She watched him again. He’d have no problem getting lost in those eyes for a year or two, but she could be involved in the theft and made her the last woman on earth that he should connect with.
Her eyes narrowed. “Do you know my brother?”
Coop shook his head. He’d never met the guy, but Coop could spout the background data retrieved by his team the second they’d signed the contract with Oceanic.
Name: Kevin Wilson Underwood II. Middle name came from his father. Kevin was thirty years old. Five-nine, thin with cropped brown hair. Clean shaven and brown eyes. His parents wealthy. Old money from a logging empire and they sat on boards for philanthropic causes. The kind of family Coop couldn’t understand. Not when he came from a lower income area of Portland. They weren’t just on the other side of the tracks, they were in a whole other world.
Still, it wasn’t like her parents got everything they wanted. An older couple, they had to turn to in vitro fertilization. Conceived fraternal twins, Kiera and Kevin. They were born and resided in Portland until they got their PhDs in chemistry from the University of California in Berkley. Kevin moved to Cold Harbor after graduating. Kiera lived in Portland and worked for a pharmaceutical lab.
Her eyebrow arched. “If you don’t know Kevin, why are you interested in the call I received?”
“You sounded upset. I believe I can help.” He wasn’t lying. She did seem upset, and he was quite able to help her find her brother.
She frowned. “You’re a stranger. How on earth can you help?”
“My team finds missing people. One of the many services we offer.”
“Then I want to hire you,” she said decisively.
Right. Like she could hire him. Not when the team had already contracted with the lab to find her brother and recover the toxin, but he wouldn’t share this information. That would shut things down right off the bat when he needed to keep the lines of communication open with her. Figure out if she was involved. Like faking this hunt for her brother to throw people off his trail.
Coop forced a smile to his lips. “The best thing is for you to come out to Blackwell Tactical where we can discuss the options.”
Her wary watch turned downright skeptical.
“Don’t worry. I’m not making this up to lure you into some out-of-the-way place and have my way with you.” He took out his phone and opened the Internet. “Go ahead and look us up. You’ll see we’re legit.”
She tapped on the screen and focused intently, occasionally scrolling down the page to read. “You were being modest. You have quite the operation, including training law enforcement.” She handed the phone back to him. “And you’re all former military special operations or law enforcement.”
“Army Ranger,” he replied, as he was proud of his service.
“I guess if anyone can find Kevin, it would be a group of people like you.”
“Let me make a quick phone call, and then I’ll lead the way to the compound.”
She nodded and shivered.
“Why don’t you wait in your car where it’s warmer,” he suggested.
“Good idea.” She hurried across the road to a small white Honda, and he had to admit enjoying watching the sway of her hips.
Duty, Coop. Duty. Keep your mind on that.
He dialed Gage Blackwell, owner of Blackwell Technical. “I need someone to relieve me.”
“Can’t handle standing a little surveillance duty at your old age?” Gage joked, as Coop was only thirty-one.
“I can handle it just fine. But isn’t it more important to bring Kevin Underwood’s twin to meet with you so she can hire us?”
“Hire us?” Gage’s voice shot up. “Are you crazy? She can’t hire us.”
“I know that, but she doesn’t. Not yet.” Coop explained the situation.
“Alex and Riley are still training. Eryn’s running computer support for them. I’ll get Jackson out there on the double.”
“Understood.” Coop disconnected his phone and started for Kiera’s car. After the call with Gage, Coop couldn’t help but think about his fellow teammates.
A year ago, he’d joined three other men and one woman on Gage’s team. All of them had suffered serious on-the-job injuries that prohibited them from continuing in their chosen professions. They’d also experienced a sense of hopelessness over the loss of the work they loved, and in a sense, their identity. Then Gage gave them their lives back by allowing them to join a team where they could not only use their skills, but their skills were esteemed.
