Max looked at her and she shivered. Dammit, she tried not to, but she just couldn’t help it. His hair was tousled from sleep and his jaw still glittered with golden stubble. She wanted to touch him almost more than she wanted to take her next breath.
“I’ve decided to confront Alexon,” he stated.
Her eyes rounded with disbelief. “But what if—”
“No ifs. When I confront them face-to-face, I’ll get a reaction. I need to analyze that reaction. Then I’ll know.”
She knew what he meant.
Then he would know if Alexon officials were lying … or if she was.
Chapter Eleven
Max watched Scout roam the great room like a caged tiger the next morning. Though impatient and furious, her movements were every bit as fluid and exotic. She didn’t like his plan and was making no bones about it.
“What do you expect them to tell you?” she argued. “They’ll only use the opportunity to have their people follow you right back to me.” She shoved a handful of hair behind one ear and crossed her arms over her chest. “I think you should rethink your strategy.”
Despite her blatant rebuke and lack of faith, he had to smile. There was something about the way she tilted her head when she was angry that got to him. Something about the determined set of her shoulders, the way she pushed her hair aside or shot daggers at him with those smoky-gray eyes.
“There’s nothing amusing about this,” she snapped, apparently noting his unintended smile. She looked to Cooper then. “What do you think?”
Max stood braced in the open doorway, too edgy to sit. In contrast, Cooper lounged on the sofa, looking completely relaxed and at the same time fully prepared. Truth was, Max needed the distance. When Scout had visited him in his room last night, it had been all he could do not to touch her, take her into his arms and hold her the way he longed to.
He’d sworn this morning that he would do a better job of hanging on to his perspective. She didn’t make it easy, but he would do his damnedest.
“I think it’s the only choice we have,” Cooper finally said, agreeing with Max’s strategy. He stopped Scout’s argument with an uplifted hand. “Hear me out.” She huffed in frustration, but listened. “We’re at an impasse here. We need a reaction.”
She stared at the floor for a long moment, anxiety making her posture rigid.
“I will not lead them back here,” Max vowed. “That I can promise you.”
She started to pace again, the fingers of her right hand going immediately to the locket she always wore. He’d wondered about that. Even when they’d gone into isolation she’d reach for it, but the necklace had soon been confiscated along with the rest of their personal belongings. She’d gotten it back in the end and had seemed happier about that than about being released.
She stopped abruptly and looked at him across the expanse of the room. Those gray eyes had darkened to the color of cold, hard steel. “All right. I want this over with.”
She walked out of the room, not even sparing him another glance.
Max closed his eyes and shook his head. What did he have to do to prove his loyalty to the woman?
Yes, Alexon had hired the Colby Agency, but Max’s first loyalty was to the truth and the integrity of the agency. If Alexon was up to no good, they would not get away with using the Colby group.
“Do what you have to.” Cooper stood and moved toward the door, his expression far too knowing. “I’ll talk to her. Don’t worry, she’ll be okay.”
Max tensed. His own conviction that this was far too personal was one thing; having one of his coworkers recognize that fact was another thing entirely. “I know she’ll be fine. Is there something else you wanted to imply?”
Cooper smiled. “I’m not implying anything.” He started to walk out of the room again, then hesitated. “Actions speak louder than words, my friend.”
Max blew out a disgusted breath as Cooper strolled away, heading toward the kitchen for more coffee, most likely. Max had foregone breakfast—even his usual coffee—this morning. He’d felt ill the moment he awoke. The idea of drinking or eating anything had made his stomach churn violently. He’d been lucky in the past, had never once gotten sick on the job. This latest caper appeared to have jinxed him, marking a definite end to his lucky streak.
He glanced at his watch and then took the stairs at a run. An impromptu visit to Alexon was the first thing on his agenda; no point in wasting any more time. Still, he couldn’t leave without assuring Scout once more that he would keep her covered.
The door to the master suite was closed. Max rapped lightly on it. “Scout, I need to talk to you before I go.”
To his surprise the door opened immediately, as if she’d been waiting for him. “What?” She leaned against the doorjamb, annoyance still clear in her expression. “You’ve made up your mind. What else is there to say?”
He watched her lips move as she spoke, and he had the sudden, unbidden, almost overpowering urge to kiss her. The fact that she was carrying another man’s child didn’t seem to matter. He only wanted to take that sweet face into both hands and kiss her until she kissed him back. Apparently, he wasn’t sick enough for his libido to slow down where she was concerned.
Time out, he ordered his wayward thoughts.
He had to at least attempt to keep this impersonal.
“They won’t know where you are until I’m convinced it’s safe.” That smoky gaze collided with his and he added, “You have my word.” For one long moment they gazed at each other, didn’t even breathe … just looked. Finally, when he could bear the tension no longer, he managed to say, “I’ll be back soon.”
He left her without a backward glance. If he had he was certain he would have rushed back to her and kissed her in spite of logic and reasoning. The need had been so strong, the desire so clear, not only in him, but in her, as well. But he couldn’t cross that line.
This was a case. This was business … .
