Authors: Lisa Eugene
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that the steady bleeping sound filling the room took time to register. When it did, she whistled out a shocked breath and ran to the door, yelling for Gabe. He was at her side in mere moments, his expression acknowledging the signal from the computer. Silently, she followed his long strides to the desk, her heart pounding against her ribs. The blinking cursor seemed to wink at her, a beacon of hope and promise, or death and despair. She didn’t know. She took a deep breath and watched Gabe’s long fingers fly across the keyboard.
DR. ROLLINS?
She held her breath, wondering how Gabe could appear to be so calm. A full minute passed and she could feel rivulets of sweat slide down her back. She was just about to question Gabe when the cursor started jumping with letters.
Victoria: WHO IS THIS?
Gabe: ARE YOU VICTORIA ROLLINS?
Victoria: YES. WHO IS THIS?
Gabe looked at Maggie, his onyx eyes pensive. “We can’t be sure it’s her.”
Maggie chewed on her bottom lip, her fingers twisting nervously. “We have to take the chance…This is too important.”
“I don’t want to walk into a trap, Maggie. There’ve been too many.”
Maggie gasped. “Wait! Ask her her grandmother’s name.”
Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “
What?”
“I’ll explain later, just ask her!”
She watched as Gabe obeyed and typed in the question.
Victoria: ‘MILLICENT’
“It’s her, Gabe! I’ll explain later.’
Her heart leaped in her chest as Gabe took a leap of faith and started typing.
Gabe: ‘I’M A FRIEND. I HAVE YOUR RESEARCH DATA’
There was another long pause where Maggie thought she’d pass out from lack of oxygen. She felt such anxiety that her brain kept forgetting to tell her lungs to expand.
Victoria: THANK GOD!! I NEED IT BACK. I’VE BEEN GOING CRAZY. I’M SNOWED IN IN AUSTRIA. BEEN GETTING SKETCHY REPORTS FROM MY SCIENTIST. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAB?
Gabe: CANE HOWARD
Victoria: HE CAN’T BE TRUSTED!!! HE’S BEEN TRYING TO GET THE DATA. WHAT DO YOU WANT? I DON’T HAVE ANY MONEY.’
Gabe: NOT MONEY
He gave Maggie a sidelong glance, then his fingers raced across the keypad again. ‘I NEED INFO ON CANE.’
Victoria: INFO?
Gabe: YES. SOMETHING I CAN USE AGAINST HIM.
Another pause had Maggie wringing her fingers white. She hadn’t expected this.
Victoria: I HAVE SOMETHING. BUT I NEED TO THINK ABOUT IT. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHY ARE YOU GIVING IT BACK?
Gabe sent Maggie another glance, then wrote:
BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I HAVE TO SIGN OFF NOW. WILL BE IN TOUCH SOON.
Maggie felt her heart pump out pure undiluted joy and a profound tenderness for the man sitting in the chair next to her.
Gabe paused. ‘DO NOT TELL
ANYONE
ABOUT THIS
CONVERSATION. SOMEONE IN YOUR COMPANY GAVE CANE ALL OF YOUR LOG IN CODES AND SECURITY SCHEDULES.
DO NOT TRUST ANYONE
.’
‘WAIT!! HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH—’
The screen went blank and Maggie exhaled a tormented breath. Her stomach was performing a complex routine of acrobatics, and her mind was barely managing its balancing act. Her thoughts were about to tumble everywhere. She saw Gabe expel the breath he’d been holding and realized how risky their endeavor had been. She couldn’t help but feel good about it, though.
“You think she believes us?” she asked tentatively.
“She believes we have it. She doesn’t trust us.” Gabe took her hand and pulled her onto his lap.
“She may be afraid of Cane,” Maggie surmised.
Gabe nodded. “She should be.”
“Do you really think she has something on him?”
He pushed his unruly hair back. “I don’t know. What’s with ‘Millicent’? How were you assured it was her? ”
“After one of her lectures, a small group of nurses got a chance to ask her some questions. One nurse had asked her who her inspiration was and she said her grandmother, Millicent. I only remember the name because it’s also my mom’s name.”
He nodded thoughtfully then sank his nose into her neck.
Maggie wiggled away from the tickly sensations, trying to coral her thoughts.
“Do you think someone in her company is a traitor?”
