Hidden Impact

by Piper J. Drake

  “Some of the feelers you put out turned up interesting information.” Harte didn’t sound irritated, but Gabe figured they’d have a discussion about how he’d continued to investigate a disapproved contract after all this was over. Harte had a long memory.

  “Yeah? It came straight to HQ?” Not what Gabe was expecting, but whatever it was, it’d moved Harte to call him.

  “Contracts information comes to me.” Harte made it a simple statement of fact. “I’m not familiar with the exact wording of your inquiry, but your source decided it’d be prudent to send it through to me first.”

  “Okay.” Gabe wasn’t going to argue.

  “Phoenix Biotech has put out a request for proposal on a contract. Security for an extremely sensitive shipment of biohazard material. The RFP is by invitation only, so we wouldn’t have known about it without your inquiry as we were not invited to submit a proposal.”

  Ah. And that probably chapped Harte’s ass some. Centurion Corporation prided itself on being in demand.

  “This shipment is not headed for any standard disposal location and in fact is to be ‘handed off’ to another unit for the next leg of transportation.” Harte maintained a pleasant tone.

  Pleasant wasn’t a natural state of being for Harte. Someone, somewhere, was in for a world of hurt.

  “Interesting.” Generally, any shipment intended for not-so-legit destinations was easier to hide from surveillance when a corporate sponsor hired multiple paramilitary contractors to move the cargo in segments along an unpredictable course. Each contractor team only knew where to pick it up and where to drop it off. No knowledge of where it came from or where it was going next meant chain of custody was fairly easy to document, but it wasn’t so easy to be sure the actual contents had remained intact from the true beginning of the journey to the final destination.

  “I made some friendly inquiries of my own,” Harte continued. “Your recent playmates are on the roster as one of the already contracted teams, but the others? Not really any players we’ve worked with in the past.”

  The paramilitary-contractor industry was fairly large considering the sheer turnover rate of people entering the military in the US alone, and subsequently leaving with specialized skill sets. The number fluctuated from year to year but hovered easily around the six-digit range across the various armed forces. That was a lot of people with the potential to become private contractors. But few had the business acumen to exist as solo contractors, and the actual number of organized corporations was significantly reduced. Players as efficient or successful as Centurion Corporation or Edict were limited to a small circle of elite, and each of them had high standards for working with others.

  “Edict isn’t likely to play nice with other teams.” Gabe doubted Centurion Corporation would work with them at all unless they were new and being given a chance to prove themselves.

  “I know at least two of them have a reputation for not playing well at all.” Harte barked out a laugh. “It’s a train wreck waiting to happen.”

  Meaning the cargo was intended to go missing.

  There were a couple of possibilities for where the shipment was actually meant to end up. The most likely destination was into the hands of a buyer.

  “What kind of research was your missing scientist doing again?”

  Gabe wasn’t liking where this was going. “An-mei Cheng is a geneticist.”

  “Do we know more?”

  “She lives and breathes gene sequences. She’s immersed so completely the sisters send each other family notes in DNA-based codes.” Which still boggled Gabe’s mind a little. He was familiar with codes and had basic experience in reading them, even breaking them. But it’d been an added layer to Maylin’s intelligence he hadn’t anticipated.

  “Your girl owns a catering company, right?” Harte was obviously caught off guard too.

  Gabe grinned. “Apparently Maylin was pre-med. Her best course of study was developmental biology before she decided she wouldn’t be happy in a medical career. She followed her heart, built herself the kind of business she wanted.”

  And he was more and more impressed with every new thing he learned about her.

  “Interesting family.” Harte grew serious. “I’ve got a couple of guesses lined up here, but the actual answer depends on exactly what kind of research An-mei Cheng was doing. Quick internet search goes into genetics. But there’s one article catching my eye.”

  Gabe strode over to the small desk in the corner. He’d left most of the research files Lizzy had pulled together in the beginning there. Retrieving the folder, he spread the files and quickly scanned them. “Gene-editing therapy.”

  “In adult test subjects. Not in petri dishes.”

  The applications were broad, and in his line of work, they were the stuff of nightmares. Biological warfare went beyond the definition of horrific and straight to unspeakable.

  “Phoenix Biotech is not a US government–contracted research company,” Harte pointed out. This was mostly good news. They wouldn’t be going against the country they loved. “But we can assume they’re not going to appreciate us retrieving a wayward geneticist. We’ll need to crack them wide open so they’re too busy dealing with the US authorities to even try to reacquire the girl.”

  “We.” Gabe zeroed in on the key point. It changed everything.

  “It is in Centurion Corporation’s best interest to aid in the investigation of potential criminal activity when we have literally been invited into a unique position of observation. The US government is more than willing to have us on point in their already established investigation.”

  “I thought you said we weren’t invited to submit a proposal.” And yet, Gabe was really beginning to enjoy where this was going.

