Delta: A Spy Novel

Chapter Thirty-Four

“You don’t remember?”

            Hesitating, I twisted my neck slightly to look around, forcing my aching head to think. The fuzziness was still heavy in my mind, and the room swam before me as my eyes struggled to focus. Slowly, several figures came into view, tall and lithe in their dark clothing, the outlines of guns slung over their shoulders. Frowning, I looked at each one, taking in their slightly puzzled expressions as they in turn looked back at me.

            One, at least, looked vaguely familiar. “Wulf?” I asked tentatively, scrutinizing the tall, shorthaired man.

            He inclined his head. “You don’t remember barging in here and ordering us all to listen to you?” There was a hint of amusement in his voice. “It was only a few minutes ago. You said something about killing the President?”

            “Might not be a bad idea,” one of the men muttered, and Wulf slapped him playfully alongside the head.

            Cloying. My mind seemed to clear for a moment. “Yeah,” I managed to say, squinting as I tried to think. “He’s got these nuclear weapons and will blow up the United States – and then his drug thing that he’s going to use on anyone – but I don’t think it’ll work…except on Charlie and me, I guess.”

            “What?” Josh interrupted, and I closed my eyes, cursing myself. I had been rambling; I hadn’t meant to mention the purgatorium mali, but it had just slipped out with all the words and now the damage was done. Images of Charlie, screaming and broken on the floor, were flooding back to me with full clarity, causing those tears to well up in the corners of my eyes again.

            “Look…at…me…”

            His last words to me. And I had betrayed him.

            The mist was swirling around my head again, causing my breath to come shortly and quickly, my pulse pounding in my temples despite Josh’s touch. I could feel the quaver in my breath as I tried to breathe normally, the trembling of my body as I struggled to stay conscious. I couldn’t leave him. Not again. I had to help him – somehow stop Cloying from pulling that trigger…

            “She’s slipping,” I heard someone say, and then I saw a dark shape moving forward, felt arms bracing me as my vision failed. What was happening to me? Why did Charlie make me react like this?

            Someone was gripping the lapels of my flying jacket, pulling my head close to that pair of bright eyes. They caught my gaze and refused to let me go under while a voice said, “Listen to me, Astrid. I’m going with Wulf to the manor, okay? Can you hear me? This guy – Reagan – he’s going to take you to the DGSE. You’ll be okay there. But you’ve gotta agree, baby. Are you okay? Say something!”

            Making a powerful effort, I managed to access my vocal cords long enough to emit a sort of a “Yeah” before my mouth snapped shut. The hands released my shirt, allowing my head to drop back onto something soft. Still conscious but unable to see anything, I tried to concentrate on breathing. In. Out. In. Out.