by India Kells
When everybody got on their feet and started shaking hands, it was almost two. With a kink in her neck and a numb bum, Zoe was glad to be on her feet, even if with those heels she would regret it sooner than later.
The men around the table wished her good day as they left, Archer was talking with Udi as he led the way. Sam looked at her one more time before following him.
As she expected, Finch stayed back. “Miss Somersby isn’t it? We haven’t been introduced properly yet. My name is Jamieson Finch.”
It would have been stupid to feign ignorance. The man was well known and a public figure. “Again, gallantry. I know your name from politics.”
“Oh, I’ve decided to return to business, my first passion.”
“And from the rumors, a very wealthy man. No wonder you are sought as an advisor. Mr. Vasiliev is lucky to have you in his corner.”
The smile on his face was lethal, and so similar to his sons. But it lacked the joyfulness of Kai’s and the breathtaking effect of Archer’s.
“I like your boxing imagery. A negotiation is exactly like that you know.”
Zoe nodded. “I agree. And I admire people who can understand and work magic with numbers. It’s not my forte.”
“I suspect you’re underestimating yourself, Miss Somersby. I doubt Mr. Blackwood would hire anybody less than perfect.”
Zoe hesitated between acting stupid or giving him a glimpse of her brain. She opted for the latter... watered down, of course.
“Now, now, Mr. Finch. I can very well tell the difference between a sincere compliment and blatant flattery.”
He offered her a contrite look. “Sorry if I’ve offended you, but I’m a great judge of character. Let me prove it to you. What about dinner? It’s been ages since I’ve visited Chicago, and I know a nice little pizzeria and would very much like to invite you.”
And there was her opportunity. She glanced at the door, as if hesitating because of Archer.
On cue, Finch touched her elbow. “I know it could appear as a conflict, but let me assure you, I won’t try in any way to get information from you. I’m interested in you, not the company or the sale.”
Keeping things light, she winked. “I think you got me at pizzeria.”
The dazzling smile was back. “A woman after my own heart. Where can I pick you up?”
Crazy but careful, she twisted things by telling him that she didn’t know where she would be by late afternoon and preferred to meet him at the restaurant.
Without any hesitation, Finch gave her the place and time.
He escorted her toward the elevators. As they turned the corner, he put a hand in the small of her back and Zoe had to fight hard to maintain contact when her body screamed at her to get away from him.
Lance was standing by the elevator, near Archer who was talking with Vasiliev. All the others must have already been on their way down.
Vasiliev shook Archer’s hand and smiled at her as the elevator doors opened. Finch shook Archer’s hand and both men stepped in and disappeared.
At first, Zoe thought she would get a dressing down, but Lance quickly pulled him aside, probably updating him on the fire.
Ellen was on the phone when she got back to her own office. As she sat and checked her workload, Zoe was pleased to see that it was way under control. In fact, she was up to date. The next task would be to work as an interpreter, and she was glad about it. Working behind a screen all day long wasn’t fun. Back on her feet, she checked the city below, stretching. Her body felt restless, and being stuck here, in a place full of tension didn’t help.
There were a few hours before her date with Finch, and she needed to freshen up, probably change clothes. Scribbling a quick note, Zoe took her things and dropped the note onto Ellen’s desk who smiled and carried on with her call.
Zoe didn’t see anybody on her way out, and it was probably for the best. She didn’t feel like herself; stress, anticipation, and even fear mix inside her and there was nobody she could talk to about it. Gabrielle and the troops would probably lock her up. She flashed her badge at two security guards before finally being able to step outside.
The sun was shining, and it gave her an extra bounce in her step. The energy of the city shook off some of her uneasiness. Unfortunately, peace never lasted for long, and her cellphone buzzed. A relieved sigh escaped when she saw Gabrielle’s number. “Yep?” “Hey! Just to give you a heads up. Are you outside?”
“Yep.”
“Tell me you’re with Kai or Lance?”
Zoe growled. “Tell me what you want to say and be quick about it.”
“The burned car? It’s foul play. The camera feed in the garage had been erased and there’s a reason for that.”
“Let me guess, Cynthia?”
“More or less. She let a virus through Blackwood’s system, rendering it vulnerable. So that clumsy act of hers was not totally fake, she was just a carrier. We guess the fire was some sort of distraction, but with the enhanced security, it didn’t go anywhere. The guys were caught on our security cameras and are linked to the one you bashed. Some sort of mercenaries for hire. Very dangerous and usually effective. I think that they underestimated our capabilities and your swing.”
“And the villain in the shadows?”
“I still think it’s coming from Finch, but we don’t have proof. We’re trying to find a link to both mercenaries. Money, communications, or otherwise.”
“If it’s Finch it means that Vasiliev is in on it.”
Gabrielle didn’t seem to agree. “He may be. Or not. I don’t want to only focus on Vasiliev. He may only be the tree hiding in the forest, or not even involved. I suspect Finch is using him, I just don’t know why yet.”
“So, we’re at the same point.”
