Free Secret Soldier by Dana Marton Page B

Abigail.”
    “Good night, Gerald.”
    “My friends call me Spike.”
    She turned toward him. “I’ve been wondering. Where did that come from?”
    He was reluctant to tell her anything personal-the less she knew, the better. But since he’d been stupid enough to tell her to call him Spike, he had to give some kind of explanation. “I was in an accident a long time ago. Got my skull busted so they had to put these screws in. They stuck out on top like a Mohawk.” He’d gotten frisky with a bomb during his SDDU training on a dare. It had nearly gotten him kicked out of the group.
    “Good night, Spike,” she said and closed her eyes.
    She was not dazzling in the traditional sense of the word, but had this inner peace, a certain strength, that reflected in her face and made her hard to ignore. Her arm, slimmer than it should have been, lay gracefully on the top of the covers. He would bet anything that she’d been giving up half her meals to the kids since she’d been in Beharrain.
    She faked sleep for the longest time, but then her breathing finally evened. He waited another twenty minutes to make sure she was fully, deeply asleep before he slipped from the bed, pulled on his clothes and then sneaked out the door without making a sound.
    He hesitated for a moment. He didn’t like leaving her unprotected. Didn’t like leaving her, period. But the sooner he accomplished his mission, the sooner he could get her out of there and away from any possible danger. He crept forward.
    he hallway was empty. No security cameras. He had picked up on that earlier. The perimeter and the entrance had cameras and a massive security system, but once in the house, he hadn’t seen any. He heard voices in the distance-men talking, too far to make out the words. They didn’t seem to be coming closer. He took a minute to search for hidden cameras and found a dozen likely spots among the ornately carved wall decorations, but nothing on closer observation. He moved on.
    He would search the main house tonight, then the outbuildings tomorrow night Jamal had invited them to stay as long as they liked. Outside would be trickier. He would have to avoid the guards, the security cameras and the dogs.
    He walked down the hallway to the end where it came to a tee. They had gone to the left for dinner earlier. He looked right and was pretty sure that way led to the bedrooms, so he went left, hoping to find Jamal’s office.
    He heard footsteps ahead. Somebody was coming his way. He backed into the dining room and waited until whoever was out in the hallway had passed. Then he opened the door a crack and watched the servant’s back until he disappeared from sight. Maybe he should follow the man. He considered that for a moment but decided against it. He wanted to get a better sense of the house’s layout first. Right now, he could easily become trapped.
    He crept to the next door down the hall and listened for a while before testing the doorknob. It opened silently into a small storage room of some sort. He moved on.
    Another half hour passed before he found what he was looking for-a locked door. Bingo. He took off his watch and extracted the slim metal pick from the back. The lock gave in seconds. He stepped in and closed the door behind him, listening in the dark, windowless room. Not a sound in there other than his own breathing.
    All was quiet in the hall, too. He flipped on the light just long enough to get the lay of the room, then turned it off again. With care, he made his way over to one of the two desks in the large state-of-the-art-equipped room and turned on the computer. Password-protected.
    He’d expected as much. It would delay him, but could not stop him. He would call the Colonel as soon as they were out in the city tomorrow. He had every confidence the man could get the proper software to him within twenty-four hours. Tonight’s job was more of a reconnaissance mission.
    He left the screen on and used its light to riffle