Kitabı oxu: «Night Moves»

Many thanks to Ethan Ellenberg for gently guiding my career in this direction and to Denise Zaza for giving me this opportunity. My great appreciation also goes to Shawna Rice for answering all my newbie questions.

To Mica, Wendy, Kassia, Stephanie and Jill—you prove every single day that women who read and write romance are incredibly smart and insightful. Sharing the ups and downs of this career with you all is a pleasure.

Thank you to Judy Duarte for saying the right thing at the right time. Your comments were invaluable.

As always, thank you and big hugs to James for all your love and support.

Chapter One

“Tell me how much she knows.”

“She is a very able student.” Dr. Langdon Hammer felt a surge of pride at having picked his assistant. Maura Lindsey possessed multiple degrees and a significant amount of research experience. Not just any lab could secure the services of such a dedicated and knowledgeable young doctor.

Of course, the very reasons that made her ideal as a professional also made her a problem now. Being brilliant would be her downfall.

“I’m talking about professionally, Hammer.”

“So am I. She works with me every day. Just work.” Dr. Hammer didn’t bother to look up from the computer keyboard. He couldn’t type if he couldn’t see the letters, and he had to move fast. The man standing in front of him didn’t like having his time wasted.

Just thinking about the man’s plans made Dr. Hammer’s fingers trip over the keys and accidentally erase an entire column of data. This was why he had an assistant. Entering information and other menial tasks fell to her.

“Tell me about her access to your work. How much does she see?” the other man asked.

Dr. Hammer’s hand hesitated over the delete key. “All of it.”

“Does she understand the ramifications of your findings?”

“Of course.” As if he would hire someone incapable of grasping a world-changing scientific breakthrough. Stupid people annoyed him.

The other man paced the small space across from Dr. Hammer, the only section of the office not blocked by stacks of books and papers. “Then she’s the logical choice for this.”

Dr. Hammer tried one last time to argue for her. “She is invaluable to my research.”

“Everyone is replaceable.”

Dr. Hammer pushed back in his chair and focused solely on the conversation. The disturbing turn had his full attention now. “Not everyone.”

“There are others with the same level of expertise as you.”

“Hardly.”

“With enough assistance, they can reach your level.”

“That would take years, possibly decades, and even then it’s doubtful. On the other hand, there is no question about my success. I have achieved it.”

“Which is why we came to you.” The man traced his finger over the top of the crystal award sitting on the edge of Dr. Hammer’s desk. “But you would be wise to remember the extent of my resources. The reach of my power.”

Dr. Hammer swallowed back the lump of fear that had been forming since the other man walked into the office. “I am.”

“Then we understand each other.”

“Yes.”

The man’s twisted grin resembled that of a pouncing animal. “Dr. Lindsey will continue to help you. She just needs to be dead to do it.”

MAURA LINDSEY READ OVER the paragraph a second time. She didn’t need her two doctorate degrees and a genius-level IQ to recognize something was very wrong at the Systems Institute, the government lab where she worked.

Since the task of inputting information, complying with regulations and keeping track of the paperwork fell to her, there was no way this amounted to a simple misunderstanding. Altered data and wrong conclusions. It was all right there in front of her. No matter how many times she blinked, the words in the file didn’t change. Her boss, Dr. Langdon Hammer, had prepared a false interim report on their organ transplant research for the National Institutes of Health. The same report he hid from her.

He had always been eccentric. Grumpy and brilliant, private and utterly focused on his research to the point of distraction over everything except, maybe, his new wife. Married or not, he definitely was not a people person and lately he added secretive to his list of unattractive attributes.

Maura ignored the sharp change in his temperament at first. She understood the pressure of working long lonely hours in a sterile lab in the rush for groundbreaking scientific developments. But she didn’t understand the lies.

She stood in the center of Dr. Hammer’s office with two sets of notes in her hands. The real ones and the ones her boss compiled for his progress report. His fake progress report.

She only saw one solution—take the documents and review them somewhere else. It was a violation of her employment, and she hated to take the risk, but if Dr. Hammer saw her pawing through his papers or suspected she had questions, she might never get the answers she needed. She’d go home, spread everything out across her dining-room table and study the data. Maybe there was a reasonable explanation. If not, she’d get someone high up in NIH to listen to her concerns.

Heavy footsteps fell in the hallway, breaking into her mental plotting. The unknown visitor didn’t stop or question the light being on in Dr. Hammer’s office. The quick pace suggested running and no one ran in the Institute. Other than a few offices—most of which were empty—and a small area for administrative and computer work, the main floor consisted only of lab space. And only two people worked there. Dr. Hammer insisted on keeping the people with access to his findings to a minimum.

