“The boss wants to talk to you.” Julie approached him, holding out her cell phone.
Fuck.
Why wasn’t the boss calling him directly?
This did not bode well for him.
He blew out a breath and pressed the phone to his ear.
“Yeah?”
“Heidi Novak, is she safe?” The boss’ tone said all it needed to. The fixation was there, to the point that logic and better sense didn’t matter.
“About that...” Léo closed his eyes. The others hadn’t tattled on him. Interesting.
“Is she okay?”
“She got away during the shooting.”
“What?”
“We’re working on finding her.”
“You have to find her. Do you understand me? I don’t care about the work or the jobs—just find her. Understood?”
“Yes—”
“I’m going back to America as soon as I can. Bring her to me.”
Léo grimaced.
He got it. The boss was willing to set everything else on fire for one person.
This was what Léo loved about the boss. That passion, the amount of care poured into the souls they helped. It wasn’t all death and destruction, at least it hadn’t started that way.
“Keep me updated on your movements and I’ll let you know where we are with the girl.” Léo turned and stared down a dark street.
He was finally going to have to make the kind of call he’d been dreading. For his boss’ sake, Doctor Novak needed to die. This had to end. They still hadn’t heard from their East Coast client, which Léo feared meant the deal was off. If that was the case they were in trouble. Serious, damage control had to happen, which meant they couldn’t chase a woman around the world so the boss could scratch an itch and expose them all in the process. It was time to make one of the toughest calls of his life.
He handed the phone back to Julie and turned toward the car. Crane nodded and got behind the wheel without further orders.
Léo slid into the passenger side seat. Usually he rode in the back, but today he needed to talk to Crane. Brother to brother, united by the boss, and make him understand what they had to do. If they wanted to protect the boss, he needed to retire and Heidi Novak had to die.
11.
WEDNESDAY. GHATKOPAR Police Station, Mumbai, India.
Adam paced the small room. They’d been cooped up for four hours. Following the shootout, they’d gone straight to the closest police station in Lower Parel, only to be transferred to a larger facility in the heart of the city.
He got it. Following the execution yesterday then last night’s ambush, plus the story they’d unfolded for the police about the illegal lab, the big dogs wanted to handle this. It didn’t mean anyone was out there looking for Heidi. As far as he could tell, they were all sitting on their thumbs. The only thing Adam had seen happen was a medic show up to monitor John’s blood sugar.
“While we’re alone, I think we need to talk.” Kyle peered at the closed door.
Cindy was being escorted to the restroom and both she and John would no doubt be back soon.
“What’s on your mind?” Riley asked. His drawl was worse the more tired he grew.
“Heidi and the others told us they believe there’s at least one, if not two, moles in the CDC.” Kyle kept his gaze on Grant and Riley. “What if one of the moles is our clients?”
“What are you saying? You think all of this is a set-up?” Grant frowned.
“How did those guys last night know where we were, or where we were going? Maybe Cindy or John or Heidi aren’t working with them willingly, but—”
“It’s not Heidi,” Adam said.
Kyle winced and finally looked at him. “Look, I know she’s your wife, but—”
“Have you been talking to Cindy?” Adam asked.
“She and I had a chat earlier, yeah.” Kyle nodded.
“It’s not Heidi. I’d believe Cindy or John over her.” Adam refused to believe the possibility that Heidi could be that cold.
“I know you want her to be the woman you remembered, but can we face the facts? When’s the last time you were around her?” Kyle crossed the room to Adam. “All I’m saying is, are we even sure she wanted to be rescued?”
Adam curled his hands into fists.
“Wow. Wow. Wow.” Riley got to his feet and placed a hand on both men’s shoulders. “I might not be an expert, but I’d say Heidi is the last one on my list of suspects. What I don’t understand is, if one of them is involved, why go through all this?”
“Convince me Heidi can’t be part of this,” Kyle said.
“She—”
The door opened and a man in a suit with a firearm at his hip followed by two more men in suits, Cindy and John.
Adam frowned at the last two. What was going on here?
“Gentlemen, sit, please?” The man wearing the firearm and badge took the seat at the top of the conference table they had so far stayed away from.
“What’s going on?” Kyle asked, taking the lead.
Cindy gestured to the older gentleman. “This is Doctor Iyer, he’s in charge of the CDC India office and Mr. Parekh, a representative from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.”
The man in the rumpled suit was with the CDC. He tapped his notebook and clicked his pen. A man of action, then. He wasn’t any more fond of this sit down than Adam was.
The other man had deep frown lines and wouldn’t look at the rest of them. He sat to the detective’s right and focused on the table.
“Your associate, Zain?” The detective referenced a pad of paper. “He said he has information for us. Sit.”
None of their team moved to sit.
“What about the house we told you about?” Riley asked.
“We have dispatched a team to the location so we can do our own evaluation,” Mr. Parekh said.
“Hello, I’m Doctor Iyer.” The head of the CDC offices spoke clear English, without accent. He offered his hand to each of them then gestured at John. “Doctor Wyman here was catching me up on what you have discovered. I was alarmed when you didn’t show up last night. Is everyone okay?”
