“The only headache I have is sitting on my couch. I was on flight 318 that touched down a little after six this morning. Then I had an hour drive. When was your friend killed?”
“Two days ago.” Megan shuddered at the thought of a ClickChip assassin targeting them. Drug lords can’t be much better.
“I’ve been out of the country for two weeks. The timing doesn’t fit. Hell, we don’t know for sure if ClickChip and CSV are the ones nosing around. It wouldn’t make sense to spend time doing surveillance, not if they’ve already killed to keep a lid on their plans. Our intruders could be dopewhore related.”
“What?”
“Drugs. I worked drug enforcement.”
“Could also be a pharmaceutical competitor.”
“All right. It’s time I call the gang in on this nightmare. I feel like my brain’s gonna explode out through my ears.” Shaking his head, Lucas snagged his cell and dialed. “By the time they get here, they’ll probably know more than we do, considering Lexi’s penchant for snooping.”
Chapter Eight
Getting his game face on wasn’t easy with Megan’s distracting curves and soft scent mere feet away. Despite his hostility, he couldn’t avoid noticing the thick waves of mahogany locks caressing her breasts or the soft chocolate of her eyes that darkened with her ire. Incensed was a good look on her, but with a smile, she was more than stunning.
He’d never known a woman to have so many fascinating sides. One minute, she shoots him with a dart gun. The next, she’s offering comfort with a hug.
Captivated by the raw strength of her conviction, he’d baited her just to ruffle her feathers. Fortunately, she delivered in equal measure, usually preceded by a mischievous glint and a slight twitch at the corners of her mouth.
Matt was first to arrive, leading Damien to sniff a greeting with Leyna. Billy, Ethan, Lexi, Caden, and Kaylee, stepped up behind him, waiting for introductions.
“You all coming in or gonna talk from the front stoop?” Lucas urged them inside before shutting the door. Each of them cast a wary glance his way.
“Depends on whether or not you’re going to belch fire.” Billy, next to oldest of the brothers, cast an admiring glance at Megan. “You must be nonflammable.”
“Before we start, are any of you suffering a bad sinus headache or have you missed a chunk of time in the last couple weeks?” Megan scrutinized each arrival.
“Hi, I’m Lexi. And I can guarantee there are no chips implanted in my body. Nor in Ethan’s.” Smothering a smile with lips tucked between her teeth, she added, “I can’t vouch for the rest of them. Billy is kinda mentally absent a lot…that’s why he overcompensates and wears a suit.”
“Give ’em a break,” Lucas quipped. “They all know by now you’re a doctor. You want to provide free examinations? None have black eyes, nor are they staggering.”
“I’ll bet you volunteered to strip right away, Luc…did you remember to turn your head before coughing? Don’t want to infect the good doctor.” With a wink and wide grin, his younger brother held his hand out in greeting. “Hi, I’m Billy, the intelligent one. I see you’re taking good care of the baby.”
“No, you’re the book fiend and trivia master. And hell, I don’t know what she did after she shot me.”
All turned serious gazes on Megan.
“With a dart gun…All right, all right. I shined a flashlight up his nose.”
“And you didn’t get suspicious when light bounced around an empty skull? What kind of doctor are you?” Caden thumped Lucas on the back. As usual, he wore blue jeans and a flannel shirt, his arm circled around Kaylee’s waist.
“I’m the kind without the proper tools to do the job. But I didn’t see where anyone had mucked around in his nasal cavity.”
“Damn. I’m glad you’re not a proctologist,” Matt murmured. “You’re one determined lady.”
“He was acting irrationally, smashed the door’s glass and threatened me. Then he tried to bust down the office door, which I’d barricaded.” Megan pointed to the back door where a piece of cardboard covered the missing window pane.
“Not cool, little brother. Not cool at all,” Matt admonished. “You’ve been raised better than that.”
“She’s trespassing.” Luc’s defense amounted to a snowball in hell, judging by the disparaging looks.
“No, I rented this house and have the receipts to prove it.”