The floor above housed another lab engaged in unrelated government research on top-secret projects, but it was ten o’clock on Saturday night. Only people without a life were in the building now, and that meant she was alone except for the security guard at the front door.

“Tom?” When he didn’t answer, Maura tried again. “Hello?”

She gathered up all the files on Dr. Hammer’s desk and shoved them under her arm. She wanted to download everything from her boss’s computer onto a drive, but the usual password didn’t work. Seemed the absent-minded scientist had instituted some new security protocols that day without telling her. Since the man could barely order lunch without someone dialing the phone for him, she feared what was happening might involve Dr. Hammer using outside resources, which violated just about every clause of his confidentiality agreement and employment contract with the government.

But she’d figure that out later. Right now, she had to move.

Being as quiet as possible, she peeked out the office doorway, then slid into the hallway. If someone who shouldn’t be running around was out there, she sure didn’t want to meet up with him. Getting caught with stolen documents was not the way for her to keep her job, and she had worked too hard to get this assignment to lose it now.

Being attacked by a crazed burglar was not on her agenda, either.

She listened for any noise. She expected the natural sounds of the building to echo back to her. A creak here or there. The hum of lights and machines. An occasional ring of a phone. She heard nothing, and in this case, that was a very bad thing. The deadly stillness set off a whirl of panic in her stomach.

She took a few steps and glanced down to the far end of the hallway. All the doors along the way to the private offices remained closed. The steel entry to the lobby area looked to be locked up tight. The lights on the alarm panel next to it flashed green, just like they were supposed to do.

That direction checked out. So, she looked over her shoulder, back the other way to the matching panel at the opposite end of the corridor. It was the one closest to her and it led to the lab, and it was deadly dark.

Problem found.

No whistles or screaming bells. The fingerprint scanner was in place but not lit up as usual. The fact that the door stood wide open qualified as the biggest problem of the moment. She couldn’t see inside, but didn’t have to. They kept the door locked. Always.

The potential danger of the situation hit her with a clarity that threatened to knock her over, even as her brain struggled to analyze what she was seeing. Not trusting her mind to sort it all out fast enough, she fumbled in her lab-coat pocket, searching for her cell phone to call the police. It wasn’t there. As usual, she’d put it down somewhere and lost track of it. Her brother insisted that habit would get her in trouble one day. She feared that day had come.

She was stuck away from the phones with nothing more than a stack of papers in her hands for protection. Defenseless and alone, the combination sent her mind spinning. Her usual calm abandoned her in favor of grinding panic. Every inch of her shook with the need to escape and find help.

She felt her way along the wall as she inched down the hallway toward the lobby and freedom. Her breath pounded in her chest, scratching her throat raw. A squeak of shoes against the tile floor stopped her. She bit down on her tongue to keep from shouting for Tom. He would have answered her before if he could have. He wouldn’t play around in the lab.

No, this was someone else—stalking, hiding, waiting for her.

Forget quiet. She needed speed. She ran back into Dr. Hammer’s office and headed for the phone. Before she could reach for the receiver, a deafening whoosh thundered up the hall, shattering glass in its wake. As she struggled to see what was happening, a huge boom rattled the building. The ground beneath her shook with enough force to buckle her knees and send vibrations up her legs.

A second explosion sent her body flying into Dr. Hammer’s huge mahogany desk. Her middle smacked into the edge, stealing her breath and scattering papers around her feet. Her vision swirled at the edges as she fell to the floor. For a second, she closed her eyes, hoping to open them again and find out this was nothing more than a nightmare.

A harsh banging brought her back to the present. Smoke filled the hallway and heat enveloped her. She choked on the foul air as she looked around. She tried to process the events of the last few minutes but her mind refused to function.

One thing was clear. She had to get out of there. Crackling sounded all around her as the building heaved and groaned. If she didn’t find fresh air and get out soon, she’d be crushed or burned alive. She refused to be a victim of either option.

On her hands and knees, she crawled across shards of glass and ignored the edges as they bit into her skin. She drew up a mental floor plan of the office and aimed for where the window should be. She’d crash through it if she had to. Anything to get outside and away from the building before it imploded.

With her mouth tucked into the sleeve of her coat, she lifted to her feet in a bent-over crouch. From this position she could see what remained of the office space. Nothing separated it from the hall now. The wall between Dr. Hammer’s office and hers had collapsed, leaving a blown-out opening. Fire danced in every inch of her room as bright orange flames raced up her walls, swallowing her framed degrees and bookshelves in one hot gulp.

