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breath, not daring to move. Sweat blistered across his forehead. His dazed eyes grew wide. From his awkward angle, he stared up at Merrick and blinked.
    Merrick studied the screwdriver thoughtfully as she moved the tip to his pulsing jugular vein. She leaned close and smiled; her teeth glimmered in the shadows.
    Into his ear she whispered, “You consider this risky, Aaron?”
    “Crazy bitch,” he rasped.
    Merrick tightened her grip on his scalp. He winced.
    Whatever humor she held in her eyes was gone now, replaced by something cold and lifeless. “A termination bonus has been deposited into your account. Our arrangement is over, Aaron. After today, you will never see me again - unless you ever talk about me to anyone .” She pulled the screwdriver away from Fontana’s neck, leaving behind a bloody smear. “You get my point?”
    He nodded, his eyes never leaving hers.
    She dropped the screwdriver. It clattered to the floor.
    “Get yourself bandaged. You're making a mess.”
    She released him. He fell to his knees.
    Moments later the door clicked shut. Blinking back tears, Fontana slowly stood and limped across the tiled floor. He reached out with both hands and grasped the server cabinet for support, leaving behind a pair of dark, sticky handprints. He peered around the rack to see that Merrick had left the room.
    “Crazy bitch,” he muttered, blinking back tears.
    ***
    Snapping off her latex gloves and stuffing them into her pockets, Merrick did not slow her pace until she cleared the security doors at the main entrance. Outside, it was a bright, cloudless day. Sunlight glimmered from the sea of vehicles in the parking lot. Pausing beneath the shaded entranceway, she straightened her blouse, plucked a pair of wide sunglasses from her breast pocket, and slipped them on.
    As she crossed the parking lot, pulled a cell phone from her pocket and dialed a number from memory.
    “Jennifer?” Merrick said pleasantly, changing her voice to an octave higher than it had been. “Hi, this is April Betsry. I’m calling again about that property in Franklin County. Yes, the orchard. Have there been any other offers?”
    She cradled the phone on her shoulder as she pulled keys from her pocket.
    “I see. Well, I’ve decided I want the property. I’m willing bid up if I have to. Go ten thousand above their best offer. Keep going up in five thousand increments. If you hit a hundred thousand over the listing price, let me know.” She listened and nodded. “No, the financing won’t be a problem. Let me give you a number where I can be reached… No, it’s a new number.”
    She gave the phone number and ended the call. By then, she was seated in an unmarked white minivan parked at the far end of the lot. She pulled on her seat belt just as she heard a chime. Frowning, she pulled a second phone from her belt. She checked her text messages. The most recent was from a number that she recognized.
    The message read: Sev 1 .
    A severity one code. An emergency.
    Frowning, she jammed the key in the ignition. The engine rumbled to life. She could make it into New York City within the hour, providing traffic was merciful at the Holland Tunnel.
    Apparently, there were going to be more loose ends to tie up today.
     

CHAPTER FIVE
    Poised on the main runway of the Thomas Dorian Space Center, the space orbiter Naiad gleamed under the bright New Mexico sun. Massive and sleek, the wedged-shaped hull was shimmering white, with dark blue trim on the wing edges and nosecone. A massive engine sat behind each wing. She was a majestic craft, both familiar and exotic in design, the result of three years of research, two years of construction, and a multi-billion dollar investment.
    The orbiter was three hundred and seven feet long, with a wingspan of two hundred and thirty eight feet. Designed to take off and land as a conventional aircraft without booster rockets, its take-off weight, including fuel, was five hundred seventy-two thousand pounds.