Page 125 of No More Spies

Devi’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry. What did he do to you?”

“Gave me a paralytic and sent a couple thousand wattsthrough me,” she replied. “Trust me, he’s done worse. I didn’t nearly break arib from this. He’s working his way up, though. What can you see on themonitors?”

“They rotate through the cameras.” Devi glanced up. “Thereare a lot of cameras.”

“I need to know if you see Cooper,” Kala managed to get out.She could wiggle her toes again. It was starting to come back. “Can you sit meup? I’m pretty much going to need you to pose me like a doll.”

Devi’s brows rose, but she did as Kala asked, getting herinto a seated position, her back against the concrete wall. She managed to holdher head up but she couldn’t point. “See. There. He’s walking through the damndoor. Idiot. How the hell did he find me? If he’s here…”

A brilliant smile broke over Devi’s face. “Then Uncle Ian’shere.”

She tried to shake her head. “That’s not possible. How wouldthey know?”

“The tracker,” Devi said as though it should be obvious.

“I assure you they disabled my tracker before they evertossed my body in the car,” Kala replied with no small amount of bitterness.Had Zach convinced Cooper to come with him? They were stepping into the foyer.

Devi stood, looking down at her with a quizzical expressionon her face. “They already figured a way around the new system Lou designed?Damn. That’s disappointing.”

The new system… Lou talked about it. Holy shit. Kala hatedto admit it but the science stuff Lou could spout from time to time almostalways made her fall asleep. She’d slept through the big lecture on why theyall needed new trackers. Now she kind of wished she’d listened in. “Loudesigned trackers that get around the tech that Huisman uses to disable them?”

“Uh, yeah,” Devi said as though she should know—which sheshould. “Sorry. She was talking to Kenz about it in the locker room one nightand Bri made me be quiet because she wants to use it in a book. She listens inway too much.”

They would have a talk about that, but for now hope surgedthrough her. Somewhere out there her parents were waiting for their shot.Cooper was here, risking everything. Her team had come for her. Lena could fuckright the fuck off. Her bestie was getting a big old hug. After they got out ofhere. Huisman seemed to be doing that annoying thing where he talked forever.“Devi, I need you to find something we can dismantle that lock with.”

“Like what? I don’t think it comes apart. It looks solid.”

“I assure you it comes apart. I know that system. My fathermakes us study all the new systems to ensure we know how to use them and how tobest break them if we have to.” She was never again going to complain aboutthose long sessions they spent in the conference room at the MT building. “Butwe need something to spring out the back cover. It only looks solid state. Itrequires batteries, hence we can get in, but I need something like a pen or apaperclip.”

“Sorry. I don’t have office supplies on me,” Devi replied.

They might be spending some time in the ring when they gotback. Female Fight Club was how some of the women of The Hideout handled theirissues. She stared at her cousin, who had her hair in a high ponytail. Devi wasincredibly careful about her appearance. She didn’t like flyaways messing upthe line of her hairdo. “How about the bobby pins holding your hair up?”

Devi’s jaw dropped, and her hands went to her hair. “I dohave one. Two, actually.” She pulled one out. “What are you going to do withit?”

Oh, if only it was so simple. “Well, I sit here and try tostay upright and you’re going to slide it underneath until you feel theslightest indentation. You won’t be able to see it, but you’ll be able to feelit.”

“You want me to do it?” Devi asked and then seemed to getthe message Kala was sending. “I’ll do it.”

She got to her knees and straightened out the pin. Kala kepther eyes on the monitors. Huisman was talking. She could guess. Chaos. Blah,blah. New world order. Blah, blah, blah. Women bad. Yeah, Huisman thought hewas, like, bringing something new to the world. That dude was obviously not onsocial media or he would know how tired his takes were.

“I’m not feeling anything.”

“It’s the smallest indentation.” Kala tried to be patient.It had taken her hours to break this one. “Close your eyes and take a deepbreath. Bring all your senses down to this one thing. It only seems solid. It’sgot a very small place where you can press down and the battery slides open.From there we’ve got roughly thirty seconds when the locking mechanism is opento use the factory setting code.”

“Well, we have a problem unless you memorized the… You knowit,” Devi said with a sigh. “Do you know all of them?”

“All of the major ones,” Kala admitted. “The best way to getaway from any bad guy is to break out before the fight ever starts. When thelock comes open, you’re going to run. To our left is a secret door that leadsto tunnels. They’ll take you roughly half a mile from here, but I need you tobe ready because there’s likely a guard on the other side. I’m hoping Zach isabout to create some chaos and my team is going to swoop in. That should meanthe guard leaves his post in an attempt to help his fellow guards, or thefucker flees when he realizes it’s going bad. Whatever happens, you keeprunning. My parents will find you.”

“I’m not leaving you here.”

Such a pain in her ass. “I can’t run, Dev. I can’t walk. Theparalytic he gave me is strong, and I’ll probably be like this for at leastanother hour. We don’t have time. The guard could be back any second. Do it.”

“I’ll carry you out if I have to,” Devi muttered but gotback to the task.

Kala looked to the monitors. She was starting to get somecontrol over her extremities. She could wiggle her fingers and toes and keepher neck level. She hated this, hated feeling useless. How did she explain toDevi that being forced to sit here and watch her get hurt was far worse thanhaving it happen to herself? How was she going to get her cousin to leavewithout her? “You know I think you’re a bitch, right? I don’t like you. I thinkyou’re stupid and you’re the reason we’re here.”

“Not going to work.” Devi didn’t look back, merely kneltthere, her fingers moving over and over the small base of the lockingmechanism. “You love me. Though thestupidpart I might agree with youover, and I’ll use the whole ‘you’re the reason we’re here’ against you for therest of our lives. Other people might think you’re some heartless bitch, butI’m your cousin. I know exactly who you are, Kala Taggart.” She turnedsuddenly, and a smile was on her face. She looked so much like her mother, butthat smile was all Theo Taggart. “Hey, now I don’t have to let you punch me inFemale Fight Club. You already punched me. You punched my feelings.”

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