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“Does anyone else know anything about this? The CIA? Prospero?”
“God, I hope not.” He broke his sandwich in half and prodded the crumbs on his plate with the tip of his finger. “The implications that the CIA or Prospero knows what Tempest is up to is too chilling to contemplate.”
She narrowed her eyes. “But you’ve contemplated it.”
“That’s why I haven’t contacted either agency. I’m not willing to take the risk.” He took a bite of his sandwich and wiped his fingers on a napkin. Then he spun the laptop around to face him. “Have you checked the agent tracking program?”
“No. We’re not going after anyone, Max. We need to work on this antidote. As it is, Cody is going to have to come up with the chemicals for the formula, even if he can find me a lab.”
“We may not have far to go.” He turned the laptop sideways on the table and flicked the screen. “It looks like this agent has come up from Mexico to Texas. It’ll be easier to reach him now that he’s in the States.”
“After—” she closed the lid on the laptop “—we shoot you up with antidote.”
“The sooner the better.” He tapped her phone. “When you make that call to Cody, put him on Speaker.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“I don’t trust him. Do you blame me?”
“Not at all.” She popped the last bite of his sandwich in her mouth and dabbed her lips with a napkin. “In that case, I’d better make the call from the car. I don’t want the cops coming down on me now as I discuss meth labs with my brother.”
Max brought the plate and cups back to the counter and rapped his knuckles on the wood. “Is there someplace nearby where we can print a file from a thumb drive?”
“There’s a twenty-four-hour copy shop about a mile down this street.”
“Thanks.”
When they got back to the car, Ava pulled the phone from her purse. “I’m not sure he’s going to pick up a call from an unknown number.”
“Leave a message.”
She punched the speed-dial number for her brother and pressed the speaker button on the side. As she suspected, the phone rang four times and then voice mail picked up.
“Hey, man, I’m probably shredding. Leave me a message.”
“Hi, Cody. It’s me, Ava. Give me a call ASAP. I need a favor.”
Max cocked an eyebrow. “Do you think telling him you need a favor is the best way to get him to call back?”
“The best way.” She winked. “I told you he feels guilty about what happened before. I never ask him for favors, so he’ll jump at the chance.”
“Is he going to balk at the request?” He started the car and maneuvered out of the shopping center’s parking lot.
“Coming from me? Maybe. Coming from anyone else? Just another day in the life of Cody Whitman.”
Max parked in front of the copy shop, and Ava patted the side pocket of her purse where she’d stashed the thumb drive. “Got it.”
The clerk behind the counter directed them to a computer in the corner. “You can use that one. It’ll scan your media first, and if there’s a problem, you won’t be able to continue.”
Max waved. “I’m sure it’s fine, thanks.”
Ava inserted the thumb drive and printed out a copy of the file with the formula. When she took it off the printer, she folded it and stuffed it in her purse. “Okay, that’s two backups.”
On the way back to the car, her phone rang. “Cody?”
“Yep. What’s up, Ava?”
“Hang on just a minute.”
Max unlocked the car and they both slid inside. Then Ava put the phone on Speaker. “I need your help, Cody.”
“I figured that from your message. Anything. You know I’m good for it.”
Ava rolled her eyes at Max. “You’re at Snow Haven, right? I’m on my way up to Salt Lake, and I need a lab.”
“Yeah, yeah. Snow Haven.” He coughed. “A lab? Aren’t you still working for Dr. Arnoff?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later, but right now I need a place to work.”
