Girl Undercover 10 & 11: The Abduction & Dante's Inferno (8 page)

“Captain, with all due respect, I can’t let it go,” I said, the shock to learn that Brady remained steadfast in his belief turning into frustration now. “Look, I agree that it all sounds perfectly incredible, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Believe me, I
wish
it did. I don’t want all of this to be happening any more than you do, but it
is
happening. Would you like to talk to the man who first introduced me to what’s going on? Maybe that would help you accept that it’s all true, every single word of it.”

I no longer cared if I sounded rude. “You can’t possibly think I’m imagining
him,
can you? He and I could use your help, as we don’t know who in the FBI and other government agencies we can trust. You know them a lot better than we both do.”

“Are you referring to that disgraced FBI agent? Ian Armory?”

“Yes, that’s who I’m talking about. Would it help if I got him on the phone so you could talk to him?”

“Why would I want to talk to an ex-con who’s also a drug addict? Come on, Longoria! Really, I thought you were smarter than that. Why are you wasting your time with someone like that?” Only then did the fact that he’d said
disgraced
FBI agent fully sink into my head.

Oh, so he must have read the fake articles about Ian then,
I thought. I had skipped that part in my account yesterday of everything that had happened.

Before I got a chance to reply, Brady continued, “Doesn’t his background bother you one iota? As good of an investigator as you are, I’m sure you checked him out when he told you everything. Or didn’t you? Please tell me you did.”

“Of course I checked him out. The minute I got home I Googled the guy and I read plenty about him. But those articles were all planted by the government.” I didn’t like the sentiment expanding within me, a sentiment that told me I’d lost Brady even before he sent me to see Dr. Sokoloff. How could I have lost him so quickly? I felt like I was talking to a stranger he acted to differently from the boss I was used to. The man I had worked for was patient and wise, someone who never raised his voice. Had the heart attack changed him to this degree?

I had heard of others whose personality had changed significantly after similar events. Which wasn’t odd; even if you didn’t develop complications afterward, having been so near death surely had the power to screw with your head. Was this what was going on here? I couldn’t think of another reason.

Brady gave a light, incredulous chuckle. “The articles were planted by the government?”

“Yes, but it wasn’t an official move obviously,” I fired back, getting increasingly frustrated. “As I explained to you earlier, a faction of the government is involved in the conspiracy and their tentacles are far-reaching. They have people working for them in every level of society. Certainly in the media. That’s how they managed to get the articles in the papers. You know, in case he got it in his mind to try to stop them. So they played it safe by discrediting him.” I paused there, waiting for Brady to say something. His silence spoke louder than any words ever could.

I exhaled with exasperation; it took all I had not to raise my voice and yell at my boss. “Captain, I
know
it sounds insane—it took me months and more evidence to finally believe it myself. I couldn’t understand why Ian was still alive if he was such a threat to them, and I’m still not sure about that part. My fear is that they believe themselves to be invincible at this point and have good reason to believe that. My hope is that it’s because they’re learning something from keeping him—and me—alive. All I’m absolutely sure of is that I’m not crazy. I swear to you, it’s all true. And we have to stop them. It would be easier for us to do that with your help. So
please
help us.”

I knew I had reduced myself into a beggar, but I didn’t care. I needed for my boss to open his eyes and see what was coming. I was willing to do whatever it took to make him believe me.

I could hear him take a deep breath and after another couple of beats, he spoke. “Longoria. It pains me to have to say this, but given your current mental state, I’m going to have to prolong your paid leave. And it will only be paid if you agree to get help. We need to find you another therapist to work with. Dr. Sokoloff is not going to cut it. Not after her performance today. I will make some phone calls and then get back to you about who you can work with.”

Closing my eyes, I wondered,
Why is he refusing to believe me?
I decided to give it one last shot. “Put me through a lie detector test.”

