Free Hidden Agemda (Kate Diamond Adventure) by Leighann Dobbs

same time his hand flew to his neck. She saw his eyebrows dip together … and then he crashed to the floor.
    Kate’s pulse raced as she ran toward him. Was he really out? Did anyone hear him fall? She flattened herself against the wall, straining to hear if anyone was coming, but there was only silence.  
    She bent down to check the giant. The makeshift dart had hit him in just the right spot in his neck, and she gave a silent prayer of thanks for her childhood education at the hands of her parents and their friends. She’d learned a lot of unusual skills that had come in handy over the years, and shooting darts out of a straw was one of them. He was out like a light, but still breathing.  
    Taking out the wire cutters, she bent down in front of the door and attached them to the wire, holding her breath and waiting to hear the alarm that would raise the others. No alarm. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
    The room was pitch-black except for the eerie white lights coming from the platforms the ruby and jewelry sat on and the red laser beams that crisscrossed around the room.
    Kate went through the steps in her head as she stared at the lights, double-checking that the movements matched with where the lights fell. Satisfied, she stepped forward, raising her right leg over a beam of red light. Then she spun, angling her left hip upward as she raised her leg to the knee, threading her calf, thigh and then entire body in-between two beams of light. Next, she bent at the waist and crawled forward through more beams.  
    To anyone looking in, it might have looked like some strange kind of dance or an odd game of twister. Except no one looking in would actually be able to see her. The black outfit and stocking mask made her all but invisible. Of course, the sleeping giant in the hallway might give away the fact that things were amiss. Kate picked up the pace. She needed to grab the ruby and get out before someone woke up and found him.
    Finally, she got to the case that housed the ruby. Taking out the jamming wand, she applied it to the case. The lights on the wand flickered … then came on strong, indicating it had done its job. Holding her breath, Kate lifted the top—slowly at first, then, when no alarm sounded, she whipped it off, grabbed the ruby and stuffed it in her backpack.
    Repeating her strange dance in reverse, she made her way back to the door. Opening it, she looked out into the hall. It was empty except for the guard who lay snoring on the floor.  
    She slipped into the hall, tiptoed over the guard, and ran for the front door.

Chapter Nine

    Outside, there was nothing but silence. Kate had a moment of panic, wondering what she would do if Sal wasn’t there with the ski-cycle. But then she rounded the corner and saw him at their meeting spot. She whistled her best imitation of an owl hoot—their designated signal—and Sal gave her the thumbs up, then swung the cycle around to meet her.
    She grabbed the puffy down jacket from the back of the bike to keep her warm during the ride and shrugged into it. Swinging one leg over the back of the bike, she settled into the seat, a bubble of triumph rising in her chest. She’d pulled it off! She tapped Sal’s arm in a signal to take off and the cycle rushed forward.
    Kate was surprised at how quiet the machine was. The snowy landscape was like a blanket dampening any other sounds and Kate marveled at the nighttime beauty of Antarctica as they raced across it. Pulling off her ski mask, and looking upward she realized the stars really were brighter here—just like Gideon had said. She felt a pang of regret that she hadn’t been able to get any penguin pictures for him.  
    Her pulse started to creep back to normal and she relaxed on the back of the ski-cycle, the dark, silent night almost lulling her to sleep.
    Thwack!
    Kate’s nerves snapped to attention. What was that?  
    She felt a rush of air blow past her cheek, then her heart stuttered as she saw