Page 53 of Deadly Alliance

The hacker answered at the first ring. “Yeah. What’s up Shane?”

Ignoring that the women knew who was calling despite their phones being encrypted and that fact would freak out even the most seasoned operative, he spoke right away. “When you went through Bea’s files, did you find anything about her hiring through specialised groups or agencies? Maybe something about searching for a specific type of competency or skill for Purgatory?”

Shane heard Owen’s voice in the background. Dee was obviously changing locations.

“You still at Fortis?”

“Yeah, Will wanted a hand on a project of his and Owen tagged along. Will is getting food and should be back soon. Owen was supposed to play delivery man but acted like a baby and didn’t want to get our dinner.”

Shane wasn’t surprised. After what happened, it would have been unbelievable to see Owen anywhere else but by her side, barely hiding the fact that he was protecting her.

“I’m opening the files right now. There are tonnes of candidates there, and none of them fit the target. I rechecked everything with the description you gave us from the building and still, nothing.”

“No, that’s not what I was asking. Beatrice normally hired people from referrals or after working with them and didn’t do job postings so to speak. But Lance remembered her doing exactly that years back and maybe more than once. We need to know which position and where.”

Jace and Lance gathered around, and Shane put the call on speakerphone. Immediately they could all hear Dee typing quickly. “I saw something … two files about her searching for a bomb expert with serious knowledge of the South East Asia region.”

Jace whistled. “That’s pretty specific. No wonder she had trouble finding someone with those capabilities.”

Lance shook his head. “And most probably why she searched for that in a completely different manner.”

“Again, guys, nothing from all the candidates she considered, and I have their files there. Even the rejected.”

“No, that’s not what I’m searching for. Where did she search?”

“Got you, Shane, I’m pulling out the data now.”

Shane looked at Lance and Jace, and tension grew by the minute. “Will can probably help you with it when he comes back. I guess it’s pretty complicated…”

“Call you back as soon as I have something.”

Dee cut the call.

Shane pocketed his phone and sat down, all thoughts of beer gone.

Lance took a fistful of peanuts. “The idea makes sense. From what you told us, that madwoman held a definite grudge.”

Jace pulled the peanut bowl to his side. “But why look outside her usual channels?”

Lance considered his question. “I think, with her talent for profiling and reading people, she would have discarded that women just by reading her file. And that would be the reason why she didn’t consider her for Purgatory.”

Shane agreed with Lance’s hypothesis. “And why she didn’t remember her at all.”

“And now we need to wait for Dee and Will to prove or disprove our theory.”

That theory rang too right to be phoney, he could feel it in his gut.

His phone buzzed, propelling all three men out of their seats. Shane put Dee on speakerphone.

“Got her.”

It took a moment for Shane to realise that Dee was serious.

“You found her?” Lance’s voice was so high it was like a cartoon.

Owen came over the phone. “Are you doubting my girl, brother?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “She’s good, but it’s only been fifteen minutes since we called her.”