If she had been where she was supposed to be, she’d be dead. Snooping had saved her.

Ceiling tiles fell from above her head, barely missing her. The walls were buckling. The thundering mix of fire and falling debris filled her ears. The taste of soot lingered on her tongue. There would be nothing left soon, including her, if she didn’t jump through the window. The glass had shattered leaving ragged edges. Using her elbow, she cleared a path and wiggled out the small opening. A final pop propelled her outside, throwing her through the air until she landed hard on her right side on the grassy area outside.

Pain crushed in on her from every angle as she rolled as far away from the burning structure as possible. She hurt everywhere. Her mind reeled and fingers burned. When she looked down, she saw the death grip she had on some of those files. Through all the shock and the explosions, she had held on. The realization sent a wave of relief through her. She didn’t know where the papers fit together with the explosions, but she sensed on some level they did.

She dropped her head back and tried to gather the energy to get up. Smoke spiraled into the dark sky. Alarms hadn’t sounded, but she held out hope someone had heard the crashing booms that even now continued to sound, or saw the flames licking against the cloudless night.

Their building sat at the end of a long private drive in McLean, Virginia. The secluded setting ensured security, or that was the theory. Now the isolation worked against her, guaranteeing that precious data she needed would be lost before the fire department got word and came screaming to the scene.

When she lifted her head again and glanced around, she could make out the outline of a large SUV near the entrance to the building. It was a car that hadn’t been there when she checked in earlier. A second later, three people piled out of the front door in a rush. The bright lights of the outside parking area let her see what was happening. She recognized the straight-backed and serious steps of Dr. Hammer. He wasn’t injured. If anything, he maintained his usual even pace while the men around him tried to hustle him.

Before she could call out his name, one of the other men opened the back door of the vehicle and signaled for Dr. Hammer to get in. With one last long look at the Institute, he slipped in and closed the door. The SUV took off, leaving her alone and the disaster behind.

Maura tried to put the bits she knew together in a reasonable story, but the last hour didn’t make any sense. Dr. Hammer’s precious work was vanishing in front of him and he didn’t show any more concern than he did on a normal day when he left the office. More important, he didn’t seem to notice her car was in the parking lot while the building was on fire. Either he didn’t care that she could be injured or dead or worse, he wanted her to be.

She couldn’t figure out why, but she knew everything had gone wrong. This was more than a problem with the interim report. This went deeper. The fire and the false data were connected somehow. Had to be.

Anxiety flooded through her, making every cell in her body quake and tremble. She didn’t know who to trust or where to go.

No, that wasn’t true. She knew exactly where to go and who could help her untangle the mess.

Ignoring the pain in her shoulder and aches everywhere else, she rolled to her knees. She had to get up and go to Liam. She’d run away from him for years, but now she needed him. Liam would know what to do.

The plan set, she shot up too fast. Dizziness slammed through her the second her feet hit the ground. The move sent her back to her knees. She tried to gulp in air, but it was too late. The shot of adrenaline that guided her through the last few minutes had worn off, leaving behind a blinding headache and exhaustion she couldn’t shake.

When her elbows gave out, she fell back to the ground and stayed there, staring up into the black night. Yes, Liam would help. She repeated that mantra until she convinced herself it was true. Now she had to convince him.

Chapter Two

Liam Anderson had been to more memorial services than he could count. A devastated family, shocked loved ones. He knew the drill and always steeled himself against getting sucked into the sad aftermath of someone else’s violent end. But the last twenty hours had been different.

This wasn’t about paying his respects to a victim’s family in a case. This was about getting through those initial horrible hours after the bad news came. This was for Maura, his best friend’s sister.

Twenty-four and dead. It didn’t seem possible. Sitting there and watching Dan descend into madness made it real for Liam. His friend had spent almost every hour in a drunken haze since getting the unbelievable news. Dan only sobered up this afternoon when the police showed up a second time, changed tactics and started asking questions about Maura’s background. They danced around the accusations but it was clear they believed she had something to do with the explosion.

Liam provided support and an ear. Even got pissed off on Maura’s behalf at the accusations. Keeping Dan from crawling all over the cops proved harder. Liam left only after Dan had settled down, but planned to return to Dan’s house after a shower and change of clothes. Keeping Dan sane was the only way Liam knew to beat back his own feelings.

Maura had run from him and now she was gone forever. He would never have a chance to apologize and make things right for what happened nine years earlier. Never get to know the woman she’d become. He’d be stuck with only the memories of a brokenhearted girl.

He shook his head as he slammed his car door. What a waste.

