No One to Trust (19 page)

Darren’s eyes blazed with sudden anger. “You knew about the delay of the prototype, too?”

“You were grieving after Michael’s death. In fact, you still aren’t thinking clearly, Darren. It wouldn’t take a genius to realize the prototype was still years out. Evan figured that out almost immediately. He may not have understood the big picture in its entirety, but it was clear the prototype was not going to be anywhere ready in the near future. So, that left us with the troubling puzzle of why NanoLab would agree to come on board at this point.”

“Because they had no intention of doing any manufacturing,” Darren spat out.

Slash nodded. “
Si.
But what we didn’t know is what they intended to do until just a few hours ago.”

I looked at Slash in surprise. “How did you find out?”

“Ben Steinhouser contacted us about an hour before you did. He’d made a disturbing link between NanoLab and Boris Oleshinsky.”

“Boris who?”

“Oleshinsky. A Russian billionaire.”

A light bulb went off in my head. “Hmm…let me guess. He made his fortune in oil.”

Slash smiled. “She doesn’t have a high IQ for nothing.”

I rolled my eyes. “So you think this Boris guy is the one paying to eliminate Michael and Darren?”

“We just don’t think it. We know it,
cara.
” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the seat. “Think about it. Russia is the world’s second-largest exporter of oil behind Saudi Arabia. A multimillion dollar hit on Michael and Darren is nothing compared to the billions in profit they stand to make if Darren’s and Michael’s work is interrupted.”

“So you’re saying that Oleshinsky was able to involve Niles and the others at Flow when it became clear the prototype would not be available for another seven to ten years,” I mused. “He offered Niles a quick way out of his current financial crunch.”

Darren looked thoughtfully out the window. “Niles could have the cash flow he needed and all he had to do was sell out Michael and me.”

“
Si.
I believe that Oleshinsky thought you were a lot closer to manufacturing the prototype than Niles let on.”

“Enter NanoLab to become the front to launder the hit money for Niles,” I said. “In exchange Niles kept Oleshinsky apprised of Michael’s and Darren’s activities and whereabouts so that the hits could be done in a way that would make them look like accidents. That way the suspicions of the authorities wouldn’t be raised and Niles could potentially claim his twenty-five million dollar insurance claim, as well.”

“We’d actually traced some of the money for NanoLab’s set-up back to Moscow, although, by no means is all the money coming from there. Some of this was done above board. After all, it’s not against the law for Russia or other foreign countries to invest in America’s private sector, but as you can well imagine, we do keep close watch on it. At first we assumed Oleshinsky was making a potentially profitable investment. Naturally, once we dug deeper, our opinion changed. But we weren’t certain of anything until Ben Steinhouser contacted us.”

“His part of the job was focusing on NanoLab,” I said. “I take it he found out about the hits.”

“Yes, which is why he contacted us at once. Cybersecurity is one thing. Murder and assassination are something completely different.”

Good for Ben. “So how does all this relate to what just happened back there in the stairwell? Who were those guys?”

Slash ran his fingers through his dark hair. “We had a problem,
cara.
Although technically we knew what Niles and his cohorts were up to, we had no way to bring them to justice. Ben employed, let’s say,
unconventional
methods to find and tie the hits to Oleshinsky. We also used nontraditional methods of confirming his suspicions.”

“Hacking.”

Darren swore. “None of the evidence would be admissible in a court of law. Been there and had that same problem.”

“Therein was the dilemma,” Slash explained. “Once you found Darren, we knew we could protect him, but we knew we wouldn’t be able to bring down Niles or Oleshinsky. We could shut down Flow, but there would be no justice for Michael or Darren.” He paused for a moment. “Unless we could force Niles’s hand.”

“Jeez. Someone tipped off Niles that I’d found Darren.”

Slash nodded. “Steinhouser. We instructed him to go see Niles personally to let him know you’d found Darren and that the boy wanted to leave Flow, change his identity and work for us. Ben assured Niles that no one believed any of his paranoid stories, but that we’d send a government worker to Cambridge to escort him back to Washington. Despite Darren’s paranoia, Steinhouser told Niles that the U.S. government felt Darren would be a useful asset to our energy-replacement program. Therefore, at Darren’s request, the government would provide Darren with a new identity and help him start anew.”

“Bet Niles didn’t like that one bit. Was Finn in the loop on any of this?”

