Devious Minds

  Nearly two hours later, Gabriel got to the funding part of Cypher’s organization, starting with the name, “Dimension Zero.” Cypher smiled at that, but said nothing, just like he had all night. But he was thinking that no one ever got the connection to the cartoon, and we were all idiots.

  I had no idea what that meant, but wrote it down just the same. I also picked up that the money came from oil sold on the black market from the Middle East which totaled more than one million dollars a day. That kind of blew my mind.

  He also had over five million dollars in his Dimension Zero account. Besides himself, only one other person had the password, and his orders were to put the money into another account if Cypher ever got caught. He was thinking that, by tomorrow, all but one-hundred thousand euros would be gone to fund the upcoming terrorist attacks.

  From his mind, I caught a glimpse of the account number and password. I quickly wrote down what I could remember, but I needed him to think of it again, or all that money would end up in the wrong hands.

  I signaled to Gabriel, then motioned with my head that I wanted to go out into the hall. He got the hint and nodded. I grabbed my notebook and followed him out the door and into the hallway.

  “What is it? Is something wrong?” he asked.

  “No, the information I’m getting should stop a lot terrorist attacks, so that’s great. But he has a ton of money in his account and someone will be withdrawing it tomorrow. I don’t know how you want to handle that, but I got some of the numbers for the account, and I need his password as well. With that information, you can withdraw the money before morning. Or maybe you can just freeze the account? I have no idea how it works in your country, but I’d hate to see the terrorists get their hands on five million euros.”

  “I see. We could freeze the account, but that might take time we don’t have. Let’s get the numbers from him. What would you like me to do?”

  I tore off a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Ask him what bank his Dimension Zero account is in, then give him the first four numbers on this paper and ask if that means anything. Hopefully he’ll think of the other numbers. If he only thinks of the next number, I’ll lift up my hand with that number and you can add it to the first four. We’ll keep going until we get them all.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Then do the same with the password?”

  “Yes. Hopefully it’s more like a pin number so it will be easier.”

  “Oui.” He gaze caught mine. “I am running out of questions. Are there any more that you would like me to ask?”

  “Yes. Ask him about any terrorist cells in other countries. It seemed like he knew of some, but without the question, he won’t think about it.”

  “I will. After that, we will stop the questions and go over your notes. Then call it a night.”

  “Yeah, sounds good,” I agreed.

  We went back in, and Gabriel got right back to the questioning without missing a beat. With my clues behind Cypher’s back, we ended up getting the account number and the password in short order. Cypher also started to get freaked out by the detailed information Gabriel had acquired.

  He turned to glance at me, thinking I had something to do with it, but what? I kept my head down, looking at my notes, and ignored him, which made him even more puzzled. He decided then and there that if he ever got away, he would track me down and make me tell him my part in all of this, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

  I didn’t like the sound of that, but what I picked up from Gabriel helped me believe it would never happen. Gabriel understood Cypher’s value and would never let him escape. I even caught that the only way Cypher would ever get out of police custody would be in a body bag. Still, being in the same room with him, and hearing all of his thoughts about death and destruction, was taking a toll on me.

  When Gabriel signaled that we were done, I sighed with relief, and my shoulders sagged. They escorted Cypher out, and I followed Gabriel to his office. Once again, I relived it all by going over every single line of my notes.

  They included a ton of information about upcoming attacks, names of terrorists, where they lived, and much more. These were details that no one would have known unless Cypher had actually cooperated and told them everything.

  Finally finished with the last page, I sat back in my chair and rubbed my neck. At least my part was done, but Gabriel’s investigation was just beginning. “It looks like you have a lot of work cut out for you in the next few weeks.”

  Gabriel shook his head, marveling at the information I’d gathered. “You are incroyable. This will save hundreds, even thousands of lives. The French people owe you a tremendous debt.” He licked his lips, trying to think of a way to give me some kind of credit or a maybe a medal. “I am sure our president would want to thank you in some way...”

