Free Playing for Keeps by Cherry Adair Page A

for saving young Rigo. He spun on his heel, and came toward them. “You saving the boy,” he snapped, as though it was an accusation, “forced Vera to move to Plan B.”
    “Well, gee, I’m sorry I survived and saved the president’s only child. What was I thinking?” Danica said, with only a slight tremor in her voice. “This is all very interesting, but still, it has nothing to do with us.” She tugged Raven toward the door.
    “Sadly, it does,” Donovan replied, though she didn’t get any genuine feelings of regret or remorse from his tone. He came to a halt in front of her and looked into her eyes, to make sure she heard and understood what he had to tell her. Danica felt like a mongoose staring into the eyes of a snake.
    “Villalba-Vera brought you back to San Cristóbal, Miss Cross, because he plans to use you to assassinate el Presidente.”
    Danica let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “That’s ridiculous.”
    “Unfortunately not,” Donovan said briskly, resuming his pacing. “Two months ago, a. . .device was stolen from our top-secret R and D labs in It- doesn’t matter where. Suffice to say it’s imperative that we retrieve said device ASAP.”
    “What kind of ‘device’?” Jon demanded before she could form the words to ask the same thing.
    She rubbed at the persistent itch behind her right ear, rubbed a bite on her elbow, then another on her hip. If this guy and his convoluted story didn’t drive her insane, the itching from all the insect bites would. None of Donovan’s problems had anything to do with her and Jon. She’d just promise not to assassinate anyone and they could go.
    “Let’s just say that the device was something we were working on to eliminate enemies of our country,” Donovan said grimly. “A small explosive chip—”
    Raven had to support Danica as her knees gave a little dip when the implication hit. Jesus Christ. “How small?” he demanded.
    “Tiny. A microelectronic chip encapsulated within proven inert biocompatible—”
    “Implanted in Danica?”
    Special-Agent-in-Charge-of-Terror nodded. “We suspect it was done soon after her arrival, which explains why she was kept sedated. All that was required was a three-cc syringe in order to implant the microchip. A modified Monoject syringe used to facilitate a subcutaneous injection procedure.
    “And before you ask, yes,” Donovan said. “We’re positive she’s wearing the chip. My man detected it behind her right ear when he retrieved you. The reader has manual, remote, or computer-controlled operational capability and is battery-powered, using 9-volt alkaline or 110/220-volt AC adapters. It also transmits via a standard Bluetooth interface to a computer. A low-energy radio signal energizes the device, which transmits a signal. The reading time is less than forty milliseconds. In short, a low-energy radio signal triggers the device, and the gap between getting the signal and blowing up is less than forty milliseconds.
    The damn thing was in her head? “Tracking capabilities?” Raven asked; cold to his marrow. The question wasn’t only, “Could Vera track them?” It was, “Can Vera remotely detonate the micro bomb implanted in Dani?” “Yes.” So Vera would know exactly where they were when discovering their absence. Caught between Scylla and Charybdis. There were no good guys in this. “What was his plan?”
    “Detonation of the bomb when Miss Cross receives the keys to the city from the president tomorrow afternoon.”
    Bringing her within touching distance of President Palacios.
    Ingenious.
    Diabolical.
    No one would suspect her. And, hell, even if they did, a search wouldn’t reveal the microscopic bomb.
    Not frigging going to happen.
    Raven grabbed the other man’s arm to stop his annoying pacing. “How do we block the signal?”
    Donovan hesitated.
    Raven put Danica gently away from him, then in a lightning-quick move kicked the door shut, locked it, and whipped around