Chapter 15 #2
“We’ll work in pairs. Go in, incapacitate any guards.” He held out a box containing small earpieces. “Ace will provide comms and shut down the cameras. We’re just having a look around to find the lab. Don’t kill anyone.”
Ryder slipped his earpiece in.
“Cameras will be down in one minute,” Ace’s voice said in his ear. “You have two guards. One by the gate, one inside, somewhere.”
“Acknowledged,” Vander replied. “We’ll avoid the one at the front by coming in from the eastern side of the estate, where the house is close to the boundary fence.
” He scanned the group. “Saxon and I will secure and search outside. Cam and Rhys will do the upper level of the house. Ryder and Siv will do the lower level. Call if you need assistance. Ready?”
They all nodded.
They headed down the side road, breaking off and heading into the trees.
Ryder slung an arm around Siv’s shoulders. “This is fun. And I’m totally getting the hang of this looking like a couple thing.”
Siv rolled her eyes.
“I like it,” he murmured.
Her gaze flew to his.
He had to kiss her, and hated that he had to keep it quick. He savored her lips for a brief second.
She elbowed him. “Mind on the job—” her voice lowered “—until later.”
“Now, that is good incentive to get this job done. I want later, Siv. A lot of later.”
She gave him one long look before facing ahead.
They reached the imposing stone fence. He watched Siv run and jump, then pull herself over the stone wall. Ryder followed, leaping off and landing in a crouch.
Vander and the others had disappeared. All four of the men had been Ghost Ops, and they were damn spooky when it came to sneaking around. He knew they could handle themselves.
“This way,” Siv murmured.
They darted across a well-groomed, green lawn. The house was stunning. Architecturally designed, it was a sprawling mass of stone and stucco.
They moved onto a spacious patio, and Siv nodded her head toward some sliding-glass doors. They were unlocked and opened soundlessly.
There was no one inside the large living area. It was all wood and cream tones, with wooden ceilings overhead with chunky wood beams, wood floors, and a huge stone fireplace.
“Nice digs,” Ryder muttered.
“Let’s find the stairs to the lower level.” Siv moved inside without a sound.
She crept ahead of him, toward a wide hall.
Ryder followed. He saw a flash of movement to his left and spied a dark-haired woman in a maid uniform, a pile of folded towels in her hands.
Hell, Siv wouldn’t see her at that angle. If the woman took a few more steps, she’d spot them.
He dropped to the floor and yanked Siv down.
To her credit, she didn’t fight him or make a sound. He pointed, and pressed a finger to his lips.
They crawled behind the large, cream couch, and he pressed up against her.
He peeked around the corner and saw the maid walk past, humming to herself.
The woman’s footsteps faded away.
Siv nodded, and they rose. They moved cautiously down the hall. He spotted the staircase ahead, and she pointed.
They headed down quickly. Siv held up a closed fist, and they listened.
“No sign of the interior guard on the upper floor,” Rhys murmured in the earpiece.
Shit . That meant the guard was still unaccounted for.
Siv moved slowly, sticking close to the wall.
The next level opened into a large, recreational area, with a U-shaped couch and huge TV. There was an air-hockey table off to the side. Ryder peered in some of the doors opening off the room, and noted they were all guestrooms.
They kept moving. The house was huge. Ahead, glass doors opened into a covered courtyard with a glass-ceiling. It was filled with lush, green plants, and a comfortable seating area.
Just past that was an indoor lap pool. He knew there was also a large pool and outdoor entertaining area upstairs. This one was for exercise, with a well-equipped gym attached.
Where the hell was the lab? Shit, he hoped they weren’t wrong. Maybe the Fosters had moved it?
They passed through the gym, just as the door on the other side of the room opened.
Hell . His pulse spiked. They had nowhere to hide.
A suit-clad guard stepped in. He looked about Ryder’s age, with russet-red hair.
The man saw them, frowned. “Who the hell are you, and how did you get down here?”