  “Well, we might have made contact with Phoenix Biotech and presented a strong proposal for high caliber services they did not yet have. Phoenix Biotech was more than happy to open up their RFP and offer a handsome advance for a proof of concept demonstration.” Of course they did. Harte was very good at presenting the services Centurion Corporation could offer. Over the course of several years, his shrewd business sense had grown the company into one of the best. “Being the mercenaries we are, we couldn’t very well resist. Could we?”

  “You’re funding our mission with Phoenix Biotech’s money.” Gabe knew Harte was good, but this was above and beyond.

  “Call me Robin Hood.” Harte continued, “The US government is also offering a substantial bonus for any information we may acquire regarding the nature of biological weapons being developed.”

  Gabe peered out the window, straining to catch sight of Maylin. She’d quit pacing on the porch and begun wandering through the trees between the guest cabin and the main house, weaving back and forth instead of heading for one building or the other. In the grey mist of the day, she was going to end up chilled and damp. “How are we going to proceed?”

  And then he’d figure out how to make things right with Maylin.

  Harte cleared his throat. “You continue your angle. Send me an updated status report and an estimated breakdown of the support you’ll need by morning. We’ll send you reinforcements by EOB tomorrow. I’ll work my end with a separate team. Get the girl out, and any of her research you can retrieve safely while you’re at it.”

  “The girl is the primary objective.”

  “Confirmed.”

  Relieved, Gabe grabbed a jacket for Maylin and took a step toward the door. Jesus. If he’d waited minutes longer, they wouldn’t have had to have that fight.

  No. That was cowardice speaking. He should have had the conversation with her back in DC. And if delaying it had damaged what was between them permanently, then he’d own it. What mattered more was doing what he could for her now, whether she forgave him or not.

  “An-mei Cheng may not be the only sci
entist in their custody.” Harte brought him up short. “She is the objective for this mission, and her research is secondary. Any additional intel on the number of other projects in the facility would be extremely helpful for us to move forward.”

  And they’d need to move fast. If all of the scientists were off the radar the way An-mei was, whoever was making the big decisions at Phoenix Biotech might decide to shut down the facility after Centurion Corporation retrieved her, and the people still in the facility might not get out in time.

  * * *

  No amount of cooking was going to help her find her way past this roadblock. Maylin stumbled between the trees, reaching out to press her palms against the trunks until the bark bit into her skin. The mist had settled under the trees and darkness chased the sunset until the only light came from the external lamps on the main house and guest cabin. She didn’t want to go to either one, and there was no light leading the way to the answers she was looking for.

  Drops ran down her cheeks, hot tears and cold rain. This wasn’t her. She never admitted there were no other options. She kept working toward a solution until she found a path forward. Even her parents had said it was her strength. When they couldn’t see where her life would lead after she’d quit her pre-medical course of study, they said they’d learned to give her time to find her way.

  But it’d always been for her. Her troubles and her solutions.

  This time An-mei was lost, and what was needed to bring her back was beyond any individual’s means. Hell, as good as Gabe and his team were, Maylin had known she was asking for more than they could do too. And she’d let herself hide from the obvious when they’d returned from Centurion Corporation’s corporate headquarters on their own. She was angry and embarrassed because she’d set herself—and them—up for failure. She was as mad at herself as Gabe.

  What good was being independent if the only person she could keep safe was herself? And even to do that, she needed to hide amongst others.

  “Hating every part of me right now,” she muttered into the rain.

  But what decisions could she have made differently? Even...even if she hadn’t become intimate with Gabe, things wouldn’t have come out another way.

  Would she take it back if she could?

  “Coração. Should I translate it for you?” The weight of a jacket settled around her shoulders. Gabe sneaking up on her should’ve scared her, at least made her jump. Instead she fought the urge to lean back into the shelter of his arms. “My heart.”

  Hers skipped a beat.

  Warmth spread through her even as she tried to keep it stuffed away. Her anger simmered, but she couldn’t bring back the flash of rage she’d had earlier. It was too hard to scream at him for something he couldn’t change.

  “I don’t know where we go from here.” Saying it out loud buried her under sadness. What was she going to do?

  “I broke something between us, coração, and I am sorry.” Gabe grasped her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. In the dark, he was backlit by the light from the guest cabin, but she could still see his face in the fainter light from the main house. “Won’t ask you to forgive me right away.”

  “Good.” She bit her lip. Why did she have to sound so petty?

  “But I have news.” His hands squeezed as he spoke, like he wanted to be sure she listened. “I got a call from my CO. We’ll have the reinforcements we need. We are going to get your sister back.”

  “Just like that?” She whispered her question, blinking away the mist and rain.

  “Come inside. Let me get you warmed and dry. And I’ll tell you about the call.”

  Her brain stuttered as relief blanked everything. “We still need to find her.”

  Gabe nodded. “But you were right. We’re on the brink of something and I don’t think it’s finished yet. Last thing we need is for you to come down with pneumonia.”

  She didn’t know what to say.

