Read The Venice Job for Free Online Page B

heart-specialist parents.
    â€˜Apart from the weeping women gathered around my door, it’s all under control.’
    â€˜And your parents?’
    â€˜It’s been arranged that Toby is on a school trip in the Swiss Alps,’ Steinberger explained.
    Behind them a gnarled and strangled scream echoed throughout the VART. Max spun round and assumed her superspy action stance: arms up in self-defence, hands clenched, legs apart, ready to pounce.
    But she didn’t need any of it.
    â€˜Sleek?’
    The extreme agent was dangling from the blade of an Aqua Chopper, his legs swinging two metres from the ground.
    Steinberger noticed the reason for Sleek’s amazing leap.
    â€˜Delilah, you pesky little cat. She likes to welcome Sleek when he returns to the Force,’ he explained. ‘Trouble is, I think Sleek would rather she didn’t. Here, kitty kitty.’
    He bent down and held his hand out to the cat, but Delilah turned her tail towards him and hissed before slinking away.
    Sleek wasn’t only the chief engineer, he was also the extreme action member of the Force, and even though no mountain was too high for him, no high-speed chase too fast and no vat of worms too icky, cats were a different matter altogether.
    He dropped from the blades to the floor and slapped his hands together. ‘Looks like the blades are okay.’
    He then turned and walked away in a ‘trying to look calm’ kind of way that just made him look awkward.
    â€˜Right,’ Steinberger began. ‘I guess we’d better get started.’
    But before he could take a step, a message came through on his palm computer. He took the gadget out of his pocket and his face fell into a serious scowl.
    â€˜Anything wrong, Steinberger?’ Max felt his mood fall like a rockslide.
    â€˜It’s Irene.’ He tried to say it as calmly as possible. ‘There seems to be,’ he looked up, ‘an emergency in the canteen.’
    â€˜What kind of emergency?’ Toby asked.
    â€˜I’m not sure, but we’d better find out.’

Steinberger pushed through the swinging double doors of the canteen and found the room dark and silent.
    â€˜Stay close,’ he whispered, unable to keep the sound of dread out of his voice.
    â€˜What’s going on?’ Max asked.
    Steinberger said nothing.
    â€˜What did Irene say? Is she okay?’ Linden had a special fondness for Irene, and after she’d almost been killed by a potentially fatal sleeping sickness 7 his fondness for her had only increased.
    Steinberger took out a small red gadget. ‘This is an enemy detector.’ He whispered again. ‘If there is someone here who has managed to evade Spyforce security, this will track them down.’
    Steinberger activated the device and a small, melodic sound hummed out.
    â€˜Oh.’ He sounded even more worried.
    â€˜What is it?’ Max was getting spooked.
    â€˜It’s …’ Steinberger began but was interrupted by a blinding flash and frenzied cry.
    â€˜Surprise!’
    Max stared at the streamer-strung, balloon-filled canteen. A giant banner that said ‘Welcomeback Max!’ was strung across the back wall. A mirror ball descended out of the roof sending out sparkles of coloured light, and a three-piece band started up in the corner.
    â€˜Sorry, Max,’ Steinberger apologised, as secret agents wearing black suits and silly hats sprang from behind chairs and blew squeaky party horns. ‘I did tell them low-key, but I guess …’
    He was interrupted by another call on his palm computer. ‘I need to take that.’ He looked relieved to have an excuse to move away from Max’s accusing scowl.
    Secret agents moved towards her and muttered what Max guessed was ‘welcome back’ before moving quickly away.
    Irene lunged forward and enveloped Max in the floury floral swirls and baking smells of her apron. ‘You’re back! Oh, I can’t