where we’d first heard about the project. We were standing side-by-side holding hands. But we weren’t alone. An awkward-looking, lanky kid stood on my left.
I shook my head. Why did Cooper have a picture of Alec and me hidden in his office?
I looked at that lanky kid again. Who was he? I didn’t know. Something about him was familiar, but not in a good way. For some reason, looking at him turned my stomach. But I couldn’t put my finger on why.
I studied him again. He was pale and spotty, and looked ill at ease. He had black greasy hair and was wearing a leather jacket that had seen better days. But worst of all, his arm was wrapped tightly around my shoulder.
Why did looking at this kid give me goose bumps?
Then it hit me. That geeky kid was Will Cooper.
Alec
“What is it?”
Cooper’s mouth turned up, but his eyes stayed hard.
“That’s a pretty stupid question, Alec.”
I blew out a breath.
“If you think I’m taking that case anywhere without knowing what’s inside it, you’re crazy.”
Cooper’s face went black.
“You’re going to do exactly what I say. Because if you don’t Petra will die.”
For a brief moment my stomach clenched, then I remembered I had nothing to worry about.
“You’re bluffing. You’ve just said you wouldn’t hurt Petra. And I know you’re obsessed with her.”
Cooper glared at me for a long moment.
“I won’t hurt her if you do what you’re told.”
“You won’t hurt Petra whatever I do. You still think she’s your girl.”
Cooper leaned forward and grabbed both my wrists and squeezed. His hands pushed down on the rope that had cut into my wrists. I clenched my jaw and fixed my eyes on his. Finally he spoke:
“You took Petra away from me a decade ago.”
Then he released my wrists and leaned back on the edge of the table.
“Petra has a device implanted in her heart. A kind of mini-defibrillator.”
I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right.
“She’s got what?”
That half smile was back on Cooper’s face again.
“She has a defibrillator in her heart. It’s a device designed to shock a sick heart back into a healthy rhythm…”
“I know what a fucking defibrillator is. But Petra’s not sick.”
“I know she’s not sick, you dumb-wit. I put it there as insurance.”
“What?”
“All I have to do,” he said, picking up his cell phone with a flourish, “is speed dial her number and the defibrillator will send a shock through her heart. She’ll die instantly.”
I stared at Cooper open-mouthed for a long moment, then I laughed. It started as a giggle in the back of my throat but within seconds I was laughing uncontrollably.
“You really are one crazy son of a bitch, Cooper,” I said, my eyes watering.
Cooper’s expression hadn’t changed.
“I’m not crazy, Alec,” he said flatly.
As I stared at his face, taking in the absolute sincerity behind his dead eyes, my throat tightened. He was telling the truth.
“How?”
He shook his head impatiently. “It doesn’t matter how, Alec. All that matters is that you understand I can kill Petra at the press of a button. And that I will do it if you don’t do as I ask.”
I felt like I’d been cattle-prodded. I knew the secret service got up to all sorts of dirty tricks. The KGB was well known for killing off ex-spies with radioactive material. A few years ago the Russian defector Alexander Litveneko was stabbed in the calf with an umbrella tipped with plutonium while on the London Underground. He died in agony in a hospital several weeks later. I very much doubted that the FBI and the CIA had any scruples about getting up to similar dirty tricks – or that they lacked the technology to do what Cooper had described.
I felt paralyzed. I couldn’t let Petra die. But neither could I take a case containing God knows what into the American Embassy. Going on Cooper’s track record it could be anything. And I wouldn’t be responsible for any more American deaths.
I shook my head. Why did Cooper have a picture of Alec and me hidden in his office?
I looked at that lanky kid again. Who was he? I didn’t know. Something about him was familiar, but not in a good way. For some reason, looking at him turned my stomach. But I couldn’t put my finger on why.
I studied him again. He was pale and spotty, and looked ill at ease. He had black greasy hair and was wearing a leather jacket that had seen better days. But worst of all, his arm was wrapped tightly around my shoulder.
Why did looking at this kid give me goose bumps?
Then it hit me. That geeky kid was Will Cooper.
Alec
“What is it?”
Cooper’s mouth turned up, but his eyes stayed hard.
“That’s a pretty stupid question, Alec.”
I blew out a breath.
“If you think I’m taking that case anywhere without knowing what’s inside it, you’re crazy.”
Cooper’s face went black.
“You’re going to do exactly what I say. Because if you don’t Petra will die.”
For a brief moment my stomach clenched, then I remembered I had nothing to worry about.
“You’re bluffing. You’ve just said you wouldn’t hurt Petra. And I know you’re obsessed with her.”
Cooper glared at me for a long moment.
“I won’t hurt her if you do what you’re told.”
“You won’t hurt Petra whatever I do. You still think she’s your girl.”
Cooper leaned forward and grabbed both my wrists and squeezed. His hands pushed down on the rope that had cut into my wrists. I clenched my jaw and fixed my eyes on his. Finally he spoke:
“You took Petra away from me a decade ago.”
Then he released my wrists and leaned back on the edge of the table.
“Petra has a device implanted in her heart. A kind of mini-defibrillator.”
I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right.
“She’s got what?”
That half smile was back on Cooper’s face again.
“She has a defibrillator in her heart. It’s a device designed to shock a sick heart back into a healthy rhythm…”
“I know what a fucking defibrillator is. But Petra’s not sick.”
“I know she’s not sick, you dumb-wit. I put it there as insurance.”
“What?”
“All I have to do,” he said, picking up his cell phone with a flourish, “is speed dial her number and the defibrillator will send a shock through her heart. She’ll die instantly.”
I stared at Cooper open-mouthed for a long moment, then I laughed. It started as a giggle in the back of my throat but within seconds I was laughing uncontrollably.
“You really are one crazy son of a bitch, Cooper,” I said, my eyes watering.
Cooper’s expression hadn’t changed.
“I’m not crazy, Alec,” he said flatly.
As I stared at his face, taking in the absolute sincerity behind his dead eyes, my throat tightened. He was telling the truth.
“How?”
He shook his head impatiently. “It doesn’t matter how, Alec. All that matters is that you understand I can kill Petra at the press of a button. And that I will do it if you don’t do as I ask.”
I felt like I’d been cattle-prodded. I knew the secret service got up to all sorts of dirty tricks. The KGB was well known for killing off ex-spies with radioactive material. A few years ago the Russian defector Alexander Litveneko was stabbed in the calf with an umbrella tipped with plutonium while on the London Underground. He died in agony in a hospital several weeks later. I very much doubted that the FBI and the CIA had any scruples about getting up to similar dirty tricks – or that they lacked the technology to do what Cooper had described.
I felt paralyzed. I couldn’t let Petra die. But neither could I take a case containing God knows what into the American Embassy. Going on Cooper’s track record it could be anything. And I wouldn’t be responsible for any more American deaths.
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