Mystique Rogue Read Free Page B

told me to tell you she’s very sorry for what happened and when you get a chance, take a vacation.”
    They nodded and smiled.
    “Good luck, team.”  Carmen clicked the remote and the screen went blank. 
    It would take a few days, she knew, but her team would be extremely thorough in their info gathering. After a few moments, she stood and took the file to her desk and locked it in the file drawer, activating the screamer alarm as she did so. What? Me? Paranoid? Nah. Taking the bottle into the kitchen, she put it on the top shelf in her pantry before finishing up her meal.    
    After the dishes went into the dishwasher, Carmen took one last look around the house before slipping out the back door. Donning lightweight snow gear, she grabbed her snowboard and started walking up the hill behind the house. “ The only damned thing snow is ever good for is boarding on it. If it didn’t have fresh powder I’d go find somewhere warm and sell this place.” The thought went through her head as she reached the top of the hill.
    Locking her boots into the straps on her board, she pushed off, letting the of gliding down the hill on fresh powdered snow wash away her anger. The freedom of loosing herself in the moment was the most precious thing in the world to her. Lost in the thrill of boarding down the virgin slope, Carmen’s spirit soared in the moment of freedom. 
                   

 
    Chapter Two
    Carmen stared out at the barren white landscape.  The scenery blurred past the dining car window as the northbound train went deeper into Scotland. The remains of her dinner and a glass of wine sat on the table.  The results of Logan’s fact finding mission, a thick batch of printouts, sat next to the plate.  There wasn’t much to the report, just photos of the property she was going to be visiting, and some performance shots of The Rogue on stage. The remainder of the file was a compilation of the test of the team’s efforts to pick up info from contacts and other resources.  Logan admitted with some embarrassment, he couldn’t get into most of the places he needed to without tripping several red flags. When a master hacker has to admit to defeat, whoever is running the electronics show has got to be good.
    Carmen glanced out the window once more and sighed. Earlier, the snow had come down slowly, making the flakes sparkle in the evening light.  Now, it had changed into a full snowstorm, with the visibility slowly fading as true night descended. In the light from her window, the snow looked like white lace against the blackness beyond, making Carmen shiver and reach for her wine. Whoever came up with the term ‘It was a dark and stormy night’ should be taken out and shot. She thought while finishing the wine. Moments later, Carmen slowly worked her way back to the sleeping compartment with the printouts tucked under one arm. Mentally she thanked her crew for giving her the layout of England’s trains.  Otherwise, she'd be looking for her room, like a mindless tourist.
    Four days ago, Carmen had stepped off the plane at a London’s airport.  In typical English fashion, the weather had been cold, rainy and nasty. Fortunately, she’d packed every warm piece of clothing she had, and managed by some miracle, to find a cabbie who appreciated a hefty tip added to his fare if she could get her to the station for the last train to Glasgow on time. 
    Luck was on her side because the train was delayed for fifteen minutes, giving her time to find her compartment and settle in.  One of the attendants had told her the delay was caused by the late arrival of someone important.  While it created bouts if irritation amongst the impatient passengers, it also sent rumors flying throughout the train as people tried to guess who the VIP could be.  Some suspected it was a famous movie star on vacation away from the bright lights. Others whispered it was the Prince of Wales on-board or a wealthy recluse with his