Double Vision by Vicki Hinze Read Free Book Online Page A

Drake asked me to relay that the DNA on the prisoner didn’t match. He’sa double.” A hand at his brow protecting his eyes, Forester scanned behind him, then looked back at her. “I take it you know what that means.”
    “Unfortunately.” It meant Kunz was on the loose, which had to be sending shock waves throughout the system. Frustrated and frightened, Kate accepted that S.A.S.S. had already once believed they’d killed the man only to have him resurface. Then until today, they’d believed he was alive but neutralized, serving a life sentence in Leavenworth. Now, damn it, they discover the truth. Thomas Kunz was alive and well and running loose somewhere on the planet.
    How many doubles did he have, anyway? And had it been one of them she’d encountered earlier while in the grave? Or was that Kunz the real McCoy? The voice seemed to match, but what if that, too, had been altered? It wouldn’t have to be perfect to fool the human ear. With Kunz’s surgical and medical teams, S.A.S.S. was learning the hard way that very little remained impossible for him.
    And that news might just scare her most of all.
    “Your operation has been upgraded to a Code Two,” Forester said, certain he’d left her to her thoughts long enough.
    Kate nodded. A Code Two was one step out of a full-scale attack. A Code Two mission authorized operatives to function outside normal Homeland Security perimeters and channels. Restrictions imposed were minimal, and the operatives gained a lot of procedural latitude.
    “Why?”
    “Excuse me?” She looked up at Forester.
    “What happened to warrant the upgrade?” The heat had left his tone and his eyes no longer sparked anger. Worry had replaced it.
    “Have they put you inside the need-to-know loop?”
    He nodded. “Don’t worry, Captain. My security clearance is higher than yours.”
    Kate doubted it, but Colonel Drake had brought him into their circle, so Kate could tell him as much as she thought he needed to know. “Can we talk inside? My ankles are pitted.”
    He looked down at swirl of sand. “No, but we will talk in my office at the command post. Grab a jacket and boots or the rest of you will be pitted, too. And what happened to your face? It looks like raw meat.”
    Surely he wasn’t just now noticing the cuts, scrapes and bruises. Then again, it’s hard to see what’s in front of you when you’re looking at everything through an angry red haze. “Kissing rocks.”
    His eyebrow crinkled, perplexed, then smoothed out again. “Never mind. You can explain later. Get your gear.”
    Kate ducked into the tent, snagged a jacket and quickly fitted up in her combat boots. Then she went back outside. Surprised to see Forester waiting for her, she smiled.
    “I, um, thought you might not know the way to the command post.”
    He was embarrassed. How totally charming. “Thank you.”
    Standing straight as a blade despite the sand shower, he nodded and then took off at a brisk clip. She followed him past the rows of tents to a large one near the center of the outpost.
    Inside it, Kate noted five desks—all unoccupied—a ton of electronics. In its center, a clear-walled booth that surely had been designated for use by the commander. There, Forester could see all…and be seen by all.
    She let her gaze drift from it to him. “Major, may I ask a question?”
    He entered the booth and sat, then motioned for her to sit in the visitor’s chair opposite his desk. “Go ahead.”
    “Has someone filed harassment charges against you or something?” Kate took her seat. “I couldn’t help but notice…The visibility…” She let her voice fade.
    “Between that and my policy on not entering women’s tents, this is your conclusion?”
    “I haven’t drawn a conclusion, Major,” she said, hiking her chin. “Just asked a question about something that strikes me as odd.”
    “It is odd, isn’t it?” He didn’t smile, but amusement put a lilt in his voice.
    Kate thought she might just