Blonde Ops (32 page)

I slid the door closed while Kevin settled next to Sophie. Luca lay immobile between us. Kevin looked thoughtful.

“You were able to control that car with your phone,” he said. “And get out of zip ties. You're … a hacker.”

And the train finally pulls into the station, Kev.

He gave me a frosty glare. “My credit card and bank account. Was that you?”

Okay, maybe he wasn't that slow. But I did have something on my side this time—the truth.

I shook my head. “Not me—but maybe you can ask Taj about it when he shows up.”

He smiled evilly and cracked his knuckles. “Nice to know.”

 

TRICKS AND TIPS FOR
THE EDGE-Y GIRL

“Semper ubi sububi.” That's Latin for “always wear underwear.” Wise words! And make sure yours is clean and pretty!

30

On Dante's phone, mine bugged. On Via di Panico, 1 way. Keep u posted. B

I hit send with shaking hands. The adrenaline was really pumping, and waiting for Taj was making me and the others, jumpy. This could work—or it could fail on an epic level.

A second later, a reply came back.

Why r u there? Know where TJ is?

I replied
Maybe
and hit send.

There was no time for a long explanation. I put Dante's phone in my pocket just as it buzzed again—possibly a reply from Candace. Quickly I pulled the battery from my phone—just in case Taj could track my movements. If I had any luck, he hadn't noticed that I'd already moved from the stone room. Besides, Candace couldn't send a rescue team before we got Mrs. Jennings.

We all heard the unmistakable grind of metal on asphalt. Someone was moving the manhole cover. Luca, now somewhat revived, writhed in his bonds, trying to rock the van to warn Taj, but Sophie plopped on his chest, knocking the wind—and the fight—out of him.

“Get ready,” I whispered to Dante from the back. “Keep your head down a little, okay?”

He nodded and gripped the steering wheel. My heart pounded in my chest as I heard grunts and then footsteps and muffled voices.

The back door of the van opened, hinges creaking. At first, all I saw was Mrs. Jennings in a red wig—and she saw us. Her eyes went wide with surprise. Kevin leaned forward quickly and yanked her inside, leaving an astonished Taj alone at the bumper.

Taj tried to lunge into the back of the van. That's when I delivered the most bone-bruising side kick—the only thing I ever learned in tae kwon do—to his midsection. He oomphed as the air rushed out of his lungs and the force of the kick ejected him from the van. He stumbled back, slamming into Ortiz, who'd just climbed up into the street.

“Aahhhh!” she cried, and, pitching backward, fell into the manhole like a well-struck golf ball. Score!

Taj scrambled to his feet.

“You should've had a plan B,” I yelled as I slammed the door shut. “Go!” I screamed at Dante.

I thought I heard Taj screaming and rose onto my knees to peek out the window when I was forced back down.

“What if he has a gun? Do you want to get shot?” cried Kevin as he yanked me away from the window.

Tires squealed as the van fishtailed, trying to get a grip on the uneven cobbles. With a lurch and a jerk, Dante pulled into the street and zoomed away.

Suddenly I remembered—

“Plan B! GPS!” I turned to Mrs. Jennings. “Taj put a GPS on you before. He might have done it again. I'm sorry, ma'am, but you're going to have to … um … take your clothes off. I mean, if they bugged you—”

“I'm so glad to see all of you unharmed, but this is dangerous. Call the Secret Service!” Mrs. Jennings urged, relief etched on her face, smudged with dirt.

“I've already let Candace know where we were, and I'll call her again,” I promised as I worked off her zip ties, “but if there's a GPS on your clothes we have to get rid of it. Even if Taj can't chase us, we don't know if he has others who can. Hurry, please, Mrs. Jennings.” I tugged off her wig.

Kevin's face went as red as a tomato as she started to unbutton her skirt. I guess it was one thing for professional models to strut around almost naked and another thing to see the First Lady in her lingerie.

“Close your eyes, Kevin,” Sophie advised.

He nodded awkwardly but first helped us roll the tied-up creep against the side wall of the van. Kevin held him there with his back to the First Lady so she could undress with a little dignity—as much as she could get in the back of a cramped and speeding vehicle.