“
Si.
Shaughnessy was kept abreast of the developments.”

No wonder Finn had sounded worried out of his mind when I talked to him earlier. He knew what was coming and he couldn’t warn me. There hadn’t been a thing he could do about it.

“However, it was imperative for us to catch Niles in the process of contacting Oleshinsky to let him know Darren’s whereabouts,” Slash continued. “That would directly link him to the hits. But we couldn’t risk Niles using something other than his own computer, cell or work phone. So we had Steinhouser place bugs in Niles’s office as well as directly on Niles himself.”

I looked at Slash in surprise. “Physically on Niles?” It would have been a walk in the park to slip a bug beneath the chair or desk, but putting a device
on
a person requires actual touching. I couldn’t imagine Niles permitting anyone to touch him.

Slash smiled. “We told Steinhouser to give Niles a hug in celebration that X-Corp had finally found Darren. Probably shocked the hell out of Niles, but somehow the bug was planted in his jacket pocket.”

The thought that Ben had managed to hug a guy like Niles
and
slip the bug in his pocket was amazing in my book.

Go, Ben.

“Anyway, minutes after Steinhouser left, Niles contacted Oleshinsky’s office just as we expected.”

“You got him?” I asked.

“Indeed, we did.”

Darren frowned. “Are you sure all of this will stand up in court?”

“The court order for the wiretap and the listening devices came in minutes before Ben entered Niles’s office. Niles and company have already been taken into custody.”

“Great,” I said. “But why the drama in the stairwell? Was Neck-Snapping Man one of the Russian hit men?”

“
Si.
We had Niles, but we couldn’t pin Oleshinsky unless he actually ordered the hits. By this point, Oleshinsky was very concerned that Darren would disappear for good and there would never be a chance to finish him off. The Russians have no idea where the U.S. government is in terms of nanotechnology energy replacement and they certainly didn’t want Darren helping us along, so they figured they’d have this one and only chance to finish off Darren.”

“So, you let the hit continue in order to pin Oleshinsky,” I said. “I suppose that by now, Oleshinsky didn’t care whether Darren’s death looked like an accident or not. Eliminating Darren became a priority.”

“We figured Oleshinsky would have the hit go immediately into motion. That meant I had to play the role of an office drone and couldn’t let the hit man know I was on to him. I dressed as an ordinary government worker who came to escort you and Darren back to Washington. I let him pick up my trail from the airport and led him directly to you. Cambridge authorities had been notified and a SWAT team, as well as undercover police, were in place at the apartment complex before I even arrived. But the
idioti
authorities made a couple of important miscalculations.”

“Which were?” I asked.

“There was more than one hit man and they both recognized the undercover cops as soon as they saw the building.”

“So why’d they proceed?”

“Arrogance? Money? I presume they thought they could outwit the local police. I was informed that one of the SWAT guys had gone missing when we were already in the stairwell. The evacuation was to proceed as planned. The team leader suspected only that a sniper had taken the missing man’s post and sent agents to the spot to secure him.”

“But instead of taking over the sniper post, one of the hit men took his uniform,” I speculated.

“And blended in with the operation. Then, while I was busy with the first one, the other one came from the rear for you and Darren.
Mai più!
”

“What does that mean?”

“Never again,” Slash muttered. “Never again will I let anyone run an operation for me. My operation, my team only.”

“Well, I kind of put you on the spot. I didn’t give you a whole lot of time to prepare anything.”

Slash’s jaw tightened. “Never again.”

After that, we sat quietly, watching the scenery pass. Finally Darren spoke. “Okay. It’s over and we’re safe. What now? Where do I go from here?”

“Your life is still in danger. But the U.S. government can protect you. We can help you start a new life with a new name and a safe place to live.”

“And continue my research?”

“Absolutely. We’ll have to shut down Flow, but your legacy and work will continue. We’re also willing to talk about ethics and the practical environmental concerns of the technology. We know that’s important to you.”

Darren perked up a bit. “An oversight committee of sorts?”

“Si,”
Slash assured him. “But consisting of scientists and ethicists, not politicians or businessmen.”

They discussed that for a while and I was impressed by Slash’s knowledge of STRUT and the ethical issues of energy-replacement nanotechnology. Like me, Slash had probably done his homework. Actually, the only major drawback I could see to this whole arrangement was that the lab was presently situated in some godforsaken town in Iowa.

