Hard and Fast (14 page)

“What do we know about this Bold Management?” Lucas asked. “Does it have any ties to the automotive or racing industry?”

“None that we can find. But their properties are leased to a couple of bars and a restaurant, so Petrov may be freelancing for someone in his network.”

“Raymond said he located the car the two had used earlier,” Ned stated. “Did he send anything?”

“Yeah,” Michael confirmed as he pulled up more pictures. “Based on the timing of the surveillance video, I managed to get an image of the front fender of the car we think they were driving. It’s a black, four-door sedan.”

“It’s a Ford Fusion; 2010 or 2011,” Alex stated easily.

Michael showed another clearer picture of a black car at a traffic light with two men in the front seats, time-stamped at 2:55 in the afternoon, about five minutes after they would had left the auto shop.

“Here they are headed toward the westbound entrance to the highway. This view provides a clear picture of the license plate. Then we located the same car parked about fifteen miles away, behind one of the Bold properties; a bar called Red Inferno.” The last image was a still picture from some sort of digital surveillance, with a time stamp of only twenty minutes earlier. “Raymond is watching the area and will let us know if there is any additional activity.”

“We need to get eyes on this Petrov character,” noted Lucas. “No doubt, he’s going to communicate with whomever hired him, and if we’re lucky, it will be in person. And let’s identify the second perpetrator. Whoever came up with the plan and put together the incendiary may have knowledge of cars, and we need to know the connection.”

Marco Passante walked into the room at that point, looking harassed and disheveled. Lucas turned to their client, prepared for the difficult conversation to follow.

CHAPTER 14

Alex knew that she wasn’t going to like the plan Lucas Johnson recommended for how to safely rebuild the Cicada engine, but she couldn’t have imagined what came next.

Once Marco joined the meeting, Lucas took a few minutes to get him up to speed on everything the Fortis team had uncovered since the fire.

“We’ll move in to set up surveillance on Petrov after this meeting in order to uncover who hired him and his partner to destroy the engine,” concluded Lucas. “The best way to protect your assets is to understand the threat, about which we’ve had very little information to this point.”

Marco ran his hand through his hair creating an even more unruly mess.

“Okay,” he replied with a sigh. “The police called earlier. They’ll be here in the morning to take a full report. What should I tell them?”

“Just the facts for now. We need some room to do a more covert investigation. If the police go after Petrov, he and whoever hired him will just get spooked. Then we’ll lose our best opportunity to get more information.”

“Okay,” Marco agreed.

“Now, Alex has told us about the battery North had provided,” Lucas continued in an even tone. “Will you be rebuilding the engine with the intent to launch it in Vancouver for the June race?”

Marco looked at Alex, as though still struggling with the decision. She could tell that he was torn by the desire to successfully achieve their goal, and the concern of the clear danger they were in.

“Yes,” Alex stated clearly, stepping forward. “We have to try.”

“Alex, I don’t know if it is a good idea,” Marco replied facing her. “Maybe we should wait, let things die down a little. We can always do the Sea-to-Sky race with one of our other engines.”

“No, Markie,” she insisted. “We’ve worked too hard on this to just let them stop us. You know something like this is all about timing. If we don’t do it now, we could easily lose the advantage of being first to market.”

“They just set fire to the shop, Alex. Someone wants to shut us down, and they’re not shy about it. What do you think they’ll do if we continue working on it? We don’t know how far they are willing to go. Someone could get hurt. It’s not worth it,” argued Marco with his hands buried in his pockets and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“They don’t have to know,” countered Alex. “Whoever did this thinks they’ve shut us down because the Cicada engine was in there. So I’ll rebuild it on my own. No one will know about it until we’re launching at the race. Then it will be too late.”

“I don’t know—”

“You know I’m going to do it anyway,” she stated with her hand planted on her hips. “I am not walking away from two years of work just because of a bully. So there’s no point in arguing about it.”

Marco’s shoulder lowered even more, as he recognized her inability to budge once she’d set her mind on something.

“Okay, fine. But you have to promise to do whatever Lucas and his team decide is necessary to keep you safe,” her boss stipulated. “Promise, Alex.”

Though Alex hated being forced to compromise, she was smart enough to see that it was in her best interest.

“I promise,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

Marco let out a deep sigh then turned back to the four men who had been waiting patiently through their debate.

“We’re going to rebuild the Cicada, still aiming for the June launch,” he finally confirmed.

