Girl Undercover 12: Showdown (13 page)

I realized it was best if Stenger didn’t get that I was communicating with someone on the outside, so I turned off the sound as soon as I sent my message. Brady’s response arrived only seconds later.

Longoria? What’s going on? Are you okay?

I had typed with my left hand which was awkward since I was right-handed. Before I replied I put the phone in my mouth and switched the gun so that it was in my left hand instead, then put it back against Stenger’s temple.

I typed as quickly as I could:
Have little time. Can’t talk. In Stenger’s house. Have him at gun point. He injected Ian with the virus. Need someone to come here with Haldol to cure Ian.
Before I pressed Send, I included that the delivery person must use the main entrance.

Brady’s response arrived seconds later.
My sister lives in Jersey and should be at home. I’ll call her now and have her come over with the Haldol. Her husband is an MD, so they can get it from a pharmacy. As soon as I have an answer, I’ll text back.

Ian stirred on the floor then, moaning lightly. I glanced in his direction. He moved his head slowly back and forth, but he didn’t open his eyes.

“I’m not sure what it is you’re trying to do, but I can assure you that you’re wasting your time,” Stenger said, his eyes on Ian as well.

I pushed the gun harder into his head. “Did anyone tell you you could talk?”

Stenger didn’t reply, just kept staring at Ian on the floor.

I returned my attention to my phone, texting Brady the following:
Get men to hide near the mansion to have on standby. Men you can trust. Use your contacts, avoid the FBI. The higher the office, the bigger the chance they’re involved in the conspiracy. Low-level cops better. If you don’t hear from me again, I may be dead, but you must proceed. You can still save Ian and the world. He needs the Haldol.

“Gabi, you were always a fighter, weren’t you?” Stenger said in a friendly voice as I sent off the additional instructions to Brady.

“Shut up,” I snapped at him, my stomach clenching as I wondered why he didn’t appear more nervous, insisting on taunting me instead. I tried to think what to do next. As far as we had been able to tell, only two men were at the front guarding the house, and they were under the impression that both Ian and I were here as friendly visitors. Family, in fact, when it came to Ian. One of them had even been told by Stenger himself that Ian would be his boss one day, being his son. There was surely more security on the premises, and more could likely show up on short notice. Were they able to see what was going on inside the study through security cameras? I scanned the high-ceilinged space for cameras, but couldn’t see any. Of course, that didn’t mean there weren’t any there.

I calmed myself with the fact that they probably couldn’t see us or they would be here by now, taking me out. So, then what was Stenger hiding up his sleeve that made him not even try to yell for help, instead made him so incredibly confident?

I swallowed hard. I could only pray he was just faking it, hoping that I would screw up somehow.

Ian’s moaning again interrupted my thoughts. It appeared he was about to wake up any moment now. I cleared my throat, focusing on the task at hand. I needed to get Stenger back behind the desk so that he could use the intercom to let Brady’s sister in with the Haldol. Hopefully, she’d be here shortly. It was hard to move the wheelchair with one hand, however, and I didn’t want to remove the gun from Stenger’s head in order to move it. I felt convinced he’d pull something on me if I did. Then it struck me that he himself could move the wheelchair. All I needed to do was tell him, so I did.

Fortunately, he didn’t put up too much of a fight, but wheeled around the large desk until he ended up behind it, the intercom only inches away from his right side.

“Now I want you to let the men at the main entrance know that you’re about to receive more visitors,” I told him. “Tell them you’re expecting a delivery and to get it to your study right away. Remember if you tell them anything besides what I just instructed you, I will blow your head off, and I can assure you that I’ll enjoy it very much.”

I held my breath as Stenger reached for the button on the intercom, praying that the feel of my gun pressed against his head and my menacing tone would be enough for him to do exactly what I wanted. Only when he was done, having followed my instructions to a tee, did I allow myself to exhale again.

Then he asked in a mocking, overly confident tone that I really didn’t like, “Anything else you’d like me to do?”

What the hell did he have up his sleeve? It had to be
something
or he would be more frazzled.

