Agent Out by Francine Pascal

Author:Francine Pascal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: 2006-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

This meant nothing whatsoever to Gaia—but she had the page, and that was enough. Slapping the laptop closed, she immediately ducked near to the ground and began backing away from the revolving doors toward the back of Starbucks.

Gaia slid between two more potted ferns—ignoring the puzzled glances of a group of college students drinking Frappuccinos—and once she was out of the Starbucks area she began sprinting toward the glass double doors at the far end of the rest area building.

There was a big crowd of motorists in the way. Gaia’s shoes squeaked on the tiles as she jumped and weaved, darting around people as she propelled herself toward the doors that led outside. Her laptop computer was clutched in a death grip in her left hand—its metal surface was hot from all the activity the computer had been doing. She couldn’t look back—not while running—so she had no idea if the men in the suits had seen her.

Gaia actually thought she was going to make it all the way outside. She had bumped into at least four people and had knocked one man flat on his stomach—there was no way to avoid it—but so far nobody had shouted or tried to stop her. When she was ten feet from the glass doors, the shouting began.

“Stop!” a deep male voice yelled out from behind her. “FBI! Stop that woman!”

“Stop, ma’am! Federal agents!”

A woman screamed. Gaia could hear a collective gasp from the crowd as rather than stopping her, the people in her path seemed to pull back.

Skidding to a stop at the door, Gaia frantically pulled it open, diving through and out into the hot Maryland sun.

Will they shoot? Gaia wondered. She pushed between a middle-aged married couple in sunglasses, knocking a big road atlas out of the husband’s hands as she passed. They’re not going to shoot me, are they?

Gaia was sprinting across the blacktop toward the Altima, trying to fish the car keys out of her jeans pocket as she ran. Behind her she could hear the glass doors being slammed open again.

“Stop, Ms. Moore!” the deeper male voice cried out. “Don’t get yourself in any more trouble!”

Word will come down from Washington, Marsh had told her the night before, but officially nobody will hear a thing. And then one day you’ll be dead, Sanders will be dead, and to keep things nice and clean, I’ll be dead, too. With the three of us removed from the game board, the bureau’s precious tactical secrets are safe from Socorro and all the rest, and their war on terror can go on.

Gaia was twenty feet from her car. She had the keys out. Another woman screamed off to one side.

“Don’t run away, Gaia!” the other voice pleaded. Echoes bounced through the parking lot. “You’ve still got a chance to give yourself up!”

They won’t just open fire, Gaia thought. Not with all these people around. They have to warn me first.

Gaia had made it to the car—she was pulling the driver’s door open as she finally risked a look behind her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.