The Spy Is Cast Read online

  The Spy Is Cast

  Book 2 of the NEVER SAY SPY series

  By Diane Henders

  Published October 2011 by PEBKAC Publishing

  Smashwords Edition v.9

  ISBN 978-0-9878188-5-0

  The town of Silverside and all secret technologies are products of my imagination. If I’m abducted by grim-faced men wearing dark glasses, or if I die in an unexplained fiery car crash, you’ll know I accidentally came a little too close to the truth.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are products of my imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  Please respect my hard work by complying with copyright laws. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. You may not resell this e-book under any circumstances.

  Thank you for reading!

  Copyright © 2011 Diane Henders

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  Books in the NEVER SAY SPY series:

  Book 1: Never Say Spy

  Book 2: The Spy Is Cast

  Book 3: Reach For The Spy

  Book 4: Tell Me No Spies

  Book 5: How Spy I Am

  Book 6: A Spy For A Spy

  Book 7: Spy, Spy Away

  Book 8: Spy Now, Pay Later

  Book 9: Spy High

  Book 10: To be released 2015

  Humour by Diane Henders

  Probably Inappropriate

  Definitely Inappropriate

  Totally Inappropriate

  More books coming! For a current list, please visit www.dianehenders.com

  Or sign up for my New Book Notification list at

  www.dianehenders.com/books

  For Phill

  Thank you for being my technical advisor and the most tolerant husband ever. Much love!

  To my beta readers/editors, especially Carol H., Judy B., and Phill B., with gratitude: Many thanks for all your time and effort in catching my spelling and grammar errors, telling me when I screwed up the plot or the characters’ motivations, and generally keeping me honest.

  To Rick and Sandy H. at Hand Crafted Images: Your talent makes my covers extra-special, and your sense of humour makes photo sessions fun even for a camera-hater like me. Thank you!

  To Steve A. and the staff at The Shooting Edge: Thank you for lending us your excellent facilities for our cover photo sessions. You guys rock!

  To Doug S. and the staff at Glenmore Audi: Many thanks for giving me the thrill of sitting in a real Audi R8, and for letting us use your showroom for our cover photo sessions!

  To everyone else, respectfully:

  If you find any typographical errors in this book, please send an email to [email protected]. Mistakes drive me nuts, and I’m sorry if any slipped through. Please let me know what the error is, and on which page (or at which position in e-versions). I’ll make sure it gets fixed as soon as possible. Thanks!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  A Request

  Find the next book

  About Me

  Since You Asked

  Bonus Stuff

  Chapter 1

  The ring of the phone made me swear. Extricating one arm and half my face from the toilet tank, I stumbled over the tools strewn on the floor. On the fourth ring, I snatched up the receiver with a dripping hand just as my answering machine kicked in.

  “Hang on,” I advised the caller, waiting for the message to finish playing. I held the phone to my ear with my shoulder and dried my hands on my baggy jeans while I waited.

  “Hello?” I inquired when the line was clear.

  “Is this Aydan Kelly?”

  “Speaking.”

  “Aydan, it’s Clyde Webb calling…”

  “Spider!” I interrupted, smiling. “How the hell are you?”

  He sounded pleased. “You remembered!”

  “Of course I remembered. You never forget your first.”

  “Your first what?” he asked warily.

  “The first guy you hit ‘til he pukes. I still feel bad about that.”

  He laughed. “It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault… but, uh… about that…” His voice took on a wheedling note. “Aydan, how would you like to go to a gala affair? Dining and dancing, fabulous food and drink, rubbing shoulders with the cream of society?”

  I looked down at my sweaty T-shirt and grubby jeans. “Um, Spider, I think you’ve got the wrong number.”

  “No, I haven’t,” he insisted. “It would be a thank-you for all you did for us back in March. You deserve a luxurious evening out!”

  “Spider…” I paused, trying to be tactful. “I hate dressing up. I hate crowds. I hate making small talk with strangers. And I hate to remind you, but I’m the same age as your mother.” I thumped my forehead with my free hand. I don’t really do tact well.

  “Oh, I wasn’t asking you to go with me. Although I’d be proud to go with you,” he added gallantly.

  I laughed. He was such a nice kid. Well, twenty-something. Not really a kid.

  “Okay, what’s this about, then?” I asked.

  “I’m asking you to go with Kane.”

  “What, you’re Kane’s social secretary now? Tell him he can ask me himself. He’s a big boy.”

  I grinned, remembering tall, muscular John Kane with salacious appreciation. He was definitely a big boy. Too bad I’d never gotten the opportunity to find out exactly how big.

  “Oh, he doesn’t know I’m asking you,” Spider replied.

