Spy Girls Are Forever by Elizabeth Cage

Author:Elizabeth Cage [Cage, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: 2014-08-05T00:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

Jo grabbed Rook by the arm and forced him to sit down. If he made a scene, she and Caylin would be the ones kicked out, not Rook.

He slumped back into his seat, chuckling.

“We’re not reporters,” Jo stated.

“And we’re not stalkers,” Caylin added.

Rook’s eyes narrowed. “Then who are you? You’re too obvious to just be groupies.”

“That’s good to know,” Caylin said, rolling her eyes.

“We’re . . . um, operatives,” Jo said lamely.

“Operatives?” Rook mumbled.

“Covert operatives,” Caylin said. “Our assignment is to find Kristal and return her home.”

“Return her home,” Rook echoed. “So you’re secret agents?”

“Basically,” Jo replied.

“And whose idea was this ‘mission’ of yours?”

Caylin paused before answering. “Queen Cascadia.”

“Aarrgh!” Rook roared, pounding the table. “I knew it! Her mother! She thinks she has such the iron fist. That monarchy is such a joke. But she must have gotten to Kristal. She must have!” Rook slouched in his seat and covered his face with his hands. “Unbelievable.”

“Kristal just up and left you?” Jo asked, not quite believing it.

Rook leaned forward. His eyes were bloodshot. He looked totally defeated. “I guarantee it. You see, Kristal is very used to being loved. By everyone. She can’t stand someone having a bad opinion of her, even if it’s deserved. This is her way of calling it off. Just leaving me without a word.” Rook snorted derisively. “All that cold royal blood, and she didn’t even have the courage to dump me face-to-face.”

“That’s not an easy thing to do sometimes,” Jo offered.

“Save the sentiment,” Rook replied. “I need to be alone.”

He motioned to the shadowy waiter. The man emerged and pulled the table away from the booth so Rook could escape. He was very drunk and nearly fell. Caylin grabbed his arm to steady him.

“Are you all right?” she asked gently.

His gaze met hers. His hard, bloodshot eyes softened slightly. “I’m destroyed.”

Caylin helped him stand, then whispered in his ear, “We’re not the enemy, Rook. We’re here to help. Can we contact you if we find out anything?”

Rook let out a deep sigh. He eyed Caylin suspiciously for a moment. Then he nodded. He told her the address of his chateau and what to say to the guards at the gate.

“Don’t come near me before noon,” Rook warned. “I will be hung over.”

“Gotcha.” Caylin stepped back. Several security guards/hangers-on had emerged from the shadows like the waiter. He really was never alone. They surrounded him, moved him forward, and disappeared into the crowd.

Caylin pulled Jo aside. “I have his address.”

“Will you remember it?”

Caylin smiled and held up her handbag. “I activated one of my bugs. The whole conversation was recorded.”

“Just like he thought,” Jo stated.

“Oh, well.”

“This doesn’t make sense, Cay. He thinks the queen got to Kristal.”

“If she did, we would have heard about it,” Caylin replied. “Our mission would have been called off.”

“You’re right. I think this is worth a phone call.”

• • •

“You’re right, Spy Girls,” Uncle Sam agreed from the A-frame’s big mirror. “Queen Cascadia has had no contact with Kristal. I checked with her this evening.

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