Behind the Mask Read online

  “I will.”

  Badger was staring at Savannah in the rearview mirror. He had an ominous look as he told the group, “If any of us get arrested, remember: no one talks, we all walk. Not a word to the police or the fucking FBI!”

  Something sinister was in his voice. Savannah had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  “Once we drop you, do one quick radio check when you’re in position.”

  “Got it,” Savannah acknowledged.

  “Haley, you grab one of the bags in the backseat and toss me the other one when we get out.”

  “Okay,” Haley confirmed.

  “When we finish, we’ll give the all clear signal on the radio. That’s your cue, Savannah, to move across the street. We’ll swing by and pick you up and clear out of here.”

  As they neared the corner where Savannah would be posted, Nick looked back and smiled at her. “You ready?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Okay, get ready to jump out.”

  Savannah took one last look at her friends. “Good luck, guys.”

  Badger slowed down, and Savannah was out of the car in a flash. She found her spot just as Nick had described it.

  Savannah pushed the button on the walkie-talkie and announced, “Red Team in position and needs a radio check.”

  She listened for confirmation.

  “Blue Team reads Red Team loud and clear,” she heard Nick’s voice respond.

  “Green Team is less than two minutes out and reads everyone loud and clear,” an unknown male voice responded.

  Nick’s voice responded, “Ten-four. Begin radio silence.”

  Savannah thought she heard something, but realized it was her own thunderous heartbeat. Calm down, Savannah. She didn’t know if she was scared or excited. I wonder if this is what it feels like to be a Navy SEAL. She could picture her twin doing this sort of stuff, but never herself. She looked at her watch; it was one forty-five. With any luck, we’ll be out of here in less than an hour. Just keep breathing.

  At her post, Savannah patiently watched for security. She jumped at every noise. The minutes passed at a snail’s pace. About forty minutes into the operation, Savannah’s heart stopped when she heard the shrill, ear-piercing noise of a fire alarm. Her hands shook, and she pushed the button on the walkie-talkie. Her voice was an octave higher and cracking when she tried to reach Nick on the radio.

  “Red Team to Blue Team.”

  Nothing.

  “Red Team to Green Team.”

  Nothing. She tried again.

  “Red Team to anyone.”

  She finally heard Nick’s voice on the other end.

  “Red Team, get out of here! Now! Go now!”

  Savannah wanted to run, but her feet were frozen to the ground. Off in the distance, she heard the high-pitched sirens of fire trucks. She could see the glow of a fire coming from the lab. She willed herself to move, and move she did. She ran faster and harder than she had ever run in her life. She ran until her lungs betrayed her and she succumbed to the stitch in her side. She was clear of the UCLA campus, but wasn’t actually sure where she was.

  Savannah knew the first course of action was to get rid of the walkie-talkie and her gloves. She took off down an alley in search of a safe spot to toss the evidence. She smashed the walkie-talkie on the pavement and tossed the mangled mess in a large dumpster behind a dry cleaner. She removed her gloves and tossed them into the dumpster, too. It was almost two thirty in the morning, and she needed to figure out how to get back to her dorm.

  Horrible thoughts were running through her head. She wondered if Nick and Haley made it out. Were they trying to find their way home? Were they in jail? Were they injured or dead? She wanted more than anything to be safe and warm in her own bed. Pent-up emotions surfaced, and she burst into tears. She tried to stop, but it was as if a dam broke and a flood of emotions rushed out. She found a taxi parked near a section of neighborhood bars. She had to get through the night. The next day would be better. She was sure of it. Nick would straighten everything out.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Alexis

  Lexie awoke to the blaring noise of her cell phone. She scrambled out of bed and grabbed her phone from her dresser.

  “Hello,” she croaked.

  “Lexie, this is Adam. Have you heard what happened at UCLA?”

  Lexie shook herself awake. “No, what happened?”

  “There was an ALF direct action early this morning. A group of masked intruders broke into the lab, destroyed the computers and laboratory equipment, and set fire to the whole lab.”

  “Shit! How did they get past the security system?” Lexie asked.

  “That’s still unknown at this time. Lexie, someone was killed in the action.”

  “What? Holy shit! Who?”

  “A security guard who was on duty in another part of the lab. He may have been responding to the commotion when he became trapped and couldn’t get out of the building. We were told he was thirty-six years old and had three children, including a brand-new baby.”

  “Oh my God! That’s terrible.”

  “Lexie, do you think this attack was perpetrated by your targets?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t heard talk of any plans for actions over at UCLA, but then again, you know how much my people hate UCLA. They wouldn’t have mentioned it to me unless they planned to use me in the attack. Has it been on the news yet?”

  “It’s on right now. They have a news helicopter filming the firefighters on the scene.”

  Lexie was already in front of her TV flipping through the channels. Sure enough, the story was breaking on all the local stations. The news was going back and forth between what was happening in real time and clips shot earlier that morning with flames shooting out of the building.

  “Since this is all over the morning news, you need to reach out to your people and see what kind of response you get.”

