Page 117 of No More Spies

“I couldn’t get into Tris or Lou’s system, but alloperatives are also tracked by the Agency.” Zach put his hands on his hips,staring out over the road that led to the house. “I know some people who stilllet me in, and no, I won’t give them up. But I will give myself up when it’ssafe to. I promise. Everything I’ve done since the day Tristan found out I wasinvolved with the bombmaker has been about protecting the people I love andhunting down Huisman. Now the person I love the most is in his hands, and I’mnot going to leave her there. He wants me, he can have me.”

Cooper didn’t want the well of feeling that rose inside him.He wanted to stay pissed at Zach so he didn’t have to examine all the shitbetween them. He got the feeling that wasn’t going to happen. “You can’t go inalone.”

“Fuck, yes I can.” Zach’s shoulders went back, his spinelengthening. “I’m not handing him someone else I care about. I’ll put you outagain if I have to, little brother. You’re not bait. You’re going to focus ongetting Kala to safety. You get your girl and I’ll get mine.”

“Or you can do the bait thing and I’ll get my sister,” TJcountered.

“I would if I thought for a second that you can handle her.”Zach stared down TJ. “You’ve all proven you can’t. She’s been in danger, and noone has tried once to rein her in.”

“Do you think I haven’t talked to her?” TJ soundedflustered. “We got her a bodyguard.”

“Who she ditched,” Zach replied.

“I think Cooper should go in,” Big Tag said suddenly.

“What?” Zach asked.

“Yes,” Cooper said at the same time.

Big Tag looked them over and then seemed to focus on Zach.“What’s the detonator attached to?”

Zach’s shoulders slumped. “Some bombs out here on thegrounds. The places I could hit without setting off the alarms or gettingcaught on camera. I had to be careful. I don’t have a team behind me.”

“You do now,” Lou offered.

“Babe,” TJ began.

Lou shook her head. “No. He’s our best shot at getting ourpeople back, and I don’t give a crap what the Agency thinks about him. I’mgoing to help him get Kala and Devi back, and then I’m going to help him getaway. If anyone wants to fire me over it, do it later. I’ll face whateverconsequences I have to in order to get my best friend and your sister back.”

“Me, too,” Kenzie said. “One of us needs to go in with Zachso we have two people on the inside when he blows the bombs. It’s a distractionsince it won’t actually hit anyone inside the house.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Zach hedged. “When my mothermakes a bomb, she really makes a bomb.”

“Are you in touch with her?” Ian asked.

“Not exactly, but she proved today she knows how to find me.She left me the bombs and the detonator a few hours ago. I rented an Airbnbunder an assumed name so I would have a small base of operations. She found me.At least I know I’ve got a shot at reaching her if she still cares,” Zach said.He shook his head. “Anyway, the bombs should take out most of the windows atthe front of the house, might even take out the front walls. But then Kala’sgoing to be in the basement. I would assume that’s where he’ll keep her. I readthe reports.”

“Yep, those reports are classified.” Drake started to hum asthough he couldn’t stand to hear anymore.

It wouldn’t matter. Zach had been careful. Zach had wantedall the knowledge he could get.

“I’ll go,” Ian said finally.

Everyone erupted. Tasha started arguing over the walkie.Kenzie pointed out her father was the ultimate prize, and that Huisman wouldkill him then and there. Charlotte offered to take his place.

Cooper looked at the man who shared his DNA. Zach wasstanding stoically as they all argued, Drake getting in on the scene.

There was no way he was letting Ian do his job. Ian hadrisked everything for his woman. It was time for Cooper McKay to do the same.“You ready?”

He kept his voice down.

Drake decided he had to call in if he might lose such animportant asset as Ian Taggart, which caused Big Tag to threaten some medievaltorture methods.

Lou walked up to Cooper, and he expected her to plead forhim to stop the arguing. Instead, she put a finger to his shirt, pressing in onthe fabric. “It’s an ultra-thin camera. I brought a couple in case we managedto get someone on the inside. Thank god everyone wears black. It should workbecause he doesn’t have a jammer on. He thinks he’s safe here. Let’s prove he’snot.”

Damn, but he loved Lou. Kala’s best friend had been a littlenerd girl when he met her, shy and so smart but awkward. She was still awkwardand weird and one of the best humans he’d ever met. “Will do, Lou. Get them tostay out of the line of fire until the bombs are done, and then send ineveryone. I’ll get our people. You get the bad guys.”

Lou nodded. “Yes.”

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