“Yes. Cane got all of his info from someone inside the company. That’s how I was able to get in so easily and steal the research.”
“You don’t know who it is?”
“No. I believe Harry did though, but he never told me.” Gabe bounced the tip of his nose on her naked shoulder. “You smell good.”
Maggie smiled and perused his naked chest and wrinkled sweat pants. She sat gingerly on his lap. “You don’t. You smell like sweaty sex.”
He grinned and inhaled deeply. “Yes, I do.” He looked like he was breathing in a fresh bouquet of flowers.
Maggie stood abruptly and gave him her sternest look, the one she usually reserved for non-compliant patients.
“Into the bath you go!”
He stood, towering over her, his broad shoulders and wide chest bulging with muscle, his expression one of a recalcitrant child. Then, the corner of his luscious lips kicked up. “Only if you do my back,” he grinned. “And…front.”
She gave an exaggerated sigh and with a barely concealed grin, ordered him into the bathroom.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gabe: ARE YOU CERTAIN?
Victoria: ABSOLUTELY. THAT’S WHY WE DENIED CANE ACCESS TO THE RESEARCH.
Maggie looked at Gabe and saw the horror she felt reflected in his eyes. She couldn’t believe the information that Victoria Rollins had just given them. They’d now had several brief conversations with her and were learning more and more about Cryostar’s relationship with Cane Howard. Cane had been trying to acquire the research data in order to sell it to the highest bidder. He owned Cryostar and, along with other sponsors, funded the project, but had no legal rights to the actuall research data. He was to earn a large percentage from the sale of the Sonic Scalpel.
As a sponsor and company owner, he’d get periodic updates and reports on the progress of the research. It was only in the last year that he’d started pressuring the Rollins into giving him access to the actual theories, trial data and statistics. Dr. Rollins had become suspicious and started snooping around his office. That’s when she’d learned his intent, and of the horrific atrocities that could occur if he ever got his hands on her research.
That was when she’d decided to upgrade security and had changed all her passwords. Cane had become so enraged that he’d bought a second research company, ARSA, and threatened to fund a new competing project there. But Dr. Rollins knew his real objective was to scare her into relinquishing her research. He wanted to sell it to interested foreign governments for the purpose of creating biomolecular weapons. They weren’t interested in the Sonic Scalpel for treating dangerous tumors. They wanted the cellular recognition technology. She’d been horrified to see several bids for her research from political powers all over the world and even some high profile individuals of dubious distinction.
Her research not only provided a way to distinguish cancerous cells from normal cells, it also allowed for a much deeper characterization of the cells and human genome. Maggie had been amazed and terrified at the discovery. Scientists had decoded the human genome at the turn of the century. From what she’d read, it portrayed proof that all humankind was remarkably similar. The DNA of any two people was at least ninety nine percent identical.
She knew the remaining one percent was being eagerly studied, but she’d never imagined the potential ramifications. It was that one percent that made groups of people different. It was quite possible for someone to use Dr. Rollins’ technology to scan the genome for DNA hallmarks that were unique to a specific group of people. Taking it a step further, it was entirely possible to conceive a biomolecular weapon to target only that group and essentially commit genocide.
Maggie watched Gabe get up from his chair, his long legs taking him to the window overlooking the front of the house. Silvery moonlight filtered in, turning the strands of his hair to black silk. She could see the weight of the information pressing down on his shoulders. He sighed and turned back to her, his dark eyes seething with anger and determination. Having come to some conclusion, he stalked back to the computer and typed.
Gabe: WHERE CAN I GET PROOF?
Victoria: THE FILE IS ON HIS DESKTOP AT HIS CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS. IT’S ALL THERE. I SAW IT.
Gabe: WHEN ARE YOU FLYING IN?
Victoria: THEY’RE PREDICTING THAT THE BLIZZARD SHOULD END BY TOMORROW, THE SOONEST I MAY BE ABLE TO GET OUT IS IN TWO DAYS. PLEASE DON’T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO MY RESEARCH. IT’S MY LIFE.
Maggie’s heart reached out to Dr. Rollins. She’d been desperately trying to find a way back to the States since the incident at the lab, but because of inclement weather, was unable to leave Austria. She and her husband had gone there to meet a preeminent cellular biologist and to attend his lecture on tumor markers.
Victoria: DO YOU THINK SOMEONE ON MY TEAM GAVE CANE THE INFORMATION?