After several minutes of discussion, Darren’s brow furrowed. “I think it will work. It’s not like I have much of a choice. It’s what I was born to do.”

I couldn’t argue with that but it somehow seemed rather sad that he would have to move to a new place surrounded by unfamiliar people and be guarded round the clock as a top military secret. Hollywood is always playing up how amazing it is to be the Chosen One or the Gifted One, but I could see having a special destiny isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.

We were all silent thinking over what Slash had said. Then I turned to Darren, putting my hand on his arm. “Well, the good news is that Michael gets his justice after all. His death will not be in vain thanks to you.”

“Thanks to us.” Darren took my hand and to my surprise, he lifted it to his lips. “I’ll always be indebted to you for that, Lexi
, meus amicus.
”

I hadn’t taken six years of Latin for nothing. I squeezed his hand in return. “Hey, you’re my friend, too, Darren.
Totus est puteus ut ends puteus.
”

“All’s well that ends well,” he repeated and we both smiled. At that moment, I thought no phrase had ever been truer.

The airport loomed before us in what seemed like record time. We were whisked through a few airport security checkpoints and permitted to drive right up to a fancy silver-and-blue plane parked on the tarmac. The plane was already idling and a dozen or more suited guys with corded earphones surrounded the plane. Finn stood at the bottom of the stairs, pacing back and forth. As soon as he saw the SUV he made a beeline for us.

“Lexi.” He pulled me into a hug. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve been better. But we’re fine, so that’s the upside.”

Finn released me and held out a hand to Darren. “Nice to finally meet you.” He shook Darren’s hand. “You sure kept us busy these past several days.”

“It’s been a hell of a ride.”

Slash hopped out of the SUV and hustled us all up the stairs and into the plane. Several of the suited guys with earphones got on the plane with us and before we could even decide where to sit, we were instructed to separate for a debriefing. For the next hour or so, we were swarmed over by different agents, required to sign papers and reminded the secrecy of the government’s energy nanotechnology plans should be considered top secret.

At some point, the agents decided they had beat me to death with the reminders and left me alone. I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. When I opened them, Slash sat beside me.

“How are you feeling,
cara?
”

“Weird. I’m glad that we found Darren safely and got the justice that Michael deserved, but I’m really worried about a kid who has a lot riding on his shoulders.”

“That kid is the same age as you.”

“True, but I don’t have the responsibilities that he does.”

“It’s the life of a prodigy. We are all gifted in certain ways for a higher purpose.”

I remembered the gold cross Slash wore beneath his shirt and the fact that he had spent several years as a part of Vatican Intelligence.

“It’s nice to believe that all things have a purpose.”

He lifted a dark eyebrow. “And you do not?”

“I’m not sure. It just doesn’t seem fair somehow. Darren has no one now. I mean Michael’s dad is the only person in the world that is close to him. Will Gene Hart ever know the truth about what happened to his son and Darren?”

“
Si, cara.
We will tell him. And there are methods we can employ so that the two of them can see each other and communicate. We no longer operate as in the old days.”

“That’s good. Call me a mother hen, but I think Darren deserves some happiness. I’d hate to think he’d be holed up in a government lab with nothing more than the good of mankind on his shoulders. He needs a life. He needs some friends.”

Slash leaned over and patted my leg. “I think he’s already made a good one.”

At some point later in the flight, Darren extracted himself from the agents. Right about the same time Finn begged off any more debriefing and the two of them joined me simultaneously.

Finn plopped down in the seat. “How did you stand it, Lexi? The government is driving me crazy with regulations, secrecy and paperwork.”

“You worked for MI6. You should be used to this.”

“Hell, even the British version of the CIA doesn’t have regulations like this.”

“Still, you’re a foreigner, Finn. They have to take extra precautions.”

Finn rolled his eyes, but it got a laugh out of Darren.

“You know, I really don’t know how to thank you, Lexi,” Darren said. “I’ve made your life hell and I’m sorry for it. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Hey, all is forgiven and I mean that. And don’t thank me. Thank Finn. His company is what enabled us to find you.”

Finn grinned. “Perhaps. But it looks like I’ve got the company’s most important resource right next to me.” He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

I blushed. “Well, I suppose it helped that we were also able to employ a little good old-fashioned cyber-sleuthing.”

“Hacking,” Darren corrected.

I glanced over at the agents. “Jeez, Darren. Keep your voice down. We’re in mixed company after all.”