Lucas held up his hands in defeat. “This is getting us nowhere and not the time for that particular discussion. Back on track. Does anyone have medical issues or recent blackouts?”
Various denials of aches or missing time erupted among frowns and quizzical looks.
“Now that we’ve established that we’re all in our right minds and in control of our thoughts and actions, let’s get started.” Lucas gestured them to enter.
“Doesn’t sound to me like you’re in control of either, bro.” Matt slapped Luc on the back in passing.
“Got any food, Luc? I’m hungry.” Caden ambled into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Hell, no goodies. Kaylee, you up for making something? You’re the best cook.”
Kaylee peeked in the fridge. “I can’t do much without supplies, but I’ll do the best I—ooh, I love these.” Kaylee pulled out a bag of trail mix then smiled at Megan. “Looks like you’re gonna be a good influence on Luc. Remember, keep him confused and frustrated.”
“Kaylee, what did we say about matchmaking.” Caden wrapped his scarred hand around her shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss.
“But he’s hopeless, Caden, and needs all the help he can get. You know that.” Kaylee’s pixie haircut and boundless energy combined to make her adorable, until she set her sights on a goal.
“And he is standing right here, Kaylee.” Luc turned to Megan. “Ignore my family. They’re Olympic-status meddlers.” Luc surveyed the fridge then apologized to the room at large. “I haven’t had time to shop yet, so it’s little better than sandwiches or rabbit food for now.” Luc sat on the sofa and sighed.
When all had greeted his guest, Luc realized they were missing one. “Where’s Abby?” She was usually the first to arrive.
“Taking the folks on an impromptu cruise. We figured we’d need her uninvolved until you got yourself in deeper trouble and in need of legal help.” Ethan grunted with Lexi’s elbow to the ribs.
“How’d that work out? They don’t like surprises.” Lucas looked to Matt, then Lexi.
“I told them Lucas had a wonderful surprise waiting for them when they returned.” Lexi smiled, the mischievous glint replicating in each of his brothers.
“Aw, shit. They’ll spend their time planning my wedding to Miss Godzilla.” Shoulders slumping in defeat, Lucas turned to Megan. “Sorry, but you brought this all down on our heads. Only fair you accept some of the flack for it.”
“Seriously?” Megan asked.
“Hey, I’ve been told I’m the catch of the century.”
“Because everyone aspires to catch a lionfish—or a great white shark.” Caden shook his head.
“Ah, no. He’s more like a puffer fish.” Ethan jostled his closest brother as they both guffawed. “Easy to look at, and gentle.”
“Puffer fish are one of the deadliest creatures in the world. One fish contains enough poison to kill thirty people, or five elephants. I haven’t decided which classification fits your brother.” Megan smirked at Lucas before smiling at Billy.
“Damn, this is a first. Little brother has finally met his match.” Matt rubbed Damien behind the ears as the dog groaned his pleasure. “This is gonna be damned entertaining.”
“Megan, I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you.” Billy smiled before scanning the kitchen, his gaze resting on the dart gun on the table. “Nice to see a woman who’s prepared for anything.”
“You’re all cops, as well as brothers?” Megan shook her head.
“What gave them away…the badges or the guns?” Luc’s quip earned a muttered complaint.<
br />
“Obvious genetics prove you’re related—but as far as behavior, none of them resemble grizzlies.”
“Don’t go there. You’re a guest in my house.” An argument now would accomplish nothing, but another distraction would facilitate evaluation of her body language. Lucas wasn’t sure if she was withholding information.
“Which, to my knowledge, I’ve legally rented.”
“Luc. Can the animosity. We need to get down to business. We won’t get to the bottom of this if you’re at her throat.” Matt slapped Lucas on the back before sitting.
“It’s not her throat he wants.” Lexi smirked, then turned to Kaylee for a high-five.
“How would you all like chips shoved up your nostrils, ones that will turn you into raving lunatics?” Luc brought the topic back to task with one sobering statement.
“Ah, yes. Okay. Megan, you mentioned instruments. What do you need? I can get hold of pretty much anything.” Caden retrieved his phone and took notes as Megan made a short list of necessities.
