It was none of her business. She was here to do a job … and that was all. She just had to get over it.
* * *
Robin threw off her headphones in frustration. “Damn! Every time I get close, they pull them down. Always an excuse.” She bit her thumbnail furiously.
Dale stopped working, staring at her. “I’ve had the same thing happen twice now. Every time I try to bid on them, it fails.” He ran a hand through his hair. “At least I haven’t lost that much money … yet.”
Robin stared gloomily at the monitor. “This isn’t working. I have to think of another way.”
Dale sighed. It was true. They had spent hours trawling the auction, trying to purchase the nanites. But it seemed that the auction was playing games with them. As soon as they got close, they were always pulled down with some excuse or another. It was like playing cat and mouse, only who was the mouse, and who was the cat?
His jaw tightened. Mason had been so close to getting Carlotta. But she had evaded them, as always. And now they were sitting here like kids in a gaming lounge. His eyes were so sore from staring at the computer that they felt like they were about to fall out of his head.
“Let’s call it a day.” He rubbed his neck. “I’ve had enough. And you look like you’re about to pass out.” He glanced at her. “You’re doing good … Anna.”
“Not good enough.” She was almost taut with frustration.
He sighed. “Why did you use Anna as an alias when I first hired you? Always had a yen for the name?”
Robin rolled her eyes. “You really are clueless sometimes, boss.” She stood up quickly. “Anna … as in anonymous.”
Dale smiled slowly. “Of course.” He stared back at her. He really was clueless. But he thanked his lucky stars daily that she wasn’t, at least. Yes, with this pretty black hat hacker by his side, he might still nail the bitch to the wall.
10
Robin walked back into the lab, watching Dale bent over his monitor.
“The ladies’ room is out of paper again,” she announced, sitting heavily on her chair. “Just saying.”
Dale’s mouth twitched. “Maybe you should inform Audra. It’s a bit below my pay scale.”
Robin sighed. “This is bullshit. I’m tired of playing whack-a-mole with these pricks.” She reached into the draw, extracting a bag of Cheerios. “We need to get focused. Try to pin down the regular buyers.”
Dale nodded. “I agree. Trying to purchase the nanites ourselves is getting us nowhere.”
Mason walked into the lab, staring at them both. “I’ve increased security like you wanted, boss. Anything else you want me to concentrate on today?”
Dale shook his head. “We’ve got it covered for now. Or rather, we haven’t got anything covered.”
“No luck bidding still?” Mason stared at the screen.
Dale shook his head again. “None. But we have other tricks up our sleeves.” He stared at Robin.
Mason could see the grudging admiration in his face as he gazed at her.
He likes her, Mason thought suddenly. He stared at the black hat hacker, chewing thoughtfully on her Cheerios, her hand reaching into the Ziploc bag almost absentmindedly. She was a character, that was for sure. Eccentric. She always looked like she was heading out to a rock concert, but he had witnessed her razor-sharp mind in action. And she was pretty. Very pretty. Not in a glamorous, obvious way like Carlotta di Lorenzo. Robin Stowe didn’t use her looks like a weapon.
He knew Audra was suspicious of her. But then, Audra was suspicious of any woman who got close to Dale. That went with the territory.
“As long as you can concentrate on the footwork,” Dale said. “Audra is keeping up with the day-to- day running of the business, so that leaves us free to get creative in here.”
Mason nodded. “No drama. Let me know if you find anything.”
They had already turned back to their monitors, speaking softly together. As Mason left the room, he thought they had blossomed into quite a team.
* * *
Dale yawned, stretching. He glanced over at Robin. She had her headphones on and was twitching slightly to the beat of the music as she worked. He couldn’t resist it. He tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to spin around furiously.
She stared at him, ripping the headphones off. “What did I say? Do you want me to slug you?”
He grinned. “Sorry. Do you want a break? It’s getting late. Close to knock-off time.”
Robin shook her head. “I want to keep working. You go if you want.”
He stared at her. It was already six at night. They had been working all day, eating snacks at their desks. He was about to go stir-crazy. And if he felt that way, he could only imagine how she felt. She was tenacious. She barely got up to go to the bathroom.
“How about I call Audra to get us something?” He gazed at her steadily. “Your choice this time.”
She shrugged. “Pizza? I like pepperoni and mushroom.”
He sighed but nodded. “Deal. As long as you promise to leave the desk to eat.” He paused. “What about a couple of beers to wash it down with? They go well together.”
She stared at him. “Sounds awesome. But no boutique shit.” She put her headphones back on and was soon lost in her work again.
Dale grinned. Then he buzzed Audra. Hopefully she would still be at her desk.
* * *
Audra walked in and deposited two pizza boxes and a six-pack of beer on the table. “Your meal awaits,” she said loudly.
Dale spun around. “Thanks, Audra. You are a legend.”
She hesitated. “Is there anything else …”
“No. You can go home. Robin and I will be fine.”
She smiled, a little tightly. “Okay then. Enjoy.” She flounced out of the room.
