The Cardinal Bird (1 of Cardinal Series)

Chapter 41

There were several officers outside the building looking vaguely bored.

One of them nodded his chin at me as he addressed Agent Grinley with mild disbelief. "She's the one that you're here for? She looks like my teenage niece. She's what, 14?"

I didn't want to say my age. It was just one more piece of information that I wasn't going to offer if Grinley didn't already know it.

"She's a wanted terrorist, but a small fish compared to who we could possibly use her to find. And you weren't here to ensure her cooperation. You were here to ensure Westphal's, the cocky little--"

"Karl Westphal?" one of officers asked. "Heck, if I'd known we were here to put the squeeze on him, I would have told you where to shove it. We've worked with him before. He's an upstanding young man. Can't ask for a more honest, trustworthy, and caring federal worker."

The last words were thrown like barbed-spears, clearly meant to imply that those were not qualities possessed by the agent in front of them.

"Your work here is done. Your chief wants you back on your regularly scheduled posts." Grinley said loudly before taking my arm in a tight grasp and marching me towards a black, unmarked sedan. "In you go. You better be worth all the hassle I've had to go through today."

The big agent went to get in the back with me, but Grinley stopped him. "Peter, what was that back there? What you said in Russian?"

"I told them I would look after her," he said simply, his grey eyes meeting mine quickly.

"Why would you do that? You know what will happen when we get to the safehouse." Grinley didn't sound upset, just curious.

Agent Peter frowned. "What do you mean? We go to base. No safehouse."

Grinely frowned right back. "Maybe you should call in an agent to come pick you up. I don't think you should come with me. You don't seem to be willing to do whatever it takes." He stepped closer to Agent Peter, his voice lowering. "She could possibly be the hacker that has been killing people. She almost definitely is connected to this Ivanov character. We didn't even know the name until just this week, thanks to her. He's just been this nameless monster that we've been chasing around like a dog to it's tail. He's made a mockery of the agency while he continues to kill on a whim." He pointed at me, barely sparing me a glance. "This is our key to taking him down. I can feel it. Now...are you willing to do whatever it takes, or should I call in another agent as my backup?"

Peter was silent a long moment.

Grinley snapped in front of his face. "Hello? You awake in there, big guy? Light's on but no one's home?"

"No need," Peter said deeply, voice accented. "For different agent. I will do what is necessary."

"Good," Grinley clapped him on the shoulder. "I need you to drive."

So much for that promise to Raven. I studied Agent Peter's face, but it was difficult to read. Instead of getting in the back with me, they just zip-tied my hands and left me on my own.

"Make sure we don't have a tail. I don't want to be interrupted once we get started."

If I hadn't been in the heart of Romania before, I would probably be terrified for my life as we merged into traffic. As it was, the big agent was aggressive but safe. He wasn't texting, stopped at the red lights--he even flashed his turn signal as he dove through three lanes of traffic and used the median to pass someone that was going "too slow."

Yep, it was all par for the course as far as I was concerned. Grinley seemed to be having the hardest time of it, yelling out a mixture of pleas, profanities, and prayers as he clung to his door in a two-handed grip. One of Nikolai's men had drove like this down the side of a snowy cliff, steering with one hand and sipping coffee with the other.

Even if we weren't safe, what could I do about it?

That would be a big, resounding: nothing.

I looked out the window, past the angry drivers waving and cursing at us, towards the buildings. There were palm trees scattered among the sidewalks bustling with shoppers. The architecture was a familiar mixture of modern and historic that you find in many countries' major cities. There was a large courthouse building that jutted up, seeming to pierce the sky with its tall steeple and commanding presence. As we got to the edges of the inner city, the shopping outlets were replaced by tall houses with two-story columns and colonial lacework around the porches and windows. Eventually those disappeared as well as we took the interstate.

After about 30 minutes, we turned off a series of roads that ended with us taking an old gravel road lined by old oak trees that were covered in a type of wispy, hanging vines. It wasn't something I had seen before.

"What is that?" I asked. "On the trees?"

I had seen it from the school bus when my family first moved here but hadn't ever really asked about it.

"Leaves?" Grinley asked distractedly, his tone unconcerned.

"Spanish moss," Peter said. "I asked same questions when I get here for first time."

"How ignorant do you have to be to not know what that stuff is?" he asked, frustrated. "It's everywhere!"

"No," Peter defended. "Not everywhere. Only in south. You are ignorant to think it everywhere."

"Whatever," Grinley said. "We're here."

Indeed, we were.

The oak trees had given way to a large clearing with a plantation house right in the middle. The columns that had looked so charming on other houses we'd passed, now had an ominous feel, resembling the bars of a prison cell.

As soon as we were in the spacious foyer, complete with curving staircase and ballroom entrance, Grinley said, "Set her up in the basement. I have to make some calls," as he stalked off in the opposite direction.

I was ushered down the hall to the large kitchen. Peter led me up to one of the doors, pulling it open. It was dark and a draft of cool air blasted me in the face. He gave a grand gesture, sweeping his hand toward the door. "We are in the south. Ladies first."

I felt for a switch and got a handful of cobwebs. I yanked my hand back and said. "There are spiders down there."

"Da," he said, now smiling. "That is what scares you? You know what Grinley wants to do, yes?"

I shuddered. "Please don't tell him I said that!"

"Please don't tell me what exactly?" Agent Grinley's sly voice asked from the doorway. "Are you afraid, little girl? You should be." He walked closer, and I found myself taking small step back in Peter's direction.

Even though Peter had already promised Agent Grinley to do what it would take, I still felt loads safer with him than I did Grinley.

Grinley ran a finger across my cheek, sandwiching me between Peter and himself. "Are you ready to tell me your name?"

I tried not be obvious about it as I gulped, but judging by the way Grinley's eyes lits up, I wasn't very successful at hiding it.

"I'm going to very much enjoy this. Please, hold out as long as you can," he turned me painfully sharp and marched me down the stairs.