Chapter 18 #2
“Still not drinking? Such discipline.” Webb leaned back in his chair, studying her with those cold, calculating eyes. “I have to admit, I’m surprised you reached out. After Vancouver, I assumed you’d disappear again. Go back to whatever hole you’ve been hiding in for the past five years.”
“I’m tired of hiding.”
“Are you?” Webb’s eyebrows rose. “And what exactly do you want, Elena? Why are we here?”
Reed leaned closer to the monitor, his heart pounding. This was the moment—the opening gambit that would determine whether Webb took the bait or walked away.
Elena was quiet for a moment, her fingers tracing the edge of her water glass. “I want this to end. All of it. The running, the looking over my shoulder, the constant fear that you’ll find me again.”
“And you think meeting me for dinner will accomplish that?”
“I think we can make a deal.”
Webb’s expression flickered—with surprise, maybe, or interest. “What kind of deal?”
“WATCHDOG is dying,” Elena said quietly.
“The virus I uploaded is destroying it from the inside out. In a week, maybe two, the entire system will be worthless. All those buyers you’ve been courting, all those foreign governments willing to pay billions for access—they’ll vanish the moment they realize what they’re buying is broken beyond repair. ”
“Get to the point.”
“I can fix it.”
Silence stretched between them. Reed watched Webb’s face cycle through a dozen micro-expressions—skepticism, calculation, greed—before settling into careful neutrality.
“You expect me to believe that you’d help me rebuild the system you just destroyed?”
“I expect you to believe that I’m a pragmatist.” Elena leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping.
“I have knowledge you need; I’m the only person alive who truly understands WATCHDOG’s architecture at a fundamental level.
And I don’t want you to retaliate against the people who have been helping me. ”
He paused, then flashed a grin. “That’s your weakness, Elena, you have always cared about people too much.” He snorted. “Even with all of your science and training, you have proved it’s the people you care most about.”
Reed thought about the fact she faked her death all of those years ago because she thought it would protect him.
Elena scowled. “I guess you got me, Webb; people are important to me.”
Webb sighed. “So you’re proposing a partnership, to protect those you love.”
The word love didn’t escape Reed.
“I’m proposing a transaction. I fix your system. We have a truce. We never see each other again. And, yes, you never see my friends again, either.”
Webb was quiet, his fingers steepled beneath his chin as he considered her offer. Reed could practically see the wheels turning in the man’s head, weighing risks against potential rewards.
“So I’m guessing that includes the Star brothers? The FBI agent who’s been sniffing around my operations?”
Elena nodded.
“You expect me to believe they’re not listening to this conversation right now? That there aren’t a dozen agents waiting outside to grab me the moment I agree to anything?”
“I came alone, just like you asked.”
“You came alone.” Webb smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Elena, I’ve known you for fifteen years. You’re not stupid. You wouldn’t walk into a meeting with me without some kind of backup plan. Not to say anything of your relationship with Reed.”
Reed’s blood ran cold.
“Mr. Star agreed to help me.” Elena asked.
He sputtered out a laugh. “That’s all.”
She nodded.
“You don’t think I know you’ve always pined after that man?”
Silence.
Fear pounded into Reed, fear which quickly translated to fury. Reed longed to put a fist through the man’s face.
Webb scoffed. “You’ve always had a thing for that man and I underestimated what that meant to WATCHDOG.”
“You’re right,” Elena said calmly. “I did have a thing with Reed, but too bad for me, he is involved with someone else.”
Reed swore, then couldn’t help but grin. Strategy. Nice, Elena.
Webb let out a light laugh. “So, that explains why you’re here.” He laughed. “You couldn’t get back the man you thought you gave everything for.”
More silence.
Finally, Elena sighed. “I’m bored of this conversation, Webb. Can we help each other out or not?”
“Maybe.”
“Are you re-building or not?”
Webb didn’t respond for a long time. Reed imagined he was studying her, weighing the risks. “Heinrich. Do you remember him?”
“Of course.”
Reed tried to remember who they could be talking about, but the name didn’t stand out to him.
“I’m meeting with him tomorrow in Germany. I’ll let you come, but I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“What does that mean?”
Reed rushed out of the van, sprinting toward the restaurant. He could still hear the conversation through the Bluetooth in his ear.
“It means you come with me. We exit the building with my men right now.”
Elena let out a light laugh. “I don’t think so.”
“I need you.”
Reed was nearing the doors of the restaurant. One of Vince’s men saw him and opened the door.
“Yes, you do, but that’s not how this is going to end.”
“You’re right,” Webb said. “You’re coming with me.”
The next thing Reed heard was Elena screaming.
Then she came into view.
Webb’s hand was in her hair, yanking her to a standing position.