“How is it you can obtain medical equipment?” Megan frowned, her attention drawn to Kaylee rummaging through the kitchen.
“He’s a private investigator,” Kaylee murmured as she pulled lunchmeats out of the fridge. “Looks like we’re gonna eat you out of house and home with one meal. Caden and I can shop for you this afternoon. Give me a hand, Caden.”
“I appreciate the help, guys. Let’s get food on the table before we start.” Luc sighed. Accepting his family’s assistance meant a lot of peripheral if unrequested benefits.
Megan seemed to gravitate toward Matt, whether because of his dog Damien or because of Matt’s natural air of authority, remained to be seen. Their brief conversation of Damien’s health led to details of the dog’s training.
From her satchel, Lexi removed a laptop while Ethan made a pot of coffee. Billy pulled out a jar of peanut butter and scooped a large spoonful for a snack.
Ceramic mugs clanked together as Ethan set them on the counter, then retrieved milk and sugar.
“You all couldn’t eat before you came over?” Luc griped.
“Someone has to play referee and I don’t work well on an empty stomach.” Billy tossed the mustard to Matt, who’d sat at the kitchen table. “Next time, let’s do better than sandwiches.”
“Okay, folks. I found the tie between ClickChip and CSV Pharmaceuticals. CSV took them over but kept it all pretty quiet using a dummy company.” Dysrhythmic keyboard tapping ended with Lexi’s, “Oh, shit,” and open mouth.
“We knew they were connected. My friend, Jackie, was contacted by a Dr. Sorenson at CSV wanting to expose their research.” Megan retrieved her sheath of papers and sat beside Lexi. “Did you find anything on a scientist, Dr. Kalinar? He was also killed—in an accident at CSV Pharmaceuticals.”
“Not yet, but I did search out the CEO of the tech company, ClickChip. His name’s Bernard Reinhardt, a young, ambitious bugger with no criminal record.” Lexi took a bite of the sandwich Ethan placed before her. “His personal bank account has received three very large influxes of cash from a numbered offshore account in the past six months.”
“Hacking bank accounts?” Megan squinted over her coffee to view the screen. “That’s …”
“Naw, hon.” Caden cajoled, “Lexi wouldn’t do that. She’s on a new online game there.”
“Yeah, catch the evil genius before he destroys the world.” Ethan spoke around a mouthful of food.
Matt’s snort along with various chuckles brought Megan’s attention to each face, disbelief coloring her expression.
“Thanks for saving us the time, Lexi.” Caden sat across the table, pulling Kaylee onto his lap.
“But, don’t you need a court order or something? That’s illegal.” Megan looked from one brother to the next.
“Hmm, ’bout as much as squatting in someone else’s home.” Luc arched a brow before dropping his gaze to the plate Ethan dropped in front of him.
“Keep it up, Luc, and I bet your next coffee’s gonna have a double dose of laxative.” Smiling sympathetically at Megan, Ethan added, “Lexi is a consultant for the police department. From time to time, she saves us some steps.”
“Why the hell are they implanting chips in people?” Matt asked.
“They’ve developed the ultimate spy, with a new polymer technology. It’s a chip they can dissolve to leave no trace. Combined with bioengineered nanos, they can target certain organs, make them malfunction in specific ways.” Megan’s explanation sobered all their expressions.
“To make murder look like natural causes?” Matt passed the napkins down the table.
Megan picked up the thread of conversation. “That’s not all. If what I’ve been reading is correct, they’re planning on setting up receivers, strategically placed around the city. After implanting key personnel with specific chips, they’ll be able to monitor what the victim is actually seeing.”
“Fuck if that’s going to happen. They must have an end game in mind,” Matt suggested. “Sounds like they’re using Portland for a test run.”
Megan passed a personnel file to Matt. “This is Dr. Schmidt’s jacket. Jackie’s note said Kalinar studied theta waves and Schmidt worked on a nanoparticle-based, targeted drug delivery. They were in Dover. Or at least they were a few weeks ago.”
