Edge of Obsession (SKALS #3)

by Noir, Adriana

  He sat up straighter, his brow furrowing in interest as his suspicions proved true. The quiet rustle of paper filled his study as he flipped through his notes. Marx and Burrel hadn’t just attended the academy together; they had also worked at the same field office and branched off at the same time. His lips pursed in frustration. So they knew each other. Was this an old rivalry coming back to life, or was there something more?

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sebastian squeezed. It did nothing to diffuse the dull ache budding behind his sinuses. Not when every answer he uncovered only led to more questions. Not when he still couldn’t find any connection linking the men to his current target. Scrubbing his scalp, he cast his attention to the ceiling. Only one person could help him now, and unfortunately for them both, that person happened to be Colleen James.

  CHAPTER 12 ~

  Squinting against the early May sun, Taylor fumbled with her keys and fought to keep her purse strap from slipping any lower down her shoulder. Rupert glanced over, his amusement obvious despite the wide shield of his colorful shades. She had to give it to the man, he handled shopping trips like a champ, even when she forgot the items she needed and ended up backtracking through half the aisles. He never complained, and there was something comforting in his affable, but often silent, presence. Hitting the button for the trunk release, she watched him roll the cart to a stop behind her car.

  “Go ahead and get in the car, Miss Taylor. I’ll load these.”

  Folding her arms, she regarded the big Cajun with a lopsided grin. “Are you married, Rupert?”

  Laughing, he shook his head. “No Ma’am. I don’t have time for relationships. Maybe someday.”

  She lifted a questioning brow at him as he hefted a case of water out of the cart. “Well, somebody’s got you trained.”

  He laughed again. “That would be my mama. God rest her soul. She tried her best to raise a proper Southern gentleman. I don’t reckon she’d be too happy with me if I didn’t do my best to abide by that upbringing.”

  “I think she’d be proud. You seem like a good man, Rupert.”

  He tipped his shades with a thick finger. “Thank you, Ma’am.” He glanced over as she lowered a bag of boxed goods into the trunk. “You don’t listen very well do you?” he asked with a chiding smirk.

  “Only to Mr. Baas,” she countered. “And even that is subject to debate.”

  His broad body shook with a chortle. Rupert slung the rest of the bags in the car and shut the Chrysler’s trunk. “What about you?” he asked, resting his forearms on the cart. “Are you close to your parents?”

  Her smile faltered as the all too familiar ache swelled inside her once again. Frowning, she offered an apologetic wince. “No. My dad bailed when I was six. It’s funny. I don’t remember much about him other than his eyes. They were incredible, so bright and blue, like the summer sky. Oh and his smell—he always smelled like licorice and Old Spice.”

  Rupert hung his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Taylor. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  “No worries.”

  “Your mom then she’s…?”

  “Missing,” she admitted with a sad laugh. “The last time I saw her was two years after my dad split. She dropped me off at my Uncle Roy’s and hasn’t been around since. An occasional phone call or letter around the holidays was all I got.”

  “Must’ve been tough.”

  “You get used to things, I suppose,” she said with a shrug. “We either adapt to our circumstances or we shatter. Life is messy. Messy and short. Why waste precious time picking up the pieces? It’s easier to bend than it is to break.”

  “That’s a good point, Miss Taylor.”

  “I have my moments,” she teased. “Put the cart away and let’s get going. I’m hungry.”

  “Can’t have that.”

  He rolled the cart toward the corral while she turned to unlock the doors. Catching a dark flash of movement out of the corner of her eye, she froze and watched a man with wavy silver hair rush across the parking lot in hurried strides. The boxy briefcase dangling from his hand caught her attention, as did his lack of groceries. He moved quickly. The sun glinted off his head, giving it an almost metallic sheen, before he slid into the driver’s seat of a sleek SUV. Something about him made her feel tense and uneasy. Turning, she looked at the store uncertainly, half expecting the building to blow. It wasn’t until the vehicle rolled out of the parking lot and the early afternoon calm remained that Taylor finally started to relax.