“That would be pointless. You know very well how it works. As deeply as you believe all these creations of your mind to be true, I can’t see how you’d ever fail a polygraph. That’s why doing a session with Dr. Sokoloff was the only viable alternative. I think we’re done talking about this now. You’ll hear from me as soon as I find the appropriate person for you to talk to. Take care until then, Longoria.”

With those words, he disconnected the phone. I stared at the shiny gadget in my hand, hoping to wake up and find that this had all just been a very weird daydream. But of course I didn’t. On a whim, I tried Ian again. He picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, sorry I missed your call,” he said, breathing shallowly like he’d been running. “Jonah came out of Nikkei before I could answer and I got busy following him. A waste of time again. He only went to the bank and then came back to the club. What’s going on?”

I gave him an abbreviated version of my successful session with Dr. Sokoloff followed by the downer conversation between me and Brady.

“Bloody hell,” was Ian’s response when I finally finished my report.

“Yeah, you could say that again,” I said, leaning back against the car seat, feeling helpless. “Bloody fucking
hell.”

“So you’re saying that up until today, he has never once questioned her diagnoses because he respected her ability as a therapist that much?”

“Precisely. Her words were like the law to him, not up for debate.”

“Hmm. It sounds to me that your captain has switched teams.” Ian’s voice was matter-of-fact.

I sat up. “What? You think he’s joined The Adler Group? I strongly disagree. But I do think that massive heart attack he suffered did a number on him, because he’s definitely not the same as before. It’s like talking to a whole other person. A grumpy, unreasonable person.”

“Even more reason to believe he’s become an untouchable. Think about it, Gabi. Flirting with death might make someone moody and depressed. Make someone who used to be an extrovert become an introvert. I’ve heard about those cases, too. But would it really change someone so much that they can no longer think logically? I don’t think so. I’m telling you, he’s no longer on our side.”

“I refuse to believe anyone has been able to convince him to become an untouchable. He might be testy and pessimistic these days, but I have yet to see signs of him having turned evil or weak. Only people with those qualities would ever agree to become untouchables.”

“Who said he became one voluntarily?”

“You actually think someone gave him the virus to permanently change his brain? I was under the impression it wasn’t that easy, or The Adler Group could just send it out via computers and brainwash everyone to make them do whatever they wanted. Obviously, there’s a catch.” I considered what I had just said. “Actually, there could be more than one catch.”

“There’s probably a catch or two. My guess is they’re still working on perfecting it, particularly the computer transmission of it. What did Jonah tell you about this? Or are you exempt because you’re his girlfriend and therefore considered safe?”

I thought about what Jonah had said about my becoming an untouchable. I couldn’t remember him ever saying that I needed to take some form of drug or do something in order to become UT, just that I’d be safe if I was his girlfriend. I told Ian this.

“But when I spoke to Burt about it in my apartment,” I continued, “it seemed I’d have to be subjected to the virus somehow in order to become untouchable even if I was Jonah’s girlfriend.” More and more of my conversation with Burt returned to me now. “I’m really not sure what he meant by that to be honest, now that I think about it. It was also unclear from our conversation if the ones who became untouchables voluntarily would have to eventually ingest the virus in order to stay that way forever. People like politicians and businessmen who’re part of the original movement and are regular humans.”

“You’d think it be safer for Stenger if everyone had the virus in their bodies to keep them in check,” Ian mused. “Even those in the original movement.”

“Yes, I agree. Maybe the catch is that the side effects are simply too great that you’d rather avoid ingesting the virus unless you really have to then.”

“That would make sense. Which brings us back to what I already suggested—they must be perfecting it still. Figure out ways to remove the side effects, or at least minimize them. When are you seeing the doctors again?”

“I was about to drive over to see them right now.” I held the phone with my left hand and inserted the car key into the ignition.

“Then ask them what they think about untouchables and the virus.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You think they’ll just
tell
me if I ask them about it?”

“Yes. If you do it the right way. I know firsthand that you can be irresistible when you want to be, Gabi.” Ian spoke in a lower, more intimate tone suddenly. “You’re a beautiful woman and the doctors are both male, hopefully also both straight. Use that to your advantage. Dazzle them with your feminine charms as opposed to try to strong-arm them like a man.”