“I can find out if they’ve moved to Portland.” Lexi began another flurry of keyboard activity. “Unless these bastards are monumentally stupid, and I don’t think they are, we’ve got to get inside ClickChip. They’ll be using a standalone to hold the meat of their research.”
“Sorenson is dead. I saw it on the news along with Jackie’s death.” Megan blinked several times in quick succession before rubbing her eyes.
“I found the autopsy report on your friend, Megan. It stated there were no unusual findings and that her passing was consistent with natural causes.” Lexi’s gaze took in the view from the kitchen window, stone-gray clouds smothering the earth to prevent all but the slimmest rays of sunshine from poking through.
Luc frowned as he took in the serious expressions around the table, Megan’s felt like a punch to the gut. Like himself, she’d lost someone close, yet remained determined to find justice. “I could apply for a maintenance job. It would give me access to whatever I need.” Though he didn’t know much about computers, he did know one end of a wrench from the other.
“Because you wouldn’t stand out in the least? All of our faces are too well known.” Matt snorted then squinted in Megan’s direction. “However…”
“Maybe I could get in on a cleaning crew. Working at night, I would get access to everything without so many people looking over my shoulder.” Megan shrugged a shoulder when Luc sang a familiar jingle for toilet cleaners.
“I could give you the digital background you need. If you wore an earwig, I could set up outside and we could maintain communication that would let me hack their system.” Lexi concentrated on her keyboard.
“You guys really think Megan could pass for a cleaning lady?” Lucas scoffed at the thought of Megan wearing a bandana to contain the mass of wavy hair. “Do you even know how to clean a toilet?” As anticipated, fire leaped into her gaze. Almond-brown eyes darkened to warm chocolate with her demeanor turning from melancholy to anger. He couldn’t stand the sadness in her gaze.
“Unlike those who hibernate for seven months of the year, some of us normal folks lead regular lives, go to work, even school.” An arched brow and shoulder shrug complimented Megan’s attitude. “That’s where I learned to take care of injured animals.” Her gesture toward Leyna’s handiwork, Luc’s hand and thigh, preceded questioning glances from around the table. “You can thank me later for seeing the bite didn’t get infected.”
“Considering it was your dog that bit me, well gee, thanks. And it doesn’t need any more dressings, doctor.”
“I can give her a convincing makeover. I’ve got a good eye for detail,” Kaylee offered, her obvious intent to break the tension, eff
ective.
“Security is gonna be too tight. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” As much as he liked pushing her buttons, Lucas didn’t want to see Megan the victim of a mugging gone wrong. “Look what happened to the scientist from Delaware. And are you forgetting about the uninvited visitors in the woods?”
“What uninvited visitors? And why didn’t I hear about them first?” Matt frowned at Lucas, releasing a long-suffering sigh.
Lucas detailed their early-morning discovery.
“If they were from either company, they would’ve already made a move.” Billy finished the last of his sandwich. “Megan, you said someone had already opened the envelope sent by your friend from Dover. So if it was the pharmaceutical company, they wouldn’t be watching you. Either we have another player involved or some of Luc’s old adversaries are looking for trouble.”
“Whoever got the chip would’ve copied all the reports, too. When I first got and read them, the papers didn’t seem to be out of order, but that could mean they were methodical in their snooping.”
Ethan nodded to Lexi. “Hon, see if you can dig a little deeper. Maybe there’s a money connection between one of the companies and the government, perhaps a contract. We might have some badges sniffing around.”
“Well at least Megan won’t hesitate to shoot someone.” Lucas wondered if the entire world had gone crazy. Implanted microchips that self-disintegrate, hormone stimulating nanos designed to kill or spy, and gun-toting veterinarians. The complicated conspiracy cast his meager troubles in a new perspective. Sooner or later, the intruders would make a move.
Chapter Nine
“How soon until this test subject is conscious?” Reinhardt studied the black wolf on the gurney, its fur still damp from the morning’s near escape. Quiet panting and subtle eye movements under closed lids attested to the animal’s discomfort. Both signs he would monitor since pain would alter its normal pattern of behavior.
McAllister Justice Series Box Set Volume Two Page 7