I could feel sweat form around my hairline, then coat the sides of my face. My heart hammered against my ribcage. Frantically, I kept chewing on my lower lip. I needed to figure out what he was up to before it was too late. Stenger seemed perfectly content to sit in his wheelchair and watch Ian as he lay there on the expensive rug, while I desperately searched my mind, debating what he must be hiding.

We remained in silence for a couple of tense minutes when my phone moved in my pocket, telling me I had an incoming text. I immediately found it and read the text.

My niece and her boyfriend are on their way to the mansion and will bring the Haldol. They’re much closer to Alpine than my sister. My brother-in-law called in a prescription to their pharmacy. They’re picking it up as we speak. Shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes before they get to you. Working on getting men to stand by on the outskirts of the premises. It’s gonna be okay, Gabi. I’ll soon join you. Mary’s booking me a ticket to New York.

I quickly typed a message back:
Thank you. Keep me updated.

I put the phone back in my pocket and heard Ian moan louder and more frequently now. As I glanced at him over Stenger’s shoulder, I saw that he was blinking against the cloudy daylight that seeped in through the large window.

“Ian,” I called to him. “Can you hear me?”

He didn’t answer, just rubbed his eyes and tried to push himself up to a sitting position.

“Ian!” I repeated. “Are you okay? Can you hear me?”

He scrunched up his face as he took me in, his eyes fully open now. “Who are you?”

I stared at him, instantly worried. “You really don’t recognize me? It’s me, Gabi!”

He shook his head slowly at me, looking like he was in a complete daze. As I took him in, I reminded myself that I didn’t have to be so worried; his demeanor shouldn’t surprise me. The virus was supposed to make him all spaced out and zombie-like. Hopefully, when he got the Haldol in his bloodstream, he would be cured. And would remember who I was.

Since there was nothing else I could do but wait for Brady’s niece and boyfriend to arrive with the Haldol, I decided that I might as well see what Ian
did
know. Stenger wasn’t going anywhere or doing anything.

“Do you know what your name is?” I asked Ian.

“I’m not sure…” He rubbed his forehead while supporting himself with his other hand. “My head hurts.”

I couldn’t remember Brady saying that his head ever hurt except when we had given him the Haldol, curing him, so why was Ian complaining about headaches now? Did the Zoc virus make subjects’ heads hurt? I shot Stenger a look; he was watching Ian with interest. “Why is his head hurting? What did you give him?”

“I told you. I gave him what was given to your captain. Only the version Ian got is more advanced. Safer. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. You’ll soon see how he’ll transform. I would never give any of my kids something that would hurt them. I love my kids.”

“Transform?” I removed my eyes from Ian and glared down at Stenger. “What exactly are you talking about?”

“He’ll realize who he is and what he needs to do.”

My stomach hurt as I sensed what was about to come—Stenger’s trump card. “What does he need to do?” My question came out garbled, barely audible as I dreaded the reply.

Stenger smiled and said in a dreamy voice, “He’ll do anything I want him to do—help me rule my brave, new world. See now why I told you you were wasting your time? It’s over, Gabi.”

He’s just making it up so that you’ll trip yourself up, Gabi,
I told myself in my head.

“You’re just trying to screw with my head,” I hissed at Stenger. “It’s too bad I already know that he’ll need to consume the pill version of Zoc 2 for that to happen. One of your doctors told me about it right before he died, and that was how we undid what you’d done to Captain Brady. It worked marvelously, and it’s only a matter of minutes before I’ll get the medication I need to undo what you’ve done to Ian.”

“That method won’t work with Ian. I told you, it’s a different, more advanced version of the virus.” He smiled wider. “Zoc
3.
The mind control is instant with this version. What we did to Brady was only part of an experiment to finalize Zoc 3. I don’t care about him, whether he remains UT or not. We no longer need him. I only care about Ian. Shortly, he’ll start to hear messages sent out from headquarters that’ll tell him who he is and what he should be doing. Pre-recorded messages. Anyone who gets Zoc 3 in their system will receive these messages. See a man that will give them all the necessary direction. I really wish that I didn’t have to do this to my own son, but he gave me no choice. He’s so
incredibly
bullheaded!”

Stenger shook his head and tskd.

I scoffed at his smirking face. “You’re bluffing. The Haldol will fix him just like it fixed Brady.”

