Page 55 of Undercover Infidel
Need to speak with you immediately. Regarding Nightingale. Critical.
“Everything all right?” Lex asked, noting my expression.
“I need to make a call. I’ll be just a moment.”
I stepped away, dialing Tag’s secure line. He answered immediately.
“She’s gone,” he blurted.
“What do you mean, gone?”
“Vanished,” Tag’s voice was tight and controlled, but I could hear the underlying tension. “Typhon doesn’t even know where she is.”
“When?”
“Sometime in the last twelve hours. He said that when he arrived for a check-in, the place was empty. He made contact with me to see if I’d heard from her.”
I processed this information, quickly considering the implications. “I’ll follow up with Kestrel,” I offered. I couldn’t think of any other person who might hear chatter about a missing Unit-23 operative.
“Appreciated.” Tag’s voice betrayed more emotion than I’d heard from him in years.
When I returned to Lex, she examined me with concern.
“Nightingale’s missing,” I said, keeping my tone low. As I held her gaze, I thought about Tag’s voice—the raw edge conveying fear and loss—and recognized it as the exact emotion I’d felt not knowing where Lex was or if I’d get to her in time to protect her. The realization only strengthened my resolve to never let that happen again.
“I sent a message to Kestrel,” I told her.
“Good thinking.”
“I’m worried about him,” I whispered.
“Rightly so.”
“Ready?” I asked, offering her my arm.
“Ready,” she confirmed, her hand sliding into the crook of my elbow.
Together, we boarded the plane that would take us north, back to Scotland, closer to answers, yet for the two of us, also closer to home and the life I hoped we’d build there when this was all over.
For Tag, though, I feared his search was just beginning. I only prayed it didn’t end with the discovery that whoever put the price on Nightingale’s head had found her.
16
LEX
The Georgian townhouse in Inverness, where Bennett arranged for us to stay, stood nestled among similar buildings on a quiet street. Its elegant exterior concealed a functional, modern interior—a fitting base for our operation.
“Everything’s ready,” Bennett said as he went through the procedures to enter the safe house. “The necessary equipment arrived and has been tested.”
He led us through to what had once been a formal sitting room, now transformed into a command center with multiple monitors displaying various views of the facility outside Inverness.
Con moved immediately to examine the setup. “Impressive modifications to the standard-issue gear.”
“Thank you,” Bennett replied, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “I prefer to enhance rather than replace.”
I examined the satellite feed of our target—a nondescript industrial building surrounded by a highfence and minimal external features that belied its true purpose.
“The structure has three underground levels,” Bennett explained, bringing up the architectural schematics. “Most activity occurs on the lowest floor, where power consumption has tripled in the past seventy-two hours.”