“Those accounted for are okay,” Kyle replied.
“Yes, he told me Doctor Novak was still missing.”
“Sit, please, everyone?” the detective said.
Adam was sick and tired of sitting, but if this was the next step in finding Heidi, he’d take it.
“What are we discussing?” Grant asked.
They gathered around the conference table, with the detective and health officials at one end and the Aegis team lined up on either side.
“Your home office contacted us and said they had more information that would help us clear your involvement in yesterday’s shootings.” The detective didn’t appear pleased. “You had to be present.”
That had to be Zain speaking. He was growing into his role as head of the office well which meant learning how to throw his weight around. They had the intel, which was a major bargaining chip.
Within moments they the projector was going and Zain patched in from the Seattle office, plus Gavin from the head office. Adam hadn’t seen the guy in months, maybe even a year. Between Zain and Gavin, Adam was pretty sure they could get into just about anything. But they couldn’t find Heidi for him.
“My team has been working with a few sources to piece together the information we’re sharing. Let me just say, I cannot divulge all of our sources.” Zain stared hard at Kyle when he said that. Because they’d illegally copied the CEO of Sorkin’s computer? Or was this something Abigail had helped them with? “Over a week ago, Doctors Wyman and Hastings approached us about Novak going missing and their concerns about the CDC work environment. They provided us with a copy of their findings, which wasn’t much more than you can Google for yourself, if you know what you’re looking for.”
A map of the globe filled the screen with various spots illuminated with pins.
Zain proceeded to
lay out what they’d discovered in Peru, citing their aim of protecting their client for the reason why they hadn’t come forward earlier. The India connection was a bit more difficult to frame in terms of protecting the client which was where Gavin stepped in.
“Hi.” The screen went to an image of Gavin waving at the screen. Adam prayed the kid didn’t put his foot in his mouth. He was famous for that. “Aegis Group works in conjunction with several governments. It’s our aim to work with the law, not against it. Whenever we have a case that crosses borders, I do a routine handshake with local officials. The people responsible for our clients needing our services are often wanted by the authorities. Thanks to Doctor Novak’s thorough report of her time in captivity, we were able to identify the man she knew as Léo, as Léo Peloquin.”
The face of an olive skinned man with dark, curling hair and eyes stared off camera.
“I’ve seen him.” Adam sat forward. “He was outside the Sorkin building.”
“What?” Kyle said.
“Yeah, blue jumpsuit. He had shiny shoes on. I thought it was strange.” Adam could picture the man clearly. He’d had that same expression on his face. So this was the man who’d kidnapped Heidi and had come back to get her again?
“That, well, at least now we’ve seen him,” Zain said.
“How does this connect to the warehouse? And why were you at the scene of two shootings?” the detective asked.
“What Zain and Gavin are getting at is that—this Léo guy?” Adam gestured at the screen. “He’s got CDC diseases he’s using like building blocks to create some bad shit, and he’s been doing it in your back yard.”
“And this Doctor Novak, she works with him?” Doctor Iyer said.
“No,” Adam snapped.
“We don’t know that.” Cindy held up her hand. “Heidi—Doctor Novak—is the one who came to us about these concerns. I have my reservations about her involvement in this.”
“Not this shit again.” Adam pushed up to his feet.
“I don’t think Heidi would do something like this, but the evidence is there.” John leaned forward. “Someone at the CDC is involved.”
“What would you have us do about this? It seems like an American problem,” Mr. Parekh said.
“That’s just it.” Adam turned around. “This isn’t an American or an Indian problem. It’s an everyone problem. Weren’t you listening when he showed you what they do with this shit? Go back to the pictures from Siberia.”
The picture of caskets lined up to be buried blipped onto the screen.
“The shit they’re doing, it doesn’t decide what it’s doing based on what country you pledge allegiance to. It infects, and it kills.” Adam pointed at the screen. Some of those caskets were tiny.
Léo was doing this for profit. And people were dying.
It turned Adam’s stomach to think about it.
“Excuse me.” Doctor Iyer looked at his phone. “I’ll just be one moment.”
The man stood and exited the room.
What would they do if Adam walked out those doors?
Heidi was out there somewhere, and last Adam had seen her, she was sick. What if she had one of those deadly strains? What if they were using her to infect others? What if Adam and the others had just spread a global pandemic problem?
The detective and Mr. Parekh began speaking in their native tongue, ensuring the rest of them couldn’t follow along. At least not the team here.
Adam glanced at the screen.
What were the chances Zain had someone sitting in to keep them appraised of every word spoken?
Adam glanced at Kyle, who merely nodded.
They were on the same page then.
“I know you don’t want to hear that Heidi could be involved, but wake up,” Cindy said, staring at him. “None of us really know her.”
“And you’re trying awfully hard to point fingers at Heidi.” Adam stared right back. He hadn’t missed how she’d waylaid him in the car. He was willing to bet she’d planted the idea in Doctor Iyer’s mind to begin with.