  “I can do that. Normally none of those people will talk much over the phone, but Savannah might be new enough to the movement to talk. I’ll try to get her to meet me for coffee, and we can talk in person.”

  “Just remember to record everything,” Adam warned. “This might be our only shot to get these people if they are involved in some way. They’re going to be over-the-top paranoid.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ll reach out to Savannah and see what happens. Let me know whatever else you find out on your end. I’ll call you as soon as I make contact.”

  “This happened on your watch, Lexie, so we need to get to the bottom of this.”

  A surge of anger hit Lexie.

  “Why are you so sure that my people were involved in this crime?”

  “It stinks of NWM, that’s why.”

  “I’ll let you know what I find out,” Lexie seethed.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Savannah

  Savannah made it back to her dorm room shortly after three in the morning. Haley wasn’t there. She checked her cell phone, but there were no messages. She wanted to call Nick but knew she shouldn’t. She looked down and realized she had forgotten to remove the duct tape from her running shoes. She ripped off the tape, placed it in a plastic bag, and threw it in the bathroom garbage. The cleaning service would be by in a couple of hours, and they removed the trash from the bathrooms daily. She checked herself to ensure she had disposed of all possible evidence that could be used against her. Please call me, Nick. I need to hear your voice and know you’re safe.

  Savannah washed her face and crawled into bed, but sleep eluded her. She replayed the events of the night in her head. She was convulsing from the cold; or was it fear? What had she done? What had Nick and Haley done? Since there was no possible way she could sleep, she turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. She stopped on the NBC channel showing late breaking news with the caption
: “Fire At UCLA Lab. One Confirmed Dead.” Savannah’s throat seized shut; she was unable to breathe. Her heart thumped like a bass drum. Holy fuck! Someone’s dead. Her first thought was Nick. Was it Nick? She then remembered it was Nick’s voice on the radio. No, it couldn’t be Nick. Haley? Could it be Haley? No, Nick would take care of Haley. Jesus! Who was dead? Then she saw it, the ambulance parked near the fire engine. She saw the gurney holding a body bag being loaded into the ambulance. Without any notice, she vomited on the floor in front of the TV. She grabbed a nearby trashcan and heaved again into the can. Her stomach seized, and she continued to vomit until she had nothing left in her stomach. Bile burned the back of her throat. The reality of what had happened set in, and her body convulsed. She stared at her cell phone. Please ring. Please ring. Please ring! She needed to talk to Nick. He will call, she told herself. He will call soon.

  Savannah grabbed a towel and some cleaner. After she cleaned up the floor, she rinsed out the trashcan in the bathroom shower. She checked her cell phone again to make sure the ringer was turned up. Please call, Nick. Oh, please call! She checked the news again, but they were only showing the earlier footage. There was still no news regarding who died in the fire. Savannah crawled into her bed and then she did something she hadn’t done in a long time. She folded her hands together and prayed.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Alexis

  It was almost eight in the morning, so Lexie figured it was late enough to try to contact Savannah. She pulled out the digital recorder she used to record telephone conversations. Lexie turned on the device and recorded her preamble, stating her undercover employee number instead of her real name. She added the date, time, and who she was calling. Lexie placed the call to Savannah, but she didn’t answer. Lexie left a short message.

  “Hey girl, it’s Lexie. Just saw some crazy shit on the news. Want to meet for coffee or lunch? I don’t feel like going to class today.”

  She hung up her phone and wondered what her next course of action should be. She decided to grab a body recorder, in case she ran into one of her targets, and go for a walk over on the Boardwalk.

  On her way to the Boardwalk, Kate called her.

  “Hey, Lexie, how are you doing with all of this?”

  “Still trying to wrap my brain around it.” Lexie chewed on her fingernail. “I’m confused because ALF actions are usually nonviolent. They claim to take all precautions not to harm any animals, human or otherwise. Why the sudden violence?”

  “I wish I knew,” Kate said. “It does seem to deviate from their MO.”

  “Do we have any more information about the fire?” Lexie asked.

  “Yeah, it looks likes a security camera picked up two vehicles involved in the action, an older model, dark-colored Toyota Camry and a gray panel van. We’re working with the UCLA police to enhance the surveillance video to try to get the license plates. The video is pretty grainy, but it looks like three people arrived in the Toyota and five people arrived in the van. The people in the van carried in crates, probably to rescue the lab animals before they destroyed all the lab equipment. We’re working with UCLA and LAPD to develop leads. I’ll keep you in the loop.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. Hey, Kate, do you really think my people are involved in this?”

  “I don’t know, Lexie, but if I had to guess, I would say yes.”

  “Adam blames me for the fire.”

  “What? Why do you say that?” Kate asked.

  “He told me this all happened on my watch.”

  “That’s ridiculous, Lexie. Adam is a jackass. The fire isn’t your fault, and he had no right to say that to you.”

  “It did happen on my watch,” Lexie said.

  “We aren’t even sure that the fire was set by our targets,” Kate said. “It might be a whole different terrorist cell. Keep your eyes and ears open. Let me know before you do any face-to-face meets with any of the targets.”

