"Or getting rid of us," Kade said, as he came through the doorway carrying another laser pistol. "These things are set to kill, not stun."
"Goddamn it." Jack grabbed the gun from Kade, and examined it. "Are these the weapons you were talking about?"
"Afraid so." Kade's gaze raked my length and came to rest on my lips. He smiled. "Want me to kiss that bruise better?"
"Rhoan tells me kissing is off-limits for now."
"That's unfortunate. But I'm willing to compromise and kiss other places."
"Thanks," I said dryly, "but I think now is not the right time to be discussing compromises."
"Hey, I'm versatile—"
"Enough." Jack's voice was curt. "Grab your things, people. We're getting out of here while we can."
"And going where? Obviously the mole in the Directorate is someone close to the director if they know we're here." Rhoan came out of the kitchen and handed me an ice pack. "Either that, or Riley and Kade have trackers in them."
I raised my eyebrows. "You didn't check?"
"We ran a scanner over you both," Jack said, "But maybe they've developed something the scanners can't pick up." His expression became even grimmer. "Rhoan, you recheck Riley. Kade, let's look you over."
Rhoan motioned me to one of the bedrooms. I followed him in, and closed the door. Everyone in this apartment might have seen me naked at one stage or another, but I wasn't about to flaunt it at this particular moment.
"So," he said, "tell me about this meeting Jack is unhappy about."
I did as he began to check me for bugs.
"The Blue Moon is safe, no matter what Jack thinks. It's Misha you'll have to watch. Don't trust him, no matter what."
"I won't." I hesitated. "Why does the mole at the Directorate have to be someone close to the director?"
"Because she's the only one who knew our whereabouts."
"Which would suggest the Director herself." Only, she wasn't likely to betray her own brother, or the organization she'd started and ran for more years than I'd been alive.
"It's not her. But it could be someone who has access to her office and maybe overhead a conversation."
"What about Gautier?" Even saying his name had a shiver running through me. Gautier might be the Directorate's top guardian, but he was a creep, a murderer, and, I suspected, a psychopath on the edge.
"He's not close to the director."
"But I'm betting he's reporting to someone that is."
"It wouldn't make a difference. Whoever the mole is, they've obviously been with the Directorate a long time. It's someone very canny, someone we wouldn't ever suspect."
"So make a list of people you'd never normally suspect, and start watching them."
"Hard to do when we don't actually know who we can and can't trust."
True. "Couldn't we just watch who Gautier talks to?"
"Gautier's clever enough to realize we're doing that." Rhoan glanced at me. "Besides, he's on assignment up north at the moment. Has been for the last month. He's not involved in this little episode."
At least that explained why I hadn't seen him around. I thought I'd just been damn lucky. "What about Alan Brown?"
"As shifty as hell, and definitely involved in something, but again, I'm not sure he's in on this."
"But he fast-tracked Gautier's entry into the Directorate, didn't he?"
"Yeah, but we've a feeling he was forced into that. Brown's being blackmailed."
I raised my eyebrows. "Someone knows about his appetite for whores?"
"His appetite for gambling, more likely." Rhoan sat back with a grunt. "Can't find anything resembling a bug."
Good. At least I wasn't responsible for bringing problems home to threaten him and the others. "If you know he's being blackmailed, then surely you'd be able to trace the source."
He rose, grimacing. "I wish it were that easy."
"Paper trail?"
"No trail."
"How come?"
"Brown's as cagey as a fox. We're certain he's giving someone information, but we can't uncover who or what."
"You've put him under surveillance, then?"
He gave me the look. "Hell, no. We just thought it was easier to let him wander around as he pleases."
I whacked his arm. "Don't get smart."
"Then don't ask dumb questions."
I grabbed my clothes off the floor and re-dressed. "What about the whores he uses?"
"You've seen the disks in his office. If he's using the whores to pass information, there's only one way he could be doing it, because he certainly doesn't talk to them."
"He's a vamp, so he's telepathic. Maybe he's figured out a way around the psi-deadeners." Hell, if Jack could get past them, surely other vamps could. Though Brown didn't seem to be anywhere near the same league as Jack.
"We've checked the whores. Their minds haven't been touched."
"Then he has to be passing something during sex." Though given what I'd seen on those videos, the only thing Brown had seemed interested in passing was his own dead sperm.
"We've had our own cameras installed. We don't believe that is happening."
"Then how is he getting information in or out? And if you don't think he's involved in my snatching, does that mean he might not have been involved with Genoveve?"
"Possibly. Many of those files Brown inherited from the former assistant director."
"And he is?"
"Very dead."
I raised my eyebrows. "Accident?"
"Probably not."
I slipped on my shoes. Rhoan started for the door, but I placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. Lowering my voice, I asked, "I know you said you weren't going to steal Kade's file for me, but did you happen to search the database when you were in there today?"
"Yes. There's nothing to be found."
"Nothing you can get hold of, anyway."
"Yes." He looked at me. "What are you plotting?"
"Me?" I gave him my most innocent look. He didn't look to be buying it. I smiled and added, "Look, don't you find it strange that he's here? You and I both know that Jack would normally have shipped him off so fast his head would spin."
"True enough." He continued to study me with that patient you're-about-to-get-me-into-trouble look. "But that doesn't solve the problem that I can't get into locked files."
"No." I hesitated. "But I can."
"Oh, can you now?" He eyed me with amusement. "I'm betting Jack doesn't know about that little gem."
"Er… no." As a liaison and his personal assistant, I did have some access that Rhoan didn't. But I'd also picked up some other access codes in recent months, thanks to time spent watching him key them in from the safety of my desk. It was amazing just how easily you could work out keystrokes if you took the time. "You really don't want to know any more. Do you?"
"No." He stood. "So what are you planning my part in this little snoop operation to be?"
"All you have to do is get me his com-unit."
He snorted. "Yeah. Like that's going to be so easy."
"It could be. After all, we're about to depart in haste. It'd be easy enough to grab equipment and just slide the com-unit my way."
He gave the sort of sigh that spoke of long-suffering patience. "I'll try."
I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Thanks."
He grinned and opened the door. "Anything to keep my twin happy."
"Anything to keep the peace, you mean."
"That, too."
Two of the three men in the main room swung around as we entered. Quinn was a shadow in the corner, but one whose presence I could feel through every pore.
"We're going to split into three groups," Jack said. "Rhoan, I want you to head into the Directorate and start writing up reports. Make sure they're encrypted and sent to Director Hunter only. Tomorrow morning, pick up some trackers and bugs, then head on over to the Blue Moon and do a thorough check of the club and its patrons. Riley's not going near the place until we know it's safe. Quinn, as we dare not risk any of the cars we have here, I want you and Riley to beg, borrow, or steal a vehicle, and drive around until we contact you to come in."