Cally's War

Cally sat on the closed seat in the lone stall of the office women’s room. The only problem with this diuretic was it tended to lose potency and acquire an aftertaste if you mixed the water-soluble combination too far ahead of time. She was pretty sure she could make an opportunity to get into that last, guarded room tonight. Which meant she’d need this within a couple of hours. One eyedropper full in his beer would guarantee sending him running out.

She stowed the bottle in her purse, pulling out a data cube for her PDA. No telling what cracking programs she’d need. Best to have them all on tap. Still, she checked the seal on the small, wide-mouthed jar of vinegar, just in case.

Back in the office, she puttered around her office waiting for Pryce to get back with dinner. She had asked him to get beer and hot wings. Everybody drank beer with wings.

Tonight they had no preset time limit. Beed’s wife had apparently finally insisted on at least one quiet evening together at home. It was a damned shame to waste it by drugging Pryce, but she couldn’t let her hormones get in the way of her job. Besides, when she found the identity of the leak, and sooner or later she would, it would be all over without a goodbye, anyway.

But maybe she wouldn’t find it tonight. It could be wherever Beed went on those long inspection walks of his. Maybe even over at the detention center. It was certainly secure enough.

Persuading Beed to take her along would be easy enough. All she’d have to do was provide him with even a thin excuse. The horny bastard would jump at the offer of more time to get his hand in the cookie jar.

She smiled sadly as she heard the outer office door. It really was too bad she had to do this, but it was the best way she knew to cover her search time while leaving him totally unharmed. Well, other than his dignity. She pulled her game face firmly on, grinning wickedly at him as he came in her open door.

“Mmmm. Something smells good.” She inhaled appreciatively. “Dinner smells pretty good, too.”

“Cute.” He gave her a sidelong glance as he took the beer bottles and to-go boxes out of the bag. “Did you want to get to the food at all? I mean, if you’re not hungry…” He trailed off with a slow, predatory grin.

“Um, actually I am hungry. For food, I mean. First.” She let her eyelids droop a bit, letting how much she wanted him show on her face. There was a tight pain in her chest. Sometimes she hated her job.

“Okay.” He opened the beer bottles and went to get his desk chair. She didn’t need the ruse she’d planned, after all.

It only took a second to reach into her desk drawer and put a dropper-full of the drug into his beer.