“Well, yes and no. Sam Sarkhan... you were right. He’s one of Finch’s bastards. It took some digging, but as he was part of the Saudi army, we were able to find blood samples. It’s a match with Aleksei and Oz.”
“Ok, you have to tell me if I should be happy about it or not.”
“Well, Oz and I haven’t contacted him in any way. So why did he show up? At this particular event, for what purpose, facing his estranged brother and father? I’m not a fan of coincidence.”
“I see. Still too many questions. Damn, can we at least know something for certain?”
“Well, I learned from Kai that Blackwood switched gears after the fire and decided against you being in the room during the three negotiation meetings. He’s organized for a surveillance system to be installed prior to each of them.”
“Well, at least the sound will be good.” But it nagged at Zoe. Why this sudden change?
“And that way, we’ll have access to the feeds too.”
“Nothing on the Cynthia front?”
“We’re waiting on the report. Harker is supposed to send it to us as soon as he gains access to it.”
“Maybe her phone will tell us more about it.”
Gabrielle exhaled loudly. “Me, too. Be safe. I’ll contact you if something comes up.”
Hanging up, Zoe was trying to wrap her mind around all of it when her phone buzzed again. “Where the fucking hell are you?”
Archer Blackwood’s voice boomed through the receiver. A couple passing by gave her a weird look.
“Mr. Blackwood. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Her calm and professional tone probably added fuel to his fire, but she would be damned if she’d start yelling at him too.
“Answer my question, damn it.”
Ignoring his initial question, she asked one of hers instead. “Is there anything I can do for you? Do you need anything to be translated or interpreted?”
His tone was still harsh but had calmed down a bit. “Don’t give me that speech again. This has nothing to do with work.”
“Am I missing a deadline? Or are you unsatisfied with my work so far?”
“Everything is perfect, and you know it. I’m just concerned about...”
>
Cutting him off, she continued. “If everything is to your liking, if you have no need for me, I’m taking the rest of the afternoon off. I have something planned tonight, but as I’m a professional, I’ll be sure to be in tip-top shape tomorrow morning. And may I tell you that the next time you yell at me over the phone, I will not only shut it down, but I’ll shove it up your British arse.”
And she clicked off.
Chapter 13
Dusk was slowly setting over the city, and Chicago’s air was mild and sweet. Zoe was on her way to the pizzeria and each step amplified her discomfort. What could she do, how could she try to get more information from Finch? She wasn’t an agent or a spy. She had no leverage and doubted that, with her pink flowery dress, she looked like a threat. If only she had a knife hidden in her hair or a gun tucked in her garter belt.
Any information she might get could be helpful to figure out what Finch really intended. Was the car fire a way of trying to kill Archer? What kind of father would do that? But on the other hand, it was a reminder of her own father. A shiver ran down her spine and she walked faster.
The small restaurant was on a street corner, near her apartment, which she was convinced Finch was well aware. Never would she underestimate a man like him.
As she entered, the maître d’ knew about the reservation and escorted her to the small terrace outside. Vines were climbing the old brick building and potted flowers decorated the wrought iron fence marking the area. He pulled out a chair at the small table in the farthest corner and she sat. Her hand put a rebel strand of hair of her up-do behind her ear, and she worked at slowing down her breathing by looking at the cars passing by. It wasn’t a very busy street, but it was interesting looking at people, going about their lives that she knew nothing about. Being so close to the sidewalk, she could hear snippets of conversations and imagined what was said next. A Harley-Davidson stopped at the light, engine revving. The man riding it was clad in a dark pair of jeans, black boots and leather jacket. His full-face helmet hid all of him. He turned his head in her direction for a moment, revving the engine and flew like a rocket when the light turned green again.
“Hello, pretty lady!”
Zoe jumped in her chair and turned to see Liam Harker leaning on the rail. He winked at her, and she saw the silver, just before she caught a glimpse of a firearm underneath his coat.
With his short reddish hair and five o’clock shadow catching the lowering light, he looked like a wild Irishman to her.
“You know I’ll die of a heart attack sooner or later with you guys.”
Undeterred, the cop only shook his head, a smile firmly in place. When he spoke next, his smile grew but his voice was much lower. “I think you’ll give Gabrielle a heart attack when she knows who you’re having dinner with.” She followed his gaze to see Finch being dropped off in a town car by a chauffeur.
Busted, she thought. “I just dropped a flash drive for Gabrielle in your bag. Give it to Kai or Lance when you get a chance. And don’t leave it in his car... Oh, and by the way, until I find a decent home, your mutt’s staying with me.”
Before she could give him a heartfelt thank you, he walked away. Dazed, Zoe shook it off and smiled as Finch arrived on the terrace.
“Miss Somersby. A delight to see you. I feared you might cancel on me.”
Zoe smiled and let him kiss her cheek. “Why would I do that?” Elegant in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up on his forearms, displaying a very expensive watch, and dark gray pants, he sat in front of her. “Well, maybe after talking to Archer Blackwood, you may have found reasons not to.”
He waved at the waiter.
“You promised not to talk business, so I didn’t see any reason not to come. Or to tell my boss for that matter.”
