get the same number of drops. Five of me, five of Katarina.”

  Sounds easy enough.

  He blew out a quick breath. “Only problem is—”

  Why does there always have to be a problem?

  “My blood and Katarina’s have to hit the detectors in sync. Neither of us can be off by one tiny millisecond. The documents said thirteen hundred hours. That means the first drops have to touch at that exact second and then every five seconds, staying with the theme, after that.”

  “B-but what if something goes wrong? What if I’m not right about the number five? What if the vial’s timer chip isn’t calibrated to our clocks? What if your blood doesn’t drop in sync? An-and you said this thing’s still under development. What if it shorts out?” Do they not see all this?

  TL flipped off the flashlight. “Then we all die.”

  Hours later, katarina’s helicopter from the airport crossed over the ranch’s border. Squinting against the whirling dust and grass, I held my hair back and checked my watch. 12:30 P.M.

  Only thirty minutes until the toxin releases.

  The helicopter touched down on a cleared area behind the house. The passenger door opened, and Katarina jumped down. Gripping her leather jacket together, she ran toward TL, David, Wirenut, and me.

  “Hello,” she yelled over the loud whipping.

  I gave her a welcoming hug.

  It surprised her, and for a second she didn’t return the gesture. “Thank you,” she mumbled, squeezing me quick.

  Behind her, the copter lifted off.

  “Hey.” Wirenut smiled a little.

  She smiled back. “Hey.”

  TL and Katarina exchanged handshakes, and he introduced David.

  TL pointed to his truck. “Our protective gear is in the back. Get it on, and let’s move out.”

  We all zipped into thick white suits with clear facial hoods and put on gloves. We hopped in the back of the truck and barreled over the ranch’s property to the southwest corner. As we bounced along, Wirenut briefed Katarina on the hematosis detectors.

  TL pulled to a stop, and we all piled out.

  “Get your laptop, GiGi.” TL pressed his two-way radio. “Chapling, give us our X-ray.”

  I opened my computer. The image flicked into view. “Got it.”

  TL handed Wirenut a garden shovel. “You’re up.”

  Wirenut knelt at the patch of grass. He inserted the shovel a tiny bit and then quickly removed it. Rotating to the right, he inserted the shovel again and removed it. Quickly, he moved around and around the vial, keeping the same rhythm, each time the shovel going in a little farther.

  On the laptop I watched his phantom image and the sharpness of the shovel as he got closer and closer to the vial. Almost a little too close.

  What if he accidentally nicks it?

  The dangerous thought jumped into my head, and I immediately shoved it right back out. He knows what he’s doing, I reminded myself, although my pounding heart didn’t quite believe my rationale. Accidents did happen, after all.

  Wirenut inserted the shovel and left it there. “Let me see.”

  I knelt beside him, showing him the X-ray.

  Sweat trickled down his forehead. “We’re good.”

  I glanced at the laptop’s digital time and caught my breath. “It’s twelve fifty-one.” I hadn’t realized that so much time had gone by.

  Wirenut nodded. “I know.”

  “B-but that’s only nine minutes.” Nine minutes. To remove all this dirt, patch into the time chip, drop the blood. And the time chip might be seconds or even minutes off. So we could really only have like five minutes to go. Hello?

  Wirenut gripped my knee through the protective suit. “GiGi.”

  I jerked my focus from the shovel to his eyes.

  “Listen to me and hear me good when I say this.”

  I swallowed.

  “I lost one family. I won’t lose another.” He squeezed my knee. “Now let’s get this done.”

  The conviction in his tone washed over me in a settling wave. We’re going to be okay.

  He took the shovel from the ground and laid it aside. TL handed Wirenut a metal rod. He twisted the end, twirling it open into a clawlike shape. “Let me see the screen.”

  I held it out for him.

  Studying the image, Wirenut carefully inserted the claw, stopping right at the vial. He twisted the end, and the prongs closed together. “Ready.”

  David and TL squatted across from each other, gripping a wide plastic tray.