  Chiding herself for being so on edge, she got into her car with an embarrassed shake of her head. Rupert dropped into the seat beside her and aimed a curious glance her way.

  “Is everything okay Miss Taylor?”

  “Yeah, fine. I’ve just been watching one too many movies lately, I guess.”

  The air-conditioning kicked in by the time she steered the 300 onto the road and the cool breeze from the vents washed over her in a refreshing wave. Relaxing, she turned up the radio. The bluesy chords of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Tuesday’s Gone drifted through the speakers, drawing an appreciative bob of the guard’s head as he grooved to the music. Grinning, she cranked it up and veered past the gas station.

  “They don’t make them like this anymore,” he said.

  “Nope. I love it. I kind of stole the CD from Seb. We were listening to it one night and he said it brought back good memories of his parents drinking, laughing, and dancing when he was growing up.”

  Rupert’s crooked smile reflected in the passenger side window. “Same here. Lots of whacky tobaccy floating around back then. I think most of our generation grew up in a fumigated haze.”

  She burst into unexpected laughter. “That certainly explains a lot.”

  The head of security grunted in good-humored dismissal. They caught the green light and she accelerated after turning onto the main stretch of road leading back home. A sense of happiness and relief settled over her and she let her mind drift. She had so many hopes and dreams for the future. Long, relaxing nights in front of the fire with Sebastian, and passion filled nights in bed. Their days would be busy, but full as they raised their family. A wistful smile threatened. She’d only just found out and already, she couldn’t wait to hold their baby in her arms. If Sebastian’s increased hovering was any indication, he felt much the same way.

  Despite his flaws, the way he’d interacted with his niece and nephew in the past proved he would be an amazing father. He was always so doting and patient when it came to kids. Still firm in his guidance, but a much more gentle and laidback man. A smile played on her face as she remembered the sound of Mia’s delighted squeals or the way Christian always regarded his uncle with adoration and wonder. That was the Sebastian she loved the most. The one untouched and untainted by the pressures Marx exuded. The one who could be happy and just let himself go.

  The car shimmied and shuddered, snapping her out of her fantasies with a worried frown. Rupert’s forehead lined as he sat up straighter, his attention roaming over the gauges. Nothing looked amiss. Biting the corner of her lip, Taylor decided to err on the side of caution and calculated the best place to pull into to pop the hood. It was a busy street and traffic was too heavy in both directions to risk stopping on the side of the road. Just past the light, a small shopping plaza beckoned. Keeping her focus trained, she cursed and eased off the gas as the light started to change.

  Her foot jumped to the brake, but nothing happened. Panic closed around her heart in a savage fist as she pumped the pedal and stomped it clear down to the floor. Her breath caught as the world around them shifted into a horrifying version of slow motion. She was only vaguely aware of Rupert shouting, one of his large hands locking around the side bar in an attempt to brace himself for the inevitable. Her own gripped the steering wheel, a ferverant prayer dying on her lips as her eyes flared and she stared at the oncoming glint of metal and chrome.

  The crunch was deafening. She cried out, all too aware of the violent impact. Her body jerked against the seatbelt
. Pain exploded along the side of her face with a flash of blinding light, rocking her head to the side. Everything dimmed as the car spun and the windows shattered. The shrill sound of screeching tires rang in her ears, overriding her cries. Another thunderous bang sent the car veering into a rapid tailspin and tossed her against the airbags.

  Then the world became mercifully still.

  Taylor fought to catch her breath. A slow sinister warmth trickled into her eye, drenching the left side of her vision red. Fumbling blindly beside her, she felt along the passenger seat for Rupert. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, the rhythm hypnotic and soothing. She tried to unbuckle her seatbelt, but the struggle was exhausting. It was much easier to close her eyes. Even if just for a minute.

  Afraid of where that might lead, Taylor tried to stay awake and concentrate on something besides the fear and pain. Muffled voices stirred around her and, somewhere in the distance, Lynyrd Skynyrd still played. Over and over, the CD skipped, until the pull of her lids became too much and she drifted to sleep, lulled by the sound of bluesy guitar strings.

