Code Name: Nanny (SEAL and Code Name #5)(81)

When the boy leaned over, petting the big dog’s head, Summer realized that his left sleeve dangled free. Just below the shoulder, his arm ended abruptly.

A rope ladder hit the ground in front of her. Gabe pushed her forward, and she clambered up the ladder, bumping her head soundly on an overhanging branch.

At the top of the wall, she turned.

The little boy was still on the ground, rolling happily with the dog. He stared up at Summer, put his finger to his mouth and smiled.

Frowning, Summer moved past Gabe and crossed over the wall.



Underhill emerged from the darkness even before the car. “You were supposed to be waiting for me on the other side of the clinic at two, damn it. Your man brought me here or I wouldn’t have found you.”

“Change of plans.”

“That’s it? I’m waiting here terrified and you change the plan?” Underhill’s hair was mussed, his eyes wild. “I want answers, Walker. Did you find the safe? Did you get my disk and files out safely?”

Gabe pulled off his headset. “Get in the car.” Gabe opened the front passenger door and motioned Summer inside.

“Damn it, I need to know—”

Gabe gripped Underhill’s shoulder and shoved him into the backseat while Izzy slid behind the wheel.

Gabe stared at Underhill as the car began to move. “We’ve got a problem.”

Underhill sat up stiffly. “Someone saw you?”

“A little boy was in the lab when we got there. He saw us.”

“Crooked teeth. One arm gone?”

Gabe nodded.

“Don’t worry, that’s just Felipe. He lives on the grounds.”

“What if he talks?” Gabe said. “He knows that we were in your lab.”

Underhill shrugged. “Felipe cares about nothing but animals. Since he has a way with the animals, the director lets him hang around. Don’t worry about it.” Underhill sounded impatient.

“But the boy may talk,” Summer said. “He seemed . . . different somehow.”

“He can’t talk, even if he wanted to. His family was taken by the police during a strike and his parents and brothers were killed. Felipe was just three, so they took his arm, then cut off his tongue. His father talked too much and to the wrong people, they said. Now the boy will never talk again,” Underhill finished flatly.

Summer turned away, feeling sick.

“A nun in the neighborhood got him decent medical care. Now he lives with her in an orphanage to the south, when he’s not at the clinic helping with the lab animals. The boy is amazing. You name it, he can calm them down, even if they’re twice his size.”

Summer remembered how the little boy had stared at her arm. He knew the trauma of being scarred. Was that why he had helped two strangers? Or did he simply dislike the guards?

Underhill stared into the darkness. “My car’s down that street, so I’ll get out here. Check the disk tonight, and you’ll see it’s valuable. I’ll expect a wire transfer to my account within the next hour.”

“We can do that.”

“You won’t be keeping your clinic appointment tomorrow, I imagine.”

“Now that we have your evidence, the sooner we get back to the States, the better.”

Underhill nodded. “Remember, I’ll be watching for my wire transfer.” He took a last look at Gabe, then opened his door. “By this time tomorrow, I should be long gone, too.”



By the time Izzy reached the hotel’s broad courtyard, their dark clothes and surveillance equipment were safely stowed in the trunk. To all appearances, they were simply three happy tourists returning from a night on the town.

“So how about it, Izzy? What was the secret distraction you engineered for us tonight?” Gabe crossed his arms. “Something high tech, no doubt.”

“Low tech, Morgan. But very high volume.” Izzy held up a tiny digital camera and triggered a movie clip on the LED screen.

Summer watched a voluptuous woman in a skintight red dress wobble up the clinic driveway in high heels and begin to remove her clothes, singing loudly. By the time she was down to her black lace underwear, six guards were crowded close, cheering her on.

“Red gets them every time,” Izzy muttered. “Must have been twenty guards in the courtyard by the time she finished.”

Summer hid a smile. “Where did you find her?”

“One of the local cantinas. She was paid very well, believe me. Once you two were out, I sent a fake police car to pick her up for drunk and disruptive conduct. And it was very disruptive, right when we needed it.”

Gabe shook his head. “I hate to say it, Teague, but you’re the man.”

“Damned straight, Navy. Don’t you forget it.” Izzy grinned as he pulled around to the back of the hotel. “Keep your powder dry, folks. I’ll check back at Gabe’s call, and we’ll be on our way.” After a two-finger wave, he drove off.

Summer frowned as Gabe started for the nearest path. “This way will be faster,” she said.

“Don’t tell me you memorized the hotel plan, too.”

“Not the whole plan,” she said defensively. “Only the important parts.” She pushed past Gabe. “If you have a problem with my work, you can—”