by Mina Carter
She picked up her coffee and started to drink but then set it down, picking up a piece of toast instead and nibbling on it. “Fortunately for me, she didn’t turn me in. She took one look at me and all the science books of hers scattered all over the place that I had dug out from her boxes, and she took me in. She wanted to adopt me, but there were certain circumstances, and it was impossible. Despite that, I’ve been with her ever since, and I couldn’t have imagined a better way for my life to turn out.
“In every sense of the word apart from biological, Marie was my mother. When I started rising, I took her with me. There was no way I was leaving her behind. When I finally started the company after my first few projects took flight, she was more than happy to assume my identity when I asked her.”
She laughed. “She knew how much I hated the politicking and the limelight. She knew it bothered me and disrupted my workflow. I’ve always liked to work with my hands. Mixing other things in it just messed things up for me.”
Day nodded slightly and tried not to let his surprise show on his face. From the way Rollie acted and talked, he’d pegged her for some fat cat’s daughter, raised in luxury and educated at the best schools money could buy. His respect for her rose more than a few notches at the revelation. She was a kid off the streets. Like he was. They were kindred spirits.
Day speared a sausage and glanced over at her. “So, the million-dollar question. Who would want to kill you?”
Rollie shrugged. “That’s just it. I can’t think of people who would want to kill Caroline Gavilan. They would want to kidnap her, but killing is counterproductive,” she stated, referring to herself in third person. “But then, I guess I can’t think of anyone who would want to kill me, either. The real me.” Then a thought seemed to have struck her, and her brow furrowed in thought. “Unless…sonofabitch,” she muttered. “Those greedy bastards.”
“Talk to me. Which greedy bastards?”
“Of course. This has everything to do with the Icarus Project. Dammit.” She pounded the table in emphasis and causing everyone else to look at her in surprise. Dropping her voice, she spoke in a more discreet tone. “The Icarus Project is the latest, and biggest, project GTC has ever done. It’s something I’ve been working on for years, even before I started the company. Basically, we’ve developed a new kind of energy system that taps the high yield of photon particles.
“Can you imagine? High yield from a relatively small amount of potential energy. It’s cheap, efficient, safe, compact, and best of all, it’s renewable. This will change the world. And, as you can imagine, put quite a few energy companies out of business. They’d either want to get their hands or this or do whatever it takes to stop it from coming out including…”
“Assassination. Yeah, I’m with you. Your competitors don’t want you to finish development, or even talk about it.” Day shook his head. “Who are we talking about? The guy who hired me was a middleman but, whoever it is, they’ve got money, that’s for sure. Those goons that came after us were a professional outfit.”
“It’s not just the competition that’s involved here. There are a lot of people out there who stand to lose a lot if we bring this tech into daylight. Marie was supposed to make a presentation of the project at the Global Energy Summit next week, and if she had, it would have been the beginning of the end for the traditional energy companies.”
She picked up her coffee cup but seemed to think twice about it and set it down, hard, as her lips curled into a rueful smile.
“That’s why they had Marie killed, and that’s why they had you kidnap me and then have the both of us killed out here in the middle of nowhere. To the world, Caroline Gavilan is already dead, and Icarus dies a silent death.”
She snatched the toast from her plate and instead of nibbling, took a big bite from it. “Though, if I were to pick a suspect? The best guess would be Blackwell Industries. Not only do they have tech development like GTC, but they are much larger than we are. They have agricultural, mining, and transportation interests, but their biggest investment is their energy empire. Plus, George Blackwell hates my guts.”
Day thought about that for a moment. “Why Blackwell? It sounds like he’s got a grudge but what else makes him your prime suspect?”
“They’ve just signed a deal with the European Union to outsource management of their nuclear plants to them, and it’s a deal worth billions. He’s got another deal going with Washington to do the same thing for even bigger money. They’ve already given up quite a bit of their other investments just for this project, and rumor has it that they’re already having some financial issues. Imagine what would happen if I suddenly came along with my little reactor?”
“He’d do anything to stop you.” Day put his cutlery down, his expression grim. “This is serious, Rollie. If he’s got that kind of money, he can just keep paying people to come after you. What do you want to do?”
“There’s only one thing to do. We have to get this tech out in the open, but it can’t be just any smalltime press conference. Nothing would be achieved. Blackwell has a lot of hold in the media.
“We’re going to have to go to Seattle and attend the summit.”
Day nodded. Once that was public domain, the cat was out of the bag, and they’d have no reason to come after Rollie. He gave up the idea of walking away. There was no way he could leave her to face this alone. She could shoot, yeah, but if not for him, she’d be a corpse in a mountain cabin right now. “Then we’re going to need backup and some serious firepower.”
Rollie smiled. “Can’t do backup. Considering you managed to kidnap me so easily—not that I question your skills or anything—I don’t trust my people right now. But firepower? That I can help with.”
Day nodded. “Backup I can do.” His voice was quiet and even he could hear the resignation in it. People owed him favors, yes, but for this kind of backup he needed the help of one man. And Hayden Edge was not a man who owed anyone. If anything, Day would end up owing Edge, and knowing the hard-nosed ex-commando as he did, it would mean a job and all the sorts of things Day had been trying to avoid. A regular job, a house, friends. Normal things a guy like him had no right to.