  Sebastian traced a finger over the ridge of his bottom lip, his gaze piercing and intent as he studied the woman across from him. She was just over forty and took good care of herself, judging from her lean physique. Probably the result of aerobics or Pilates. Everything in her house was organized and neat, the furniture all centered on the same linen and lace theme. She was obviously a woman who liked to be in control of things. Unfortunately for Colleen James, SKALS had wrested any semblance of that away.

  Her hands shook as she cradled her cup of tea. Some fruity herbal blend that smelled like peppermint.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t like anything?”

  Sebastian leaned back and rested his arms on the sides of the floral wing chair with a tilt of his head. “Hospitality isn’t why I am here. I can get that at home, Mrs. James, and I am sure that is a place we would both much rather I be.”

  Her painted lips tightened in unspoken agreement, though she tried to keep her face passive. “I told your men I would do what I could. You just have to give me a little more time. I wasn’t…well last night.”

  “I’m sorry about what happened. Believe me, that was not how I wanted things to play out. I’m not a sentimental man, but I like to believe there are still some people who can be trusted to do the right thing when it comes to saving their family.”

  His soft, coaxing tone did nothing to put the woman’s mind at ease. Dread and reluctance still darkened her eyes.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m glad you asked,” he said, standing. “I need some answers and you are the only one who can give them to me, Colleen. Why did your husband disappear?”

  “I don’t know.”

  His expression hardened. Faltering, she stiffened under the smoldering weight of his stare, her own dropping with Sebastian’s humorless smile.

  “I am disappointed you would lie to me after the conversation we just had. I was hoping to keep this visit pleasant.”

  “I’m sorry…I just…”

  “Never lie to me again,” he interrupted, cutting her short. “You won’t like the consequences if you do. Now, do we have an understanding or do I need to emphasize my point?”

  Her shaky exhale filled the silence. Tea sloshed over the side of her mug despite her efforts to steady her hands. “We have an understanding.”

  Sebastian’s expression remained cold and expectant. Lifting his chin, he waited. The blonde set her cup down on the lace doily spread across the table and wrung her hands, refusing to make eye contact.

  “Patrick was working on a project before he disappeared. He spent years pouring his heart and soul into it, day and night. I’d never seen him more excited. He said it was going to change the world, not to mention our lives. Contractors were all trying to outbid each other, offering him top dollar. It’s funny really. We thought this program was going to make all of our dreams come true when, in reality, all it did was end them.”

  Ignoring her sentimental outpouring, he focused on the facts. “What did this program do?”

  “I don’t know. Science and technology were never my strong suits. The concepts are difficult for me to grasp. From my understanding, it was some sort of interchangeable computer virus. But it was sleek, super stealthy, and capable of eradicating entire systems in the blink of an eye.”

  Sebastian frowned, his stare narrowing with disapproval. “What was your husband planning on doing with this thing?”

  “Essentially? Ending war. Patrick created something that would allow us to infiltrate any system, undetected, and shut their systems down. The program is its own firewall. Once in place, any attempts to hack it would have devastating consequences. It would send out return signal that would fry the source, rendering it useless. All those attempts by other countries to hack our bank systems…all the threats of nuclear weaponry aimed our way…Patrick’s program would have wiped them all clean. It could have blanketed our entire country under its shield.”

  Dropping back into the wing-backed armchair, he scrubbed a hand across his chin, his mind spinning as he pieced together the facts.

  “That is quite an amazing feat,” he mused, his brow furrowing. “But if things were going so good, I fail to see why your husband would leave. It seems to me, he could have easily been one of the richest, most powerful men in the world.”

  “Project Blue was not without its flaws,” Colleen said, a deep sorrow creeping into her voice. “Patrick was afraid something like this would happen. As I said, the program was only fully impenetrable once it was in place. He signed a contract with our Department of Defense when Blue was in its final stages, but before he could activate it, the information was stolen from his system, and its codes wiped clean.”