  “No... I mean... that would be nice, but I need to stay anonymous. I don’t want anyone getting ideas about me, or my life would never be the same. You understand what I mean, right? You promised to keep my secret.”

  “Oui... of course I understand, but... you must let me do something for you, even if it is anonymously.”

  “Well... okay, sure.” He could definitely replace the chocolates that got shot up. That would be nice, right?

  “I hope you plan on staying at least a few more days. I might need your help again with questioning Cypher in case we need more detail than the notes provide.”

  “Um... well, my husband was actually thinking about coming here so we could spend a few days doing all the tourist stuff I didn’t get to do. But I don’t know if he’s coming for sure, since I haven’t talked to him in a while.”

  “Excellent!” Gabriel said, his eyes lighting up. “We will be happy to put you up in one of our executive suites that we reserve for special diplomats and visitors. I can have the concierge provide you with transportation and tickets to everything you would like to do, such as visiting the museums, and taking the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We can arrange guided tours to the Palace of Versailles, The Louvre, Sacré-Coeur, Notre-Dame... as many as you wish. Please... let me do this for you.”

  “Wow,” I said, surprised. “That’s... that’s amazing. Are you sure? I mean... I’d love it, but I don’t want to take advantage...”

  “Stop. Do not give it another thought. The people of France, and Paris in particular, owe you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. It is my fervent wish that you will accept this offer. Will you do me, and all of France, the honor?”

  “Um... okay. Sure... I mean... since you insist. Wow... this is awesome!” I smiled with happiness. “Now I’d better make sure my husband comes.”

  “Oui. And I’m sure you are exhausted. Also your bodyguard is waiting. We will talk of this again tomorrow.”

  I let out my breath and nodded, hardly believing his offer. “Sounds good.”

  We both stood, and Gabriel opened the door to his office, then followed me out. We found Ramos half asleep in the break room. After saying goodbye to Gabriel, I grabbed my dress from the bathroom and followed Ramos out to the car.

  Instead of the Mercedes, Ramos showed me to the Jaguar, and my mouth dropped open in surprise. “How did you manage that?” I asked.

  “What can I say? It must be my considerable charm and good looks. The women fall for it all the time.” He was joking, but I knew it probably happened more often than he let on.

  Ramos opened the door and pushed a button. To my delight, the roof began to retract. He took the dress from me and shoved it into the back compartment, then told me to get in. I happily complied and, finding a scarf in the front seat, used it to tie my hair back. It might be a little chilly for this, but I didn’t care one bit. This was just what I needed after listening to Cypher’s horrific thoughts for the last few hours.

  After leaving police headquarters, Ramos pointed the car toward the Seine. The clock in the Jag said it was one-ten in the morning. “Is that right?” I asked him.

  “Yes,” he answered. “
It’s the perfect time to see The City of Light.” Ramos was thinking that this was his last night here with me, and he wanted to make the most of it.

  “Saweet!” I threw my arms up to catch the breeze and blinked away the sentimental tears, determined to enjoy this moment and forget about everything else. “Joie de vivre!” I shouted, totally understanding exactly what it meant.

  Paris at night felt magical, and dispelled the darkness of Cypher’s thoughts from my mind. The streets and monuments glowed with perfect light. We drove from the Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs-Élysées, and all the way to the Place de la Concorde.

  The shining lights crowning the majestic Cathedral of Notre-Dame, and spanning across the bridges of the Seine, reflected in the water and passing boats. Each building held beauty and wonder, filling my soul with delight and joy. Once again, we ended at the Eiffel Tower, just in time to see the sparkling lights at two a.m.

  Watching the lights, I glanced at Ramos and smiled. “We did a good thing today. Thanks for being here... for being with me.”