Within two steps, Liam realized something was off at his house. He was a security expert, after all. It was his business to notice things, to sense danger, analyze it and diffuse it. His gaze swept over the front lawn and up the porch to his door. He visually checked his alarm and the other traps he set around the entrance every time he went out, but nothing seemed obviously out of place there.

Still, the prickling sensation didn’t ease. He’d learned long ago to pay attention when a sharp pain whacked him between the shoulder blades. He failed to listen exactly one time in his professional life and had the scar on his leg to prove it. He intended to heed the warning this time.

Unfortunately, his weapons all sat securely inside. He’d never imagined he’d need a gun today. Violence should take one day off.

He scanned the area again, looking for any change no matter how small. The gate to the side yard on the right of his place caught his attention. Every time he closed it, he pulled it tight enough for the gate to swing inside the yard slightly. The gate hung even with the fence now. That meant someone had used the walkway to get to his backyard, outside of the view of the street.

Smart, but not smart enough.

The fact the alarm had not been tripped made him think the burglar never made it inside the house. Liam hoped like hell the guy was still around. It would feel good to pound someone right about now, to work out all of his aggression and anger at Maura’s loss.

Liam knew he had surprise on his side. His dark jeans would provide some camouflage but the white oxford would give his position away. The important thing was he had the freedom of movement he needed to get the jump on whoever wanted inside his house.

If he disengaged the alarm it would beep, so he decided to go with the soundless option: circle around the left side and hunt this guy down from the outside. No need to dissect the plan. He got moving.

He lifted the latch and stalked along the side of the house, careful not to tip off anyone to his location. His feet fell quiet against the soft grass as he inched along the red-brick wall. When he reached the corner, he peeked around to the patio and saw a figure slumped in one of his deck chairs. All he could make out were slats of wood and a mop of brown hair.

He pounced, hitting the deck at a dead run. At the last minute, his unwanted visitor turned around. Recognition washed through him, but it was too late for Liam to change his path. He crashed into the chair, sending them both careening toward the hardwood floor. Liam managed to twist his body and shoulder most of the impact, but they both went down with a humph.

He groaned as his muscles recovered from the jolt. “Maura?”

She sprawled on top of him not moving.

“Hey!” He held on to her and struggled to sit up despite his awkward position, and about a hundred-thirty pounds of extra weight piled on top of him. “Are you okay?”

She mumbled something that sounded like words but didn’t make much sense.

Her long hair hung down in her face, but at least she was alive. “What are you doing back here? Why aren’t you at Dan’s house? The police think—”

Her chest rose and fell on heavy breaths as she stared at him. “Do you welcome everyone that way?”

Liam shook his head, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Who he was seeing. “What the hell is going on?”

“That tackle wasn’t as bad as the fire, but close.”

“You’re supposed to be dead.” Not the brightest conversation starter ever, but he figured it got the job done.

Confusion cleared from her eyes. “Well, I’m not.”

He gave her a little squeeze then shifted her to the side and off his injured leg as gently as possible. He took a long look at her. He rarely saw her despite his relationship with Dan. When he did, Liam was struck by a beautiful woman with a round face and big chocolate-brown eyes. Curvy, with shiny hair and wide smile.

Now she had cuts on her hands and face. A bruise colored her cheek. Her clothes hung loose as if she showered and threw on someone else’s tee and pants.

“Let’s try my first question again. Are you okay?” he asked.

“I was, until about three seconds ago when you pummeled me.”

“Thought you were a burglar.”

She brushed her hands up and down her arms. “You have an interesting way of protecting your property.”

She had no idea what he was capable of. “I don’t understand what’s going on. Dan thinks you’re dead. Everyone does.”

“Can we go inside?”

It was a cool April day and she was dressed for summer, but the weather was just about the last thing on his mind. “Explain first.”

“Inside.” She glanced around and then leaned in to whisper. “Please.”

No way could he fight that scared look on her face. He struggled to his feet and held a hand down to help her up. Her fingers felt like ice against his skin. “You could have gone in.”

“You have enough security here for a small city.” She nodded toward the alarm panel. “Without the code, I wasn’t about to risk it. I didn’t want the police to come.”

“Why?”

She dropped his hand. “I’ll explain once we get inside. Promise.”

The fence and tall trees gave them privacy, but the way she chewed on her lower lip suggested she didn’t feel all that safe. Paranoid and hunted—words he never would have used to describe her before. But they worked now. She’d aged before his eyes.

It was official. He had no idea what was going on. That wasn’t exactly a new sensation where Maura was concerned, but this wasn’t about her fancy job and impressive book smarts. This was a common-sense matter of talking to the police. Seemed simple to him.