Siv smiled. “Oh, I’m a friend of Caroline’s. She invited us.”
The guard stepped toward them, his frown deepening. “There’s no one on the list today.”
“Oh, I guess she forgot—”
The guard’s gaze dropped to Siv’s vest and Glock. He whipped his own weapon up. “Get on the ground. Now!”
Siv let out a breath. “All right, we’ll do this your way.”
She moved like lightning and kicked the gun out of the man’s hand.
Ryder rushed in and punched the guy. The guard fell over a weight bench, and Siv crouched and touched the man’s neck. Whatever nerve point she hit, it only took seconds for the guy to sag.
She yanked out some zip ties, then bound and gagged the man.
“You look hot doing that,” Ryder said.
He watched her fight a smile, and rise. “Come on, let’s hide him, and keep searching.”
* * *
Cautiously opening the door, Siv slipped out of the gym and into the corridor.
Ryder was right behind her. He moved that big body well, staying silent.
The guard was now tied up in a storage cupboard in the gym.
She scanned the hall. This one was more utilitarian. Her instincts pinged. No homey, designer décor here. She waved at Ryder, and he nodded. They moved toward the door at the end of the hallway.
Siv slowly cracked it open and looked inside. There was no sound or movement, so she pushed it open.
Bingo .
The lab wasn’t big, but unlike the one she and Ryder had checked out in the industrial area, this one was clearly in use.
The workbenches were covered with equipment, notepads, computers, vials filled with liquid.
She walked in, scanning for occupants.
No one.
She walked along one of the workbenches, then looked up at the glass-fronted fridges. The shelves inside were stocked with vials, filled with clear fluid.
“See what you can make of this,” she said.
Ryder nodded, face focused. He leaned over and touched a computer, the screen flared to life. He started typing.
“Vander?” Siv touched her ear. “Vander, are you there?” There was no response. “Ace? This is Siv.”
Silence.
She cursed. “Something’s interfering with the comms.”
Ryder didn’t look up from scanning the data on the screen. “Then let’s get what we need, and get out of here, fast.” He froze.
“Ryder?” She moved closer.
“It’s all here.” He met her gaze, anger raw and hot in his eyes. “Caroline’s been working on Trelaskin here. It failed early tests, and she felt she needed human data to perfect it.” His jaw tightened. “Even though she didn’t know if it would be safe, she found her own test subjects.”
Siv’s pulse jumped. It was pure evil. Testing an unknown, potentially dangerous drug on vulnerable people.
Ryder tapped the keyboard. “All her fucking notes are here. She’s kept meticulous details.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “Fuck, she bribed a person running a nursing home.”
Siv’s gut curdled. “She tested the drugs on the elderly?”
He nodded. “Some died. But it was blamed on their old age, or other medical conditions. But Caroline needed younger, healthier test subjects. It’s all outlined here neatly. The fucking witch .” He turned and swiped an arm across the bench, knocking things to the floor. A glass beaker shattered.
“Ryder.” Siv grabbed his arm.
“She decided to target the homeless. To offer them money. She needed the healthiest of them.” Ryder turned back to the screen and hissed. “Jacko’s name is here.”
Siv took a second to place the name. “The nurse from the clinic?”
“The bastard sold Caroline medical records of the healthiest homeless people that came through the clinic.”
“No,” Siv breathed.
Ryder tapped furiously. “Here are the records. She knew it wasn’t working, and people were dying, but she kept doing it.”
Siv pressed against him, felt his pain.
Then she saw the name at the same time he did.
Thomas Robert Wilcox, test subject 25.
“Robbie was one of her guinea pigs.” Ryder’s voice was wooden. “He had no idea that he’d signed his death warrant. She killed him. For what?”
“So he could save the world.”
The female voice had them both spinning around.
Caroline stepped into the lab, closed the door behind her, and locked it with a loud click.