  “Not a single speck of dirt can fall on the vial,” Wirenut instructed. “If it’s disturbed in any way, it’ll trigger the toxin.”

  David and TL nodded their understanding.

  “Three. Two. One. Now.” Wirenut yanked the claw straight up. TL and David slid the tray beneath it.

  I kept my eyes locked on the screen, holding my breath, searching for falling debris.

  Nothing.

  They moved the tray and claw aside. Down about twelve inches sat the tiny vial with a thin wire sticking out of either end.

  Wirenut pulled a slim, red rectangle from his protective suit’s pocket. “Something I’ve been working on. It’ll read the timer chip without patching into it. I won’t even have to touch the vial.”

  Good thinking, seeing as how the toxin would release with the slightest disturbance.

  “Now’s not the time to test a new gadget.”

  “I know that, sir. I’ve completed the standard trials.”

  TL nodded. “Go ahead then.”

  Wirenut pointed the chip reader at the vial. “Time check.”

  Everyone looked at their watches.

  “Twelve fifty-eight thirty-one.”

  Little over a minute to go. We all set our watches.

  TL stripped sterile plastic off two needles and handed Katarina and Wirenut each one. They each took off a glove and lay belly-down on the grass on opposite sides of the vial. Holding their hands to the side, they pricked their middle fingers and squeezed until blood dripped onto the ground.

  Wirenut lifted his eyes to Katarina. “Hey.”

  Across the small distance, she met his steady gaze.

  “We’ve got this. No problem.”

  She nodded.

  “Twelve fifty-nine fifty,” David reported.

  Only ten seconds to go.

  “Clean.” Wirenut and Katarina wiped the blood from their middle fingers.

  “Here we go.” David tapped his watch. “Five. Four…”

  Bringing their fingers over, Wirenut and Katarina held them steady over the opening in the ground and applied pressure with their thumbs.

  “Three. Two. Drop.”

  One single drop welled, hovered, and then fell, landing precisely on the detectors. Wow.

  Only four more times to go.

  “Five. Four…”

  They cleaned their fingers, held them over the opening, applied pressure.

  “Three. Two. Drop.”

  The blood welled, hovered, fell.

  Three more times…

  Two more times…

  “Five, four…”

  Cleaned fingers, held them over opening, applied pressure.

  “Last. Time. Drop.”

  Welled, hovered, and then Katarina sneezed.

  [15]

  Everyone froze.

  No one breathed.

  No one moved.

  My eyes stayed pasted to the laptop’s X-ray image.

  As if in slow motion, I recalled it all….

  Katarina’s breath hitched twice, and I knew, I knew she was about to sneeze. Before I had time to digest that thought, she did. A big one. Possibly the loudest I’d ever heard. No matter how beautiful she was, nothing pretty existed about this sneeze.

  But the incredible part? No portion of her body moved. Not even a tiny bit. She kept herself frozen in place as the blood on her middle finger welled and then fell, landing precisely on the vial in sync with Wirenut.

  The hematosis detectors fell off and the vial disengaged. Numbly, I watched, suddenly swamped with everything that had transpired. All of it. Not just the sneeze.

  Zorba, Rissala, Wirenut, Katarina, Erin, documents, the sword, neurotoxin, Nalani, chains…

  The past week of my life smothered my brain in a blur.

  The Rayver Security System, jewelry lady, boat, plane, Museum of History, Museum of Modern Art, ceramic egg…

  I squeezed my eyes shut against the onslaught.

  Yellow ribbon, cemetery, marketplace, Gio’s guitar, tattoos, water-rigged system, crown, mansion, chimney…

  “GiGi?”

  Rental car, necklace, island, diving, marina, pulse bomb, contortion lasers, paralysis cathode…

  “GiGi?”

  Cane, green glow, arsenic mouth tape, seizure, blood, TL’s blood, my tooth, tool belt, Wirenut’s scar…

  “GIGI!”

  I jerked alert. “What?”

  Everyone stared at me.

  David put his hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”

  “Umm, yeah.”

  He smiled. “Good. You spaced out on us there.”