Darren grinned and turned to me. “So, will I see you again, Lexi?”

I shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Slash says there are ways around the whole secret-life thing. I think at the very least we should be able to stay in touch.”

“I’d like that.”

“Me, too.”

We landed a few minutes later. After a final good-bye hug, Slash and some other suits quickly whisked Darren away in a black sedan. Finn and I were left standing on the tarmac.

One of the agents turned to us. “Can I drop you two somewhere?”

Finn shook his head and glanced at his watch. “Thanks, but I’ve got my car. Lexi, are you still up for something to eat? I’m not sure I’ve enough energy to prepare linguine tonight, but we can pick up something and bring it back to my place.”

“Sure, it’s your birthday. I’ll do whatever you want. But I should warn you, I didn’t have time to get you a present.”

He grinned. “I think solving our first case is probably the best present anyone could give me.”

“Lucky for me, I didn’t even have to wrap it.”

He laughed and in the car we decided on Chinese food—Hunan Chicken with fried rice, won-ton soup and egg rolls. I held the food on my lap as Finn drove home, enjoying the warmth and the heavenly smell. As we got closer to Finn’s place, it occurred to me that I’d never been there. And since it was an unknown, I began to obsess.

Where the heck did a guy as loaded as Finn live? What if it were some weird-ass mansion with fifty rooms or something like that? I’d feel completely out of place in a museum full of expensive furniture, tapestries and artwork. Where would I sit, what could I touch?

On the other hand, maybe he lived in a playboy-style penthouse condo with a vibrating bed and mirrors on the ceiling. Jeez, I knew for
sure
I wouldn’t be able to do that.

I started breathing through my mouth as Finn told me we were getting close. Then, to my enormous relief, Finn drove into a nice residential area with pretty townhouses and parked in front of a row that backed up to some trees.

He pointed to an end unit with a brown brick façade. “I’m the end unit right here.”

I exhaled a loud breath. “It’s normal.”

“You thought it would be abnormal?”

I smiled too brightly. “I mean, it’s a quiet neighborhood.”

“Well, there are lots of young professionals here. Although a young couple with twin toddlers recently moved in three houses down. The girls are cute as buttons.”

The banter relaxed me as I juggled the bags of food and followed Finn up the sidewalk. He let me in, disarmed his alarm system and pointed me to the kitchen. “Let’s eat in there.” He shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the banister.

I walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light, noticing the beautiful tile floor, dark green granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Modern, but inviting.

“We can eat at the bar.” He pointed to a counter with two stools and a silver light fixture that hung directly over it. “I’ll get us some plates and pour some wine.”

The wine would be excellent. Since Finn’s family owned one of the most profitable wineries in Ireland, he was always plying me with different years and flavors. I’d become so accustomed to the expensive stuff, my palate would never be the same. If things didn’t work out between me and Finn, I’d probably have to swear off wine forever.

Finn handed me two plates, forks and empty wineglasses. He then sat a bottle of wine in front of me and asked for my opinion.

“Pinot Gris 1979. It’s a challenge finding just the right wine with Chinese food. What do you think?”

“Your family label?”

“Of course.”

“Then you know I’m going to like it.”

He twisted the corkscrew in. “You’re so damn easy to please.”

“You ruined me. I used to like the cheap stuff.”

Grinning, he pulled out the cork. With a flourish he filled our wineglasses while I served up the won-ton soup and egg rolls.

We ate while companionably discussing some of the finer points of the day’s activities. Finn refilled my wineglass twice and it wasn’t long before I felt a nice warm buzz coming on.

Finn cleared the dishes and dumped them in the sink while I packed up the leftovers and put them in the refrigerator.

When we were done Finn leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Want to see the rest of the house?”

I was curious about how a guy like Finn lived. “Sure.”

Handing me my wineglass, he said, “Follow me.”

We walked through a simple dining room with a dark wood table and chairs and into the living room. A worn brown leather couch and two reclining chairs were positioned in front of a gas fireplace, above which hung a large flat-screen television. The room wasn’t pretentious as I had feared, just warm and inviting. Kind of like Finn himself.

I followed him up the hardwood stairs, past a hall bathroom and into a comfortable guest room. Next to that room was a home office with a bed, presumably to accommodate more guests and a simple home gym with a treadmill, weights and a bench.

