Intrusion Read Online Free PDF Page B

swiping a thumb down his nose, “—broke into your lab the same night you just happened to come in for a little research rendezvous.”
    “A research rende—off all the ridiculous—”
    “When did you two meet?” Charlie cut in. “Before or after I hired him to test Nanodyne’s security?”
    His questions were a slap in the face. “You...hired him?”
    Before she could regain her balance from Charlie’s bombshell, the D.A. peppered her with more questions.
    “Did he approach you? Convince you of the money you two could make off the prototype? Sounds like the perfect plan. You hand him sensitive security information and the two of you set the whole thing up to look like an insider breached the facility.”
    She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’d never seen the man before that night. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Charlie, Jonathan, would you please tell this man—”
    “Maybe you were the instigator. Is that how it went down? You sought him out?”
    As the D.A. grilled her, he tossed a series of grainy black and white photos to the table. She picked one up with a shaky hand. Oh, God no. How could this be? After she’d accessed the vault that night, she’d turned and bumped into the tall, dark intruder. But from the angle of this picture, taken by the vault’s security camera, it looked like they were sharing an embrace.
    She dropped the photo, backing away from the table. “Charlie, please—” Her voice cracked.
    He cocked his jaw. “I hired him, Audra. I already gave my statement to the police, Audra. They’ll get to the bottom of this.”
    She turned to the only sympathetic person in the room, hoping he’d step in. “Jonathan…”
    He stood and tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “I’m sorry, Audra.”
    Two uniformed police officers crowded into the conference room. The insignia on their shoulders branded them as Phoenix P.D. Panic crawled into her throat and lodged there. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
    “I didn’t do this.” How many times did she have to repeat it before they’d believe her? “What possible reason could I have for making off with the prototype? I’ve worked my butt off to finish the damn thing. And both you and Jonathan know it.”
    The police officer captured her wrist and tugged it behind her back.
    “Let go of me!” She yanked on her arm, but the cop only tightened his grip, his fingers digging into her flesh. “You’re hurting me!” She twisted her body and threw her weight to the side. The man’s arms snapped up, releasing her, and his bony elbow connected head-on with her eye.
    A cry tore past her lips and she jerked her hand to her face. The officer used that to his advantage and pushed her to the ground. His knee jabbed the small of her back, robbing her of breath. She clenched her teeth against the ache. Cold metal snaked around her wrists and pinched tight.
    “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right—”
    “I have the right to know what the hell is going on!” Her heart pounded in an erratic rhythm and she tugged at her wrists ignoring the sting of the cuffs. “Charlie, my work is my life. You know that. We’ve shared our vision many times. Why would I do this? How could you even think I’m capable of something like this?”
    The police officer hauled her to her feet. “You have the right to speak to an attorney and have an attorney present during questioning.”
    “Come on, Charlie. Can’t we talk about this?”
    He swallowed and tucked his chin into his chest. “Audra, I’ve always respected you. You’re a brilliant scientist. If you were having financial problems, personal problems, whatever the case may be, I would have been happy to talk to you and work this out. You knew how important this project was for Nanodyne’s reputation.”
    “What about my reputation? I didn’t do this, damn it!”
    The D.A. gave a