  “Sorry.” I pressed my fingers to the plastic covering my forehead. “My brain’s on overdrive. A lot’s happened.”

  Taking my laptop, he clicked it closed. “We all need to relax a little. And to breathe.” He unzipped my protective gear. “Get out of that thing.”

  We all did, greedily taking in the cool night air.

  Wirenut swooped Katarina up in a huge hug. “This might be bad timing, but I think we make a great team.”

  Katarina smiled. “I know we do.”

  Laughing, he twirled her around and around. Their happiness made my heart dance.

  He released her and went into his victory shoulder-roll dance. “Go, Wirenut. Go, Wirenut. Go. Go.”

  I smiled. It seemed like forever since I’d seen him do that.

  Wirenut pulled Katarina back into his arms. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. She lifted up on tiptoes and their lips met.

  And held…

  And held…

  They stood wrapped in each other’s arms, holding their closed lips together.

  The most beautiful, loving, simple, sensuous kiss I’d ever seen. Breathing each other in. Cherishing the other.

  Warmth washed over me as I watched them. I should look away, give them privacy. But I couldn’t. Their special moment hypnotized me. Mesmerized me.

  I wanted that intimacy. That exact kiss.

  “You all walk back.” TL tossed the shovel in the truck. “I’ll dispose of the vial.”

  David picked up our suits and threw them in the truck. “Want me to help?”

  “No. Jonathan’ll be here soon. I want him to assist me with this.”

  Wirenut and Katarina pulled back, smiling at each other. He took her hand. “You all ready?”

  David placed the tray and claw in the truck. “We’re ready.”

  Wirenut and Katarina strolled off ahead of us, hand in hand, talking. David and I followed.

  I stared at their clasped hands, wishing David would take my hand. Why wouldn’t he?

  Maybe because they’re in my pockets?

  Oh, yeah.

  I took my hands out and stretched my fingers. Sure enough, he wrapped his hand around mine.

  A contented smile crept onto my face.

  He caressed his thumb along my skin. “You did good.”

  My entire body hummed in response. “Me? Oh, I didn’t do anything. They”—I nodded at the lovebirds—“did it all. Did you see how steady and confident they were? I would’ve been shaking and rattling like a…like a…oh, I don’t know. Like a something.”

  “You underestimate yourself. I’ve seen you in action. You’re good.”

  That comment rolled around in my head for a few seconds. TL had said the same thing. Under pressure, when I knew something needed to be done, I did it. Competently. My brain took control of my body’s hesitancy. Well, except for that time in Ushbania when I tripped and split my lip open. And then that time—

  “Stop.” David laughed. “You are good. Stop trying to disprove it.”

  “How’d you know what I was thinking?”

  He squeezed my hand. “Because I know you. I know how that incredible brain of yours works.”

  Incredible brain. Those two silly words made me all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

  I squeezed back. “It’s nice to be known.” So nice.

  Wirenut glanced over his shoulder. “What’s gonna happen to Erin?”

  “Prison.”

  I moved a little closer to David. “You all right?” I would feel horrible if one of my teammates went to jail.

  “Yeah, I’m okay.” He spared me a brief smile. “TL gave me a letter from my dad. It’s the first communication I’ve had with him since the Ushbanian mission.”

  “Oh, David, that’s wonderful. Is he doing okay?”

  “He is. Hopefully, we’ll get to see each other soon.”

  In front of us Wirenut said something to Katarina in Rissalan.

  “When’d you learn Rissalan?” I asked.

  Wirenut lifted their clasped hands and pressed his lips to Katarina’s knuckles. “I picked up a few words while we were on the mission. I don’t know much, but I figured I’d better start studying it.”

  So sweet. I had the best teammate in the whole world. “What’d you just say to her?”

  They both glanced over their shoulders this time. Katarina’s amber eyes held privacy, secrecy, and a hint of mischievousness. Wirenut’s? Downright, ornery, none-of-your-business. Neither of them answered my question.

  It made me want to know even more.

  “What did they say?” I whispered to David. “You know a little Rissalan, don’t you?”