“I’m looking at the facts,” Cindy said.
“Then you’re missing some.” Adam refused to believe that Heidi would be involved. It wasn’t her, no matter what she’d been like at the house last night. She wasn’t the kind of person to create global unrest.
The door opened and Doctor Iyer returned.
“That was our team at the warehouse. They found Laranya, her family, and the men with them. They’re going into quarantine,” he said.
Adam blew out a breath.
There was one good thing.
“Our team is still looking at the scene, however.” Doctor Iyer’s frown remained in place. “It is my recommendation that this team is sent back to America. There are a number of questions regarding the events that have led up to this point. Or, they can remain here and the MHFW can take the lead on it?”
“It still sounds to me like an American problem,” Mr. Parekh representative said yet again.
“Then get out of my country.” The detective flicked his fingers at them. “We have enough to figure out without sorting these problems that don’t concern us.”
“Then—”
Someone banged on the door, then threw it open.
A uniformed officer spoke in a rush to the detective, who sat up with an even more pronounced frown and replied.
“What? What are they saying?” Adam asked.
WEDNESDAY. LOWER PAREL, Mumbai, India.
Heidi wanted to die. Or at least she smelled like she wanted to.
Her jaw hurt from her chattering teeth and she was pretty damn sure she’d cuddled with a couple rats during the few hours when she’d gone in and out of consciousness. Now, her mouth was dry, she was coated in a film of sweat and dirt, she had to pee, and no one had yet to find her.
The driving question haunting her was still, what had she been injected with? And what had Léo dosed her with?
Regardless if she was contagious, she needed to get to a hospital then find the others.
Heidi pushed her cardboard door aside and crawled out of her hidey hole. She dare not breathe for fear she’d smell herself.
A child squealed and several people spoke at once.
Heidi pushed to her feet and swayed, blinking back at the women and children gathered in what seemed to be a sort of courtyard between their homes.
“Sorry,” Heidi mumbled.
Last night it hadn’t registered that she was barefoot, but she felt it now. The soles of her feet were bruised and simply standing had pain shooting up her legs. Fear and fever had driven her on when she might have otherwise stopped.
One of the women stood and waved her hands at Heidi.
“I’m sorry, okay? Hospital? Police? Please?” She side stepped to the closest exit she could see.
The first woman was joined by another. Their tones did not sound friendly.
Heidi hobbled away from the women and down an alley, picking her way carefully over garbage and debris.
“Just keep going. One foot in front of the other,” she mumbled to herself.
Adam was hopefully out there somewhere, alive and okay. With any luck, she’d be able to find him again. Léo was still here, and for some reason he wanted her. Heidi couldn’t figure that one out.
She stepped from between two buildings onto a sidewalk. Cars went by at a steady rate, the morning rush in full swing. She stared at the people, feeling the language barrier like a physical wall.
Heidi needed help. Where should she go?
The surrounding buildings were a mix of sparkling new and dilapidated. It made her think of the areas she’d seen gentrified over the years.
She waited for a break in the foot traffic then eased onto the sidewalk. She kept one hand on the building next to her for support and pressed on. It was slow going, but she made it to the first open shop.
“Excuse me?” Heidi gripped the doorway but remained on the sidewalk.
The man behind the counte
r stared at her. It probably wasn’t every day he saw a disheveled American woman wandering the streets.
“Hospital?” Heidi needed to sit down before she fell. “I need to go to a hospital.”
She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.
Oh, that was a bad idea...
WEDNESDAY. PAREL HOSPITAL, Mumbai, India.
Adam’s stomach sank as they approached the Parel Hospital. He hoped the inside of the building didn’t match the outside. It was obvious the structure had been around for a while. The others stayed close on his heels. For now, both Cindy and John were keeping their mouths shut. Adam didn’t give two fucks whether they got home or not.
Besides, they didn’t know how much longer they had before the Indian government booted them home. It was clear the local health officials didn’t want the responsibility of bringing an international health crisis to heel.
Adam entered the Parel Hospital through what he assumed was the emergency department. A sleek brushed steel reception desk greeted them along with two people manning the area. He walked up to the closest one and prayed the man understood English.
“I’m looking for Heidi Novak,” he said slowly, doing his best to keep the tension locked down tight.
The man blinked at him.
“Heidi Novak?” He took the pen for the log in sheet and scrawled the name.
The man tapped the words then nodded. He spoke to the woman working the other side of the desk.
“She is here,” the woman said.
“Great.” Adam flattened his hand to his chest. “I’m her husband.”
“Adam?” The woman pointed at him.
“Yes.” God, he could almost cry. He was so damn glad she was here and safe.
“One can go back to see her.”
“Me. That’s me.” He patted his chest, blinking rapidly. He’d been so damn worried. Worse than when they’d been at that warehouse in Peru, because now he knew the real danger.
Adam strode toward the door. By the time he reached it, the woman was there with a keycard. She swiped it and led him into the emergency room proper, then pulled the curtain back on the third bay on the left.
Dangerous in Motion (Aegis Group Alpha Team, #4) Page 16