“Because I talked to her today.”
I lean forward. “You talked to Sienna today?”
Did she mention whether or not she was upset that I blew up her Exuma beach house yesterday?
Maybe she doesn’t know yet.
“We spoke a half hour ago, and she’s still working on her assignment. She’s fine. In fact, she’s more than fine. She’s about to blow the entire case wide open. So leave her alone and let her do her thing.”
My fingers swipe through my hair. “That doesn’t make sense. Sienna’s the one that contacted me. She’s the one that said she was in trouble. Why would she say that if everything’s fine?”
“Maybe you misunderstood her.”
“Trust me. I didn't misunderstand her. There’s something bigger going on, and I won’t stop until I figure it out.”
“Park,” Derek lets out a heavy sigh, “if I were you, I’d walk away. This isn’t your mission.”
“I’m in too deep. I can’t walk away.” My voice turns pleading. “Are you going to help me or not?”
Derek spouts off a string of swear words. “I’m supposed to be getting ready to go to my niece's Christmas program. Instead, I’m engaging in illegal activity with you.” In the background, a door slams, and a few seconds later, his fingers type over a keyboard.
load the pictures into an encrypted email and transfer them to Derek. “I need you to do that fancy facial recognition stuff with the people in the photographs I just sent you.”
“If this gets me fired, I’m coming after you. I don’t care what kind of skills you have. I have more. I can kill you by pushing a button on my computer.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
“These pictures are crap.” He’s silent for a few seconds as he types. “I mean, they’re crap for everyone else but me. But since I’m brilliant at my job, I was able to match the faces with some files in our database. I’m sending you the information now.”
I curl my fingers into a fist, pressing them against my mouth as I wait for his information to download. The picture pops up right as Derek reads his findings over the phone.
“It looks like the tall guy pictured is a hitman Tom Aleksi. Probably a bodyguard to the other man pictured. A Nicholas Lawerence, a chemist from New York. Currently resides in Boston.”
My brows fold together, and I lean forward, looking closer at my computer screen.
Nicholas Lawrence?
As inLacee’sNicholas Lawrence?
I should’ve recognized that stupid peacoat.
“That’s all I can do to help you, Park. I can’t get involved beyond this.”
“I get it.” I can’t tear my eyes away from the picture. I’m trying to finish my conversation with Derek while my mind runs through a thousand things. “What you’ve done today is enough.”
“I wish I could help more, but I have my career to consider.”
“It’s fine. Enjoy your niece’s Christmas program.”
“Good luck.”
I click off the call and lean back into my chair, studying Nicholas Lawrence’s facial recognition file that Derek sent me. Why is Lacee’s ex-boyfriend pictured in a file with weapons of mass destruction? A few pieces to the puzzle start to fit into place. The weapons on the computer chips are allchemicaland require a chemist to develop the formulas. And Nicholas Lawrence was at the mall the day I intercepted the second computer chip.
So was Lacee.
My heart sinks.
Is she somehow involved in all of this?
