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“I’ve got him,” Ethan said, a big grin on his face. “Dr. Allen Wilbur Standridge. His house was purchased by the Darwin Corporation, which has no owner or CEO as far as I can tell. But the dummy loves to order online, and he uses his real name every time, though the credit card he uses also traces back to Darwin.”
“Arrogance,” Jack said. “He’s got someone protecting him. What else have you got on him?”
“Other than he gets his groceries delivered twice weekly and all the porn he buys has a distinct BDSM feel, not much of anything. He stays to himself. Doesn’t associate with anyone by the look of things.”
“Where is he?”
“Watch screen one.” Ethan hit a few keys on his keyboard, and information filled up on one of the wall-sized screens he had set up in his apartment. “He’s got a house in Boston in the Back Bay area, but most of his phone and computer records trace to a building in Cambridge. Probably a lab of some type from what I can tell from satellite imaging.”
“Who owns the building?” Jack asked.
“No clue. The paper trail is buried deeper than Jimmy Hoffa, but I’ll figure it out.”
“Good work, kid. I’ll let Gabe know.”
“Where did he and Grace take off to?” Ethan asked. “One minute I’m messing with the museum schematics and the next Gabe has me by the throat, demanding I look up a bunch of information on some guy I’ve never heard of. We’re kind of in the middle of something important here. You’d think they’d want to stick around.”
“Relax, kid. You know Gabe’s the kind of guy who always has a bunch of different irons in the fire. They should both be finished up with their side mission and be headed to Boston within a day or so. Don’t worry about Gabe and Grace. They know what they’re doing.”
“Which is apparently each other from what I can tell. Don’t you think it’s a bad idea for agents to get involved with each other?”
Before Ethan could blink, Jack had his chair turned around so they faced each other. Jack didn’t look happy.
“Son, you’re going to want to watch making stupid assumptions before Gabe gets wind of it. I can count on one finger the number of people who’ve poked into Gabe’s business and lived to tell the tale.”
Jack pushed away and grabbed his windbreaker from the back of a chair. He pulled it on so it covered his gun. “Text me if you hear from Logan. I want to know what he’s found out.”
“He’ll probably call you directly anyway. I seem to be somewhat superfluous in this organization.”
“That’s the spirit, kid. Always look on the bright side.”
“Wait, where are you going?” Ethan asked. “How come I’m always the one who has to stay and do all the work?”
“Where I’m going is no place for kids like you. We’ll have the birds and the bees talk once you’re a little older.”
“Can you ever be serious?” Ethan asked.
“What’s the fun in that? Life’s too short to be serious.” Jack saluted on his way out the door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
ChapterTen
Abadan
“Come on, baby, snap out of it,” Gabe said, holding her in his arms and shaking her gently. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
He shook her again, and Grace’s eyes snapped open. They were wild and unfocused, and she began struggling against him, fighting to get free of whatever nightmare she was trapped in. Tears streamed down her face, and Gabe’s heart shattered at her pain. She opened her mouth to scream, and he clamped his hand across it to muffle the sound. He winced as she bit down and broke the skin.
What the hell had she been living with the last two years? Guilt ate at him because he knew whatever she’d gone through, she’d gone through it alone. It didn’t matter that the isolation was her choice. He should have been there for her.
“Grace, snap out of it!” He slapped her lightly across the cheek twice before her eyes started to clear and she focused in on his face.
“What happened? Where are we?”
“I need you to pull it together. I don’t want to have to carry you out of here. We’ll both end up dead.”
He could tell his no-nonsense approach was starting to sink in, and she was beginning to think like an agent again. She pushed out of his arms, dried her face with her sleeve, and wiped her damp palms on her pants.