Alex watched as Lucas nodded then stepped forward while the other three Fortis agents seemed to line up behind him.

“Based on the escalating attacks over the last week and our lack of information about the motive behind them, we need to secure Alex and the assets in a safe, impenetrable environment,” Lucas stated, stoically.

“What does that mean?” Marco asked, while Alex was thinking about the conversation back at the hotel and the protocol Lucas had referenced.

“We’ll put Alex in a safe location unknown to anyone but my team, where she can rebuild the motor.”

“What?” Alex demanded, certain she had heard wrong. “Where?”

Lucas looked back at her with his brows raised.

“It only works if no one knows where you’re going, including you,” he replied in a tone that was a little more condescending than she would have liked.

“Okay,” Marco replied.

“Markie! No!” she shot back. “I’m not going to be locked away for six weeks. That’s crazy!”

“Alex, you just agreed to whatever security plan Fortis recommended. This is it,” Marco reminded her. “And it makes sense. Right now, if they want to destroy the Cicada, they’ll be going after you. All the information is in your head just as much as the specs stored on our computer network. So there is no debate here. Either they take you somewhere safe, or I’m shutting down the whole thing.”

Alex looked into the eyes of her boss and friend, and read his resolve loud and clear. He was not going to back down. So either she would have to hide away for weeks or give up on her dream. As much as Alex hated to admit it, it was an easy decision.

“Fine,” she eventually muttered.

“All right, boys, we’re implementing Omega protocol,” Lucas stated, turning back to his team. “Michael and Lance, you’ll stay here to provide ongoing security and continue any local investigation. Ned and I will go with the assets.”

Michael continued working on the computer while the other two men took out their cell phones and started working through information.

“Lex, we’ll need a list of everything you need to rebuild your engine,” Lucas continued as he turned back to her and Marco. “Start with the most immediate. We can continue to get supplies shipped to us as you need them.”

“What about the stuff here? Should I be packing them up?” she asked, her heart racing at the size of the task. “And should I check out the car to see if there is anything salvageable?”

But Lucas was already shaking his head.

“We’re not taking anything with us from here. Everyone needs to believe that the engine was destroyed and the projects is dead. Including the shop employees. So everything stays here except the rechargeable battery.”

Alex didn’t know what to say. Her brain was suddenly frozen from the overwhelming amount of details that would need to be planned and executed. Was this even possible? Had she let her stubborn pride and determination drive her too far?

“Lex.” She looked up at Lucas as he said her name gently, the beautiful face softened with support. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll have the whole Fortis team at your disposal. Just step back and list out everything you need to make it happen. I’ll take care of everything else.”

She let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Okay. Okay.” Alex felt calmer after each utterance.

Lucas nodded and gave a hint of that sexy smile.

“You’ll have the next three to four hours. Then we’ll take you home so you can pack a bag and get a little sleep,” he added. “Lance, Ned, I need a drink. Let’s check out that bar in the west end, and see how our new friend Petrov is doing.”

Alex watched the Fortis team get ready to leave, her mouth agape. Ned unlocked and opened a large, silver trunk by the back wall, which seemed to have an endless supply of small weaponry. Each of the three men added a second gun to what they already wore, plus a few other bits of metal concealed under their clothes. A few minutes later, they filed out of the room, looking fierce and formidable.

“Wait,” Alex called as she started following them out into the hallway. “I can’t just take off for weeks without an explanation. What do I tell my cousin, my brothers?”

“Use your imagination,” Lucas replied over his shoulder. “After all the hard work and stress you’ve been under, I’m sure you need a long vacation. Choose somewhere tranquil or exotic.”

Then he and the other two agents were gone out the back entrance through the shop.

“How about a yoga retreat in Thailand?”

Alex looked back at Michael to see if he was serious.

“I don’t do yoga.”

“Then you’re going to learn. It’s great for stress management,” the agent stated, barely looking up from whatever he was reviewing on the computer.

“What about Europe?” Marco added. “Start in France, then travel to Italy and Spain. That would eat up a few weeks for sure.”

“Sightseeing by myself?” It did have some appeal, Alex thought.

“Sure, why not?” stated Marco. “No one who knows you will think twice about it, trust me. You are a bit of a loner, you know.”

It was true, it wasn’t the first time she had taken off alone for a last-minute trip. Never for more than a weekend or a few days, but then again, she never had her biggest accomplishment destroyed by arson before.

