Rhys’ fingers curled into a fist at his side as rage threatened to boil over inside of him.
“You have to bring her back,” Dylan said.
“And you know I’m not going to do that,” Rhys said. He walked down the hallway, toward the living room.
The house was empty and dark. The moonlight filtering in through the windows gave just enough light to navigate the house. Besides, the shadows suited his mood perfectly.
“Listen, man, I know it looks bad—” Dylan started.
“It looks a hell of a lot worse than bad,” Rhys broke in.
“—but you have to let me explain.”
“Do I?”
“Dr. Rosenthal is not the woman you think she is,” Dylan said. “She’s dangerous.”
Rhys froze as another wave of rage swept through him. The image of her injuries flashed in his mind—the blood, the bruises. Someone in this situation was dangerous, but Rhys didn’t believe for a second that it was Tessa.
“Funny,” Rhys said. “I don’t seem to remember seeing any of her wounds on you.”
“Not like that,” Dylan said. “She’s been using SciGen labs and resources to secretly create a weapon. It’s bad news, Rhys. Worse than anything you’ve ever seen. When Boyd found out about it, Tessa freaked and hid the evidence. I was just trying to get her to tell us where.”
“By throwing her in a basement and filleting her with a razor?”
“Did I do a shit job? Sure. That’s why I called you,” Dylan said. “But am I ashamed of what I did? Absolutely not. Thousands of lives hang in the balance. Maybe more.”
There was a note of truth in Dylan’s voice, hidden deep beneath the many layers of desperate lies. But without having the man in front of him, it was impossible to tell which part was true.
“So why not bring her to the cops? The FBI?” Rhys asked.
“Same reason you didn’t,” Dylan replied. “Too many questions. The last thing SciGen needs is more bad press.”
So, Boyd had already checked in with the authorities to see if Tessa had popped up. Rhys was doubly glad he’d kept Tessa from getting out of the car. She wouldn’t have lasted an hour on the street.
“You’re right,” Rhys said. “Kidnapping and torture play much better in the papers.”
There was a pause on the other end, and Rhys got the feeling their conversation was no longer a private one. Someone else was listening in, and Rhys was pretty sure he could guess whom.
“Last chance,” Dylan said. “Are you going to bring Dr. Rosenthal back to Boyd or not?”
Rhys didn’t hesitate. “I already gave you my answer.”
“You’re going to regret that decision, Rhys.”
“Is that a threat?”
“All I’m saying is that Carter Macmillan might run a nice little business, but it’s nothing in comparison to Boyd’s resources,” Dylan said, his voice as cold and sharp as steel. “I will find where you’re hiding her.”
Rhys’ jaw hardened as he stared into the darkness in front of him. “And I’ll be waiting for you.”
Rhys ended the call, but he didn’t tuck the phone away. It stayed tightly clenched in his hand as he stared out the front window of the safe house.
He had other calls to make. And none of them were going to be easy.
Macmillan Security had just weathered a major scandal of its own that had ended with a congressman in prison and the company being run out of Sacramento. Now that they had finally cleared their name in the eyes of the law and re-opened their doors in San Francisco, no one on the team was going to be anxious to take on another powerful and well-connected adversary.
But that was too damn bad.
He didn’t care what it took. He was never going to let Dylan get his hands on that poor woman in the room behind him. He knew only too well what would happen to her if Boyd succeeded in capturing her again.
He knew because he’d done it to others.
It had been years ago, halfway around the world. He’d been a soldier then, doing his job.
But none of those old, familiar excuses had mattered
“You have to bring her back,” Dylan said.
“And you know I’m not going to do that,” Rhys said. He walked down the hallway, toward the living room.
The house was empty and dark. The moonlight filtering in through the windows gave just enough light to navigate the house. Besides, the shadows suited his mood perfectly.
“Listen, man, I know it looks bad—” Dylan started.
“It looks a hell of a lot worse than bad,” Rhys broke in.
“—but you have to let me explain.”
“Do I?”
“Dr. Rosenthal is not the woman you think she is,” Dylan said. “She’s dangerous.”
Rhys froze as another wave of rage swept through him. The image of her injuries flashed in his mind—the blood, the bruises. Someone in this situation was dangerous, but Rhys didn’t believe for a second that it was Tessa.
“Funny,” Rhys said. “I don’t seem to remember seeing any of her wounds on you.”
“Not like that,” Dylan said. “She’s been using SciGen labs and resources to secretly create a weapon. It’s bad news, Rhys. Worse than anything you’ve ever seen. When Boyd found out about it, Tessa freaked and hid the evidence. I was just trying to get her to tell us where.”
“By throwing her in a basement and filleting her with a razor?”
“Did I do a shit job? Sure. That’s why I called you,” Dylan said. “But am I ashamed of what I did? Absolutely not. Thousands of lives hang in the balance. Maybe more.”
There was a note of truth in Dylan’s voice, hidden deep beneath the many layers of desperate lies. But without having the man in front of him, it was impossible to tell which part was true.
“So why not bring her to the cops? The FBI?” Rhys asked.
“Same reason you didn’t,” Dylan replied. “Too many questions. The last thing SciGen needs is more bad press.”
So, Boyd had already checked in with the authorities to see if Tessa had popped up. Rhys was doubly glad he’d kept Tessa from getting out of the car. She wouldn’t have lasted an hour on the street.
“You’re right,” Rhys said. “Kidnapping and torture play much better in the papers.”
There was a pause on the other end, and Rhys got the feeling their conversation was no longer a private one. Someone else was listening in, and Rhys was pretty sure he could guess whom.
“Last chance,” Dylan said. “Are you going to bring Dr. Rosenthal back to Boyd or not?”
Rhys didn’t hesitate. “I already gave you my answer.”
“You’re going to regret that decision, Rhys.”
“Is that a threat?”
“All I’m saying is that Carter Macmillan might run a nice little business, but it’s nothing in comparison to Boyd’s resources,” Dylan said, his voice as cold and sharp as steel. “I will find where you’re hiding her.”
Rhys’ jaw hardened as he stared into the darkness in front of him. “And I’ll be waiting for you.”
Rhys ended the call, but he didn’t tuck the phone away. It stayed tightly clenched in his hand as he stared out the front window of the safe house.
He had other calls to make. And none of them were going to be easy.
Macmillan Security had just weathered a major scandal of its own that had ended with a congressman in prison and the company being run out of Sacramento. Now that they had finally cleared their name in the eyes of the law and re-opened their doors in San Francisco, no one on the team was going to be anxious to take on another powerful and well-connected adversary.
But that was too damn bad.
He didn’t care what it took. He was never going to let Dylan get his hands on that poor woman in the room behind him. He knew only too well what would happen to her if Boyd succeeded in capturing her again.
He knew because he’d done it to others.
It had been years ago, halfway around the world. He’d been a soldier then, doing his job.
But none of those old, familiar excuses had mattered