Under Deepest Cover

"You have to get meoutof this!" Lucy Miller hissed into her encrypted cell phone, the one that had been delivered to her home a few weeks ago. The phone had rung just as she'd left a staff meeting. She'd ducked into the ladies' rest room, where she'd checked every stall to make sure she was alone."Relax, Lucy," said the soothing voice Lucy had come to know so well. She had often fantasized about what the man who owned that deep, sexy voice might look like, but not today. Today she was too terrified to fantasize about anything but getting out of this situation with her skin intact."Don't you tell me to relax," she whispered back."You aren't the one stuck in this bank trying to act normal when she knows she's about to get liquidated.""Liquidated? You must be watching too muchGet Smart.No one is trying to kill you.""You didn't see the man who was following me. I know a hit man when I see one. He was wearing a coat, and it's like ninety degrees outside.""It's also raining in D.C. today. He probably had on a raincoat.""Casanova, you're not listening! My cover has been blown. Someone has been in my apartment. Either you get me out of here, or I'll hop the first plane I can find to South America and I'll take all my data with me!""No! Lucy, be reasonable -- ""I'm done being reasonable. I've done everything you asked without question. I've trusted you implicitly, though I've never met you and don't even know your name. Now it's your turn to trust me. I'm not stupid. If you don't get me out, this very expensive little cell phone is going into the nearest sewer, and you'll never hear from me again.""All right! I'll be there by five-thirty, six at the latest. Can you hang tight till then? Can you make it home?"Lucy took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She'd spotted her tail three days ago, and she'd realized yesterday that someone had searched her apartment. But so far her observer was keeping his distance. Maybe she could make it a few more hours. She struggled for a reasonable tone of voice. "I'll do my best. But if anything happens, tell my parents I love them, okay?""You'll be fine, drama queen."Lucy disconnected before she said something she'd regret. Drama queen? Did Casanova think she was some flaky paranoid? Hadn't she proved her worth over the past weeks? Casanova. Who'd come up with that handle, anyway, and why?She put the cell phone back in her purse and started to exit the rest room, but then she caught a look at herself in the mirror. She looked like a mad woman, her wavy brown hair escaping from its customary bun and frizzing around her face, her cheeks flush with panic, eyes wild with fear behind her glasses. She took five minutes to neaten her hair, powder her nose and apply her pink lipstick. The shade did nothing for her, but that didn't matter. She wasn't exactly supermodel material these days. She only wore a little makeup because she was in an executive position and the other female executives did.She'd been trying to fit in, not call attention to herself.When she looked and felt more composed, she left the sanctuary of the rest room and headed for her office, hoping she could close the door and hole up in there for the rest of the afternoon. She was afraid that if she had to deal with anyone, she would fall apart.Some spy you turned out to be, Lucy Miller. Disintegrating at the first sign of danger.As luck would have it, she rounded a corner and ran right into the bank's portly CEO, the man who'd hired her."Oh, hello, Lucy," he said politely. "I was just looking for you.""Sorry, I was in the ladies' room. My lunch isn't sitting well, I'm afraid." She figured he wouldn't ask too many questions about that. He was easily embarrassed, she'd discovered.He scrutinized her face with his one good eye. The other had been destroyed in some kind of accident, though she didn't know the details. Her skin prickled with nerves. Could he see her feaLennox, Kara is the author of 'Under Deepest Cover', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373767359 and ISBN 0373767358.