Coop would do anything for his teammates, including taking a bullet for them and especially so for Gage. That meant doing what was best for their current assignment and bringing Kiera to the compound to question her.
He crossed the road, watching for other wayward vehicles. Not that he thought there would be another attempt on her life tonight. If the speeding ATV even was an attempt to kill her.
When he approached her car, she lowered her window. “Everything okay?”
“We’re good to go once my associate arrives.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerity flowing through her words. “I’m so glad you were here.”
A quick smile flashed across her face, and his heart tripped. Oh, man. Even white teeth revealed at the parting of her lips. High apple cheeks going higher. Sparkling eyes with only a hint of worry at the moment. Yeah, she was a beauty all right.
“My brother is everything to me,” she added, her vehemence taking Coop aback. “I’d be lost without him.”
Great. Now he felt like a real heel. Here he was suspecting her of colluding with her brother, and she seemed genuinely upset by his absence. Coop would love to give her the benefit of the doubt, believe she really didn’t know where Kevin had disappeared to, but he couldn’t. Not with a missing toxin, that—if weaponized—could kill millions.
No matter how much the despair in those tantalizing eyes made him want to offer comfort, he had to stick to doing his job at all costs. If that meant grilling her to learn if she was involved, so be it. Lives were depending on him.
2
Kiera, Kiera, Kiera. What are you doing?
Didn’t she know better than to follow a strange man into a secured compound hunkered down in deep, dark woods? They’d only traveled a few miles from the lab before he’d turned into a driveway where he tapped a fingerprint reader to unlock a heavy iron gate. She’d driven through and believed all was good. Until she heard the solid clunk of the gate locking behind her, raising her concern.
Concern. Shoot, she was downright afraid right now. Sure, the guy had a website that seemed legitimate, but he could put up a fake site to lure women here. He seemed trustworthy, but then she could simply be under his charismatic spell. The guy was handsome. Way too handsome, with eyes the color of dark roasted coffee, deep brown hair—short on the sides but wavy at the top—and charm oozing from his pores when he smiled at her. Man, she could forget everything but him. Something she would need to be cognizant of and get under control if they ended up working together to find Kevin.
Think of Kevin. Only Kevin. Nothing else mattered right now. She had to do all she could to find him, even if it meant following a stranger out here. Still, she didn’t need to be completely foolish.
Coop was a large man, well over six feet tall. Built like a tank, his powerful shoulders and biceps filled out the black jacket he wore with cargo pants. He carried himself in a commanding stride, and she could easily imagine him as an Army Ranger rushing in to rescue and protect the innocent. But she could be wrong. He could just as easily be bent on taking advantage of her.
She parked near a sprawling log home and reached into her purse to grasp her mace. If he tried anything, she’d be ready for him. She climbed out and followed him toward the glowing outside lights of the house making the place feel welcoming instead of sinister. She expected him to open the door, but he rang the doorbell.
Gunfire sounded in the distance.
She spun, her fear ratchetin
g up.
“Don’t worry,” he said calmly. “That’s coming from our buildings down the way where we train for long gun and close-combat shooting. It should be wrapping up soon.”
She didn’t know if that was comforting or not. If he could be believed, this was a regular part of their work here, but if he wasn’t on the up and up…
“This’s Gage Blackwell’s house,” he said as if he could read her fears. “He owns Blackwell Tactical.”
The door opened, and a slender woman with a round face and fiery red hair smiled up at Coop. A young girl with wispy blond hair peeked out behind the woman’s hip.
The woman cast an appraising look at Kiera. “I’m Hannah Blackwell. Gage’s wife.” She smiled down on the child. “And this little imp is Mia.”
The child charged at Coop, latching onto his leg.
“Hey, squirt.” He swung her up into his arms and gave her a hug, a beaming smile confirming his fondness for her and erasing most of Kiera’s concerns about him being a bad guy.
Kiera released the mace in her jacket pocket and held her hand out for Hannah. “Kiera Underwood.”
