“It’ll give us a strong negotiation point when we deal with Mehalik too. We can hand over the toxin without having to worry. It will make the negotiations that much safer for all of us,” Oz said.
Billy rubbed his chin, clearly thinking about it. “Logistically you know it’s a nightmare, don’t you?”
Finn nodded. “It’s the only feasible way to do it quickly though.”
“And are you certain—and I mean one hundred percent certain—that this thing you release won’t do something funky out there and become a worse threat than Balor?”
“In truth, Billy, I can’t promise you that with one hundred percent certainty. If any scientist ever promises you that, don’t believe a word they say. What I can promise you is that I’ve taken every precaution I can, within the time frame, to make sure that this is as safe as it can be. Once I hand this over for release, I’m at its mercy just as much as everyone else. And so are all the people I love.” She locked eyes with every one of them for an instant. She needed them to know that she took her responsibility seriously and that she wouldn’t jeopardize their lives on a whim or best guess. “This will do what I’ve designed it to do, and then it will live in our bodies as part of our immunological arsenal. The worst most people will get out of this is a sniffle, a headache, and some sneezing.”
Billy looked at him. “What do you think, Charlie? Would ten two-man teams cover it?”
“Four targets each? Bit much I think, based on some of the target areas. I was thinking fifteen pairs, some with two targets, and others with three.”
“How will they carry the viral agent for deployment?” Billy asked Finn.
“I can prepare it in a liquid gel. Each target will only require one container. I’ll put them in fifty-millimeter bottles so that they can get them through as hand luggage with no problems or questions, labeled as shower gel. It will be inert at this stage. When they’re in the right place to release it, they’ll need to add it to water. Half a liter for each fifty mil bottle, shake it to activate the virus, and then cover the filters in the primary air-conditioning units.”
“Sounds simple enough. How do we get our people access to the air-conditioning systems?” Junior asked.
“That’s up to you guys.” Finn grinned at him. “Thought I’d leave you with something to do this time, Junior.” He laughed and threw her a mock salute.
“When can you have the preparations ready?” Charlie asked.
“I need two days to produce the quantity we need for forty target sites.”
“So, Saturday?”
“Saturday night. You can start sending people out with it on Sunday.”
“Are you sure? If you think you’ll need more time I’d rather know now.”
“If anything, Charlie, it’ll be earlier. I was allowing for unexpected incidents.”
Charlie smiled. “That’s my girl. Oz, you’ve got two days to get me a list of each target and realistic itineraries for our fifteen pairs,” Charlie said, automatically slipping into his authoritative role. “I’ll have the names of the pairs for you by morning.”
“Yes, sir.” Oz nodded.
“Junior, work with Finn to clarify exact procedure for deployment. You’ll be briefing our pairs when they arrive.” Junior nodded to his father.
“I’ll brief AJ about the event tomorrow night.” Billy clapped him on the shoulder. “You ready for a world of learning, boy?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then let’s get started. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and very little time to do it.” Billy stood and pulled AJ over to the table where the blueprints were unrolled.
“Finn, one other thing before you go back to reading your magazine upside down,” Charlie said.
“Ha ha.”
“I started that search you talked to Billy about.”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees as she waited for him to continue. Had he found her body already? Is that why her father hadn’t managed to locate her mother after she’d left England? She pressed her hands against her thighs to try to stop the shaking.
“Where…?”
Charlie shook his head. “I haven’t found her yet. Which is a good sign, I think. But, Finn, there are hundreds of thousands of Jane Does buried across the United States, and not all of them had DNA samples taken. It’s going to take time to rule them all out. And even when we do, we won’t know if she returned to the UK, or moved somewhere else.” He wrapped his arms around her again. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes.” She didn’t have to think about it. She needed to know what had happened to her mother, and she needed to know that she tried everything she could to find her. No matter how long it took, how much money it cost, or where it led her. She owed her that much, at least. “I’m certain.”
Chapter Twenty-four
It was still dark outside. The streetlamp glittered orange through the crack in the curtains, and the world outside was mostly asleep. Bailey tossed and turned. Trying to sleep beyond her usual five a.m. was proving difficult, and the gentle weight of Jazz’s head over her foot wasn’t the comfort it usually was. She tried to figure out what it was that had woken her. She was a light sleeper and it didn’t take much, but the culprit proved elusive.
She plumped her pillow and her gaze was drawn to Cassie’s bed as a low moan emanated from her lips and her legs shifted slowly under the covers. Bailey swallowed hard and forgot about the pillow she was holding in her hands. Cassie’s teeth raked over her bottom lip and her hips moved under the sheet in a slow, seductive wiggle Bailey could practically feel against her belly. Or grinding against my thigh. No, I did not just think that. I didn’t. Bailey whimpered. She wanted to run her fingers through Cassie’s long hair, and desire burned in her gut.
