Jessica Andersen - Under the Microscope

Rather than bringing her down, the thought buoyed Raine. Ike was tough enough to survive, and she was as tough as Ike, damn it. She might not be wearing all black or packing heat, but she could pull this off.

Provided her backup, her partner, came through for her.

Come on, Max, she thought, the words nearly a prayer. Give me the benefit of the doubt. Really read that note. Think about it with your heart, then with your head.

And get your butt to the restaurant, or I’m in big trouble.

But there was no sign of him as Forsythe, Jeff and Raine entered Terminal B through baggage claim on the lower level and took an escalator up to the arrivals deck.

Sure enough, there was Thursday’s Restaurant, in all its green-and-white striped glory.

A yawning pit opened up in the center of Raine’s stomach. She didn’t have a backup plan. What would she do if Max didn’t show, or came too late? If she gave the disks to Forsythe, that would be the end of their efforts to gather evidence against The Nine, and it wasn’t as if she would actually go through with her supposed alliance.

If they didn’t kill her outright, they’d no doubt find a way to get her charged and convicted on the outstanding warrant.

Unless, she thought, scrambling madly for an idea. What if I get Forsythe to pull his weapon in Logan Airport? That’d bring security. It wouldn’t take care of the rest of The Nine, but it’d buy me some time. Buy us some time. I could-

“You waiting for someone?” Forsythe inquired with a thread of steel in his voice. He moved up beside her and she felt the barrel of his gun dig into the point of her hip.

Panic licked past her defenses at the realization that he could put a bullet in her without removing the gun from his pocket, then disappear in the ensuing melee.

Even if he were caught, he’d already proven that he had friends in high places.

What had she been thinking? Raine looked toward the exit, instincts screaming for her to run. She couldn’t do this, wasn’t tough enough, wasn’t smart enough, just wasn’t enough.

Yes you are, partner. Max’s imagined voice came out of nowhere, out of the little core of warmth in her midsection, the warmth he’d put there the night before. You can do this.

She took a breath and nodded to Forsythe and Jeff. “Okay, boys. Follow my lead.” She marched into the restaurant, waved off the hostess’s offer to seat them at a table and sat at the bar. Though it was barely 11:00 a.m., several of the other stools were occupied with travelers who either didn’t think it was uncool to drink before noon or were in another time zone.

The bartender-late twenties, prominent Adam’s apple-wandered over. “Get you something?”

“Gin and tonic with an olive, please.”

Forsythe leaned close to her. “No funny stuff, Ms. Montgomery. We clear on that?”

She manufactured a haughty look. “Same goes. We both know this could be a very good deal for your people. Don’t mess it up for them.”

He stared at her for a long minute before he nodded and leaned back. “Fair enough.”

But his hand remained in his jacket pocket, which was roughly in line with her right kidney.

“Here you go.” The bartender slid a glass in front of her. “Anything else?”

She frowned at the drink. “Where’s the umbrella? This is supposed to come with an umbrella. What kind of a place is this, anyway?”

He nodded. “Of course, I’m very sorry for the oversight. One umbrella coming right up.” He dropped down behind the bar, but instead of a brightly colored decoration, he came up with two sturdy envelopes. “Tell her hey from Rudy.”

“Will do. Thanks, Rudy.” Raine took the envelopes and nodded to Jeff, who was lurking behind Forsythe like a shadow. “Pay him for the drink and don’t stiff him on the tip, will you, Jeffrey?”

She moved to open the first envelope, but Forsythe took her arm and nudged her along with the hidden weapon. “We’ll have a look at those in the limo, if you please.”

Raine felt the walls closing in on her, felt her time count down and then expire as they left the restaurant. Crushing, overwhelming disappointment flooded her as they crossed the marbled lobby and headed for the escalators.

“Hold it right there, Ms. Montgomery. Mr. Forsythe. Police!” Detective Marcus suddenly appeared in front of her, flanked by a pair of airport cops. All three had their guns out and at the ready. Agent Bryce of the FDA stood behind them and off to one side.

Before Raine could process Marcus’s appearance so far out of his jurisdiction, and Bryce’s presence at all, Forsythe turned on her. “You set me up! Bitch!” He grabbed her, spun her around and clamped an arm around her throat. Then pulled his gun and pressed it to her temple. “Everyone stand back! Back! I mean it!”

Raine froze, panic congealing in her blood. Forsythe nudged her toward the escalator. “Start walking. You got me into this, you’re going to get me out of it.”

She stumbled, dragging on numb legs. Oh, God. Oh, help. Oh-

Max!

He appeared from behind a marble upright beside the escalator, lunged at them and knocked Forsythe away from Raine in a move that was part football tackle, part rage.

They went tumbling down the up escalator, triggering screams from startled tourists. Raine staggered and fell to her knees, then struggled up and ran toward where the man had disappeared. “Max. Max! ”

They came back into view, rising on the ascending escalator. Max’s eyes gleamed with battle lust, Forsythe’s with rage as they struggled for possession of the gun.

Max bared his teeth and roared with the effort of forcing the weapon up, toward the ceiling. The gun fired once, twice, spending its bullets in the acoustic tiles far above.

Then Max slammed Forsythe’s wrist into the railing and the gun fell free. He grabbed Forsythe by the jacket collar, pinned him down and punched him once, twice, a third time before the escalator reached the top.

Security forces swarmed and grabbed both men.

“Enough!” Detective Marcus shouted. He shoved Raine aside when she would have run to the men and grabbed Max. “Stand down, Vasek. That’s enough!”

“It’s not nearly enough.” Breathing heavily, Max glared at the plastic surgeon, whose carefully preserved face was beginning to balloon and turn an ugly shade of red. Then Max glanced at Marcus. “You get the other two?”

“Two?” Raine said. She looked over to where Jeff stood, cuffed and cowed. “There was another?”

“Nice try, Ms. Montgomery. We know you and Forsythe were in collusion.” The detective looped her wrists in front of her and fastened a pair of handcuffs before she could react. As ice gathered in her gut, she heard him say, “I’m arresting you on an outstanding warrant. We’ll figure out the other charges later.” He Mirandized her and then glanced over at Max. “Thanks again for your help, Mr. Vasek. Agent Bryce and I will see that the evidence gets to the proper authorities.”

A rushing noise built in Raine’s ears, like the wind, only louder. She went utterly, completely still. “Max?”

He took a long, hard look at her, then turned away.

She screamed his name, but he didn’t look back.

“This way, please, Ms. Montgomery.” The detective marched her through the terminal, flanked by armed security guards. The cuffs and escort earned her black looks from everyone she passed, tourist and employee alike. Under any other circumstance, it would have made Raine feel like a criminal. A terrorist. A terrible person.

But now, she was numb, except for the screaming, tearing pain in her chest.

Max had come, but he hadn’t trusted her.