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The phone vibrates. Felix’s name lights the screen. But it’s not just a call. It’s a FaceTime call. Dude. Video?
I shift as smoothly as I can, careful to keep my finger off the accept button until I’m across the den and behind the closed bedroom door.
I answer the call, holding the phone away the way folks do for a video call. “You can’t text?”
Felix’s brown head and black crew top take up most of the space on the screen. Behind him is a window and a view I recognize as the building that’s across the street from Arrow.
“Your place was under surveillance.”
“Did you see them?”
“Max approached. Got tags. Guy spotted him when he snapped a photo. Pulled out a gun.”
“Seriously? In broad daylight?”
“Cars and pedestrians passing. Fire exchanged.”
“Holy shit. Is Max okay?”
“He’s fine. Down at the station answering questions. Guy got away, but we ID’d him with visual recognition. Jasper Villanova. A known hired assassin. Dual citizenship to US and UK.”
Fire exchanged. Right on our street. Baby carriages and kids walk on our street. “Any collateral damage?”
“No. Got lucky. But we had a call with Interpol.”
“Yeah?”
“Ryan relayed Sage’s suggestion. Requested an international missing persons PR campaign. Blow it out of the water. See if applying pressure to locate Sloane cancels the hunt for Sage.”
I collapse back on the bed and hold the phone up to the ceiling. I have a view of Felix’s head and a smooth white ceiling. “I’m not convinced Sage’s theory is correct. Everything he said today indicated the plan was to take her alive.”
In the military, interrogation would be the first reason to take someone alive. To gain information. The other reasons would be to blackmail, threaten, or negotiate.
“Interesting. But Interpol said no dice on the missing person campaign.”
“It’s not their call.” We don’t need them to hit the media.
“You sure you can trust her?” Felix adjusts the camera. He watches me. Closely. I suppose this is why we’re on a video call.
“She doesn’t know anything, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
His lips purse. He nods. “The Interpol contact Ryan mentioned earlier? He’s based in London. Tristan. He’s the one who campaigned to keep it quiet. For the short-term.”
A derisive snort escapes from me. Completely unprofessional, but you just gotta love people who are halfway across the world calling shots.
“Yeah, right?” Felix says, catching my distaste. “But, to give the guy credit, he didn’t make any demands. Just expressed doubt it would be effective, and he promised to keep digging on his end. There was a lady from Interpol on the call, too. She shared that they monitor the black-market trade. Origins hit their watch list because they received an anonymous report that they’ve been violating international law on how long they grow and develop cells. Fourteen days is the legal max. Doesn’t sound like it’s a top priority for Interpol, though. The logic in holding back on the PR campaign was two-fold. One, they didn’t think it would ultimately deliver Sloane to safety. And two, the lab Sloane worked at is still operating out of the Caymans. She said places like that will relocate overnight if the heat gets turned on. If they are, in fact, running some kind of illegal operation.”
Sloane almost lost her sister when she was waiting on a transplant list. Is it possible she somehow rationalized being a part of the organ trade? No, she’s a scientist. Not a surgeon. “There’s no way Sloane would be involved in something illegal.” I say the words, but not because I completely believe them. I’ve been around the block enough to believe that perspective plays a role in moral decisions.
“Tristan said all the black-market businesses these days have legitimate fronts. Given Sloane’s a cellular scientist, his running theory is wrong place, wrong time. She stumbled on something. But they want to keep her working.”
“So, he believes she’s alive?”
“That’s his theory. He suggested they want Sage to force Sloane to do something she doesn’t want to do. Do you know if she has any surgical training?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Well, regardless, this Tristan guy’s theory is interesting. He said that, based on what we’re telling him, Sage is the only person they can hold over Sloane.”