Another low moan and Bailey was glad she wasn’t standing because she knew her knees wouldn’t have supported her. She wondered what Cassie was dreaming about. She could make out the outline of Cassie’s legs in the dim light of the room, one knee raised slightly. She imagined the feel of Cassie’s skin beneath her fingertips as she trailed them from knee to hip, pushing the flimsy lace and satin of her nightgown up as she went. Cassie twitched, and her legs moved as though she could feel it too. Bailey felt the groan deep in her chest and pulled her pillow over her face to smother it. She didn’t want Cassie to wake up and find her staring at her, moaning, and think she was some sort of pervert, getting her kicks out of watching women as they slept. That’d soon make her rethink her statistical probability.
Cassie’s hand moved to cup her own breast. Bailey dropped the pillow and watched. She imagined herself pushing Cassie’s hand away from the supple flesh, tugging the satin fabric out of the way, and covering the hardened nipple with her mouth. She wasn’t sure if she imagined the moan she heard or if it actually came from Cassie, but the mere thought of their bodies coming together in a passionate embrace was driving Bailey mad.
She climbed out of bed as quietly as she could; she needed the privacy of the bathroom and a few minutes to calm her shaking body. She splashed water on her face and sat on the edge of the tub, hands still trembling.
What the hell? I know it’s been a while, but this is ridiculous. So she’s beautiful, and intelligent, and funny, and beautiful. So what if she’s all those things? She’s my client, and even if she wasn’t she’s so far out of my league, it isn’t even worth thinking about. She rested her head in her hands. Okay, it isn’t even worth thinking about anymore. And don’t forget half the time when you touch her by accident she flinches like you’ve burned her. Hardly a promising sign. She dried her hands and flushed the toilet, hoping that the noise would wake Cassie enough to bring her out of her erotic dream, if that’s what it was, and give Bailey a chance to breathe easy until they got up.
Cassie was on her side, her arms wrapped around her pillow, when Bailey climbed back into bed. She couldn’t stop herself from wishing she was the pillow in Cassie’s arms. She threw herself back against her
pillows. So much for not thinking about it anymore.
Chapter Twenty-five
“General, the car is waiting.”
He pulled his sunglasses off his head and slid them over his eyes. “Is everything ready for tomorrow evening?”
“Yes, General.”
“Very good, Hakim. You can report in the car.” He followed him to the stretch limousine. “You couldn’t find anything bigger?” The sarcasm in his voice was evident.
“You know how Americans love their big flashy cars.”
“Almost as much as they love their guns.”
“Indeed, General.” He took the bag from Mehalik’s hands and placed it carefully in the trunk. “We will have complete privacy inside. I have personally checked the driver.”
“Very good. You have done well, my friend.”
Hakim pulled the door closed and the dark interior shone with neon lights as they ran through a spectrum of colors. He shook his head. This was just another symptom of a much bigger disease that was eating at the world, but he didn’t care. The greed of the Western World wasn’t the problem he sought to rectify. It was not the wrong he needed justice for. That was not why they all needed to pay.
“Tell me what you know, Hakim.”
Hakim handed him a sheaf of pages. On top was a photograph of Finn. Black-and-white, obviously shot from a distance, but Mehalik was immediately besotted by her beauty.
“General, we’ve been watching the girl ever since you gave me her whereabouts. She goes to the laboratory every day. The surveillance equipment in there is functioning well, but the security and encryption she has on her computers make it impossible for us to extract data without her knowing. I have decided at this point to maintain our cover, as her behavior and conversations indicate she has made little more progress with the vaccine than Lyell’s research did. Though she is ready to replicate quantities of Balor as soon as she has perfected the vaccine. She seems much more cautious than the good doctor was. She will not create more than an experimental sample of the toxin until she has a viable vaccine.”
“Is she close?”
“Unknown. She seems very…controlled, General.”
“Do you think she knows about the cameras?”
“Difficult to say.”
“Our friend on the inside?”
“He informed me this evening they have given no indication that they’re aware of any surveillance equipment.”
“Do you trust him?”
Hakim shrugged. “What is the phrase, General? About as far as I could throw him.”
Mehalik sniggered. “Yes, my friend, but you are a very large man. He patted Hakim’s arm. “You could probably throw him quite some way.” They laughed together before returning to the conversation. “Why has she taken over? She testified against her father. It seemed she wanted nothing to do with the business, and it had been left to the board of directors. Why now?”
“Our friend seems to think that she used the situation to oust her father and take over.”
“There are easier ways to do it than sending one’s own father to prison.”
“True, General. But William Sterling was not, I think, a man who would let go easily.”
Mehalik was inclined to agree. “Indeed, any other legal attempt would have likely resulted in her forfeiting her life.”
“Exactly. This way it gives the appearance that she is fully cooperating with the authorities and it earns her their respect. It’s very clever, I think, the way she has done this, General. I think she is a woman to be taken very seriously.”
“Ambitious, no?”
“Very.”