After hesitating for a fraction of a second, she kicked off her shoes, took off her jacket, and shimmied out of her dress, sitting there like a Victoria's Secret model in her matching sea green bra and underwear. Sophie passed the clothing to me and I handed them and the wig to Dante, who threw them out the window as he careened around corners. Bye-bye one-of-a-kind suit, now probably worth millions because of the action it'd seen.

I had no idea where Dante was going, but he'd proven himself to be a good spy-in-training, dodging cars, people, and Vespas as he drove. I risked a peek in the rearview mirror. No one seemed to be following us.

Yet.

Reaching over, I poked Kevin in the shoulder. “Don't turn around. Just give me your shirt and pants, please.”

“What?!” He tried to twist toward me, but Sophie clutched his head tightly and forced him to remain facing forward.

“You're not going to make Mrs. Jennings walk around naked, are you?” Sophie demanded.

A huge defeated sigh escaped from him. “Fine.” He started unbuttoning. “I hope people realize what a patriot I am when this is over!”

“Think of the fame and job offers,” I said.

After an awkward face-plant on the side of the van from a quick right swerve, he handed over the shirt and pants—both filthy from our sewer run. I tried not to look at his toned body—for Sophie's sake—and helped Mrs. Jennings put on the too-big clothes.

Once the First Lady was buttoned up, I pulled out Dante's phone.

Report! NOW!

I texted Candace back.

We have her! Will turn on GPS so you can follow.

I changed the settings on Dante's phone. Seconds passed and I got a reply.

Tracking u. Police will follow soon. Go to hotel if u can.

“Hotel Beatrici!” I yelled to Dante.

He took a really sharp left turn, throwing all of us in the back across the van and slamming us painfully into the side. I think my knee ended up in Luca's rib cage. Pity.

“Hey, Mario Andretti! Take it easy!” Kevin shouted.

“I know him!” yelled Dante gleefully. “He's—”

“A cousin!” the three of us yelled back in unison.

Dante looked in the rearview mirror, confused. “No, his family and mine go to same church.”

We heard the wail of sirens. The
polizia
were coming, as promised.

Dante drove faster.

“Slow down!” I yelled, clutching onto the back of the passenger seat. “Candace knows—she said the police were going to follow us!”

“Don't make them shoot us!” Kevin shouted. “When we get out of here, we're going to be surrounded!”

I couldn't stop myself from giggling. “And the world's going to see you in your Fruit of the Loom underwear.”

Sometimes justice was too sweet.

 

TRICKS AND TIPS FOR
THE EDGE-Y GIRL

When your favorite frock has seen better days, it's time to say buh-bye … and go and find something new!

31

I saw the flash of red lights through the van's windows. Police cars surrounded us now. The wailing sirens and the flashing strobes made me feel sick to my stomach. Suddenly, the van screeched to an abrupt halt. From my skewed view I could see we'd stopped in front of the Hotel Beatrici.

It was good to be home.

“Nobody move!” came a voice through a bullhorn. “We're going to open the back door. Put your hands up, slowly!” It sounded like Case.

I heard the tramp of boots all around the van. Not daring to move, I strained to see, and, from the corner of my eye, I saw that a gun was pointed at Dante's head. He held his hands out the window, barely moving enough to breathe. The back door of the van was flung open and a thicket of gun barrels were thrust in, red laser sights dotting everyone except Mrs. Jennings. We each very carefully and slowly raised our hands.

“Hold!” cried Candace, pushing forward. Peering in, she saw Mrs. Jennings. Like the others, I sat frozen in my place.

“Mrs. Jennings, are you all right? Do you need medical care?”

“No, Candace. I'm fine.”

Candace offered her hand to Mrs. Jennings, helping her out. The police backed off and instantly Case, Nelson, Mignone, and Collins rushed forward.

Mignone put a hand to his ear and said, “We have Venus, Venus moving to Olympus. Over. Mrs. Jennings, come with me, please.” He held out his hand to her, taking custody from Candace.

She nodded, her legs and smile shaky. After Dante's driving, I think we all felt the same.

