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“Like a she-wolf, she protects her own with a ferocity that knows no bounds.” — unknown

Gwen

Eager to return, I rush up the ladder, through the trap door, and out the back exit. On the muddy ground, I crane my neck to the second floor to get my bearings. To my right, a wet blue area rug drapes over the barbed wire. If I go left, I should find the microscope lying underneath the window.

With gunfire echoing off the buildings, and helicopters rumbling in the distance, I squeeze forward. Stumbling between the vinyl siding and the fence, I round the corner.

Thank God, this hellish weekend has almost ended . As if hearing my thoughts, men argue right above my head. Barely audible over them and my beating heart. Dolly leans over my shoulder. “They’re Lewis’ men. Stay quiet. Keep close to the wall.”

Soon, I spy the broken device near my feet. Picking it up, I slowly rotate the knob until the tiny dot comes into view.

After I scrape it into the center of my palm, my companion holds out a plastic two-inch-square box. “Put it in here.”

“Okay, you got what you wanted. So long, farewell, best of luck, sayonara.” My shoulders drop, the ache in my gut subsides, and I whoosh out my breath.

As I turn, she backs up a step. Eyes narrowed, she points her pistol at my stomach. “I’m sorry, but I need you to come with me, Dr. Wulf.”

“Excuse me?” Despite my husband’s warning, my pulse pounds, each beat a relentless echo of disbelief.

The chill of betrayal sends a shudder down my spine while the little adrenaline I have left seeps through my veins. Frozen in place, my gaze locks on the barrel of her gun. Surely, after all I did to save her, she would not shoot me.

“Hands behind your back.” Her deadly tone indicates she might pull the trigger, but why? She has the damn dot.

“You are a nasty person, Dolly DeClaire.” Once the cold metal of her handcuffs tightens around my wrist, she shoves me back the way we came. Like nails on a chalkboard, she chuckles.

“You are such an easy mark, Gwen.” Her choice of words makes my head spin. She targeted me? When was this? More importantly, why?

Hope flairs as we pass the underground room where we left my wolfman. Unfortunately, only Lewis remains, along with his unconscious guards.

This time, we take a different tunnel, exiting near a car parked by the forest. A mile or so down the highway, she forces me into the back seat where she tie wraps my feet together.

“Could you at least put the fucking heat on?” While I shiver in my wet clothes, she throws a musty wool blanket over me.

Once my body heats up, I can focus on a new plan. “So, how long have you been targeting me?”

“I’ve had my eyes on you since the incident in Rehoboth Beach last summer. When I learned you worked in RF technology, I researched more about you on the dark web. Soon after, I found Lewis and his merry band of idiots.”

She turns on the blinker, the engine roars, then the tires hit smooth pavement. The fact we’ve reached a highway should scare me, but it doesn’t. By now, those helicopters have landed, and the FBI will be searching the whole area for me. My G-man isn’t far behind.

“I still can’t believe the survivalist managed to get his hands on EMP codes.” My kidnapper smirks like it’s some kind of colossal joke.

“How did he pull it off?” Curiosity burns, outweighing my fear. The more I know, the better I can weigh the risks of what I intend on doing next.

Oblivious to my almost super-human skills in this regard, she babbles on. “How do you think? The Russians handed it to him on a friggin’ silver platter. What better way to take down the US than to have one of its citizens do it for them?”

“So, you are on our side.” Thank God. I can work with that.

“Huh? Fuck no. I can sell this dot for a fortune. Lewis wanted to blow everything up for free. What an idiot.” Whileour assessments of the man coincide, the rest of her statement makes me ill.

My mind shoots back to what she said earlier. If she’s telling the truth, she’s had her sights on me since I moved into the neighborhood, but why?

“Other than the basics, I know little about EMP technology. You might as well stop the car and leave me off here.” Under the blanket in the back seat, I picture her scoffing.

“The government boys recently changed the protocols to include another level of authentication. Only someone with your skills can roll the code back to the older version. I can’t sell it until you fix this small detail.”

Holy shit. She wants me to take control of a different team’s work and upload a previous version into the cloud? Is she out of her mind?

Dolly pulls off the highway as I ponder all the steps it would take to accomplish her lofty task. We change cars behind a partially demolished apartment house.

When we’re back on the road, I ask, “Where are you taking me?”

“Your lab in DC.”

She’s so clueless I can’t help but shout. “The government will be on high alert. You think they won’t shoot us on sight?”

Dolly’s giggle sounds a lot like Lewis’, and it worries me. “Let me explain what is happening right about now. First, the FBI is trying to determine who I am. They will give orders to kill us both rather than allow you to access the EMP codes. On the other hand, your husband will do everything in his power to ensure you remain unharmed. His love for you will bring about Armageddon.”