If Rollie was alarmed at the subtle change in his demeanor, she didn’t show it. “You got a plan?” she asked. “I’m all ears.”
Day’s lips compressed. “Yeah, I got a plan. I need to make a call, but yeah, I got a plan.” A plan that’s going to cost me my soul, but a plan nonetheless. He pushed away from the table and stood. “Come on. We need to find a phone.”
***
“Department of Energy. How may I direct your call?” asked the voice from the other end.
“Experimental Research Division, please. Doctor Chuck Harper,” said Rollie. Music quickly replaced the voice as she was put on hold. Rollie sighed and watched Day out of the corner of her eye. He’d made a brief and terse call before handing the phone over to her. One she could only assume was with a man that Day didn’t feel comfortable with but had no other choice but to call. But Day was right; they couldn’t afford to make mistakes like they had back at the cabin. Mistakes were potentially lethal.
So, Rollie decided to bring in some bigger guns while she was underground. She had a few friends she knew she could count on.
“Chuck Harper speaking,” said the smooth male voice on the other end.
“Chuck! It’s me, Rollie.”
“Rollie? Jesus. Thank God you’re safe,” he said with obvious relief. “It was chaos back at your office ever since your mother…” He paused, sounding uncertain. “Then I heard you were missing. I was tapping my buddies at the FBI to find you. What happened?”
“A friend rescued me.” Rollie glanced at Day standing outside the phone booth. “He knew I would be in danger. He took me away just before Marie was… I didn’t know they would do that to her.”
“Rollie, I’m so sorry about Marie. But things are a little hot right now. My buddies at the Bureau are telling me that someone is quietly l
ooking for you, and I don’t think they’re your friends. What’s this about? Christ, your life could be in danger.”
“It is in danger. Which is why I need your help.” Rollie then told him about Icarus and her plans.
“Damn, you’re going to make a lot of rich, powerful people angry. No wonder you’re being hunted.”
“I know. Chuck, my only hope to end this is to attend that summit and present the reactor there. If the world discovers my creation, they would have no more reason to kill me to keep me quiet. But I know they’re going to be watching the summit, and I’m pretty sure they’ll nab me before I even get to the front doors.”
“What can I do to help?” he asked earnestly.
Moments later, Rollie hung up the phone and stepped outside to join Day. “It’s done.”
Day nodded, just a short, sharp jerk of his head. The lover she’d been with last night was gone, and in his place was the man Rollie had first met, the dangerous loner who’d kidnapped her. Not for the first time, she wondered exactly what Day’s background was, and if Day was even his real name. Didn’t that sort of man always have an alias, a cover identity, a la Bond? But, try as she might, she just couldn’t imagine him as the suave, sophisticated super-spy. Oh, he undoubtedly had the skill, and Rollie could imagine him looking fine in a tuxedo with a martini in hand but she liked Day’s rough and rugged appeal.
“You told him the right time and place?” he asked as they walked away from the phone booth. He’d done something to the phone before he’d let her make the call, presumably concealing their location somehow, but these weren’t amateurs they were going up against. If they were really serious about finding her, eventually they would. She knew that.
“Yes, I did,” said Rollie as she kept up with him. “Day, it’s okay. I trust him. He’s one of the few people who know who I really am, and they’re not that plenty. I’m like a sister to him.”
He shot her a look, his expression hard. “Don’t trust anyone, Rollie. Everyone’s got a price, even me. Remember that.”
***
The man lowered his headset for a moment as soon as the call ended and got out of the van not far away from a government building. He had been sitting in that chair for the better part of twelve hours, and he was tired, hungry, and needed a drink. As he breathed in freshly polluted air, a refreshing change from the stale air inside the van, he reached for his flask. As he brought the dented metal container to his lips, he realized he had drunk the last of it an hour ago.
“Shit,” he muttered as he shoved the flask in the pocket of his hopelessly wrinkled slacks and opted for a smoke instead. His phone began to vibrate in his other pocket, and he took a moment to take a drag of his cigarette before he pulled his cell out and flipped it open.
“Did we get what we needed?” asked the voice on the other end.
“Yes, we did. She’s doing exactly what you said she would.”
“Do you have any indication that her good friend knows about us?”
“He doesn’t, but if he did, I can always fix that.”
“Don’t be too hasty. Try to avoid racking up the body count more than we need to. We don’t want undue attention on this whole situation.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“Do you have the details of the conversation?”
“I sent it to you a few minutes ago. It should be there now.”
“I just received it. It looks good. Excellent work.”
“You want me to keep listening here?”
“No, leave that to the rookie. I want you at the site. We need to make the proper preparations.”
“I’ll be there.” He flipped his cell shut, flicked the half-smoked cigarette away, and got back into the van.
A younger man at the surveillance console looked up at him. “What did they say?”
He didn’t answer at first, instead withdrawing his Glock 19 from his shoulder holster and checking the magazine before chambering a round. “You stay here. I’ve got an errand to run.” He holstered his piece and patted his jacket into place to cover it.