“Thank you, and please take care of these courageous young people.” They led her to a large black SUV with tinted windows. Once she was safely inside, it screeched off, a motorcade of police cars and motorcycles leading and following, lights flashing and sirens screaming. Only Case remained with Candace.

“Is anyone hurt, do we need a doctor?” asked Candace as Sophie and I climbed out of the van.

“No…” But then I remembered. “Ortiz—”

“What?!” Candace looked over her shoulder, searching. Of course, Ortiz wasn't there. “What about Ortiz?” she demanded.

“She was working with Taj, helping him!” Sophie gasped, indignant.

“Case, put out an APB for Agent Ortiz—”

“Actually, I don't think you're going to need to do that,” I said.

They both turned to me. “Why not?”

“She had a little accident.” I gave Candace and the agents a quick synopsis of everything that had happened, from discovering Varon to our takedown of Taj and Ortiz. “She fell down a sewer hole. She must be hurt. I don't know if she could get very far.”

“She might, if Taj stopped to help her,” said Candace.

Would he? After all I'd heard him say, I wasn't so sure about that. Candace asked the local police to search the area where she'd fallen and arrest her if they found her.

“Okay,” she said, turning back to me, “do you have anything else I need to know?”

“We have one of Taj's accomplices in the back of the van, and, um … Kevin's probably a little chilly?” I jerked my head toward him.

Candace's mouth opened but nothing came out right away. “Blanket!” she finally shouted, and one was thrust into her waiting hand. She tossed it in to him and he emerged with it wrapped around his middle, leaving his chest bare. Sophie climbed out and put her arms around him. There were catcalls from some people across the street, and some girl wanted his phone number. Kevin turned furiously red—all over—and I had to laugh.

“Parker has to put you in a spread, Kevin,” Candace snickered. I didn't think he could be more embarrassed, but he was.

Some officers came and took Luca away.

“C'mon, Bec,” she said with a relieved look. She put her hand on my shoulder, then suddenly enveloped me in a crush-the-air-out-of-your-lungs hug. I went to hug her back and saw the police leading Dante away in handcuffs.

“Let him go!” I pushed Candace in their direction. “If it hadn't been for Dante, we never would have been able to find Mrs. Jennings and save her!”

Candace nodded to the officers and they reluctantly released him. Dante joined us and I gave him a hard hug.

“You're a hero, Dante!”

Now he blushed and smoothed back the sexy wayward shock of hair. Some girls called to him, taking pictures.
Sorry, ladies, not happening. Get your own hero.

“And what about me?” demanded Kevin.

Sophie threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “You were amazing.”

Kevin's ego did
not
need any more stroking, but if she could handle him, good for her. Then I thought,
Oh, what is my life going to be like when things return to normal and I have to work for him every day?

I'd deal with that tomorrow.

Dante pulled me to him and tilted up my chin. I leaned forward into a long, delicious kiss. “I knew there were lots of reasons to like you,
bella
.”

“Let's get inside,” said Candace, exasperated, pushing Dante and me apart.

Dante, Kevin, and Sophie each went with new agents to be questioned.

The remaining police were left to disperse the crowd that had clustered around the hotel. People shouted and took photos with their cameras and cell phones. I hoped they didn't get one of me. I looked a mess. A tow truck pulled up, and men who looked more like government officials than mechanics started tending to the van. A good portion of the crowd backed away after that.

“How's Varon?” I asked as we made our way up the steps and onto the hotel's elegant porch. I felt a little out of place; my ruined shoes squished and my filthy dress hung in shreds. Plus, I'd worked up a sweat climbing all those stairs and running through the streets. It was a shame that Candace's gift was reduced to less than rags. I was tired and, as her wrinkled nose indicated, badly in need of a shower. My whole body slumped after all the excitement and tension. There couldn't be a drop of adrenaline left in me.

“His hand has numerous breaks, but other than that, he's recuperating.”

“And Mrs. Jennings? Where are they taking her?”

“She's on her way to the American embassy. They'll take care of her there. As much as I like her, I'm beyond grateful that she's not my responsibility anymore.”

I nodded, understanding all too well.