Digesting Ian’s words, I pictured the two doctors in the apartment. Both of them struck me as pretty straight. At least Dr. Kelly was married as he wore a wedding band. I checked myself out in the rearview mirror. What little I could see of the woman looking back at me sure looked miserable. How could I have planned on going to see them looking like a homeless person? The shabby ball cap on my head combined with my blotchy face and ill-fitting old jeans and sweater sure made me appear like I lived on the streets. Ian was right; it was far better if I tried to charm the doctors in order to get as much as possible out of them than to threaten them. I had already concluded this on my own, actually, after seeing how devious Dr. Juback was.

Quite honestly, even if the doctors were gay, I’d get more out of them if I freshened up a bit. I gave myself a cheeky smile in the rearview mirror. I would freshen up more than a bit, of course...

***

A couple of hours later and my looks in significantly better shape, I left my car and crossed the street to reach the entrance to the downtown high rise. The well-dressed, gorgeous young man behind the glass counter—the building’s concierge and L.A.’s version of a doorman—shot me a blindingly white smile and said hello.

I gave him a quick nod and then entered the elevator that would take me up to the twenty-second floor. As the car soundlessly climbed the floors, I kept pondering Brady’s strange demeanor. Was it possible that Ian was right and he’d actually become untouchable somehow? Gone over to the other side? No, surely it was just a matter of Brady dealing with the remnants of that massive heart attack. The man had spent days in the hospital hovering between life and death. Even the best of us might undergo a dramatic personality change after a harrowing experience like that. I could only hope my befriending and flirting with the doctors would shed some more light on the situation.

The elevator dinged and the door slid open, abruptly cutting my thoughts short. I walked out of it and over to the apartment where our captives were. Before inserting the key into the front door, I knocked the short code all of us were familiar with so we wouldn’t worry that the wrong person had gotten hold of the key.

“Hey,” I said to Sergei the boxer, who sat on a stool near the entrance, cleaning his nails with a pocketknife, looking as imposing as always.

“Hallo,” he said in his odd accent while grinning at me and taking me in from top till toe. I threw a quick glance in the mirrored wall to be sure I hadn’t overdone it; looking my best was good, but if it seemed like I was trying too hard, that could backfire and the doctors would become suspicious. I thought I looked just right. Basically, all I had done was take a shower, blow-dry my hair, put on mascara, lipstick and blush, and I wore tight jeans and a flattering, sleeveless top, both items that showed off my fit physique. No big deal. Even so, considering that I had worn fairly unflattering business attire, my hair in a severe ponytail and no makeup when I had first met the doctors, it should do the trick.

“Everything okay here?” I asked as I passed by Sergei.

He stopped giving himself a manicure and gave me a thumbs up. I continued into the living area, only spotting Dr. Juback there, wearing the same suit he’d arrived in even though we had supplied him with more clothes that should fit him. He was pacing the floor, his hands clutched on his back. As I entered, he stopped and looked up. Staring at me, he puffed up his chest and then his tongue came out, swiping his lips.

Okay, maybe I
had
overdone it…

Chapter 7

I couldn’t tell whether Dr. Juback had been conscious of his reaction or not. All I knew was that he clearly liked what he was seeing because he didn’t seem to be able to stop staring at me.

Despite being disgusted by the way he was practically eating me up with his eyes, I reminded myself that it was far better than him not liking my appearance. This was what I had aspired to after all.

“Where’s Dr. Kelly?” I asked him, looking around the area in search of the other man.

“Why, you prefer him over me?” Dr. Juback asked in a surprisingly playful tone.

I’ll be damned,
I thought.
The man is actually flirting with me
. I decided that I might as well use that to my advantage.

Pretending to adjust a couple of the throw pillows on the nearby couch, I leaned forward just enough to give the horny doctor a thorough peek of my cleavage. I took my time putting the pillows just so. When I was done, I straightened and asked, “No, what makes you think that?”