Spy Games (Tarnished Heroes #1)(4)

“You can’t be serious.” Her handler had specifically told her there was no way to track her like that. Sarah had asked. It was the kind of thing she’d wanted to know about back in the beginning.

What if her handler didn’t know about it? What if someone else had done this to her?

“What do we do?” she asked.

“Come on. There’s a pharmacy two blocks over.” He grabbed her elbow and hauled her forward.

Rand snatched what looked like a huge piece of tinfoil out of a garbage can and wrapped it around her arm. On closer inspection, it had more in common with a windshield reflector than foil.

“Will this help?” she asked.

“Maybe. Anything to disrupt the signal.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Cut it out.”

“Seriously?” A dozen different spy movies came to mind. She doubted it would go quite so easily for her.

“You have a better plan? Because if we don’t cut that out, I see my options as kill you or kill you.”

Holy shit. She couldn’t breathe.

This was bad.

“The Koreans are about the worst people to be captured by.” Rand kept his voice low and her close to his side. “There’d be nothing left of you to save—and the company will deny our presence or their involvement with us. If you want to live, I need to cut that tracking device out.”

“But…my doctor said it was just a fat deposit.”

“Look, if you want to argue—”

“No, no. I’m sorry, I’m just—this is above my pay grade.” She took a deep breath. It was fun and all to play at being a spy, but in reality, she was a glorified delivery girl. She didn’t mind her role. She was proud of what she did, and it didn’t hurt that her everyday employer got preferred treatment when it came to funding. Because the more they were able to expand, the more valuable she was to the company.

He squeezed her hand. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said.

Rand…

He’d told her that when her dad insisted the training wheels come off her bike.

He’d told her that when she’d been too scared to walk past the older kids at school on their way home.

He’d told her that so many times.

And he’d never let her down. Not once.

Now she’d have to trust him with her life and pray that when he figured out she was his former best friend’s little sister he didn’t leave her high and dry like he’d done with Matt.

…

Rand grabbed a bottle of antiseptic from the shelf and tossed it in his basket. His jaw hurt from holding the flashlight between his teeth, but he’d had to cut the power to keep the alarm from going off.

This was going to shit fast, and if he didn’t figure out how to lose their tail, he didn’t see many options left.

Someone at the company had not only bugged her, but sold Courier Girl’s tracking tag frequency. The stuff they used these days was high tech. Unless someone had the information to tune in to her specific device, maybe even a password, she should be invisible to the Koreans.

He couldn’t deal with conspiracy theories yet. First, he had to keep her alive. Then, they’d figure out where to go from there. His established safe house was out of the question now.

If she’d been sold out, then chances were he had been, too. He couldn’t risk that kind of danger.

And what about his asset in North Korea?

Everything was changing faster than he could brainstorm contingency plans for his contingency plans.

Rand carried his haul back to the break room. CG had a few battery-operated lanterns set up on the counter and was scrubbing her arm in preparation for his field surgery.

He hadn’t been able to get a clear look at her, besides, they’d had more important things to worry about. Every time there was light, he found himself staring down at a head of dark hair and nothing else. She was petite, much shorter than him, which was probably why she fit in so well on the street and was able to move around without much notice. He could probably pick her up under one arm and carry her for miles. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.

She turned off the water and shifted, the light catching her face. The memory punched him in the gut so hard he couldn’t breathe.

The upturned nose. The slight widow’s peak she’d hated and tried to shave off as a child.

He was staring, but by God, this had to be a dream. “Sarah?” His mind screamed. No! Don’t say her name! It can’t be real.

She was taller now, but not by much. Her cheeks were no longer round and rosy. She’d been just out of college when he’d seen her last. They’d been in her brother’s hospital room, and she’d cried on his shoulder. He’d held her, hating himself for thinking more about her than her brother.

His heart knocked around in his chest, and those long-dormant emotions sprang to painful awareness.

He’d harbored one hell of a forbidden crush for her. All those afternoons helping her with her homework and making sure the boys in her class knew not to mess with her. His best friend’s little sister.

“Hi.” She didn’t seem shocked to see him.

“You knew.” Not a question.

“I guessed. You sent your parents that painting of the Seoul city line.”