Kate Donovan - Exit Strategy

Miranda waved her hand for Kristie to keep silent. “Director McGregor? Ortega told me the same basic story that’s in the file, but the nuances are intriguing. I want to be sure I communicate them to Kristie while they’re fresh in my mind.”

“Fine. Check in with your interim supervisor-”

“My what?”

“Sorry, I thought you knew. Your regular team leader didn’t know anything about Ortega and the alibi situation, so when we asked to borrow you, the agency reassigned you temporarily. To a guy named Bob Runyon. He apparently knows the whole story.”

Miranda winced. “He’s the one who broke the news to me after Jane Smith was apprehended. I’ll check in with him and let him know what’s going on.”

“Excellent.” McGregor’s tone softened. “It sounds like you did a great job, Miranda. I’ll be sure the powers-that-be hear about it. And when it’s time to put the team together, I’ll use my best efforts to get you on it.”

“Thanks. Good night, sir. I’ll just get that boiling pot off the stove while you two say goodbye.”

Kristie picked up the receiver. “McGregor?” She listened for a few moments, then murmured, “Me, too. ’Night.”

Miranda gave her a teasing smile after the call had been disconnected. “Lucky you.”

“I know. That’s why… Well, never mind.” Her tone became brisk. “What’s the story with Bob Runyon? Your reaction wasn’t positive.”

“He’s a pig, but I think that will work to our advantage.” She paused to join in Kristie’s laughter, then added, “I’ll go see him tomorrow and convince him to give me a couple of weeks off. Plenty of time to make round trips to South America and to Switzerland.”

The spinner rubbed her bloodshot eyes. “You really think there’s something in the drug company files we can use?”

“It stands to reason. Look how much you know about me from reading my psych profile and the rest of my personnel file. I’m hoping they have a really thick one on a nut like Kell, along with detailed files on his experiments. I know Ortega included a lot of that in his debrief, but-”

“But the more detail, the better? I agree. You’d make a good spinner, Miranda.”

“Puh-leeze. I’d go crazy sitting in front of phones and computers all day. That’s why we’re the perfect team for this.” She hesitated, then asked carefully, “I don’t want to get you into trouble with Director McGregor. I’m assuming that won’t happen, given how valuable you are to him, and given…well, you know.”

“He’ll have a fit, but if we succeed, he’ll get over it. You just have to promise-and I mean, promise-to follow the plan exactly. You’re going to South America for a simple break-in, right? And then, if we decide to send you to Kell, it will be short and sweet. Information gathering, not heroics. I won’t go any further with this unless I have your word on that.”

“You’ve got it.”

“And one more condition.” The spinner’s expression grew grim. “When all this is over, you’re going to get some counseling.”

“Huh? Where did that come from?” Miranda shook her head. “I keep forgetting you’re a shrink. But trust me, that visit to Ortega’s today was pure therapy for me. And I honestly think I’ll benefit from the relaxation technique he taught me. I’ve definitely put those demons to rest, once and for all.”

“I wasn’t talking about you and Ray.”

Miranda scowled, reminded once again that the spinner had seen her psych profile. She was about to assure her that she had completely recovered from her father’s moody dominance, but even Miranda knew that wasn’t true. So she stuck her hand forward for a shake instead. “Okay, S-3. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Mr. Runyon? Sir? They told me to come right in. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Come in, Miranda.”

Miranda struggled not to laugh as Bob Runyon motioned for her to take a seat, taking visible care not to let his gaze drop from her face to her body, even for an instant.

Still, she imagined he had already noticed her high, high heels and short, short skirt, both of which were as extreme as she had dared wear to headquarters, along with a gauzy black blouse that was sheer enough to afford a glimpse of her lacy bra. This was one of her favorite vamp outfits, and considering the fact that the CIA had taught her to dress this way, it seemed only fair to demonstrate to them, up close and personal, how proficient she had become.

“Director McGregor suggested I report to you, sir.”

“Give me a minute…” He leafed through a pile of folders until he found the one he wanted. “Obviously McGregor told you I’m functioning as your interim. I hope that’s not a problem for you.”

“Absolutely not, sir. I was actually glad to hear it.”

He looked up from the file. “Somehow I doubt that.”

“Because of the way I acted the last time I saw you?” Miranda sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t hold that against me.”

“Against you?” He cleared his throat. “I thought it was my behavior that was the problem. Not that I did anything wrong,” he added quickly. “But I should have been more sensitive. I apologize.”

Miranda leaned forward, and this time, he apparently couldn’t resist an eyeful of cleavage.

Then she told him simply, “I was so embarrassed about the things I let Ortega do to me. And so mortified that you had seen them, and probably thought I was either naive or a slut-”

“No, no! Nothing like that. I have nothing but the greatest respect for you, Miranda.”

“But that tape. The way he kissed me. The places he kissed me. And the way I obviously enjoyed it.” She bit her lip. “When you asked me to have a drink with you, I thought to myself, what if we ride in an elevator?”

“Oh, God! I wasn’t suggesting anything like that.”

Miranda smiled. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about that. And the truth is, that’s what normal healthy adults do in elevators when they’re dating. Right? It was a mistake with Ortega, but with you-” She stared at her hands, pretending to be embarrassed. “I mean, not that you’re interested anymore. But still, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m really sorry I reacted the way I did.”

“Right.” He cleared his throat, and she knew he was having trouble following the conversation. That was a very good sign.

“It’s the company’s fault for asking a good-looking single guy to debrief me,” she added lightly. “They should have used a woman. Then we wouldn’t have gotten our signals crossed. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to date any redheads anymore, much less date me. My loss, right? For scaring you away?”

“No. I mean-” He flushed, then suggested carefully, “Whenever you’re ready, I’m definitely still interested.”

“Really?” She gave him a shy smile. “Maybe when I get back from vacation, we can have that drink and talk.”

He seemed to want to respond, but no words came out of his mouth, so she prompted, “Did you want to hear about my visit to Ortega’s hideaway?”

He nodded, his eyes glazed.

“I thought it would be awkward, but we were both very professional. I mean…” She bit her lip. “It was obvious he hadn’t been alone with a woman in a while, so that got a little awkward. For him though, not for me. I was all business.”

“How long were you there?”

“About three hours. We spent most of the time in his cabin, because it was so warm outside. I was wearing a halter top and shorts, but I was still roasting. He gave me some very valuable intel that I’ve been sharing with one of the spinners.”

“Your assignment was to bring him back to SPIN, not just intel.”