Reach For the Spy Read Online Free PDF

come
out whenever you need to.”
    He nodded, obviously
unconvinced.
    “Well, that’s about as
good as it’s going to get, then. Let’s go break the news to Stemp.”
I turned and headed for the virtual portal.
    I braced myself before
stepping out of the network and back into my physical body. It
didn’t help.
    Pain lanced through my
head and for Spider’s sake, I managed not to cry out. I clenched my
teeth on my reflexive profanity and took a few hissing breaths,
holding my head and rocking until the pain subsided.
    “I really fucking hate
that,” I muttered as I straightened up again. I tucked the tiny box
into my pocket and turned to the other two. “Let’s go.”
    “Um,” Spider said. “We
can’t.”
    “What? Why not?” I
demanded, coldness slithering down my spine.
    “Well, we can,”
he amended. “But we can’t take the key with us. It has to stay down
here in the secured facility. Stemp’s orders.”
    “And Briggs’s orders,
too,” Kane added. “Everyone is in agreement on this. It’s too much
of a risk to take it out of here unless it’s absolutely
necessary.”
    I took a deep,
steadying breath. Then another.
    “You mean.” I stopped
and cleared my throat to keep my voice from squeaking. “You mean,
I’m going to have to work down here?”
    My voice came out
shrill despite my efforts and Kane responded instantly, his voice
deep and soothing. “Not necessarily. Don’t worry, Aydan. Let’s go
upstairs and talk to Stemp. We’ll see what we can work out.”
    I took another couple
of deep breaths and jerkily placed the box in Spider’s hand. “I’m
going up now. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.” I grabbed my
security fob and walked out, suppressing the urge to flee
pell-mell.
    By the time the
time-delayed door opened into the lobby my heart was pounding, and
I controlled the need to flail my arms frantically in the open
space. I paced around the lobby, willing myself into yoga belly
breathing. Slow and steady. In. Out. Like ocean waves. I
surreptitiously wiped my sweaty palms on my pants.
    By the time Webb and
Kane reappeared, I’d regained a semblance of calm. Nobody said
anything while we made our way up to Stemp’s office on the second
floor.
    Kane tapped on the door
and stuck his head inside at Stemp’s terse, “Yes.”
    “We have a
complication,” Kane said.
    “Already?” Stemp’s
normally expressionless voice sounded strained. “Come in, then.
What is it?”
    We stepped into his
office and stood side by side like pupils summoned before the
principal. I tried not to fidget while something small and
frightened skittered in my stomach.
    Kane stood at parade
rest and addressed Stemp. “The Sirius security fob works to get
Aydan into the network, but when she gets there, she can’t decrypt
the files.”
    Stemp turned a
skeptical gaze on me. “Really.”
    My temper flared, and
Kane shot me a warning glance. This time I heeded him and
controlled my anger with an effort of will.
    “We’ve solved the
problem, though,” I said. “I can read the files if I use the
network key to access the network.”
    “I see.” Stemp turned
his impassive face to Spider. “Explanation.”
    Spider twitched his
shoulders nervously. “I don’t know for sure. My initial guess would
be that the brainwave modulator that’s built into the Sirius fobs
alters Aydan’s natural brainwave pattern in a way that prevents her
from decrypting the files. The network key doesn’t have a
modulator, so she can do what she needs to do.”
    Stemp made an impatient
gesture. “Why are you bringing this to me? You’ve already solved
the problem. Get to work.”
    “We need your
permission to bring the network key aboveground,” Kane said.
    “Absolutely not.”
    Kane took a breath and
spoke steadily. His shuttered cop face and deliberately relaxed
posture made his words seem conversational. “Aydan is
claustrophobic. She has severe difficulty being in the secured
facility for any significant length of