“Intelligent and beautiful.” Mehalik grinned. “I’m looking forward to meeting Miss Sterling. Is she willing to deal?”
“I don’t think she would be working on Balor at all if she were not.”
“Then we must be even more careful of the lovely Miss Sterling.”
“Why is that?”
“Because she knows the monster she is unleashing on the world and she is still prepared to set it free. She either has a death wish, her own agenda, or she is setting up a trap.”
Hakim banged on the divider that separated the driver from them and ordered the young man to turn around.
“Back to the airport, sir?”
“Yes. Now.”
“Very well, sir.” He glanced into his rearview mirror and changed lanes, making his way toward the next off ramp.
“No, no. Continue to the hotel as planned and close the screen.” Mehalik frowned at Hakim as the driver nodded and closed the partition again.
“General, forgive me, but if this could be a trap you must leave. You are too important to the cause to risk—”
“I will be the judge of that. And I will not be frightened away by a mere woman. Carry on to the hotel.” He slid his finger down Finn’s picture. “She is lovely, no?”
“Yes, General. She is.”
“Will she be accompanied tomorrow evening?”
“She has a contingent of security with her at all times.”
“I was thinking on a more personal level, Hakim.”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her with any other people but the security contingent.”
“You don’t seem to know an awful lot of personal details.”
“I will find everything I can, General.”
“Good.” He flipped through the pages, barely glancing at the information, before turning to the photograph on the front page again. I will enjoy this, Miss Sterling. I believe I will enjoy this very much.
Chapter Twenty-six
Cassie fidgeted in her seat and picked at her nails as she stared out the window and listened to Miles Davis’s trumpet on the stereo. The recording was scratchy and obviously copied from a vinyl recording, but she liked that. It felt authentic, and when she closed her eyes she could imagine herself in a smoke-filled bar, drinking bourbon, and watching the genius under the spotlights. That was if she could relax enough to close her eyes. She couldn’t.
“Why so nervous?” Bailey’s voice was gentle as she concentrated on the road ahead.
Cassie chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know. Could have a little to do with the thought of facing my daughter after all these years. Trying to explain to her what happened, why I made the decision I did.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
“Why do you continue to search for your mother after all these years?”
“I need to know if she’s okay, and if not, help her. You know that Daniela is okay. You’ve seen the article. You know she’s a very wealthy, accomplished, and alive young woman.”
“But I don’t know that she’s okay. I don’t know why she testified against her father, and how that affected her. I don’t know how she feels about him, or how she feels about me. I need her to know that I love her. I don’t even know if she remembers me.”
Cassie watched the trees flutter in the gentle wind, the track on the stereo changed, and Aretha Franklin demanded respect.
“What if she doesn’t remember you? Are you ready for that?”
“No.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t think any mother would ever be ready to face that thought. But if that’s the truth of the matter, at least I’ll see her and know she’s okay.”
“I hope you get what you wish for.”
Cassie turned to look at Bailey. She’d been quiet all day, and when Cassie had asked her about it earlier she’d merely said that she hadn’t slept well. “Thank you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Bailey’s cheeks flushed. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She checked her watch then pointed to a steakhouse across the street. “We’ve still got a few hours before we get there. Do you think you could eat an early dinner?”
“Sure. Looks like they have tables outside, do you mind?”
“Nope.”
Twenty minutes later, they were enjoying steaks. Cassie had a baked potato with her
s, and Bailey squirted ketchup over her fries before sneaking one under the table to Jazz.
“How long were you in the FBI?”
“Twelve years. I left five years ago.”
“Are you fully in remission now?” Cassie nodded toward her midsection.
“Oh, yeah. Just the one kidney like I told you before, but I’m good.”
“So tell me about being an FBI agent then.”
Bailey moaned as she chewed on her steak. “Man, that’s a good steak. You need to try yours.”
“I will.”
“What do you want to know?”
Cassie shrugged. “Anything. What sort of cases did you work on?”
“When I made detective in the BPD, I worked vice and then sex crimes. When I got to the FBI, I worked with a task force trying to break human trafficking. We had specialists from across the spectrum on the team—organized crime, drugs, guns, you name it.”
“Is that a big problem?”
“Huge. And growing. Obviously, it’s hard to get official numbers, but there are hundreds of thousands of girls smuggled into the country and used as sex slaves until they don’t make any money for the men that own them.”
“Then what?”
“If they’re of no use, they’re killed.”
Cassie shuddered. The poor girls involved by that point probably had wished for death many times over. But hearing it from Bailey made it a reality she couldn’t ignore. It also gave her an understanding of just how well acquainted Bailey was with the life her mother had led, and the likely conclusion that life led to.
“I’m sorry.”
Bailey nodded, acknowledging that Cassie was referring to more than the plight of the smuggled girls she had worked toward freeing.
“Tell me about your work.”
“Teaching? Well, I stand at the front of an auditorium and give lectures about neurology—”
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