  “When did this happen?”

  “A few months ago.”

  Biting his cheeks, he nodded. The shrill chirp of his phone interrupted them. Pulling it from his pocket, Sebastian glanced at his partner’s name and silenced the ringer. Part of him clung to denial, hoping and praying with everything he had, his instincts were wrong. Lifting his troubled gaze to hers, Sebastian forced himself to ask the one question still burning between them.

  “What other agencies knew about this project, Mrs. James?”

  “All of them. Including yours. Sadly, SKALS is not an unfamiliar notion to me. Your boss is the one who originally outlined this idea.”

  That bit of information hit him like a cold smack. The bear claw and coffee he’d grabbed for breakfast pitched in his stomach. So that was what the son-of-a-bitch was up to. Unable to stop it, a crazed laugh bubbled past his lips. Still, he had appearances and a reputation to maintain.

  “Did he now?” he asked, raising a brow. “Pray tell, Colleen, if your husband knew Marx and SKALS so well, why did he decide to cross them?”

  For the first time since he’d met her, the woman showed a hint of dignity and pride. Her spine straightened, and her eyes met his without fear or shame. Her expression was both eloquent and pointed.

  “With all due respect, Agent Baas, you work for the man. You know exactly why.”

  Nodding he stood, and straightened his uniform. “I thank you for your time. This conversation has been very enlightening. For what it’s worth, I am sorry your husband left you to deal with the blowback from the choices he has made.”

  A sad smile plied her face. “Me too.”

  He paused at the front door. Squaring his shoulders, he kept his hand curled around the knob and spoke without facing her. “I will see that your brother receives a ration of food and water every day. In exchange, I expect you to remain silent about this visit. I was only here following up on your husband’s whereabouts. Nothing more.”

  He didn’t wait for a response. Once outside, he scanned the street, all too aware of the reluctant prickle stirring on the back of his neck. Only this time, the accompanying chill sank clear down to the depths of his soul. There was no justifying what Marx ha
d done. No way to explain why their commander would steal that kind of information. They had always worked in tandem with the other agencies. Their mission, no matter how warped the means, had always been to serve the greater good and protect their country.

  No wonder people were starting to crawl out of the woodwork. Marx was on the verge of starting a war. His stomach clenched as he unlocked the Benz. It made sense now. Burrel’s agitation. Their power hungry commander was kicking a virtual hornet’s nest. He was becoming a rabid dog in the government’s eyes, and they were gearing to put him down. By proxy alone, the rest of SKALS would go down with him.

  Nerves and the unfamiliar potency of fear made Sebastian start to shake. What the hell had they gotten themselves into? Without Blue, they were all as good as dead. With it, God only knew what Marx would do. He slid behind the wheel and dragged a trembling hand down his face. His mind churned in time with his stomach, both making him sick.

  If Marx so much as suspected he was going to turn, he would take his entire family down before he had a chance to stop him. If he marched into headquarters now and shot the fucker, he was as good as dead, and his family would still meet the same fate. The men who served Marx faithfully would take him down in a heartbeat. They had been conditioned and tortured to the point of breaking to follow orders. To serve the bastard faithfully and without question. No mercy. No compassion. Just loyalty and compliance. His eyes drifted shut as he wondered if this hadn’t been a part of Marx’s plan all along. Had he been priming them to do their jobs or merely cultivating his own brutal army?

  No doubt, some of the men would be thrilled by the prospect of unlimited power. They were already in a position to do and say as they pleased. Blue just opened the door to allow them to do it on an epic scale. SKALS would no longer be a secret underground sector, but a true super power that ruled the world. The ruthless enforcers of Marx’s marshal law. Some of them would never turn that kind of potential down. They would jump at the chance to indulge in an unlimited violence spree. Even if he could reason with some of his team, SKALS would be divided within its own ranks. Getting to the bastard wouldn’t be easy. Nothing about the situation was…and no matter how Sebastian looked at it, no matter where he landed, he was headed for war.