  He took my hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “Yeah. It felt real good. I’m glad I came.” He was thinking that this was an adventure he would remember with fondness for a long time to come, and that maybe this good deed would help balance out some of the bad things he’d done in his life. Certainly all of the times he’d saved me should count for something. Maybe even one more kiss?

  I chuckled and shook my head. He sent me a lopsided grin then put the car into gear, and we headed back to Suzette’s mansion. As we pulled into the garage, my shoulders slumped with exhaustion. What a day. Ramos took care to park the Jag just right, and made sure the roof was back up.

  I grabbed the dress, and we headed to the house. Suzette opened the door, took one look at me, and sent me to my room. “You can tell me all about it tomorrow,” she said.

  “Thanks, I definitely will,” I said.

  Before heading up the stairs, I gave Ramos a big hug, breathing in his scent and holding him tight. After letting him go, I said goodnight to both of them and hurried up the stairs to my room.

  Too tired to do much, I brushed my teeth while changing into my shot-up pajamas, then grabbed my phone before climbing into bed. I’d missed a couple of calls from Chris, so I eagerly checked my messages. With happy excitement, I heard him say he was on his way to Paris! His plane would be arriving at one p.m. Paris time tomorrow, and he had a big surprise for me.

  I quickly called him back, but it went straight to voicemail. So I left a nice long message telling him how excited I was, and that I had a great surprise for him too. Then I added that he shouldn’t worry about a hotel or anything, because I had it covered and would tell him all about it when he got here.

  Could this get any better? Because of Gabriel’s offer, it was like we had a key to the city, and I couldn’t wait to see Chris and tell him all about it.

  As I turned out the light and got comfortable, the events of the day washed over me. Not only had I helped stop a couple of bombs from killing a lot of people, I’d also helped catch one of the worst terrorists in the world and retrieved information that would stop a whole lot more.

  Still, as fulfilling as that was, I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to do it again.

  ***

  I woke late the next morning, surprised to find it past ten-thirty. I jumped out of bed and took a quick shower, then dressed in the same jeans, but decided to put on a different shirt. The holes in this one weren’t too bad, and it was better than wearing the same shirt for three days in a row.

  I headed downstairs and found Suzette and Blake both sitting at the kitchen table.

  “You’re up,” I said to Blake, surprised to see him sitting at the table. “You must be feeling better.”

  “Enough to get out of bed for a bit,” he answered. “Suzette told me you caught Cypher. That’s pretty amazing.”

  “It is,” Suzette cut in. “But let’s let her get some breakfast while we talk.” She got me a plate, and I dished up some eggs and sausage with a buttery croissant and sat down beside them. She even poured me a cup of that hot chocolate I’d loved from the day before.

  While I ate, we talked about everything that had happened the night before. I told them that Gabriel had gotten lots of good ‘intelligence’ from Cypher, so things were looking up. Then I explained that my husband was on his way and should be arriving at the airport at one p.m.

  Suzette was thinking, that explains it, before she smiled and said she’d have Louis pick him up for me. I told her about Gabriel’s offer to stay in the hotel where special guests stayed, and she was quite impressed, but also not surprised. “You should get a medal too, but I suppose this will have to do.”

  “Yeah. I’d rather stay anonymous... you know, because of my premonitions. So... I hope that you’ll both keep my involvement in all of this spy stuff to yourselves.”

  “Sure,” Blake agreed, knowing he’d gone way past his deal with me. He hoped to make it up to me. There was also something he was quite pleased about, but I had no idea what it was.

  Suzette nodded too, but was thinking that if anything like this ever happened again, she hoped I’d be willing to help.

  That kind of dampened my mood, because she did have a point. This talent of mine had come in handy for this awful event, but did I really want to be involved in espionage like this? No. But what if there was something big going on, and she asked for my help, how could I turn her, or Gabriel, down?

  “Where’s Ramos?” I asked, not wanting to think about it.

  “He left earlier,” Suzette answered. “He didn’t want to wake you just to say goodbye. He also told me to tell you that he’d see you when you got home.”