Robin took off her headphones, watching her depart. “She always walks like she’s got a bee up her ass.” She wrinkled her nose. “What is she, a Stepford wife?”
Dale laughed. “Audra’s the best damn secretary I’ve ever had.” He stood up, opening two beers and passing one to her. “And that’s saying something, believe me.”
Robin took the beer, taking a deep slug. “This is good. I can’t believe how good this is.”
He took a slug too, staring at her. “Do you go out often for a drink? You seem to be a bigger workaholic than me, and that’s saying something.”
Robin took another drink. “I go and see gigs on the east side. Plenty of beer flowing at those venues.” She paused. “And other stuff, if you want it.”
“Did you grow up there?” He picked up a slice of pizza, folding it in half and wolfing it down in two bites. The east side was what was considered the bad end of town.
She smiled warily. “Sure did. Sure as hell didn’t have a white picket fence at home.” She eyed him. “I was an orphan. A ward of the state, as they say. Lived on the streets for a while when the last foster home didn’t work out quite so well.”
He stilled. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She shrugged. “It’s life. You take what hand it gives you. I decided to play mine big. All in.” She took another sip of her beer. “What about you? Did you inherit your millions?”
He smiled slightly. “No, I did not. I’ve worked my ass off just like you have. I had a good family.” He frowned. “Well, my father didn’t turn out to be that great. But my mom was the best. She’s the reason I did this. She died from cancer eleven years ago.”
Robin looked down. “I’m sorry.”
“As you say, it’s life.” He downed his beer, placing it on the table. “My dad walked out on her when she was having her treatment. Couldn’t cope with it.” He laughed bitterly. “An asshole. I don’t see him anymore.”
“Prick,” said Robin, frowning. “Who does that?”
Dale shrugged, picking up another beer. “You want another?”
“Sure.” She downed her first, then picked up a slice of pizza. “I should eat as well. It will go to my head otherwise.�
��
“We wouldn’t want that.” He stared at her hard as he handed her the beer. “We want you to have a clear head.”
She smiled. “I can still work when I’m loaded. I’ve done it before. It can be fun.”
He shook his head, staring at her. “You are an intriguing woman, Robin Stowe. Not at all what I expected.”
“No?” She took a sip of her beer. “I suppose not. But then, how many hackers have you worked with?”
“Only you.” His gaze caught hers, lingering. “Only you.”
* * *
Robin placed her headphones back on, trying not to stare at Dale’s hand on the mouse next to her. Big hands. Long, slender fingers. For one moment she imagined them trailing down her neck and shivered slightly.
She was tipsy. The unexpected beers. And the conversation had veered into unexpected territory, too. More intimate than he had wanted, that was for sure. He had closed down a little after the second beer, saying that they should get back to work.
Her eyes strayed to his hand again. She should stop. Having these little sexual fantasies about him –however benign—was distracting. He wasn’t interested. She wished he was, but you couldn’t have everything in life. She had learned that the hard way, too.
She screwed up her nose, trying to concentrate. He was a good guy. He had worked all these years to find a cure for cancer in memory of his dead mother. And she was going to help him get that work back if it was the last thing that she did. She had work to do.
11
Dale stared at the computer monitor, drumming his fingers impatiently on the desk. Days and nights of trawling the Matrix, tracking potential auctioneers, and still they didn’t have any definite leads on who might seriously be wanting to purchase the nanites. Sure, they had plenty of interesting characters in the loop, but they couldn’t target all of them. Without something more, it was all leading to a dead-end.
He glanced over at Robin, her fingers flying on her keyboard, a small furrow of concentration etched above her eyebrows. She was giving it her all, and that was all he could ask for. He knew she was just as frustrated as him. And without her, they wouldn’t have even got this far.
He turned around at the sound of the lab door opening. Mason and Audra. They looked solemn, but excited. Without even knowing why, Dale felt his heart start to beat just a little bit faster.
“Robin.” He tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to spin around with a surly expression on her face. Then she saw the others and ripped off her headphones, gazing at them expectantly.
“Well?” Dale felt taut with anticipation. “Do you have something?”
“We do.” Mason’s eyes were gleaming. “We got a faint signal from the computer inside the briefcase.”
“What?” Dale shot up out of his seat. “Where? When?”
Audra smiled excitedly. “It’s in the Middle East, Dale. We tracked it and it seems to be in the middle of the Sahara, heading northwest towards Morocco.” Her smile faded a little. “We lost it again, but it’s a start. A very good start.”
Dale started pacing the room. “That’s fantastic! Do you think we can pick it up again?”
Mason shrugged. “No way of telling. But we will stay on it, day and night.”
Dale’s heart beat faster again. The Middle East, of all places. Who would be wanting to purchase the nanites in the Middle East? An oil baron? A sheikh?
“I’ve been tracking a guy who has a house in Morocco,” drawled Robin, leaning forward in her chair. “In Marrakech. Do you want the details?”