  “Let me take care of you.” He murmured the request. “At least this much. Let me take the lead.”

  Trusting him again. Seemed like she was continually taking a leap of faith for him. But he was An-mei’s best chance.

  She nodded, afraid to open her mouth and say something she’d regret later. Whether it started another argument or sparked a step back toward intimacy, she wasn’t ready for either one. Instead, she let him pull her in to his side and guide her back to the guest house.

  One step at a time, she’d decide how much trust she could give him again. They’d start back at the beginning, with finding An-mei.

  Chapter Seventeen

  It’d been a morning of cleaning.

  Gabe had watched Maylin go through the guest cabin like a whirlwind, sweeping every room methodically. She’d start around the outer perimeter and sweep inward toward the center of each room. The resulting pile of dust was gathered in a dustpan and taken out the back door, even if the front door was closer.

  He’d asked about it at first but she was nowhere near chatty. And he couldn’t blame her. Coaxing her to take a hot shower and tucking her into bed the night before had been the limit of what they could repair between them for the time being. She’d taken the news from Harte with her to bed to think on, and from the dark circles under her eyes, she’d slept about as much as Gabe had.

  An inner drive pushed at him to take better care of her, but he couldn’t make her sleep. And he wouldn’t ever suggest she set aside her worry.

  His phone rang, the caller ID popping up Lizzy’s avatar. “Diaz.”

  “Marc and Victoria will land in two hours.” Lizzy probably knew Maylin had been out in the night, but she didn’t ask. “I’ll pick them up from the airport and check on what’s left of your car on the way back. If the police have cleared out, we’ll sweep the area for any leftover fragments they might’ve missed.”

  “Be careful.” He was fairly certain Jewel had been messing with him. But the hard part about dealing with other good mercenaries was the way they all took pains to be unpredictable.

  “Always.” Lizzy paused. “Our ETA brings us back here about lunchtime. Should we pick anything up on the way?”

  Gabe leaned back from the desk to get a line of sight on Maylin cleaning the bedroom. “She set a bunch of rice to soak overnight. I’m thinking she’s planning on cooking something.”

  Lizzy chuckled. “No arguments here. Way better than protein shakes and takeout.”

  True enough. And as stress behaviors went, Maylin had way more constructive quirks than most people did. Gabe couldn’t count the number of clients they’d had who’d done nothing but pace. He had no patience at all for the ones who went hysterical or screamed at everyone.

  “Any chance she’d consider staying after this?” Lizzy sounded as wistful as Lizzy ever got. “The real meals go a long way toward making a body sound. And you two seem to be getting along.”

  Not since he’d screwed up royally. “She’s got a catering business to run when all this is done. Pretty high profile.”

  “Ah.” She didn’t push. “Well, can’t say I’m surprised. She’s a stand-up woman. I knew I liked her for a reason.”

  The more he learned about Maylin, the more he respected her and the more he ached for what he’d crushed with his mistakes.

  Once Lizzy terminated the call, he stood. Stretched. Admitted he was procrastinating and took the few steps to catch up with Maylin in the bedroom. Coming to a halt at the door, he rapped his knuckles on the door frame.

  “Yes?” She straightened from smoothing out the bedspread.

  Gabe lost his words for minute, struck by a simple thing. God, she was beautiful. No makeup, no sharp dress suit or nicely coordinated blouse and slacks. Her hair hung over one shoulder in a simple ponytail. And he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Not even for a second.

  “The te
am will be back in time for lunch.” He offered the latest news because there wasn’t anything else he thought she’d care to hear.

  A small smile touched her face and he missed the brighter smiles she’d give him before. “The lunch I had planned takes some time to prep. Mind if I head up to the main house?”

  Gabe stepped out of the doorway so she could pass. “Sure. You can go up there anytime.”

  “As long as someone knows where I am?” There was a hint of something there. Not bitterness. Something.

  “We want to keep you safe.” He wanted to most of all. “But we want you to be as comfortable as possible too.”

  He didn’t try to suggest she needn’t cook. It’d be an insult. As if he hadn’t learned anything about her at all. And he was afraid to ask her if he could help.

  Instead, he followed her up to the main house with his laptop and parked himself at the breakfast bar to do more research and planning while she cooked.

  “Still making dim sum?” He’d had some once, in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. The ingredients she was setting out were varied but didn’t seem as wide an array as he’d guessed would be needed for all those little dishes and dumplings.

  She shook her head. “Didn’t have the ingredients to do it really well.”

  “I would’ve gone out on a supply run for you.”

  She hesitated and he heard her unspoken thoughts loud and clear. He wasn’t allowed to help anymore.

  “I figured with the rainy weather, comfort food would go better.”

  “The team will like whatever you make.” He tried to infuse his words with sincerity, since she’d probably bristle at reassurance. Walking on eggshells was not his strong suit. “It’s all been incredible so far.”

  She gave him another small smile, and he let go his breath, happy she believed him.