His smile was blindingly white, almost shark-like. He turned to the waiter who suggested a selection of wine and gave them each a menu. Finch ordered the drinks and turned back to her.
“An independent woman. I like it. I fear the menu is quite limited. But everything is delicious, I assure you.”
“You enticed me with a pizza, that’s exactly what I’ll have.”
The waiter came back with two glasses of red wine and they ordered two individual-sized, deep-dish pizzas, hers loaded with everything, his stacked with meat. Throughout the meal, they discussed books and traveling, very neutral subjects. If she hadn’t been warned, falling for the older man would have been too easy. It was probably due to his charm, apart from his gray eyes, that he’d also passed on to his sons.
Zoe would report the entire conversion to Gabrielle, of course, after listening to her boss telling her how much of a crazy fool she was. Fair enough.
The evening was lovely and the more she relaxed, the more she replaced Finch with Archer in her mind. Could he be this charming? This fascinating? Zoe thought that he could.
Finch topped her glass, but she had no intention of taking another sip. She had been careful and intended to be until they parted ways. The man before her took one last bite of his chocolate cake and leaned back, his glass of wine in his hand.
“Let me say, my dear Zoe, that it had been a very long time since I enjoyed an evening with such a beautiful woman. What a shame.”
Zoe fingered the foot of her glass. “Why is that a shame?”
His eyes gleamed in the lowering light. “Because of what I have to do next.”
A ball of fear tightened in her stomach, but Zoe maintained her cool exterior.
“Beautiful, intelligent, and most of all, resilient. It’s what you are, my dear Zoe, aren’t you?”
She pushed her glass away. “Now you’ve lost me, Jamieson.”
“Bear with me. I’ve had this plan in my mind for a long time. I’ll skip over the details, but my goal seemed impossible at first. I needed someone exceptional to help me out. Someone with exceptional abilities. But that someone was inaccessible, hovering out of my reach. Until today.”
He leaned forward, his arms on the table. Before her eyes, she saw his veneer slipping away, revealing the monster underneath.
“It’s not every day that I have a pure genius before me, Grace Zoe Jefferson.”
At the sound of her birth name, everything inside her choked, but he wouldn’t gain an inch on her. Mimicking his posture, she leaned her arms on the table.
“You know how to ruin a date, Jamieson. I never thought you were a man to judge a person by her past.”
“My dear, I prefer to peel away all the layers to make sure I know the person in front of me. Intimately. Zoe Somersby may be an enticement, but Grace Jefferson is the tool I need.”
Part of her wanted to know more about what he was going to say. The other part of her wanted to flee. Now.
He leaned back in his chair again, getting his cell phone out of his pocket, putting it on the table.
“I know Grace Jefferson vanished years ago. With rumors in her wake. But the more I dug into her, the more impressed I’ve become. It’s not every day that we meet an actual code breaker.”
At the name her father called her, she winced, her throat closing. “You watch too many movies.”
“No, no. It’s incredible, truly beautiful that someone can see a puzzle and resolve it in matters of seconds. To learn languages just by listening to people speak, or to decipher passcodes as if they magically appeared in your mind. Isn’t that what your dear father tried to do with you, all those years ago?”
This was turning into pure madness. Into a nightmare. Her throat was so tight, she almost couldn’t speak.
“A beautiful mind, a beautiful woman. Exactly right where I want her to be.”
“What are you saying?”
“It took me some time to find you. You were hidden deeper than I expected. And working for the government to boot, wasting your talents. However, the choices you made were perfect for what I had in mind. And a bonus, I could mess with one of my damned sons at the same time.”
Unable to stay seated, let alone be clos
e to him, she grabbed her bag and got to her feet.
“I wouldn’t go if I were you, Zoe.”
Deep down, she wanted to punch him until he turned into bloody pulp, until he stopped breathing altogether.
“I’ve had enough of your madness.”
“Enough so you risk the lives of your parents.”
At that, Zoe laughed. “You can kill them for all I care. If they’re not dead, they’re already rotting in prison.”
Turning on her heels, she was about to leave when she heard his next words.
“And what about your baby brother? Should he have the same fate?”
Despite the cold fear running through her blood, she forced herself to turn and look at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb with me. It’s impossible in your case. I have to say that it’s pure luck that made me find him. You had been through a lot, gaining custody of him, making him disappear from the face of the earth. I admire you.”
“You’re deranged.”
Without another word, he touched his phone and a picture appeared. If not for being in public and determined not to show any weakness, she would have fallen to her knees. Lucas. There he was, getting out of school, his mop of brown hair caught in the wind. He looked relaxed, and blissfully unaware.
“Sit down, Zoe. And don’t make me repeat it again.” His voice sounded like a whip, and her eyes still on the phone, there was no other alternative but to follow his order.
“Now that I have your attention, listen carefully. Over the next few days, you’re mine. Don’t worry, I’m not the pervert you think I am. I only want your brain. And if you do as I say your brother will remain unharmed. Do we have an understanding?”
Mechanically she nodded. What else could she do? Her mind was numb. Her life a living nightmare.