* * *
Dale stared at the photo on the computer screen. It was a professional studio shot. The man staring down the barrel of the camera was large and overweight, dressed in a maroon suit with a black and white checked tie. His graying blond hair was slicked back, and his hazel eyes were narrowed, as if shrewdly assessing the photographer.
“Jeremy Thompson,” he breathed, leaning back in his chair. “It’s Jeremy Thompson.”
Robin shot him a look. “Yes, it is. He owns Kappa Pharmaceuticals, a huge drug company with distribution worldwide. You know him?”
Dale shuddered slightly. “Unfortunately, I do. I refuse to do business with him. He sits on essential drug patents that would cure diseases, just so he can keep raking in the money.”
Robin’s nose wrinkled. “He sounds like a charmer.”
The others leaned closer, staring at the man. They were all clustered around Robin’s monitor. As soon as she had said that she had been tracking a man who had a place in Marrakech, Dale had grown excited, asking her to pull up all the details on him.
“He is based in Morocco?” Mason’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen.
“No, he isn’t.” Dale frowned. “Kappa Pharmaceuticals is a US company. I don’t think they even have a base in the Middle East. Or not one that I have heard of, anyway.”
Robin gazed at him. “They often have covert offshoot companies spread all over the world. Operations where they can pump out the drugs quickly, using a cheap local labor force. Surely you know that?”
“I’ve heard.” Dale’s face was dark. “You think that is what Thompson is doing in Marrakech?”
Robin shrugged. “I haven’t found anything yet. But what I do know is he has a private house in Marrakech.” She leaned forward, frowning. “He’s quite open about it in interviews. A place in the Medina.”
“Where?” Dale leaned forward too. “Do you have an address?”
Robin shook her head. “I haven’t looked yet. But I should be able to find it. Should I get started?”
Dale nodded. “Yes. Hold off on everything else and concentrate on Thompson. Find out as much as you can about him and what he is doing in Morocco.” He turned to Mason and Audra. “And you guys keep trying to track that signal.” He punched the table. “This is leading somewhere. I know Thompson. He would pay anything to stop the nanites from getting out into the world. And he is ruthless enough to use any means.”
* * *
Robin sighed, taking off her headphones and swiveling in her chair to face Dale. He looked up from his computer monitor expectantly.
“I can’t find an address,” she said flatly. “He doesn’t want it to be known. A private guy, obviously.”
Dale sighed. “But you know for sure he does have a place in Marrakech?”
She nodded. “He flies there often. A private little oasis, perhaps? Or a hidden place where he can carry out some shady business?”
Dale laughed slightly. “Knowing him, it has to be the latter.” He leaned forward in the seat, towards her, his eyes glittering. “This is something, isn’t it, Robin? The signal coming from the Middle East, heading towards Morocco, and the fact that Thompson owns a house in Marrakech?”
She nodded slowly. “I think it might be, Dale. I really do. I get instincts on cases, and this one is red- hot.”
He smiled slightly, leaning closer towards her. “You look tired. You should take a little break.” His eyes traveled over her face. Then he leaned forward slowly and picked up a strand of her hair, tucking it almost tenderly behind her left ear. And he held it there.
Robin’s breath stilled. She could feel his fingers on her hair, just above her ear. She looked him straight in the eye, as if challenging him. His quick intake of breath told her all that she needed to know.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Audra walked in. Dale withdrew his hand quickly, standing up. “Yes?”
“The signal is faint, but it’s flickering again,” she said. “And it’s definitely heading toward Morocco.”
He fist pumped the air. “I think we’ve got it! I’m going to check it out myself.” He almost ran out of the room, leaving Audra and Robin alone. Audra stared at her hard.
“You know, Dale is in a vulnerable state,” she said slowly. “You know what Carlotta did to him?”
Robin swiveled around in the chair, facing her. “Of course I know.”
“Do you really?” Audra’s face was stony.
“Yes, she stole the nanites. But it’s so much more than that. She broke his heart so badly, I’ve never seen him so lost. They were planning a wedding in six months. A huge affair at a Mexican resort with a VIP guest list. Dale was head over heels in love with her.”
Robin’s face tightened. Was she warning her off? It seemed like it. She had already discerned Audra’s interest in Dale. The little flirtations, and the fact that Audra acted almost like his wife. She was marking her territory, that was for sure.
“So I’m sure you understand that this means so much to him.” Audra paused. “You are doing an excellent job so far, Robin. We couldn’t have gotten this far without you, that’s for sure.” She paused. “We need to find those nanites, not just because they are important, but so that Dale can have closure. And for that to happen, we all must do our jobs … without distraction.”
Robin reddened, a little ashamed. She knew how important this was. She was working around the clock, after all. But hearing how badly Dale had been betrayed by the woman he had loved so much hit home hard. She didn’t want to distract him from it, no matter what Audra thought.
“Point taken.” She stared at the redhead woman. Audra nodded, smiled, and walked out of the room.
Robin stared after her for a moment. Audra had her own agenda, of course, but it was still true. She mustn’t lose focus. She should put Dale Michaels and that unexpected moment out of her mind for good.
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Chasing the Cure Page 5
