The dog was quiet now but still alert underneath her. It seemed unsure of the situation, with its master talking so calmly to its target.
“Hey, I know who you are,” Kevin said suddenly. “Yeah, the girl. I heard rumors about you. Exaggerations. They said you’d never had a miss. You were batting a thousand.”
“Not an exaggeration.”
His expression was skeptical. “You worked with the old guy, the Mad Scientist, they called him. The Agency called you the Oleander. Honestly, I didn’t put it together at first because I heard you both died in some lab accident. And also, I always imagined the Oleander was pretty.”
Daniel started to say something, but she interrupted.
“Oleander? That’s just awful.”
“Huh?”
“A flower?” she growled to herself. “That’s so passive. A poison doesn’t do the poisoning, it’s just an inert agent.”
“What did your unit call you?”
“The Chemist. And Dr. Barnaby was not a mad scientist. He was a genius.”
“Tomato, tomahto,” Kevin said.
“Back to the truce I was speaking of,” Daniel interjected. The way he looked at her hands and arms, she thought he might have guessed how much they were hurting her. “Alex will give me the keys, and Kevin, you will call off Einstein. When I think everything is under control, I’ll let you out. Alex, do you trust me?”
He looked up at her with his wide, clear hazel eyes while Kevin spluttered in inarticulate fury.
“The keys are in the left front pocket of my jeans. I’d hand them to you, but if I loosen my hands, I’ll fall.”
“Be careful, she’ll stab you!”
Daniel didn’t even seem to have heard his brother’s warning. When he climbed onto the chair, his head was actually higher up than hers. He had to stoop, his head pressed against the foam roof. He put one hand under her back, supporting some of her weight, while he fished gently in her pocket for the key.
“I’m sorry my brother is so socially inept,” he whispered. “He’s always been that way.”
“Don’t you apologize for me, you moron!” Kevin yelled.
Daniel smiled at her, then took the key and stepped down. She was actually in agreement with Kevin. How could Daniel be like this with her? Where was the totally natural resentment? Where was the human desire for retribution?
“I’ve got the keys, Kev. Do you have a lead for the dog?”
“A lead? Einstein doesn’t need a leash!”
“What’s your suggestion, then?”
Kevin glared at him balefully. “Fine. I’d rather kill her myself anyway.” He whistled at the dog. “At ease, Einstein.”
The dog, who had followed Daniel anxiously as he approached Alex, now went calmly to its master’s head and sat down, his tongue lolling out in what appeared to be a smile. A very toothy smile.
“Let me out.”
“Ladies first.” Daniel climbed up on the chair again and offered her his hand. “Need some help?”
“Er, I think I’ve got it.” She dropped her legs toward the desk, her arms extending as she tried to touch down with her toes. How had she gotten up here? Her tired hands started to slip.
“Here you go.” Daniel caught her by the waist as she fell and set her carefully on her feet, one on the desk, the other with a clang in the middle of the prop tray. His blanket skirt loosened; he quickly grabbed the fabric and tightened it.
“I can’t believe this,” Kevin muttered.
Alex stood cautiously, watching the dog.
“If he tries anything,” Daniel murmured to her, “I’ll distract him. Dogs love me.”
“Einstein isn’t stupid,” Kevin growled.
“Let’s not find out. Now your turn.” He climbed down from the chair and crouched beside Kevin.
Alex slithered off the desk as quietly as she could, one hand reaching out for the keyboard. The dog didn’t respond; it was watching Daniel release its master. She opened the system preferences. Screen saver wasn’t the only way to release the sleeping gas, and she still had both masks.
But she knew that would just make things difficult. She would have to trust that Daniel could handle Kevin for now. She eased herself into the chair.
Daniel had started with the ankle and it was going slowly—he was keeping one hand on his blanket.
“Just give it to me, I’ll do it,” Kevin said.
“Be patient.”
Kevin huffed loudly.
The key turned and Kevin was immediately on his feet, crouching beside his tethered arm. He snatched the key from Daniel’s hand and had his wrist free in less than a second. He stood tall, stretching his neck and rolling his back muscles. The torso pieces of his Batsuit hung down like an avant-garde skirt. The dog kept still at his feet. Kevin turned to Alex.
“Where are my guns?”
“Backseat of the car.”
Kevin stalked out of the tent without another word, the dog at his heels.
“Don’t open any doors or windows!” she called after him. “Everything’s armed again.”
“Is the car booby-trapped?” he called back.
“No.”
A second later. “Where are the magazines? Hey, where are the firing pins?!”
“Pins in the fridge, bullets in the toilet.”
“Oh, come on!”