Gabe: YES.
Victoria: BUT NO ONE KNEW MY NEW PASSWORDS EXCEPT FOR MY HUSBAND. SOMEONE MUST HAVE GOTTEN THEM SOMEHOW.
Gabe turned his head to Maggie and they shared a speculative glance.
Gabe: LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE. I WILL MEET YOU AND HAND OVER THE DATA.
Victoria: THANK YOU. HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU?
Gabe sat thoughtful for a moment and Maggie could sense his indecision. Then his fingers dance over the letters.
Gabe: I WILL SIGN OFF. THEN IN FIVE MINUTES YOU WILL GET A MESSAGE FROM ME WITH A SECURE WAY TO CONTACT ME.
When Gabe asked Maggie to go for a walk she was thrilled. Although the house was beautiful, she’d started to go stir crazy from being sequestered. Truth be told, she wasn’t really a nature person. She preferred the comfort of a sterile, predictable environment, but the idea of a walk with Gabe and seeing more of the gorgeous property appealed to her, especially with the magnificent views of the grounds she espied from the panoramic windows. The resplendent blooms of mid spring could be seen far into the distance until they met the wall of tall verdant trees. The grounds close to the house were meticulously manicured with beds of colorful tulips and daffodils, but beyond that nature displayed its uninhibited splendor in bright splashes of color. Maggie followed Gabe silently down a windy track towards the sound of rushing water.
The tall trees created shade on this unusually hot day and allowed small puddles of sunlight to dapple their path. She tried to match Gabe’s stride, but his long legs made it difficult. Instead, she followed single file and enjoyed the view she had of him from behind. He cautioned her to watch her step and distracted, she grunted a reply. Her gaze scanned the breadth of his wide shoulders, the narrow slope of his waist, and moved down to the muscular loaves of his tight butt.
Oh, she loved nature!
She was so engrossed in her lurid assessment that she didn’t notice the root twisting across her path and tripped headlong into Gabe’s back. With uncanny speed, he turned and caught hold of her. He tilted her back upright and regarded her with concern then barely veiled humor. Maggie felt her cheeks redden like ripe cherries and mumbled something about being distracted by a bird.
Bird? Bird? Couldn’t she come up with something better?
“Bird?” She watched the edges of Gabe’s lips pull and wanted to wipe the knowing smugness from his handsome face.
Frustrated and burning with embarrassment, she responded testily, “Yes! A
bird.”
He shifted his weight on his long legs, his smile threatening to escape from hiding.
“What did it look like?”
It had tight buns!
She threw her hands up.
What a ridiculous question!
“I don’t know…it had wings and feathers and…a… a beak!”
She watched him bite his lip; his mirthful eyes were a chocolate brown. He quirked a brow. “I think you were checking me out.”
“No way! Of course not! No. I was too busy minding my way.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” He smiled and turned around, twining her fingers in his larger ones.
Smartass!
Maggie bristled behind him, but smiled slyly when her gaze began to peruse his ass and thick hamstrings. Gabe stopped along a silvery stream and she followed him to the perch of a large stone overlooking the water.
“This place is beautiful.” She looked around at the small clearing. Hyacinths sprouted all around them, their bright lilac mingled with the yellow daisies to paint a beautiful cheery canvas. She sat next to him, drew her knees up and tilted her face towards the sun. They sat like that for several moments until Gabe’s deep voice intruded.
“The Rollins’ research is amazing.”
“Yeah, I had no idea of its depth. I though the cell recognition was merely for cancerous versus non-cancerous cells.”
She still couldn’t believe the brilliance of the Rollins’ invention or the results of the research. She shuddered to think what the research could mean in the hands of a madman. She was eternally pleased that Gabe hadn’t handed it over to Cane. She braced her head on his shoulder, absorbing the firm comfort.
“I’ve been going through it. It’s very complex, but she’s helped to explain a lot.”
“In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous. Do you think it’s her husband who gave Cane the codes and schedules?”
“I don’t know. He’s known for being a sketchy character. She said she hasn’t divulged any of our conversations to him.”
“Do you believe her?”
She sensed his nod. “We have to get it back to her as soon as possible.”
Maggie paused, bracing herself for what she was about to say. Something had been gnawing at her since their last exchange with Victoria Rollins.