And the last thing he wanted was to get involved with Scout again when she was on the rebound. They’d been down that road before. She’d been engaged to Kimble, was now carrying his child. Max would be crazy to pretend she couldn’t possibly feel anything for her old lover.
Would things have been different if she’d gotten his messages? Would that be his child she carried? Was she really certain it wasn’t? Was he? He released a weary breath. Wishful thinking… .
Max forced the troubling thoughts away. The past was a done deal. The sooner he got to the bottom of the Alexon situation, the sooner he and Scout could settle this thing between them once and for all.
REGIS BRANDON WAS NOT happy with Max’s announcement that he would not reveal Scout’s location until he was certain it was safe to do so.
“My company hired your agency to do a job,” Brandon said hotly, failing miserably in his efforts to keep his voice low so that other diners wouldn’t note the tension at their table. He’d insisted that Max have lunch with him away from the Alexon facility.
Max had his own ideas about why the meeting had been moved off-site. Brandon wanted to create an atmosphere of congeniality and intimacy, as if he and Max were longtime friends. Too bad his plan had the opposite effect.
“You’re absolutely correct,” Max allowed. “And we will gladly perform that service as long as it does not infringe on another human being’s rights. I need to feel confident that Miss Jackson’s accusations are unfounded. Can you give me that assurance?”
The executive had been weaving around the subject for the last hour. Max had an uneasy feeling that he was not only avoiding the issue, but was hiding something pertinent to the matter, as well.
Brandon sighed deeply, but somehow managed to retain his composure. Max could see that he was madder than hell, but determined to keep up a facade of casualness. The CEO of a major research facility apparently didn’t want to cause a scene in his favorite ritzy restaurant. Max had no sympathy for him whatsoever; after all, he had chosen the meeting place.
“All right,” Brandon said at last. “The trouble Miss Jackson has is not with us. Our only concern is her safety.” He glanced covertly from right to left, then leveled his gaze on Max. “If Biogenisis gets their hands on her first, there’s no telling what they will do. You don’t know what those fiends are capable of. She, as well as the child, would be in grave danger. The folks at Biogenisis have no scruples. They want the antidote at any cost.” He leaned slightly forward. “Do you understand what I’m saying here, Maxwell? They would do anything to have it. Anything.”
Max narrowed his eyes, studying the man carefully. “Who is behind Biogenisis?” He’d never heard of them, but that didn’t mean anything. His only knowledge of the medical research industry involved corporations who were clients of the Colby Agency.
“The CEO, Winston Ames, once oversaw Alexon. Ames was tossed out on his ear when the government discovered he had created K-141.”
Now things were getting interesting. “What do you mean? I thought K-141 was commissioned by the Defense Department.”
Brandon shook his head. “Ames did that on his own. It’s illegal, you know, to create something like that for the sole purpose of auctioning it off to the highest bidder.” The tension simmering inside Max escalated. “So why is Alexon involved in the matter at all?”
Brandon sighed again. “Alexon’s board felt responsible for what Ames had done so they made it their mission to undo the damage. To find the antidote, thus clearing their record.”
The first inklings of fear joined the tension mushrooming inside Max. Alexon and Biogenisis were in a secret war, and Scout was caught right in the middle. A conflict of this magnitude threatened national security. The United States government had to be deeply involved. But why hadn’t a government agency stepped in to seize control of the situation?
Because Alexon was covering it up.
Damn.
Scout was in more trouble than she knew.
Brandon leaned forward again. “The fetus she carries is the key to the antidote.”
And Scout was right. They wanted her child.
Max stared straight into Brandon’s eyes and said coldly, “The baby is not negotiable.”
Brandon was shorter and about fifty pounds lighter than Max. He looked to be forty years old, and not particularly fit. But though Max was now glaring at him with murder in his eyes, the man didn’t even flinch.
“oh, you misunderstand my intent,” Brandon hastened to reply. “We’re not trying to obtain the child. Quite the contrary. our only interest is in the umbilical cord and the stem cells that it will contain.”
Unconvinced, Max turned his intimidation tactics up a notch, leaning forward slightly, making Brandon squirm a little. “That’s all you need to develop a corrected antidote?”
The executive nodded jerkily. “Of course, we realize that you and Miss Jackson have to discuss the situation and come to an agreement. But it’s the right thing, the only thing to do. Your country’s security rests on the decision.”
He and Scout had a decision to make? Why did Brandon think Max had any say? As an advisor, maybe?
“Please assure Miss Jackson that our only concern right now is for her safety. If she is hurt and loses the child, our single most viable hope will be lost. She must know that we are sincerely concerned about her safety.”
Max resumed his intimidating stare. “So you’re admitting to holding her against her will?”
Brandon’s eyes widened. “I’m … I’m not admitting to anything,” he hedged, “other than attempting to ensure her safety. We at Alexon believe total isolation is the only assurance.”
“What about Harold Atkins? Did you have him killed? Did he represent some threat to her?” Max pressed, firing off one probing question after another. He still wasn’t convinced Alexon was behind the worst of this. Still, he had no intention of tipping his hand.