“How long do I have to stick around?”
“I’ll let you know,” he said as he stepped out of the van, sliding the door shut behind him.
***
Rollie sat in the passenger seat of the rather nicely restored Charger they’d “borrowed” from the long-term parking garage not far from the diner. They’d been waiting for almost an hour, and she was starting to get a cramp in her leg from her tense position. She wanted to sit on the hood as she waited, but Day had said she would be an easy target for snipers. Not that being in a car was any different, but at least she had something between her and a potential threat.
Day looked across at her, his eyes amused. “You can move, you know. I don’t think wriggling your toes once in a while is going to bring down the wrath of God on us.”
Her gaze swept over him sitting in the driver’s seat as though nothing at all was amiss. One arm rested on the open window. His shirt was open to reveal the toned planes of his chest, while shades concealed his eyes. Damn him. How could he look so calm and collected when her nerves were almost fried to a crisp?
“What’s taking them so long?” she asked, annoyed, as she glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “Leave it to the feds to be late to their own party.”
Technically, the feds were only a few minutes late, but Rollie had insisted on being there early. Day concurred, saying it gave them a chance to scope out the terrain before the meet. Just then, three dark Crown Victorias rolled around the corner and stopped just a few feet away. The cars were stereotypically government types, and she couldn’t ever remember a time when she was so relieved to be meeting with government suits.
Day didn’t move, but she could tell he was alert, ready for anything. She flicked him a glance, looking for something, perhaps reassurance. She jumped a little as his hand, warm and callused, covered hers. He slid his sunglasses down his nose a little to look at her, a nose she noticed had a slight bump in it, as though it had been broken at some point.
“It’s going to be fine. I promise,” he said soothingly. “You just go out there and hand the stuff over, then we can disappear until the furor dies down, okay?”
She blinked, caught by his eyes for a moment. Did he realize what he’d said, there? We. Was he staying with her despite what he’d said about walking away, or was this just a figure of speech, a platitude designed to calm her down enough to go out there and do what needed to be done?
She smiled back, her lips quirking in an unsteady curve, and looked out the windshield. They sat in a nondescript parking lot, like hundreds of others the state over. Dust from the desert rifted across the asphalt in lazy spirals until it mounted up in the corners by the curb. She took a deep breath and reached for the door handle.
As she opened her door, several men in dark suits got out of the cars and stood at the ready. Their apparent leader, a burly older man, threw away his cigarette and sauntered toward her. She was still nervous, more so because she wanted all this to end. But where was Chuck?
“Doctor Gavilan?”
She nodded in response as he took out a leather ID case and flashed his badge. “Special Agent Dan Morrow, FBI. I apologize for our delay, but your friend Doctor Harper was very insistent that I make sure you were safe, so I had to bring along my team. We’ve been making preparations for you. You’ll need to come with us.”
“Of course.” She nodded. “Where’s Doctor Harper, by the way?”
“I’m afraid that he was detained by a loose end he said he wanted to take care of before he saw you. He said for us to meet at the safe house when everything has been secured. We have to go Doctor. This isn’t a secure location and we don’t know if we’re being watched at this moment.” The agent gestured to their surroundings.
Rollie looked from the FBI agent in front of her to Day on the other side of the car. His door was open, and he was leaning one arm on the roof as he silently watched the interplay. She
wished she could see his eyes, see what he was thinking, but the glasses hid them.
Looking back at Agent Morrow, Rollie nodded, trying to hide her reluctance. She had a nagging feeling something was wrong, which was bizarre. These people were FBI, for heaven’s sake. They were talking safe houses and close protection; she would be safe with them. But all she wanted to do was get back in the car and beg Day to take her back to the motel where they’d spent the night. Go back to the safe cocoon of his arms.
“What about Day?” she asked him.
“Him?” Morrow frowned as he looked at the lone figure standing next to the Charger. “Sorry, Doctor, but our orders were to prioritize your safety. We really have to go now.”
Despite her unease, she walked toward the lone van at the back of the convoy. It was just an ordinary van; her company had several of them, and she had ridden in them before. But why was she suddenly feeling adamant about not getting inside?
Her footsteps got slower and slower as she approached, and she was about to turn and look back when Day’s voice broke the silence in the lot.
“Rollie, they’re not FBI.”
As if that was the signal, all hell broke loose. Morrow’s men drew their weapons, and bullet holes peppered the hood and door of the Charger where Day had been just a moment before. Screaming, she turned to run, but Morrow grabbed her hard around the waist before she could escape.
“Oh, no, you little bitch,” he snarled as he dragged her toward the van. “You’re coming with us. Mr. Blackwell’s paid good money to get hold of you, and we wouldn’t want him to be disappointed, would we?”
If Morrow had been expecting Rollie to act like most women and start to struggle and scream hysterically, then he was going to be disappointed. Instead, she let loose with a powerful elbow to his gut, followed by the back of her fist slamming against his nose. She was tired of getting dragged around, and she was through letting the bad guys get their way. As Morrow staggered back, his nose bleeding, she started to go for the gun he’d dropped.