Hannah firmly clasped Kiera’s hand and smiled. “Gage’s expecting you. He’s in his office. Coop knows the way.”
He set Mia down, and she zipped behind Hannah again. She was adorable with her curly pigtails and fuzzy pajamas. And the way she peeked out like a little urchin made her even more delightful.
“Follow me.” Coop started across the foyer.
Kiera trailed him, pausing to glance into a large dining and family room combination. A massive fireplace filled with dancing flames lit up the room and chased away the last of Kiera’s fears.
Coop disappeared into a room on the right, and she stepped inside it to see a large desk in the center and tall bookshelves lining the walls. A man—Gage, she assumed—shot to his feet behind the desk. Dark imposing eyes bore into her, telling her he wasn’t a man to mess around with. Tall and well built, he was handsome, but compared to Coop’s square jaw and chiseled features, she found Gage plain looking.
She didn’t like that she found Coop attractive, but at least now she knew she wasn’t attracted to a monster that lured women into his lair.
“Gage Blackwell.” He offered his hand and they shook. “Sit.”
She shrugged out of her jacket and sat, but Coop rested on the edge of the desk as if he was too antsy to take a chair. He swung his foot, drawing her attention to the muscles flexing in his thigh with each swing of his leg.
“Coop filled me in on your situation,” Gage said, thankfully taking her attention. “Tell me about your brother.”
Yes, Kevin. That’s why she was here. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” Coop demanded.
She took a long breath to ease out her stress. “We’re twins, and like most people think about twins, we were once inseparable. We grew up in Portland and lived there until we went to college at Berkley. We both studied chemistry and got our PhDs three years ago. Kevin took a job at Oceanic Labs. They offered me a position, too, but I felt like we should find out what life was like apart.”
“And how is it?” Coop focused on her, his intensity radiating.
She had a hard time not squirming under his attention. This wasn’t simple small talk. She wasn’t getting the feeling that he thought of Kevin as a person, but as a mission to accomplish. Sure, guys like this didn’t often wear their emotions on their sleeves or even want to talk about them, she supposed, but her brother was missing, and they were acting like she’d done something wrong instead of seeing her as a woman desperate to find her brother.
Still, she was at their mercy, and for now, she’d answer their questions. “It’s good. We still talk every day, but we’ve both grown in a lot of ways by being apart.” She couldn’t believe she’d shared something so personal. “Anyway, I last talked to him around nine last night. He was heading out of work. Then I got the eerie call this morning.”
“Can you remember exactly what this person said?” Gage asked.
“I can, but it wasn’t a person. It was one of those automated computer voices. He said, ‘Want to play a game? Solve the puzzle and save your brother.’ I asked who he was and told him Kevin was fine. He seemed to get mad and said, ‘Open your mind to my request, Kiera, or your brother will die’. That’s when the call disconnected.”
“Give me your phone.” Coop held out his hand.
She started to reach into her pocket, but stopped. He had no authority over her and had no right to demand anything. He was the kind of person she avoided at all costs. She’d had enough of her mother telling her what to do. Now that she was finally in control of things, she vowed never to allow such a person in her life.
She sat up straighter. “I think that’s a little premature, don’t you? I’m not a client yet. I assume there’s some sort of contract to sign first.”
His eyebrow went up. “Sounds like you have something to hide.”
Say what? “What on earth would give you that idea?”
His gaze homed in on her. “Your response was evasive. You seem to think if we sign a contract it’s like we have attorney-client privilege, and we can’t reveal your secrets.”
She glared back at him. “Of course I’m cautious. I have every right to be. I’m in some secured compound meeting with men I don’t know, and you want me to hand over my private information. I’d think you’d be impressed with my strength rather than irritated.”
“Fair enough.” His eyes softened, but only for a moment. “Our first task on your behalf will be to trace that phone number, so we will need it.”
“After the—”
“Contract. Yeah, I get it.”
