Free Blowback (The Black Cipher Files Book 1) by Lisa Hughey Page B

At the end of the hallway was an open lounge with a water fountain, a row of chairs, and a door that didn’t need clearance to access.
    As we approached the doorway, Lucas looked as if he was going to follow us right into the visitor’s bathroom. I turned away from the camera and glared at him.
    “I’ll wait right here.” He dropped into the chair, picked up a magazine from the little end table, and pretended to read while shielding his face.
    Barb and I slipped into the ladies room. Casing the sparse room with linoleum floors and white walls for surveillance equipment, I got right to the point. “No cameras in here?”
    “No.” She crossed her arms over her chest in a classic defensive posture. “Why should I help you ?”
    “What did Lucas tell you?”
    “You have a chemical you need identified.” Her voice was hostile.
    I improvised a quick plan that would, hopefully, win her sympathy. “Look. Lucas offered to put me in touch with you and I’m doing him a favor in return.”
    She snorted and her gaze trailed up and down my body. “I’ll bet.”
    “Are you two...ah...tight?” The question popped out before I could censor it. None of my business. And no bearing on my mission. So why the hell had I asked?
    “No.” She sure wanted to be. It was right there in those high heels and face sparkling with makeup. The wave of relief that went through me was unwelcome.
    I wanted to get away from Lucas Goodman. He was a distraction I couldn’t afford.
    “What kind of favor?” Barb narrowed her eyes at me.
    So Barb was going to play hard ass. Fine.
    I hated negotiating. It was so much easier to work with intimidation. But I didn’t have anything to hold against her at this point.
    “He really needs my help with a missing kid.”
    “Johnny?” Barb raised her eyebrows and paced around the two stall bathroom.
    “Yes.” She knew the kid. Even better. I twisted the point as hard as I could. “I’m his only lead.”
    Pretending indifference, I pulled a tube of bright peach lipstick from the little purse and efficiently slicked my lips.
    She watched me in the mirror. “You hurt him, and I’ll have to hurt you.”
    The threat was delivered in such an even tone it took a minute to penetrate.
    “Excuse me?” This powder puff thought she could take me? I held back a smile but a glimmer must have come through.
    “I’m not kidding.”
    Whatever. If she wanted to think she was playing rough, so be it. I appreciated that she’d go to the wall for Lucas. It made it her eminently likable. “Okay.”
    She held out her hand. “Give it to me.”
    I slipped the cup from my purse. “You can analyze this...off the books?”
    “I can put it through the GC/MS computer.” She arched a brow, waiting for me to ask.
    While I knew Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry computers existed, I’d never needed one before. It also wouldn’t hurt to give Barb the stage for a second. “How does it work?”
    Barb tucked the cup into her lab coat pocket. “Simply put, the machine breaks down the chemical components of a substance and gives a precise chemical analysis of all the elements.”
    “The machine will tell you exactly what is in the liquid?”
    She hesitated. “It will break everything down and give specific analysis, if available.”
    I noted the qualifier. “How long?”
    “I should be able to have a preliminary answer in the next few hours.”
    Even better. Finally something was going my way.
    “One thing,” I said, placing my hand on her arm to emphasize the point. “Don’t share the results with anyone, don’t show it to anyone. It’s a matter of national security.”
    Barb looked skeptical as she peeled my fingers off. “Where should I call?”
    “We’ll call you.”
    She nodded. “Lucas has my number.”
    “Why don’t you give it to me. Just in case.” In case I was able to ditch him. I was sure I could finesse the results out of her if need be. I capped the lipstick and dropped it back into the