“Go ahead, try it on him. I’m telling you, it won’t make a difference.”

“Dad?”

I swiveled around and saw that Ian was sitting up fully now, looking at me and Stenger.

“See, he’s already able to pick up the messages sent to him that’s identifying me,” Stenger whispered to me. “Very soon he’ll know that you’re the enemy and then he’ll kill you. Remove the gun from my head and surrender. It’s your only chance of survival. He won’t let you threaten me.”

“Dad, who is that woman you’re speaking to and why’s she holding a gun to your head?”

The buzzer on Stenger’s intercom sounded then, and a male voice announced that a man and a woman had arrived with a delivery for Stenger.

“Tell him to bring them to the study,” I hissed at Stenger, pushing the gun harder into his temple. “Or I swear I’ll shoot you. If you’re so sure the Haldol won’t help him, you won’t have a problem letting my friends come here with it.”

“I’m happy to oblige you, as it’s most definitely already too late,” Stenger said and pressed the intercom button, telling the man to send the visitors to his study.

As soon as he removed his finger from the button, I stuck the gun in my mouth so I could grab the handles to the wheelchair and move him away from the desk; I couldn’t risk him using the intercom again to warn his men. As confidently as he acted, he wouldn’t scream for help.

When Stenger was in a corner, I ran over to Ian, who had begun pushing himself up from the floor while gazing at me in confusion. As he opened his mouth to say something, I used my gun to whack his head so hard it rendered him unconscious. He fell to the floor, the
thump
muffled by the thick rug yet again.

I pulled his heavy body behind one of the big armchairs right next to us so that the guard wouldn’t be able to spot him as he let the two visitors in. The sweat poured down my face, neck and back I was working so hard.

I was back with Stenger with only a couple of seconds to spare when footfalls approached the study, then there was a knock on the door. Pushing the wheelchair into the middle of the study, I shoved my gun into Stenger’s back, right above the edge of the wheelchair.

“Don’t doubt for a second that I’ll shoot you if you do anything to reveal what’s going on in here,” I hissed to him, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. “I’ll kill your guard, too. Because of the silencer on my gun, it’ll take a while before everyone realizes what’s really going on in this house. I’ll have plenty of time to get the Haldol in Ian’s bloodstream. As your successor, everyone will listen and obey him. The Haldol may or may not work, but one thing’s for sure—if you don’t do as I say, you’re a dead man because I have absolutely
nothing
to lose by killing you now. Now tell him to send them in.”

I was nauseous with fear when the door opened and the guard appeared in the doorway. Did Stenger value his life enough that he would agree to my threats? I was about to find out.

I forced myself to smile at the square-faced man as Stenger waved for him to let the two visitors into the room. The guard gave a quick nod and opened the door wider so they could enter.

A boy and a girl of about twenty years of age entered the big study, both of them looking shy. The boy held a plastic grocery bag in his hand, which I assumed contained the Haldol.

“Thank you, Christian,” Stenger said to the guard and motioned for him to leave.

I patted his back with my hand. “Good job.” Then I turned to look at the visitors, who had stopped right before the closed door.

“You must be Brady’s niece,” I said to the strawberry-blond girl with the pigtails. “I’m Gabi and I’m a cop working for your uncle. Thank you for coming on such short notice. Did you bring the Haldol?”

She nodded, looking generally uncomfortable as she pointed at her friend. “Yes, Eric has it. I’m Lyssa.”

“Okay, great, Lyssa,” I said. “Come over here, both of you. We don’t have much time and I need your help.”

Chapter 11

Lyssa and Eric helped me move Stenger back into a corner, far away from the window and his desk with the intercom.

I checked out the lanky girl with the pink-glossed lips to see if she wore anything that could help me tie Stenger’s arms to the wheelchair to prevent him from removing the gag I wanted to apply to him to be absolutely sure he couldn’t notify his security. Confident or not, I thought it best not to take any chances. She wore flip-flops, jeans shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. My gaze moved on to Eric, who wore baggy jeans, an equally baggy T-shirt and sneakers. His clothes were as useless for my purpose as the hoodie, jeans and sneakers I myself wore.