half of it. “I should hide you someplace and go find your father.”
“But you won’t.” There was no doubt in her voice.
“No.”
“The question is, will you not hide me because you need me as bait, or as help?” It didn’t seem to matter to her one way or the other.
Jason chuckled and shook his head. “I like you, Lark Madrassa.”
Her mouth curved, but she didn’t respond.
“Either or,” he told her. “Except Matt would kill me if I used you as bait. And wouldn’t bring me back this time.”
“He wouldn’t be very happy with using me as a partner, either,” she pointed out.
“No. But I can’t trust anyone else.” That reality burned his gut more than ever. You couldn’t work in this business and be an idealist. They always knew the risk of betrayal. But they hadn’t actually encountered it before, and since they had no idea where the threat lay, they had to believe it was everywhere.
“You said Gabby is in love with Dad,” Lark said. “That she wouldn’t betray him.”
“I believe that. It doesn’t mean I can trust her.”
“But she’s our only lead, right? In that whole speech—” she waved at the TV, “—she’s the only one he mentioned specifically. Do you think she’s back at the facility?”
“Probably. She doesn’t seem to ever go home. But we can’t go down there.”
“Because that’s what he wants us to do.”
“Who?” Jason blurted, disconcerted how closely she followed his train of thought. He wasn’t used to anyone but Matt doing that. Not even Allison, the mission leader he’d worked with longest.
“Kemmerling, if we’re assuming he’s behind this. I don’t know who else it would be, but you might.”
“No, he’s pretty much the Big Bad in this scenario.” Matt had mentioned others who wanted to get their hands on the technology, and maybe on him, but he’d talked about them as if they were distant buyers, not anyone who would actively pursue the information.
“Should we call Gabby to come here?” Lark’s knees bounced in agitation, and Jason could tell he wasn’t going to be able to hold her back. He stood and went to Matt’s desk to boot up the computer.
“Not exactly.” Matt synced his contacts list to a computer file, so Jason should be able to access phone numbers he wouldn’t normally have, like Gabby’s home and cell phones. It took a moment to get through his layers of passwords—Jason had limited access to certain areas of the computer—so to speed things along, he just added Matt’s file to his own, telling the program not to overwrite duplicates, and explaining to Lark what he was doing as he worked. The top-of-the-line system zipped through the download, and a minute later he scrolled through his phone book to double-check they were all there.
“Give me your number, too,” Lark said, her phone ready. “And Gabby’s. Just in case we get separated.”
“We won’t get separated.” But he did it anyway, just in case. Then he scrolled through the call log on the desk phone, but there was nothing within the last twenty-four hours, and the calls before it weren’t connected to this situation.
“So what’s the plan?” Lark asked when he finished.
He shook his head. She looked annoyed, but closed her mouth until they were outside and in his car—in his own car now, not a company-issued one. Settling into the seat of the old Range Rover had made him feel more in control than he had since he woke up three months ago.
Lark clicked her seatbelt, then folded her arms and looked straight out the windshield. Then she unfolded them and let her hands rest, as if pretending she wasn’t still annoyed. Trouble was, she looked like a cockatoo with its feathers ruffled. Jason barely managed to stop himself from smoothing her hair again. It had been silky against his palm, one of the few areas of his body where light touch wasn’t excruciating.
“You can ask now,” he told her.
“Ask what?”
“What the plan is.”
“I didn’t think you
“But you won’t.” There was no doubt in her voice.
“No.”
“The question is, will you not hide me because you need me as bait, or as help?” It didn’t seem to matter to her one way or the other.
Jason chuckled and shook his head. “I like you, Lark Madrassa.”
Her mouth curved, but she didn’t respond.
“Either or,” he told her. “Except Matt would kill me if I used you as bait. And wouldn’t bring me back this time.”
“He wouldn’t be very happy with using me as a partner, either,” she pointed out.
“No. But I can’t trust anyone else.” That reality burned his gut more than ever. You couldn’t work in this business and be an idealist. They always knew the risk of betrayal. But they hadn’t actually encountered it before, and since they had no idea where the threat lay, they had to believe it was everywhere.
“You said Gabby is in love with Dad,” Lark said. “That she wouldn’t betray him.”
“I believe that. It doesn’t mean I can trust her.”
“But she’s our only lead, right? In that whole speech—” she waved at the TV, “—she’s the only one he mentioned specifically. Do you think she’s back at the facility?”
“Probably. She doesn’t seem to ever go home. But we can’t go down there.”
“Because that’s what he wants us to do.”
“Who?” Jason blurted, disconcerted how closely she followed his train of thought. He wasn’t used to anyone but Matt doing that. Not even Allison, the mission leader he’d worked with longest.
“Kemmerling, if we’re assuming he’s behind this. I don’t know who else it would be, but you might.”
“No, he’s pretty much the Big Bad in this scenario.” Matt had mentioned others who wanted to get their hands on the technology, and maybe on him, but he’d talked about them as if they were distant buyers, not anyone who would actively pursue the information.
“Should we call Gabby to come here?” Lark’s knees bounced in agitation, and Jason could tell he wasn’t going to be able to hold her back. He stood and went to Matt’s desk to boot up the computer.
“Not exactly.” Matt synced his contacts list to a computer file, so Jason should be able to access phone numbers he wouldn’t normally have, like Gabby’s home and cell phones. It took a moment to get through his layers of passwords—Jason had limited access to certain areas of the computer—so to speed things along, he just added Matt’s file to his own, telling the program not to overwrite duplicates, and explaining to Lark what he was doing as he worked. The top-of-the-line system zipped through the download, and a minute later he scrolled through his phone book to double-check they were all there.
“Give me your number, too,” Lark said, her phone ready. “And Gabby’s. Just in case we get separated.”
“We won’t get separated.” But he did it anyway, just in case. Then he scrolled through the call log on the desk phone, but there was nothing within the last twenty-four hours, and the calls before it weren’t connected to this situation.
“So what’s the plan?” Lark asked when he finished.
He shook his head. She looked annoyed, but closed her mouth until they were outside and in his car—in his own car now, not a company-issued one. Settling into the seat of the old Range Rover had made him feel more in control than he had since he woke up three months ago.
Lark clicked her seatbelt, then folded her arms and looked straight out the windshield. Then she unfolded them and let her hands rest, as if pretending she wasn’t still annoyed. Trouble was, she looked like a cockatoo with its feathers ruffled. Jason barely managed to stop himself from smoothing her hair again. It had been silky against his palm, one of the few areas of his body where light touch wasn’t excruciating.
“You can ask now,” he told her.
“Ask what?”
“What the plan is.”
“I didn’t think you
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