Page 110 of Sweet Little Spies

“The CCTVs went out before we could see anything. I have noidea if Zach was still with Tristan or if he maybe hid somewhere and followedthem,” Lou replied. “Kala could have done the same.”

Charlotte shook her head. “Kala would have called in. Shewould have found a way. Same with Zach. We need to go back to the hotel…”

“She’s not dead,” Kenzie shouted. Her strawberry hair shook,making her look slightly wild. “She’s not fucking dead. I would feel it if mysister was dead.”

Charlotte moved in, wrapping her arms around her daughter.“Of course you would.”

But her gaze went to Ian, worry plain there.

“You guys can stand around here trying futilely to get thetrackers back online,” Cooper began. “They’re not working and won’t. Why thefuck do we even have them? Anyway, feel free to sit on your hands. I’m going togo blow up the Huisman Foundation. Then I’ll move on to his house and any otherplace I think he might be hiding until he gives me back my…our people.”

Big Tag’s head fell back on a groan. “Fuck me.”

TJ stood, moving Cooper’s way. “I understand the impulse,man, but the minute you start blowing shit up, we all get taken into custody.”

“That’s easy for you to say since Lou is sitting right theresafe and sound,” Coop shot back.

Lou turned his way. “Kala wouldn’t want you to get arrested.She would want you to play this smart. They didn’t leave bodies for us to findwhich means that wasn’t the message they were sending us.”

“We haven’t gotten the message yet,” Big Tag pointed out.

“Or they’re not going to send a message at all,” Cooper shotback. “They’re going to leave us here because they don’t care. Huisman wants toknow who the bombmaker is. He’s figured out Tristan is The Jester, and he tookCarys and Kala so he would have leverage to make him talk.”

“Then why take Zach?” Tasha asked. “And how would he knowCarys would be in the bar when she was? She wasn’t supposed to be, you know.This whole plan doesn’t make sense.”

“He had control of the CCTVs.” Kenzie seemed to have calmeddown. She leaned against her mom. “According to the report Phoebe sent, he paidthe manager of the hotel, which is why they were short staffed. He sent homeanyone who might have interfered. We have to think Huisman intended to takeCarys and Aidan at some point. When they separated, he decided it was easier totake them out individually.”

“He would have to drug Kala.” Coop set the AR-15 on thetable.

“I know we think she’s invincible, but I assure you she canbe overwhelmed,” Big Tag said. “What I don’t understand is why go when Tashaand Zach got there? You’re adding in two variables when you don’t need to. Iunderstand waiting until later. If I’d been planning I would have gone in atsay three in the morning, overwhelmed the group while they were likelysleeping, and take out the four of them. The way Huisman did this, they had todeal with six instead of four.”

“It was only luck they went when Aidan and I weredownstairs.” Tasha was pale, her hands around the mug of tea her mother hadpressed into them ten minutes before.

“I don’t think so.” Big Tag ran a hand over his head, agesture that screamed of frustration. “I’m missing something.”

Aidan sat there feeling utterly useless. They were out theregoing through god only knew what and he was sitting here. He couldn’t doanything. The loves of his life were going through hell and he was…nothing.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe. All around him the teamwas going over possible scenarios, and he was sitting here.

“Hey, Aidan. Are you… I’m sorry. That’s a dumb question. Ofcourse, you’re not okay.” Adam turned his chair around, leaning toward Aidan.“I need you to know I’m going to find them. Huisman can’t take over every CCTVin the country. He’ll slip up, and I’ll be there. This is far from over. I needyou to stay calm and be ready in case we need you.”

“Need me? I can’t fucking do anything. I’m not trained forany of this. I’m not prepared for this life.”

“Of course you are. Aidan, you do something none of us cando. You literally save lives with your hands. When all looks lost, you staycalm and find a way to put a human body back together. We might need thoseskills because once I figure out where they are, there won’t be any holdingCooper back,” Adam said.

“I wish I’d gone to the gun range more,” Aidan admitted.

Adam’s head shook. “I’m glad you didn’t. I’m glad you spentall these years learning how to save people’s lives. We might need that todaybecause I believe they’re alive, and we will have to fight to get them back. Iknow you think you should be there on the front lines, but we need you. We needyou safe because when it all goes bad, you are the most important person here.”

Adam’s words were doing what he’d likely meant for them todo. Easing Aidan’s mind. Getting him in the right frame of mind. “I don’t havea kit.”

Most doctors didn’t carry around the tools of their trade.He’d done some training in fieldwork with EMTs. He’d also spent summers inAfrica at a clinic run by Nate Carter’s mom. They often went into villages andsometimes had to deal with emergencies where there wasn’t an OR for miles. Butthen he had a kit.

“Cooper has one.” Adam turned his chair again, and his eyeswent back to his screen. “The team is ready for this. The kit will be basic,but you can do it.”

Aidan stood. Something to do. He desperately neededsomething to do. “Let me look through it and make sure I have what I need.”

“I’m still stuck on why they would let Kala live,” Lou said,sniffling into a tissue. “Huisman has to know who Ms. Magenta is. He knew UncleIan and Tash worked for the Agency.”

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