“Hey, Finn, this is really nice.”

“Glad you approve.”

“Well, not that it means much as I don’t know anything about interior design.”

“Then we’re on the same page.”

He led me to the last room on the floor to what was obviously the master suite.

I stopped in the doorway and whistled. “Sweeeet.”

Finn had a simple platform bed in mahogany wood, behind which was a matching headboard with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on either side. The bedding was light brown with a scatter of silk brown pillows. Track lighting inside the bookshelf and over the bed gave the room a soft glow. A brown leather chair with an off-white pillow sat to the right of the bed and a dark rug had been positioned directly under the bed.

“I can’t claim credit,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me into the room. “I hired a designer just for this room. I wanted a place where I could get away, lock the door and completely be myself.”

I sighed. “It’s perfect.”

He set my wineglass on a matching mahogany dresser and pulled me into his arms. “You’re perfect. What would you say if I tried to steal another kiss?”

“Didn’t we already have this discussion?”

“Okay. I admit I’m hoping for a repeat performance where I’m desperate to get a certain woman off my mind and a pretty lass takes pity on me by giving me a kiss.”

“Am I the certain woman or the pretty lass?”

“Both, of course.”

“And what does the pretty lass do, exactly?”

“Hmm…she kisses me.”

“Like this?” I lifted my mouth to his.

“Like that. Only open your lips slightly, perhaps.”

I parted my lips. “Better?”

“Infinitely. I like when the pretty lass is a quick study.”

“I like it when you call me pretty.”

I stood on tiptoe, wound my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. This time he didn’t let me pull away. He kissed me back, his mouth slanting over mine. He tasted spicy and sweet.

After a moment, he threaded his fingers in my hair and started nibbling his way down to my throat. “You smell like smoke,” he murmured against my skin.

“You would, too, if you were anywhere in the near vicinity of a GLOCK 34.”

His chuckle vibrated on the sensitive area near my collarbone, causing me to shiver. Jeez, where
was
he going with that mouth of his?

“I wouldn’t mind taking a shower,” he said. “How about you?”

I froze. Was he suggesting a shower? Together?

A million thoughts raced through my head. I’d practiced Pussy Galore. I’d danced nearly naked in front of a room full of guys I didn’t even know. I could handle a shower with Finn. Right? Then why couldn’t I breathe?

Apparently sensing either my fear, indecision or both, he nipped at my earlobe. “You get undressed. I’ll get the towels.”

He was giving me time to figure this out. “Ah, okay. A shower is probably a good idea.”

Taking my glass of wine from the dresser and swallowing a big gulp, I walked into the master bath. It had a huge jetted tub and a pretty glass-enclosed stand-up shower. I reached into the shower and turned the hot water on, letting it run over my hand.

“Jeez, that feels good,” I murmured. I slipped out of my jeans and unbuttoned my blouse, laying them on the sink. Feeling a bit light-headed from the wine and the possibility that I might be completely naked in a minute with Finn, I sat atop the toilet seat in my boring white panties and cotton bra. I wished I’d worn something sexier, but then again, I’d thought I’d have plenty of time to return to my apartment for a change of clothes before coming over to Finn’s place. Well, the best-laid plans…

I jumped when he spoke.

“Here you go.” He stood in the doorway to the bathroom with some towels in his hands.

My cheeks heated although I pretended like it was no big deal to be half-naked in front of a guy. “Ah, thanks.”

“You’re lovely.” He set the towels down and walked over to me. Pulling me to my feet, he slid his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. I melted into him. His warm hands slid up my bare back until they reached my bra hooks. In seconds, without any visual aid, he’d unfastened my bra. The guy was a freaking genius. It always took me at least two or three attempts. Apparently Finn was a master bra unhooker because,
boom,
just like that, he stepped back from me, my bra dangling from his fingertips.

I resisted the urge to cover myself. He didn’t stare at me, just held the bra and sort of lingered.

Suddenly I realized he was waiting for either an invitation or a rejection. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I cleared my throat and tried again, but whatever I wanted to say was locked up good and tight.

I felt like crying. Oh, God, it was official. I was a big, honking, clucking chicken.

Finn knew at once and was gracious, as always. “You go first. I’ll wait out here.”

I liked him more than ever.

I still couldn’t say anything, so I just nodded. He left and I sat back down on the toilet, putting my head in my hands.

Idiot, idiot, idiot.