Brandon’s expression closed instantly. “Harold was a trusted member of our staff. Head of our security. Why would Alexon have anything to do with his death?”
Max couldn’t argue. The only way Alexon would have been responsible for Atkins’s murder would have been if they had discovered him in the act of betrayal and had had no other choice to cover up the dirty business and keep it out of the press.
“The reason we called in the Colby Agency,” Brandon added, “was because we knew Miss Jackson didn’t trust us. We knew she would trust you.”
Ha! If only they really knew, Max mused.
“I apologize for not being up front with you in the beginning,” Brandon offered. “But you must see that we simply had to be careful.”
“Why only Scout and the baby?” Max wanted to know. “Why not me? I’m immune to K-141.”
Brandon sighed wearily. “The child’s stem cells will be brimming with immunity much more so than you or Miss Jackson. It’s our best chance at creating an effective antidote.”
Max still had questions. “Why are we immune? What makes us special?”
“I can’t answer that. We compared the two of you in every way possible, considered even the most remote factors you had in common. The only relevant conclusion was that you both spent a great deal of time in South America. And that may not be the answer, but we believe that’s the connection.”
Max nodded, pondering the possibility.
“Mr. Maxwell, we need those stem cells,” Brandon urged.
“I’ll have to discuss all this with Miss Jackson,” Max allowed. “I can’t promise you anything. But I will be in touch.” He scooted back his chair, leaving the lunch he’d ordered untouched. His stomach still roiled at the very idea of eating.
“Please,” Brandon said, making Max hesitate when he would have walked away, “don’t let anything happen to her. I’m still not sure you understand how crucial her well-being is.”
“I understand all I need to.”
Max walked away certain of only one thing—Scout’s life was in grave danger.
SCOUT COULDN’T GET PAST the restlessness. She couldn’t sit, she couldn’t eat. She could only worry about Max and his confrontation with Alexon.
What if they killed him? She shuddered. He was too smart to walk into a trap. Still, there were so many of them. She touched the bandage on her arm. Anything could happen.
“How about I prepare some lunch?” Doug offered, breezing into the foyer. “I’m quite the chef, you know.”
Scout smiled; she couldn’t help herself. He was simply too charming to resist.
“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”
Doug scowled. “You should eat.”
Before she could respond, a buzzer sounded, seeming to echo all around them.
“What’s that?”
It didn’t sound like any doorbell she’d ever heard. And it couldn’t be Max; he’d have used the access code.
“Someone’s at the gate,” Doug explained. He moved to an intercom system near the front entry. “Yes.”
“This is Dayco Delivery. I got a package for a Miss Jackson.”
Doug looked questioningly at Scout. She shook her head and wondered if he was half as surprised as she was. Who knew they were here? As she walked over to join him, Doug made a couple more selections on the sophisticated-looking system, and the camera at the front gate sent an image to the six-inch monitor on the wall in front of them. A white panel van sporting a popular local carrier’s logo was parked outside the gate. A man dressed in a proper uniform, holding a small package, stood next to it.
“Leave it at the gate. We’ll pick it up later,” Doug instructed.
“No can do,” the driver countered. “Got to have a signature for this one.”
Doug pointed to a button on the system’s control panel. “Watch the monitor,” he told Scout. “If anything happens that shouldn’t, hit this panic button and hide until help arrives.” He glanced down at her waist. “Where’s your weapon?”
She reached under her T-shirt and removed the nine-millimeter from its resting place at th
e small of her back. “Right here.”
“No heroics, Scout,” he warned. “You do exactly as I told you.”
She nodded. “Gotcha.”
Scout watched the monitor, scarcely breathing. Who would send her a package? Who the hell would know where to send it? This had to be some kind of trick. Had Alexon forced her location out of Max already? Fear constricted her chest. Was he hurt? Or worse?
Doug didn’t open the gate. The driver passed the clipboard between the wrought-iron bars and Doug did the same after he’d signed the delivery acceptance sheet. He then waited until the man had driven away before returning to the house. Once Doug was back inside and had locked the door behind him, Scout breathed a hell of a lot easier.
“Stay right there,” he ordered.
She watched in confusion as he headed toward the rear deck with the small package in hand. She had to physically restrain herself from following him. He’d told her to stay here and she would; she wasn’t taking any more risks. Her baby’s life depended upon her staying healthy. She moved her sore arm. Yesterday had driven home all too well just how vulnerable she was.
The five minutes Doug was gone felt like fifty. Finally he returned, the package open in his hand. She realized then that he’d gone out back onto the deck, away from her, to open it just in case it was a bomb or some other booby trap.
“It’s a cellular phone.” He took the device out of the box and showed her. “I popped the housing open to be sure. No bugs, no explosives. Just a phone.”
She took it from him and looked it over to see if she recognized it. She’d lost hers escaping from Alexon. She shook her head. “Who would send me—”
The phone in question rang and vibrated simultaneously. Scout almost dropped it, her heart surging into her throat. She swore and pressed her free hand to her chest. “That scared the hell out of me.” It rang and vibrated again.
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