  “Oh... okay.” I was a little disappointed, but at the same time, relieved. It was probably because my husband was coming. A surge of guilt washed over me, but I pushed it away, knowing I’d be dead if Ramos hadn’t come. Besides, that kiss we’d shared wasn’t that big of a deal, right? Especially since I’d kissed Gabriel as well.

  I picked up that Suzette was thinking about Ramos with fondness too. He’d taken her out on the bike this morning, and she was still basking in the glow. Now “that,” I totally understood.

  “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Why don’t you get your things packed, and I’ll call Gabriel and let him know your husband is coming. You can ride with Louis to the airport to pick him up, and then Louis can take you to the suite you’ll be staying in.”

  “That sounds perfect,” I agreed. “Maybe we can go to dinner sometime while we’re here. I’d love for you to meet Chris.”

  “I’d love that too,” she said. “Let’s do it.” She was curious about Chris, especially after seeing me with Ramos, and wondered if my husband was as hot as Ramos was.

  That brought a smile to my lips, and I wanted to tell her that Chris was a total babe but decided to wait and hear her reaction once they met.

  “Great! I’ll go get ready.”

  ***

  I sat in the car at the airport, waiting for a glimpse of Chris. My heart picked up speed in anticipation of seeing him so soon. After all I’d been through, I couldn’t wait to feel his arms around me and hold him close. I also couldn’t wait to tell him about our accommodations and the sweet deal Gabriel had in store for us.

  It occurred to me that I didn’t know how many days this trip would last, but that didn’t matter. Whatever time we had would be great. I sighed again, hoping he’d hurry up. He’d texted me when he landed, but I knew going through customs could take a while.

  I sighed again and picked up that all my sighing was getting on Louis’ nerves. “I’m going to stand outside next to the car. Is that all right?”

  “Oui, that is a good idea,” he agreed.

  I got out and began to pace back and forth in front of the car, keeping my gaze on the doors where Chris was supposed to come out. I’d already asked Louis if this was the right place to wait, so I couldn’t ask him again, although... w
here was he?

  Just then, I caught sight of him through the doors, and my heart skipped a beat. As he pushed the door open, I ran to his side and threw my arms around him with a little squeal. We held each other so tight I could hardly breathe, but I didn’t mind. Having him here was a dream come true.

  After a welcome kiss, we pulled apart. “Honey, it’s so good to see you,” Chris said, examining my face like he was trying to memorize it all over again. “You look great.” He hugged me again, then pulled away. “Remember how I told you I had a surprise?” He was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed, and my brows drew together with concern.

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “This.” He motioned toward the door, and Savannah and Josh bounded out.

  My eyes filled with tears, and I gasped in total shock. As they ran toward me, I threw out my arms to gather them close. Hugging them like this, I hardly noticed the tears streaming down my cheeks. Chris joined us in a group hug. At that moment, I knew what heaven felt like.

  “Wow, what a surprise,” I said with a sniff. We pulled apart, and I wiped the tears from my face. “This is the best! I’m so happy that you’re all here. How did you manage it?”

  “Your friend, Blake,” Chris said. “He called me. It must have been right after he got shot. I think he said he was at his friend’s house by then.”

  “You mean, before I even asked you to come?”

  “Yeah,” Chris smiled. “We were working it all out. It was going to be a surprise, but since you asked, I had to act like I wasn’t sure I could make it. Anyway, with his help, we got the kids’ passports and our plane tickets all set up. I think Blake felt guilty for what he got you into and was trying to make it up to you.”

  “What happened, Mom?” Josh asked. “Dad said you stopped some terrorists, is that right?” He was thinking that I was the coolest mom ever, and it melted my heart.

  “Well... it’s classified, but I helped stop something real bad from happening... and guess what? Because of that, we get to stay in the executive suite of one of the ritziest hotels in Paris!”