Free The Spy Wore Red by Wendy Rosnau Page A

job.”
    “He knows Holic better than anyone else at the Agency. They have a history.”
    “You’re talking about that kid he tried to save a few years back. The one Holic shot anyway.”
    Again, what Jacy was saying was true. Bjorn had tried to save a young boy from the assassin’s bullet. He’d been there, had had the kid in his arms. Holic had shot the kid anyway, and the bullet had passed through the child’s body and had gone through Bjorn as well. A piece of the bullet still remained in his spine.
    “That old wound Bjorn carries around is a sour reminder that he failed that kid,” Jacy pointed out. “Where Holic is concerned, Bjorn doesn’t always think things through before he reacts.”
    A string of vulgarities followed Jacy’s words. Then Merrick heard the familiar sound of a shell being injected into the chamber of the hunting rifle that had been laying across Jacy’s legs.
    “I ought to blow your head off, Merrick. Bjorn shouldn’t be the one going after Holic. Not this time, and not with some stranger backing him. A woman, no less.”
    “If you feel that strongly, there’s a way you can help out, if you’re willing.”
    Jacy pointed the rifle. “If I’m willing to do what? Crawl?”
    “Take it easy. This is the deal. I’m scheduled for surgery in two days. The problem is, I had planned to be Bjorn’s while he’s in Austria. I need you to agree to take the position while I’m laid up.”
    “From this chair?”
    “Why not? I would be sitting at my desk, so you can sit here in your cabin. I’ve brought you a technician wizard, a crackerjack physical therapist to speed up your recovery, and all the equipment you’ll need for both.”
    “And if something goes to hell, and Bjorn needs a pair of legs?”
    “He has a pair of legs backing him. Long, thoroughbred legs. Did I mention she’s blond?” Merrick smiled, then turned serious. “This can work, Jacy. Give it a chance. I thought you and Bjorn were friends.”
    “Cheap shot.”
    Merrick shrugged. Waited.
    More profanity rolled off the deck.
    Pushing Jacy was a gamble. He didn’t push easy. Then again, Merrick didn’t have a whole lot of choices at the moment. He needed a reliable man, and Jacy was as reliable as Maalox. Even from his wheelchair this was something he could do, and do well.
    He heard the safety mechanism click on the gun. Watched Jacy relax the rifle across his lap. Then, without a word, Jacy turned his wheelchair around and pointed it toward the cabin door. He gave a sharp whistle, and a few seconds later the door swung open.
    “How did he do that?” Vic asked. “I thought you said he was living up here by himself.”
    “He’s one spooky son of a bitch,” Tommy whispered. Merrick started up the stairs as Jacy disappeared inside. He crossed the deck and reached the door, then stopped when an animal that looked more like a wolf than a dog blocked the entrance.

Chapter 6
    N adja hung her cape in the closet, and as she turned she saw that Bjorn had left his coat on the floor. She scooped it up along with his scarf, her intention to hang it with hers in the closet. But when her hand came away covered in blood, she stopped, examined his coat and knew immediately what had happened—Bjorn had been shot.
    She replayed the scene at the airport in her mind, detailing each frame as if she’d filmed it. She accounted for each gunshot. There had been four. The first two had missed her by less than an inch. The fourth had taken out the van’s rear window.
    But the third…
    Nadja spun around and grabbed the doorknob leading into the bathroom. She didn’t bother to knock, or announce that she was on her way in. She simply barged inside, her voice clearly announcing her anger, if not her arrival.
    “Why didn’t you say something?”
    He turned before she got the words out, a .38 aimed at her chest.
    She ignored the Beretta and scanned his body looking for the hit. He’d been standing at the vanity, his torso naked, a