“Dracule mentionedit.”
After a pregnant pause, he leaned close, as if he were going to share a fantastic secret. “MonsieurDracule likes a quick nap before his connections. Here at Incognito, we accommodate even the most extremeneeds.”
The coldness in his eyes belied his words.He’slying.
With a tight smile, he tapped the tablet. “If you’re interested in connecting with someone soon, I suggest you start your search in our ‘New Members’section.”
She studied his face for an extra beat before turning her attention to the club’s website. “Merci.”
“Until tomorrow.Bienvenue aIncognito.” After a slight bow, he vanished around thecorner.
Based on his recommendation, Alexandra clicked on “New Members”, filtered the list by “Male” and scrolled through the photos of masked men. But she was too preoccupied with Francois’s answer about rejuvenation to pay much attention to the photographs. The journalist in her wanted to dig deeper to find outwhathe was hiding. Whether a curse or a blessing, being suspicious was secondnature.
She continued scrolling.Too happy. Too thin. Too old. Toogoofy.
Bam!
Her heart skipped a beat. A gorgeous man stopped her cold. Even though he’d concealed three-quarters of his face behind a black devil mask, those steel blue eyes paired with an undeniable confidence, sent a whoosh of energy straight to her core.Wow, he’shot.
Insta-lust worked every damn time. She tapped hisprofile.
Name:Hunter
Stats: 6’2”, brown hair, blue eyes, 225lbs.
Age Range: 30-35
Member Level:Elite
Fetishes:Women
Restrictions: No oral, always masked. No smalltalk.
He’s perfect.The erotic club would be her new late night escape. She requested a connection for the following evening and hit send.I’m going to like ithere.
On her way home, she couldn’t shake Dracule’s comment about rejuvenation. He’d piqued her curiosity, but Francois’s shifty reaction had provoked her interest. Her favorite professor at USC had harped on one fact: Everyone guards a secret. As a journalist, your job is to find out what that is and flush out thetruth.
3
Crockett’s Spy Flies
Crockett Wilde’s long,nimblefinger controlled the hovering insect with a light touch on the tablet. His audience remained silent, save for the heavyset man’s occasional wheezing. Because Crockett didn’t permit cameras inside his lab, his guests’ cell phones had been secured in his office safe while they sat cozy as kittens around a conference table. Wilde Innovations’s Think Tank housed a white conference table, six white chairs and a wiped-down white board attached to a white wall. No windows. The sole entry point was the white door, which opened into the spacious lab. The simplicity of his white room allowed clarity when thinking, though he also found the space a source of comfort when he couldn’t quiet the demons that plaguedhim.
As Crockett landed the tiny creature on the top of the conference room doorknob, his visitors spun in their chairs, fascinated by its every move. These four individuals from the FBI were the gatekeepers he needed to impress. Not only could their decision bring him one step closer to another significant win for his company, their procuring his devices might help locate his sister and bring her home. That, above all else, motivated CrockettWilde.
To his left sat his cousin, FBI Case Agent, Danny Strong. A dedicated agent, Danny’s expertise with surveillance equipment made him a subject matter expert. Over the past several months, he’d advocated hard for state-of-the-art surveillance equipment. This meeting was step one in the agency’s mission to improveoperations.
The three lead members for the source selection evaluation panel from the FBI’s Criminal Division included the Contracting Officer, Deputy Director of Field Operations, and Surveillance ProgramManager.
Though today’s outcome was critical to Crockett both personally and professionally, he was neither nervous nor excited. The determination that spurred him forward also anchored him to work late into the evening and on many-a-weekend. He was driven, but his motives were selfish. Staying focused redirected his constant pain and utter frustration. Some called him obsessed but he didn’t give a fuck what anyonesaid.
All eyes stayed glued to the stealth Horse Fly as Crockett maneuvered the tiny robot in mid-air before achieving a flawless landing on the Formica. Another tap on the tablet and the Black Fly rose undetected from the corner of the floor. It blended so well with the carpet that the Deputy Director of Field Ops jumped when it hovered next toher.
“Very lifelike,” she said, quickly composingherself.
“Thank you,” said Crockett. “The insect on the table is modeled after the Horse Fly. The Black Fly isairborne.”
Crockett’s cousin, Danny, pulled two flying beetles from his pocket and set them on the table. “For comparison. These surveillance devices are what the agency currentlyuses.”