“Okay, Europe it is,” she finally agreed. “I guess I should go start working on that list of parts and supplies.”

Michael stood up and walked over to her with a card in his hand.

“Here is a secure e-mail address you should use to send us your requirements. Use it for anything related to the rebuild going forward,” he outlined. “Then once you’ve told people where you’re going, we’ll create a full online experience to back it up.”

Alex didn’t really know what that meant, but took the card. She walked slowly down the hall to her office at the other end, feeling the heavy weight of her decision and the task ahead on her shoulders.

“Are you okay?” Marco asked as he followed her into the room.

Alex let out a deep, long breath followed by a humorless laugh.

“Jesus, Markie, I just can’t wrap my brain around this craziness,” she finally admitted. “It’s just a car motor. I mean, I know it’s different from anything out there on the market right now. And sure, it has great potential. But it’s still just a motor and a drivetrain, and we’re such a small shop. Why would anyone want to go through all this trouble to destroy it?”

She buried her head in her hands out of sheer frustration.

“What am I doing? Why did I pursue this?” she continued. “I’m about to disappear for weeks to rebuild this stupid thing. Why? To prove that I can? That I’m as good as or better than a male engineer?”

“Alex,” Marco tried to interrupt, using a tone meant to calm her down.

“God, my dad was right. I really am that person, aren’t I? Always reaching for something outside of my grasp, taking more risks that I should,” she muttered. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Alex, there’s nothing wrong with you,” Marco interjected, standing in front of her to offer a comforting presence. “You’re smart and ambitious. Those are good things and you shouldn’t need to hide them. From anyone. And if you want to rebuild the Cicada despite all the challenges, then that makes you brave, too.”

Alex looked up at him with watery, red eyes, really wanting to believe the wonderful things he was saying.

“Is it worth it, though? The time? The cost? You’ve hired a band of frigging gun-toting mercenaries!”

Marco grinned.

“They are not mercenaries, they are security specialists. The best in their field, from what I’ve been told.”

“Fine, gun-toting security specialists.”

He laughed. She felt marginally better.

“Seriously though, Alex. You don’t have to do this,” he continued. “Like I said earlier, we’ll just reinvest in one of the other combustion engines for the June race.”

“What about the investors? They’re expecting a new hybrid to be launched, and they’re already getting antsy for more details,” she protested.

“Let me worry about the investors. We’ve been conservative with our cost, so they’ll all at least break even.”

Alex bit her lip. He was giving her a window, a free ticket out of crazy town. She should grab it in both hands and run with it. Move on, work on other smaller projects, and get a life. That’s what made sense. But Alex couldn’t say the words. She looked back at Marco and just couldn’t do it.

She didn’t want to give up and walk away. She had set an objective, dedicated over two years toward it, and refused to allow some unknown force to stop her before the finish line. Alex wanted to see her Cicada launched into the marketplace, and be a part of revolutionizing the auto industry. And she was prepared to do whatever it took to make that happen.

“I want to rebuild it,” she finally told Marco, who did not look at all surprised.

“Good,” he replied with a tolerant smile. “Then let’s get to work.”

They spent the next two and a half hours creating a detailed list on her iPad of all parts, equipment, and supplies needed to create a small, stand-alone fabrication shop. Alex then copied the full design schematics for the electric motor, lithium-ion batteries, and all the customized and modified components that connected them.

“I’m sure I’m missing something,” Alex admitted after a long pause spent just staring into space.

“Like Lucas stated, just focus on what you need to get started,” Marco reminded her. “Then they can order other things as you identify them.”

“I guess. But we’ll be on a really tight timeline. Some of this stuff can take weeks to get if they’re on back order,” she reminded him.

“Something tells me Fortis can get their hands on anything required,” he interjected. “So don’t stress about it, Alex.”

There was a knock on her open office door, and Michael was standing in the entry.

“Lucas and the team will be back here in about fifteen minutes,” he announced.

“Did they get any information about who hired those guys to set the fire?” Marco asked.

“They’ll provide an update when they arrive,” Michael explained.

“I can’t wait, unfortunately,” Marco advised them. “I’m already pretty late for an engagement with one of our clients. Can you ask Lucas to give me a call with the details?”

“No problem,” confirmed Michael. “Alex, how are you coming along with the list?”

She sat up and took a deep breath and looked at her watch. It was about ten minutes after seven o’clock. This was it, there was no going back.