Code Red Lipstick (21 page)

“Why are you telling me all this? Why now?”

“You said you didn't want any more secrets; that we all needed to be more honest with each other. I don't want to keep things from you any more. I also wanted you to know all the facts before you make a decision.”

“About joining Westwood? Are you serious?”

“Mrs T extended the invitation on the phone just now. She was very impressed with the way you handled yourself in Paris. So was I.”

Jessica was too shocked to think straight. Her brain was still digesting everything. “Should I do it? What do you think?”

“I think that spying's a risky business, but you know that already. Like Mattie, I want to protect you. But I also know that I can't stand in the way of who you are. What you have the potential to become.”

“I don't know what to say.”

There was a knock at the door.

Her dad smiled. “You don't have to say anything yet. Think it over.”

Margaret peeped around the door. “There you both are. It's time for the dreaded speeches.” She winked at Jessica. “I'll try not to embarrass you both too much.”

She vanished again, whistling softly.

“Let's talk it over some more later,” her dad said quietly. “In the meantime, don't discuss it with your friends. It has to be kept confidential, for obvious reasons.”

“OK.”

She felt slightly dazed as she followed him into the living room. She immediately spotted Mattie, locked in conversation with Sara and Camille, her Paris chaperone, in the corner. Now she knew for sure that Sara was a spy, but was Camille one too? They could both be members of Westwood. Were they exchanging spy stories with Mattie? She could never think of Mattie in the same way again. She looked about. The models were MI6 agents, and the young men in the corner who claimed they worked in IT at the Foreign Office were spooks too. Was anyone in the room who they seemed?

Margaret picked up a champagne flute and tapped it with a knife.

“Can I have everyone's attention for a minute, please?”

The hum of voices quietened.

A hand touched her back. She shivered slightly. It was Jamie.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

“I am now,” she said, smiling.

Jamie was one of the few people in the room who didn't have a double identity, apart from classmate/gorgeous god of love, of course. That was Becky's nickname for him, anyway. He'd die if he knew.

“I wanted to thank everyone for coming here today to welcome Jack home from hospital,” Margaret said. “No doubt some of you know Jack and I have had a chequered past. We haven't always seen eye to eye, but that's behind us now. I speak for everyone from the Foreign Office here today when I say we're incredibly grateful for the work he's done. I can reveal that thanks to him, a terrorist attack has been successfully averted.”

Her dad grinned as the guests toasted him with champagne. Someone called out: “Well done, Jack.”

“Of course, I also have to mention his daughter, Jessica, at this point,” she said. “Please refill your glasses and toast Jessica, for her bravery and loyalty, not only to her family but also to her country.”

A lump came to Jessica's throat as the guests lifted their glasses.

“Cheers!”

“Speech, speech,” voices chimed.

Jessica shook her head, blushing furiously.

“No, honestly, I couldn't,” she said.

“Oh yes you could!” Jamie laughed and pushed her forward.

“Go, girl!” Becky shouted. She wolf-whistled loudly.

“We won't take no for an answer,” Mattie insisted.

“Come on, Jessica!” Sara shouted. “Don't be shy.”

“No, really.”

“You're too modest,” her dad said, smiling.

“Like mother, like daughter,” Margaret said. She raised her glass of champagne.

Jessica froze. It felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach.

“Are you all right, Jess?” Jamie asked.

She looked around the room. All eyes were fixed on her. Mattie, Becky and her dad looked puzzled while Margaret gave a hard, unflinching stare. Jessica felt the blood rush to her ears, making a buzzing sound.

“I'll be back in a minute,” she said.

She dived out of the room, Allegra's voice ringing in her head.

Like mother, like daughter.

They're both better off dead.

Those were Starfish's exact words.

She didn't believe in coincidences. She suddenly remembered what Margaret had said at the top the Eiffel Tower that day.

She's still got the canister of Teenosity. She's going to release it.

Nobody had told Margaret about the canister. The only way she could have known was if she'd been expecting Allegra to deliver it to her. Allegra was running late and hadn't made it to the rendezvous point with Starfish. She'd gone straight to the Eiffel Tower in time for the launch of Teenosity instead, but Margaret didn't know that.

She gripped the table as another wave of nausea hit her.

Margaret was Starfish, not Nathan.

Margaret had set up Dad and attacked Jessica with chloroform when she disturbed her uploading the file on to his computer. She'd contacted Allegra using a voice disguiser, which made her sound male. She'd cleverly planted the seed of doubt in her head at dinner that night in Paris, that Nathan was working against her dad and that he had something to hide. Margaret had framed him and Jessica had believed every word she'd said. In the meantime, she'd tried to kill Jessica: instructing Allegra and Lyndon to poison the dress, cut the wire on the modelling shoot and finally to test the aerosolized Teenosity on her and Dad.

Unfortunately, Nathan had been right about
her
too. She was headstrong and she'd jumped to conclusions too quickly. She replayed Nathan's telephone conversation in The Ritz in her head again.

So Lily and Jack were expendable and now Jessica is? Right?

If only she'd paid closer attention. It was a question, not a statement. He was challenging Mrs T about sending her into AKSC. He'd pushed her out of the way of the debris, rather than into its path, because he was her godfather. He was trying to protect her. It's what he'd been doing all along when he tried to stop her from going to Paris and getting inside AKSC.

Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod. What had she done?

She'd made it so easy for Margaret. She'd helped her get away with it. Now she had no proof. It was the word of a respected MI6 agent against hers. By now, Margaret would have destroyed any evidence that could possibly lead back to her and planted it all on Nathan. She'd already made sure the ghost bank account was traced to his computer. Then she'd given her witness statement, saying he'd tried to kill her outside the AKSC building. No one knew if Nathan would come out of his coma. It was possible he'd never get the chance to clear his name, thanks to her.

She jumped as someone touched her arm.

“Whoa, steady on. Is everything all right? You looked like you'd seen a ghost back there.” Her dad wheeled in front of her.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“What is it?”

She raised her chin. “I want you to accept Mrs T's offer. I want to join Westwood.”

“You're sure that's what you really want?”

“I've never been more certain of anything in my life. I have to do this. For me. For Mum.”

Margaret had better watch out. She was coming for her and Allegra. This time she'd have MI6's resources behind her.

“I can ring Mrs T now if you want,” her dad said.

“First I need to go back in there and propose a toast.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? What to?”

“To unfinished business,” Jessica said, reaching for his hand.

 

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First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2014

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Text copyright © Sarah Sky, 2014

 

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eISBN 978 1407 14424 5

 

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