  “Whoa, hold on, Spider. What’s really going on?” I asked, instantly suspicious.

  “I can’t tell you over the phone,” he confessed. “I was hoping you’d be able to meet me. It’s important.”

  I churned my free hand through my tangled hair, pulling the elastic out of my ponytail and yanking the knots out of the curly bits at the nape of my neck. “Important, as in ‘national security’ important?”

  “I really can’t talk about it over the phone,” he repeated.

  I sighed. “Okay. Where and when do you want to meet?”

  “Can you meet now?”

  “Why, are you standing on my front step?”

  “No,” he replied sheepishly. “I meant, how soon can you get here?”

  “I presume ‘here’ means your office in Silverside?”

  “Yes. Sorry, I’m just…
Can you come? I hate to bother you, but it’s…”

  “Important. Yeah, I got that. Okay,” I agreed reluctantly. “It’ll take me about half an hour to get there, though. Unless you really want me to show up in the same clothes that I wore to fix the toilet.”

  “Um, no.” He sounded uncomfortable. “Business attire would be better.”

  “What the hell, Spider?” I demanded. “Business attire? Since when?”

  “Just… can you? Please?”

  “Okay, for you. I’m on my way.”

  I hung up the phone, frowning. The disorganized and stilted conversation was so unlike Spider that a tingle of apprehension made me hurry to my closet.

  I scowled at my business clothes, hanging clean and pressed, neatly organized by colour.

  I really hate dressing up.

  I swallowed a growl and stripped off my dirty clothes, yanking on a pair of slim cream-coloured pants and a short-sleeved green blouse.

  Doing a quick mirror check, I flapped my hair up and down in an attempt to dry some of the sweat, and reassured myself the blouse adequately camouflaged the extra ten pounds around my waist.

  Someday I’d lose that.

  Right.

  I dragged a brush through my hair and decided to leave it loose. If Spider thought I needed to dress up, it probably meant I’d be meeting somebody important. My long red hair was my best feature. Well, mostly red. The grey wasn’t too noticeable yet.

  I put on a pair of flat shoes and stuffed my waist pouch inside one of my enormous handbags. Normally I wore the waist pouch everywhere, but even I didn’t have enough chutzpah to defy the fashion police and wear it with business clothes.

  On my way across the yard I slicked on a bit of tinted lip gloss, managing to keep it in the general vicinity of my lips.

  Despite my growing sense of urgency I let my steps slow while I enjoyed the view. I’d moved onto my farm in March when everything was winter-brown, and the greens of July were still a delightful novelty. I let my eyes rest on the long vista of rolling farmland and took a deep breath of country-fresh air before hurrying into my beloved four-car garage, patting the hoods of my automotive friends as I passed.

  My faithful ’98 Saturn waited in the last bay, and I skimmed my fingertips over its front quarter panel as I made my way to the driver’s door. The local body guy had done an excellent job. You’d never know there had been a bullet hole in it.

  Turning off my gravel road onto the pavement, I headed for town, curiosity warring with nervousness. The last time I’d gotten involved with these guys it had cost me in blood. Spider’s agitated demeanour hadn’t reassured me one bit.

  In the tiny town of Silverside I navigated through the two-block business district and turned into the semi-residential area that housed Spider’s and Kane’s shared office. Pulling up in front of the small house, I swallowed a faint queasy sensation.

  In the summer, the yard was mowed and well-tended. Perennial shrubs framed the house and accented the modest sign that read ‘Kane Consulting’ and ‘Spider’s Webb Design’. It looked welcoming and benign. I wasn’t fooled.

  I took a deep breath before walking up to the front door. Tapping the knocker, I stuck my head inside. The shared office space in the converted living/dining area was empty but I went in anyway, calling out a hello.

  Spider appeared from down the hallway, his tall skinny body and lanky limbs clad in a dark suit, blue shirt, and tie. My mouth fell open.

  “Who are you and what have you done with Spider?” I ribbed him.

  He grinned and twitched his shoulders in a nervous shrug. “Aydan, it’s great to see you. You look great. As usual.” He gave me a quick, awkward hug. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine,” I replied. “You?”

  “Great!”

  I frowned. “I keep hearing the word ‘great’. Why does that make me nervous?”

  He shuffled his feet. “We need to go into our meeting now. Would you like something to drink?”

  “Just a glass of water, please.” My trepidation cranked up a notch while I waited for him to return from the kitchen. Something was definitely up.

  He handed me the glass and ushered me down the hallway to the converted bedroom that served as a meeting room. I paused in the doorway, surveying its two occupants.

  One dark suit, white shirt, quiet tie. One military uniform, loaded with braid.

  Oh, shit.

