The Buried

CHAPTER 19

First it had been electric shock, and then an injection of God knew what into Helen’s arm that had sent her world spinning.

The Wolf seemed to think Quinn was still following Helen’s directions. Helen had so far held on tight and said nothing to encourage or dispel this belief. The longer she could keep the woman focused on her, the better the chance Quinn would have to disappear.

The Wolf. Helen and most of the intelligence world had thought the woman was out of the game. A broker of mercenaries and shady deals, she had disappeared from the scene several years earlier. The rumor was her business had suffered serious cash-flow problems that had forced her into hiding from those she owed. Apparently she had settled her debt.

“A little stimulant, I think,” The Wolf said, her voice seeming to hover far above.

Within seconds after the needle punctured her arm, Helen felt as if a hand had grabbed her heart and squeezed as hard as it could. She sucked in a deep breath as she arched back in her chair, her body feeling like a pressure cooker ready to blow. If blood had started gushing out her ears or nose, she wouldn’t have been surprised. But then the crest passed, and while adrenaline still rushed through her system, she no longer felt like she was about to be torn apart.

The Wolf smiled and regarded the syringe in her hand. “It’s a rush, isn’t it? An oldie but goodie from your early agency days, I believe.” She set it down on the portable table next to the chair and picked up another. “This one’s newer but I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Fire and Ice?”

Helen tried to keep her face blank. Fire and Ice was not the drug’s official name, but that’s what most in the know called it, and for good reason.

When The Wolf moved the syringe toward her, Helen couldn’t help but flinch.

“Relax,” the woman said. “It won’t kill you.

She stuck the needle into Helen’s arm.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Helen even started to think maybe the woman had been playing her, but then every vein and capillary in her body ignited.

All thought stopped, her brain unable to process anything but the blaze under her skin. Never in her life had she considered dying an option, until now.

Finally, the burn began to recede. She knew from reports she’d read that a subject’s temperature remained unchanged throughout the drug’s interaction. Yet the fire had felt real, as did the cold she sensed coming on now.

“If you’re lucky, you’ll black out before you reach the bottom,” The Wolf said. “But don’t count on it. Now tell me, where are they going?”

Helen kept her lips pressed together.

“Where are they going?”

The cold. Oh, God!

“Where?” The Wolf demanded.

Helen screamed.