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“I’d like to help you out, but how am I supposed to find you a lab?”
“Don’t yank my chain, Cody. If you’re not using, you know who is.”
“Whoa, whoa. We are not discussing this over the phone.”
“All right. We’ll discuss it up there. I should be in town around ten o’clock tonight.”
“Should I pick you up at the airport?”
“I’m driving in.”
He whistled. “I don’t even know what’s going on with you right now, but I’m not sure I want to get involved.”
“You don’t have a choice, little bro.” She looked at Max and shrugged. “Why are you so jumpy?”
“I didn’t want to tell you, didn’t want to worry you, but there’s some weird stuff going on up here.”
Ava’s pulse picked up speed. “What are you talking about?”
“At work the other day, one of the other snowboard instructors told me someone was sniffing around looking for me—didn’t sound like anyone I knew and he didn’t give her a name.”
“Maybe it was someone looking for lessons.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why are you so sure? You’re in a tourist resort. It could be anyone asking about you.”
“Two days later, I came home late from a party and someone had broken into my place and trashed it.”
“What?”
“Yeah, and the weird thing is I think whoever trashed it was still there...waiting for me.”
“What makes you say that?” Her hand gripped the small phone so tightly it almost popped out of her grasp.
“I just felt it, so I didn’t go inside. Turned right around and headed for my buddy’s place.”
“Did you call the police?”
“I don’t want to draw attention to myself here. My friend and I just went in and cleaned up later and then I got some new locks.”
She blew out a breath. “Be careful, Cody. I’ll call you when I get in tonight.”
After she ended the call, Ava cupped the phone between two hands and twisted her head to the side to look at Max. “What do you think of all that?”
“I think Tempest tracked him down.”
Chapter Eleven
Ava’s eyes widened, but her grim mouth told him she’d already suspected the same.
“It makes sense. Tempest wouldn’t have any trouble tracking down your brother, especially if he’s already in the system.” He closed his hand around hers to soften his words.
“I don’t know about that, Max. I never put Cody’s name on any paperwork. Dr. Arnoff knew about him, of course, but I didn’t have him listed with HR. If they did track him down, d-do you think they’ll hurt him?”
“They might...ah...try to get him to talk if they think he knows your whereabouts.”
Her right eye twitched, and he smoothed his hand across her brow.
He said, “If they’re watching him and he goes about his business, maybe they’ll leave him alone.”
“But not if he goes about his business finding me a lab.”
He squeezed her hands. “Tempest is good but not that good, Ava. They still don’t know how much we know, what we’re after. They only know I’ve pieced together parts of their scheme and what they’ve been doing to the agents. They have no idea we’re looking for a lab to mix up an antidote. They may not even know about the antidote.”
“I’m pretty sure Dr. Arnoff didn’t go blabbing to his superiors about testing the T-101 on himself, so maybe he never mentioned the antidote.” Her fingers twisted beneath his hold. “I just don’t want to drag Cody into this.”
He got that. He hadn’t wanted to drag Ava into this either, but Tempest had already done its part to make sure she was up to her neck in it. “We can turn around right now, find some other lab, abandon the whole project.”
“No.” She pinned her shoulders to the back of the seat. “This is your only chance, Max. We have to see it through.”
“It’s up to you.”
“Snow Haven it is.”
They crossed through a corner of Colorado, and the temperatures dropped as the elevation rose. Ava offered to drive, and they switched places.