  “I will,” Lexie promised.

  “I’ll call you later today, or earlier, if I learn anything further.”

  Lexie wandered past Phillip and Jeannette’s house on her way to the Boardwalk. She noticed Nick’s car was parked in front of the house. It seemed odd his car would be there so early in the morning. She decided it warranted a call to Kate, who answered on the first ring.

  “Hey, Kate, I just walked past the activists’ house, and Nick Harris’s car is parked in front of the house. It seems a little weird that his car would be there this early in the morning.”

  “Hmm, that does seem strange. I’ll make a note of it. In fact, I’m not far away from the area, so I might swing by and take a quick photo and document it for the case file. You never know when something like that could be important. Good thinking to do the walk-by.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Savannah

  Savannah jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. She had fallen asleep with the phone in her hand. She almost answered it before noticing Lexie’s name on the screen. She badly wanted to talk to someone, anyone, but decided she had better not answer it until she spoke with Nick. She let the call go to voice mail. The phone chimed to indicate that she had a voice message. She listened to the message from Lexie. It was comforting to hear her friend’s voice. She desperately wanted to call her back, but she was scared she might say something she shouldn’t.

  Savannah decided she should act as normal as possible, so she showered and put on fresh clothes. She had a ten o’clock chemistry class she couldn’t afford to miss. Maybe chemistry class would help pass the time until she heard from either Nick or Haley. On the way to class, she texted Lexie. Heading to chemistry. Maybe we can meet for lunch. A few minutes later, her phone chimed. She read the text from Lexie. Cool. Text me after your class.

  Savannah sat in the last row with her phone on vibrate in her lap. She was prepared to grab it and run out the door as soon as it rang. She must have checked her watch a hundred times during the ninety-minute class. The class finally ended, and Savannah was the first one out the door. She couldn’t wait one more minute. She had to see a friendly face. She picked up her phone and texted Lexie. Lunch. Real Food Daily at one? A few moments later Lexie texted back, See you there.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Alexis

  Lexie arrived at Real Food Daily a few minutes before one o’clock and was seated at a corner table. The savory smells emanating from the kitchen made her mouth water. She ordered an acai berry tea and quickly went to the restroom, where she activated her body recorder. Lexie returned to the table and saw Savannah enter the front door. She jumped up and gave Savannah a big hug.

  “Hey, girl, how are you?” Lexie asked.

  “I’m fine. How are you?”

  Lexie smiled. “I’m good. I’m really glad you texted me. This is my favorite restaurant, and I’ve been dying for a wet burrito.”

  “Is that an acai berry iced tea?” Savannah asked in a reedy voice.

  “Yeah. I’m addicted to the tea here.”

  The waitress came over and took their order. Lexie initially kept the conversation casual, but after a few minutes, she lowered her voice and asked, “Have you seen the news?”

  The color in Savannah’s face drained, and her body became rigid. “I saw the fire on the news this morning before I left for class,” Savannah said. “Have they said who was killed in the fire?”

  “I don’t think the police have said.” Lexie had to remember she had inside information that had not been released. If she forgot and talked about what she knew, her cover would be blown.

  Savannah fiddled with the zipper on her hoodie.

  “Are you okay?” Lexie asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, why do you ask?”

  “You seem a little off-kilter.”

  “I’m fine. I just had a rough time in my chemistry class. I’m still trying to shake off a bad grade. Plus this
fire at the lab is terrible. I hope none of the animals were injured or killed. It upsets me to think of all those poor animals in the lab during the fire. They had to be terrified.”

  “I know. The news hasn’t mentioned the animals in the lab, and they probably won’t ever mention them. Any idea how the fire started?” Lexie asked.

  Savannah fidgeted in her chair. She tugged at the sleeves of her hoodie, hiking them up her forearms. “I haven’t heard anything,” she replied.

  Lexie noticed what looked like numbers written on Savannah’s forearm.

  “Did you get a tattoo?” Lexie asked.

  “What?”

  “Your arm.” Lexie pointed at the numbers.

  Savannah quickly pulled down her sleeves. “That’s nothing. It’s ah . . . It’s notes. I sort of cheated on a quiz.”

  “Are you sure you’re all right, Savannah?”

  “I’ll be okay. I’m not feeling well today. I think I might need to go lie down. I’m sorry to ruin our lunch date, but I think I need to cut lunch short and go back to the dorm and rest.”

  “Do you need me to drive you home?” Lexie asked.

  “No, I can drive myself home, but thanks for asking.”

  “I don’t mind,” Lexie added.

  “I know you don’t. And thank you, but I’ll be fine. I just need to get home and get a little rest.”

  Savannah asked for her food order to go. The waitress brought her order in a paper bag. Savannah was digging in her backpack for money when Lexie intervened.

  “I’ve got this one. Don’t worry about it; you go home and get some rest.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Savannah said. “My wallet is in here somewhere.”

  “No worries,” Lexie said. “It’s my treat.”