  When I stepped cautiously into the room, both men rose. Neither was as tall as Spider’s beanpole six-foot-two, but they shared an almost-palpable air of authority. While Spider made the introductions, I assessed them, trying to figure out what this was all about.

  “General Briggs, I’d like you to meet Ms. Aydan Kelly,” Spider mumbled without making eye contact. The general stepped forward, stretching out his hand, and I received a firm dry handshake.

  He was a fit-looking man with piercing blue eyes, his short grey hair in a precise cut. His seamed face gave the impression of too much time outdoors rather than advancing age. I placed him in his late fifties at a guess. His ramrod-straight posture made him seem tall, but in fact he stood only about an inch taller than my five-foot-ten.

  “And this is Mr. Charles Stemp,” Spider introduced the other man. Stemp extended his hand, too, his movements as sinuous as a snake. He looked fit as well, and very tanned. His short-cropped sandy hair was almost the same colour as his skin and his eyes were an odd shade of light brown, almost amber. His monochrome colouring and flat expressionless eyes reminded me of a rattlesnake. Jeez. No wonder Spider was nervous.

  “Mr. Stemp is the civilian director of our INSET team,” Spider explained, referring to the counter-terrorism unit to which he and Kane ostensibly belonged. “General Briggs is Kane’s commanding officer.”

  That was where things got a little more complicated. In lighter moments, I had nicknamed Kane ‘James Bond’.

  Spider drew me further into the room. “Have a seat,” he invited.

  I perched warily, wondering why the big guns were here. The others resumed their seats as well.

  “Ms. Kelly,” the general began. “So nice to meet you at last.”

  I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, so I put on my best pleasant smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too, General Briggs.”

  “Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice,” he continued. “This meeting is rather overdue, and I apologize for the long delay. Our country owes you a debt of gratitude, and we would both like to offer you a sincere thank you for your assistance in March. Your bravery and self-sacrifice did not go unnoticed.”

  I squirmed. “I appreciate the kind words, but I didn’t really do anything. I was a dumb civilian in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m just glad everything worked out all right.”

  The general’s eyes bored into me. “I read the reports. I beg to differ. You uncovered a potentially disastrous security breach. You withstood torture to protect our national security. You saved the life of one of our top agents.”

  I shook my head. “It sounds good when you say it like that, but really, it was your team who pulled it all out of the fire. I was just along for the ride.”

  He smiled. “That may be true, but the entire operation would have failed without your unique talents.”

  “The whole thing was pure dumb luck on my part,” I muttered. “Your team did all the work.”

  “I’m glad you’re loyal to the team,” Stemp said, his voice betraying no emotion whatsoever. “How would you like to help them again?”

  Warning bells clamoured in my brain. “Help them how, exactly?” I asked slowly.

  “We are chronically understaffed,” the general explained. “We have a situation in which a female agent is required, and we have none currently available. The mission would entail almost no risk. In fact, you would probably find it quite enjoyable. We thought of you because of your excellent performance this spring, and because you already have the sufficient security clearances.”

>   I hid my surprise and suspicion in a casual tone. “When did that happen? I’m just a bookkeeper. A civilian. I don’t recall doing any applications for security clearances.”

  “You were thoroughly investigated in March,” Stemp replied. “And your knowledge of our secured facilities and clandestine activities in effect gives you a top-level clearance. You already know more than many of our agents.”

  “Oh.” I attempted to rub the frown away from my forehead. “Exactly what do you want me to do?”

  “John Kane will be attending a formal function in Calgary the day after tomorrow.” General Briggs picked up the narrative. “While there, he will be researching the layout and security of the venue in which it is held. A man doing this alone would be too obvious. He needs a female companion to attend with him.” The general gave me an encouraging smile. “I’m told the food and entertainment will be quite magnificent.”

  “I’m not sure Kane would want me tagging along,” I objected. “I don’t have the first clue about spy stuff. I’d probably put him in danger just through my own ignorance.”

  “You would be fully briefed, of course,” Stemp said. “We would also compensate you for your time. And there would be an allowance for your wardrobe and accessories for the event.” He added that last bit as though it was an irresistible inducement.

  I did my best to control my face. He really thought I’d want to go if he bought me a new dress. Poor deluded man. Little did he know I’d happily pay him if he’d let me go in jeans and a sweatshirt.

  I shrugged. “If Kane thinks it’s a good idea, I’ll go with him. I’ll help if I can. But if he thinks he’d be better off without me, then I don’t want to be foisted on him.”

  “Excellent.” The general nodded with obvious satisfaction. “Please come here for your briefing tomorrow morning at ten o’clock. You should be prepared to leave for Calgary immediately afterward so that you have time to purchase whatever you need for the following evening.” He rose. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Kelly.”