The woman wore slim, black pants, a black shirt, and a lab coat. Her hair was up in an artfully messy knot that Siv figured the woman had probably spent a lot of time perfecting.
“You’re a murderer,” Ryder growled.
“No, I’m a savior. I’ll cure cancer and save millions of lives. Stop endless suffering.”
“You’re deluded,” Siv said. “Your drug is a failure, and you’ve killed people.”
Caroline’s elegant face moved into sympathetic lines. Did the woman practice that in the mirror?
“To achieve greatness, risks must be taken. Sacrifices must be made.”
Ryder lurched forward and Siv grabbed him.
“Then you risk yourself , not others,” he spat. “Why don’t you put your damn drug in your own arm?
Caroline’s face twisted. “I never meant for anyone to die. I just needed more time to perfect—”
“I’ve seen your data, Caroline.” Ryder stabbed a finger at the computer. “Your drug is junk. It’s a failure that kills.”
The woman looked away and sniffed. “The only people who died were really old or homeless. No one cares.”
Siv had to yank Ryder back. He growled again.
“I care,” he said. “You killed a good man. He didn’t have some stellar career, and he wasn’t a tech billionaire, but he was a good man. Although you aren’t a billionaire either, are you? You’re just a fraud and a failure.”
Caroline stiffened and her mouth flattened.
Ryder continued, “Robbie wasn’t rich, but he was decent. People cared about him, and he cared about others. And I’ll make you pay for killing him.”
Fear flashed through Caroline’s eyes. “I will fix Trelaskin. It will change the world—”
“It’s over, Caroline,” Siv said. “Chiron will go bust, and you and your brother will go to jail.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “No. No . I’m a genius. I’m—”
“A fraud.” Ryder shook his head. “People will remember Robbie and the others you killed, and in a few years, you’ll be nothing. You’ll be locked in a cell, just an ugly, cautionary tale to Silicon Valley.”
Caroline’s chest rose and fell fast. Panic was rising, and there were red spots in her cheeks. “Who are you two? Christian thought something was off about you both. He had you investigated.”
“We know,” Ryder said. “We’ve been putting on a show for your investigator.”
Siv shifted, watching Caroline carefully. The woman wasn’t trained, but cornered, desperate people could be dangerous.
“I’m Siv Pedersen, from Norcross Security and Investigations. This is Ryder Morgan, a medic and friend of Thomas Robert Wilcox. Mr. Wilcox’s family hired us to find his killer. He may have lived on the streets, but he was a veteran and well loved by his brother Peter.”
“Peter Wilcox.” Caroline looked stricken. “I’ve met him. His brother lived on the street…?”
“Robbie was a vet with PTSD,” Ryder said. “But his family hadn’t abandoned him. He wasn’t trash.”
“They were all supposed to be nobodies,” she whispered.
Disgust flared on Ryder’s face. “It shouldn’t matter if they had a wealthy family or not, they were people. What is wrong with you?”
Caroline straightened. “I never meant for anyone to die.”
“Well, they did, and you’re responsible.”
She swallowed. “I can’t go to jail.”
Siv made a scoffing sound. “It’s too late.”
“Not if you never tell anyone.” Caroline licked her lips. “I can make this lab disappear.” Her gaze narrowed. “And you two as well.”
Siv laughed. “You’re going to take us on?” She shook her head. “We aren’t vulnerable homeless people, and we aren’t alone. Others know what you’ve done.”
A strange, panicked look crossed the woman’s face. “ No . If I make you go away, it will all go away. I can work on Trelaskin until it’s a success. I’ll change the world.”
Siv saw Ryder tense.
Caroline grabbed some jars of fluid off the bench. She lifted her chin. “I can’t let you leave. I can’t let you ruin my life’s work.”
She threw the jars.
Shit . Siv dodged. She slammed into a bench and one of the jars landed close by, shattering. The liquid sizzled, as it ate into the metal of the bench.
Dritt . It was some sort of acid.