Forsaken: A Fallen Siren Novella by S.J. Harper Read Free Book Online Page B

headset, listens, then shakes her head. “Too early to tell. We should pick him up.”
    Zack nods. “Have Ahmed drive you to MoMa. I’ll meet you there in five.” He hangs up, heads for the door. “Be back in fifteen.”
    “Zack!” I call out. “Do you think they wanted Maitlan dead?”
    He turns back, expression grim. “Either that, or they wanted him to know it’s not about the money,” he replies before taking off.
    Torres’ voice is husky with anger. A member of her team is injured. The seriousness of his condition, unknown. “There was never going to be an exchange. What the hell do these fuckers want?”
    “An eye for an eye,” I murmur to myself.

Chapter Five
    Torres and I are there to meet Zack and Maitlan when they step out of the elevator. Maitlan has one scrape on his chin and another on his left cheek from being thrown to the ground during the blast. Despite having had time to recover in the taxi, his breathing is still a bit labored.
    “Are you all right?” I ask.
    “No.” His tone is clipped, angry. “I’m not all right.”
    Maitlan moves past us and down the stairs. Seconds later I hear a door slam.
    “He needs a little space,” says Zack, motioning us toward the kitchen. “And we need to talk.”
    “Shouldn’t we be debriefing with the entire team?” asks Torres.
    “Not yet. Maybe not ever,” Zack replies. “Roger wasn’t looking at Perez. Right before the trash can blew, he saw a woman he recognized in the coffee shop across the street.”
    “That’s why he started running toward the café?” Torres asks.
    He nods. “Maitlan and this woman have a history.”
    Torres’ expression says she’s trying to work a puzzle with missing pieces. “The kind of history that might motivate her to kidnap his son?”
    Zack doesn’t hesitate. “Possibly. By the time Maitlan recovered from the blast she was gone.”
    Torres’ voice rises. “Why the hell wasn’t she on the list?”
    “Were there any women on the list he gave you?”
    “No.”
    Zack shrugs. “Man like Roger Maitlan, I’m sure he’s made enemies of dozens of women. He probably just dismissed them out of hand, not seeing them as…”
    “A valid threat,” Torres finishes, her exasperation growing. I recognize the signs—tense jaw, stiff shoulders. “Misogynistic prick.”
    Zack says nothing to alter her impression. “The circumstances are delicate.”
    She throws each word at him like she’s hurling a knife. “Delicate? Is that what I’m supposed to tell Nguyen’s wife? Not to mention the others who were injured?”
    The tension in the room is mounting. “Whatever Roger Maitlan may be, he’s a victim, a father whose son’s life is in danger. Let’s not forget that.” I turn to Torres, “I realize you almost lost an agent today, and I’m sorry for that. If this woman is responsible, then let’s nail her ass. You’re angry, I understand that, too. But channel that anger. Let’s keep things professional.”
    After a long moment of silence Torres nods. “You’re right.” She turns to Zack, “I want to know everything he told you about this woman. Who is she? What does she have against Maitlan?”
    Zack turns to me. Our eyes lock. He doesn’t have to ask. I know what he wants. Zack wants me to use my gift to find out if we can trust Torres, if it’s safe to reveal Maitlan’s suspicions about Devlin to her.
    “Maybe you should go check on Mr. Maitlan,” I suggest. “Then we can regroup in the conference room for a debriefing in five.”
    “How about we begin the debriefing now?” Torres is feeling impatient. I can’t blame her. We all are.
    Zack makes no motion to leave. If I lower my shields enough to extract the truth, my other innate magic will also seep through—my powers of seduction. Zack knows it. He’s experienced it. I vowed he’d never be subjected to that temptation again. I may not like the tension between Zack and me, but at least now he’s alive.
    And what of Demeter?