He smiled. “Benjamin, it’s not polite to threaten your sister with kompromat.”
I laughed, then stopped in my tracks. “Kompromat.”
“Yes. I’m sure we all have things we could tell your mother that… Oh, I see. That look on your face isn’t about the family. It’s about whatever it is that has kept you from starting the job in Chicago.”
“I can neither confirm, nor deny, nor discuss.”
“That’s my boy.” He sighed. “God help us both.”
I jumpedinto Kyle’s car that I’d borrowed, strapped in, and drove toward the highway. Then I hit the speed-dial number for Savannah’s HEAT-supplied cell phone. She picked up on the first ring.
“I know what we’re looking for!” We both said at once. “What?”
“You first,” I said.
“Ben, it’s not just about the money and bank accounts. It’s about—”
“Kompromat,” I said. “Like they plan to use against you. They—”
“Gather data on all their recruits, then they hold it over their heads. When I told Pasco what I thought WCI was hiding on those servers, it took him almost no time to find it. We’re printing out the files as we speak, and we’ll start combing through them.”
I glanced in my rearview mirror. There was a black sedan in the left lane tracking to my flank that drew my suspicion.
Savannah was explaining how the team was reviewing and classifying the information Pasco was uncovering. Anson and his organization seemed to have secrets about every person they’d pulled into the cult under the pretense of management courses and self-improvement classes.
Now another black sedan was on my tail. I slowed down. Neither car made a move to pass me.
“All these people have kompromat hanging over their heads,” Savannah said. “When we find the file on Devlin, I could get answers about what he’s been doing to the company. Ben?”
“Still here. I’m on my way to HQ now, so I can help…” I stopped speaking. The car on my flank sped up and passed me, then pulled in front of me.
“Ben?”
“I’ll be there in about forty minutes to help.” The car behind me drifted into the lane to my left, and now it was on my flank. “Sav, are you in the conference room with the team right now?”
“I am.”
“Is Pasco there, and if so, can you put me on speaker?”
“He is.”
“Hayes, what’s up?” Pasco said.
“Are you tracking my phone?” Shit. A third black car was now on my tail.
“Hold on,” Pasco said. He came back in less than a minute. “I’ve got you on I-97.”
“Can you get a visual with traffic cams?”
I heard his fingers clacking on keys.
“What’s wrong?” Savannah asked. Her voice was tight.
I hated worrying her. “Probably nothing, but I might have company.”
As I finished speaking, the car in the left lane moved in beside me, the car behind me sped up, and the driver in the car in front of me slammed on the brakes. Metal screeched, and glass shattered around me. A bright light flashed, and a loud pop echoed in my ears.
My last thought wasChrist on toast, I might be shot.