“We have to be discerning, too.” Gage’s tone was conciliatory. “About the clients we take, that is. We like to know a bit more before offering a contract for our services.”
“There’s really nothing more to tell you. I called Kevin, and when he didn’t answer, I phoned his work. His manager said he was out, but they were looking for him. The manager was evasive and wouldn’t tell me why. So I hopped in my car and came to Cold Harbor. I found the door to his house open. Kevin’s often distracted and could’ve forgotten to lock it. I went inside to check for him. He wasn’t there.”
“Anything disturbed?” Coop asked.
“Not that I could see, but I found his car there, so I raced to the lab. Without a security code, I couldn’t get through the gate and started questioning workers as they left.” She peered up at Coop. “You know the rest.”
He turned to Gage and explained about the ATV. Just hearing about it made her shudder. That caught Coop’s scrutiny and something sparked in his eyes. What, she didn’t know, but if she had to guess, it was similar to her mother’s looks when Kiera was an asthmatic child, and her mother constantly hovered over her to protect her. Not in a healthy way, but overpowering and prohibiting most everything she wanted to do.
But such an intense look from a guy who knew nothing about her? Maybe it stemmed from his former military career or more precisely for the reason he’d served in the military. To protect others. She didn’t want or need that intense behavior in her life. Still, it was the first real hint that he might have an agenda other than grilling her.
Was that the real reason he invited her here? Not to find Kevin, but he was worried for her? Nah, he wouldn’t be treating her this way if it was. Wait? Was he at Oceanic because of an assignment that had to do with Kevin? Was that even possible?
She locked onto his gaze and held it. “Was your assignment at Oceanic related to Kevin?”
She saw another flicker of something in his eyes before he controlled it. He glanced at Gage who nodded. Coop stopped swinging his leg and planted both feet on the floor. “We’re in charge of locating a synthesized biotoxin that was stolen last night.”
“Stolen…oh, man…wow. That’s terrible. Was it the same toxin Kevin was working on synthesizing?”
Coop folded his arms
over his powerful chest. “So you knew about his current project?”
“We shared all of our work. At least the parts we could without violating any company rules.”
“Tell us about this toxin,” Gage said.
“I’m assuming you don’t want to hear about the chemical makeup but a more general description.”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, so we’re talking about a shellfish toxin that naturally occurs in the ocean. It’s produced by algae. It falls under the umbrella of Paralytic Shellfish toxins, but Kevin was specifically working on saxitoxin. Because of saxitoxin’s potent toxicities in humans, it’s on the list of toxins that are major candidates for use as chemical and biological warfare agents. CBW for short. The hope is if he can synthesize it, he can also find an antidote for it.”
“You must be proud of him for succeeding,” Gage said.
She turned her focus to him. “He did? Really?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“No.” Kevin keeping a secret from her. She could hardly believe it. “I have no idea why he wouldn’t tell me.”
“I do,” Coop stated plainly. “Because he stole the toxin and planned to sell it to the highest bidder.”
“Wait…no…you think Kevin stole it?” Her mind raced over the possibilities, and she couldn’t fathom it. “That’s not possible. He would never do that.”
Coop came to his feet and stared down on her, his expression so intense, she pulled back.
“If what you say is true…” His distrust cut into her like a knife blade. “How do you explain that he was caught on video entering the lab and his fingerprint was used last night to gain access to the toxin?”
Coop took no satisfaction when Kiera’s face drained of all color, leaving her skin nearly as pale as the white sweater she wore with dark jeans. She could be involved in the theft, and it was his job to figure that out. Still, he regretted it when she looked like she might pass out.
She suddenly raised her shoulders into a hard line and looked him in the eye. Whoa. Quick recovery. Impressed him. Irritated him at the same time. He’d hoped by catching her off guard, she’d reveal the information she was adamant about protecting.
Cold Truth: (Cold Harbor Book 2) Page 2