“Let’s go.” When he reached over to guide her to the door with a hand at her back, she flinched. The reaction surprised him. Ticked him off, too. “Are you afraid of me now?”

The taunt came more from habit than anything else. She had been avoiding him for so long that he expected her to do nothing else.

Her chin lifted. “Of course not.”

He noticed she cradled her right arm and immediately regretted the verbal battle. He knew that protective maneuver. It probably meant injury. When he asked all of the other questions swimming in his mind, he’d ask that one, too. But for now, he wanted her talking. The faster they did that, the faster he could call Dan and save his friend’s liver from the pickling it had been subjected to for the last few hours.

“Where have you been?” Liam asked.

“Hiding.”

After a quick set of punches on the keypad, Liam opened the door and motioned for her to step inside. He expected her to walk through the kitchen to his family room and curl up on the couch. Instead, she hunkered down on the bar stool and stared at his fridge.

He tried to assess her mood and failed. “Are you hurt?”

She rubbed her arm. Probably didn’t even realize she did it. “Sore, but otherwise okay.”

“How about hungry?”

“No.”

He roamed around his kitchen looking for a way to keep his hands busy. “Thirsty?”

“Just some water, please.”

He grabbed a bottle and twisted off the cap before setting it in front of her. “Yeah, I hear dying can be dehydrating.”

She treated him to a slight smile then. “That’s what they say.”

His patience picked that moment to expire. He went from being supportive to being frustrated. The latter emotion he knew well in conjunction with Maura. “Look, I’m all for small talk but why don’t we skip to the part where you explain what’s going on?”

She took a long drink, drawing out the silence, then picked at the bottle’s label. “There was an explosion.”

“I know that much.”

She frowned at him. “Let me finish.”

With the shock gone, all he had left was the churning anger in his gut. “Your brother is sitting at his house drinking himself into a black oblivion while he mourns your death. So, forgive me if I’m confused why you’re here and not there. Why you’re anywhere, for that matter.”

Pain flashed across her face. “Dan.”

“Yeah, Maura. Dan.” Liam leaned down on his elbows until they were face-to-face. “You’re not the type who would let her brother worry for no reason. What is this?”

“I was in the building when it exploded.” She lifted her hand to stop him when he tried to butt in. “I … saw something.”

“What?”

“Dr. Hammer.”

Yeah, him. “I’m sorry about that, Maura.”

All emotion left her face. “For what?”

“You wanted to work for someone like Dr. Hammer for years and then achieved it. I know it meant a lot to you to get that job.” Liam stumbled over his words. He’d never been good at this emotional connection stuff. “This must be hard. You know, for you.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about?”

“Your boss.”

“Yeah, and?”

“Haven’t you read a paper or seen the news?”

She pointed to the purple blotch on her cheek. “I’ve been busy.”

Doing what was the question. The same one Liam wanted to ask, but he’d ease up for now. “Your boss is gone.”

“As in?”

Oh, man. Why did he have to be the one to break this news? “The usual definition, I’m afraid.”

“I still don’t know what that means.” Her tone got testier the longer the conversation went on. It was almost hostile now.

Liam drew in a deep breath. There was no stopping now.

“He’s dead.” He enunciated each word, hoping that would help the message get through to her.

She shook her head hard enough to knock a few teeth loose. “No.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re wrong.”

“I am?”

“Where did you get your information about Dr. Hammer?”

Liam shrugged. “It’s in the paper.”

“Is my death in the paper?”

She had him there. “Well, yeah, but I was there when the police talked to Dan. They said Hammer’s research is also missing. The theory is that he was killed for it.”

“It’s my research, too.”

Liam ignored her outburst of ego. “They used some word I’ve never heard of to describe what you do.”

“Xenotransplantation.”

“It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie.”

“Hardly. We can transplant organs between animal species.” A new confidence filled her voice as she used her hands to act out the process. “The goal is to figure out how to grow human organs in animals and harvest them for transplants. It would eliminate the black market and organ shortages. We could offer even more than hope. We could give life.”

Make that a horror flick. “Are you kidding?”

“Of course not. One of the biggest impediments relates to the human immune system, but there are ways to account for that. Success would mean no more waiting on lists for transplants or depending on artificial devices. We’re talking about an epic breakthrough in the advancement of people’s health. The possibilities are breathtaking.”

He knew he had to put on the brakes before she gave him a full science lecture. “Anyway, the police thought you were collateral damage. That you happened to be in the building working at the wrong time.”