Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
R onnie laughed at the shocked expression on Con’s face. She stood up and gathered her plate and his. “What’s next on the agenda for this information?” She nodded at the computer, which was still doing some kind of work or at least looked like it was.
“Wait, this was a date?” Con stood up as she moved away from the table. “I didn’t know that. I get a do-over.” His foot got tangled in the cord plugged into the wall and his computer. “Damn it. Wait, hold on.”
She laughed at him and headed into the kitchen.
“No, hold on, I have questions. How did I not know this was a date? Besides, I want to take you out for dinner, maybe dancing, wine, candy … all that romantic stuff. Then I want to walk you to your doorstep and have another one of those amazing kisses.” He followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the doorjamb. “And damn it, you look better in my T-shirt than you did in that gown. How is that possible?”
Ronnie put the dishes in the tiny sink and turned around. “First, you didn’t know it was a date because three-quarters of your mind is still processing the information you’re pulling from tonight’s situation. Second, all that romantic stuff sounds nice, but in reality, I’m not sure we’ll ever meet outside of when we work together. My world is very complicated, and third, you like me in your T-shirt better because men get growly and possessive when women wear their clothes.”
Con blinked and then shook his head. “I agree with point number one and three, but I’m not giving up on knowing you outside of work. I’ll find you. Somehow.” He walked up to her and dropped his hand on her hip.
She smiled up at him. She wasn’t averse to having another one of those mind-blowing kisses either. He lowered slowly, giving her time to retreat. Instead, she lifted to her toes.
“Con, Archangel wants a group conference ASAP.” Fury’s voice doused the moment in ice water, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
Con groaned and cupped her face. “Hold that thought. For the love of everything, hold that thought.” She smiled up at him. God, he was gorgeous; more than that, she loved his personality. He made her laugh one moment, and then the next, he was sensual and growly, which hit just about every button she had.
“Con, did you copy?” Ethan came across the earpiece next.
He tapped his earpiece and snapped, “Yes, just hold on.” He looked down at her and she stepped away from him.
“You better go,” she whispered. With a pained expression plastered across his face, he spun and jogged into the living area to his computer. She tapped her earpiece and followed him.
“Con and Centurion are online. Bringing in Fury, Ethan, and Archangel.” His fingers flew across the keyboard. Yet another thing about him she really liked. He knew his job, and from everything she’d witnessed, he was one of the best. He was the whole package.
“And the connection is secure,” he announced and looked at her, crossing his eyes. Her hand flew to her mouth, stopping the laughter that bubbled up.
He smiled, then diverted his attention to his laptop, turning it slightly, so she could see the participants without being in the camera shot herself.
Archangel started the meeting. “The woman Molchalin shot tonight was the Undersecretary of Defense, Anne Trueman. She was supposedly on personal time, not in the country on any type of detail. The man who was killed was Fredrick Eisenberger.”
Con nodded. “That was confirmed by the first responders to the incident. I forwarded that to you.”
“Do you know who Eisenberger is?” Archangel asked.
Con’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “I pulled that and put it into a folder for you, but I didn’t read it.”
Ethan chimed in. “I do. I was reading a report from the CIA a couple of months ago, and he’s the man who has a theory of how the next world war will start. There are other magazines who’ve done articles and such on him.”
“And how does this crazy man think WWIII is going to happen?” Fury asked.
“By taking out digital means of banking first. For modernized countries, it would cause chaos, hunger, and rioting. Then, electronic communications would be eliminated. Next, enemy forces would sweep in. For countries that don’t allow their citizens to own weapons, the forces stationed in the nation would be the only defense.”
Centurion leaned forward. “Is that possible?”
Con looked at her and nodded. “It isn’t outside the realm of possibility.”
“Hackers are testing systems all the time,” Ethan agreed. “But as of yet, there hasn’t been any indication Eisenberger has any foundation to stand on. He’s just one of the many doomsday voices.”
“Why was the Undersecretary of Defense with him?” Fury asked.
Archangel leaned forward. “As of this moment, all this information is classified at the highest levels. We have suspected for some time Anne Trueman has been involved with Molchalin.”
“Then why would he kill her?” Centurion asked.
“She’s a liability.” Fury shrugged. “Or she was making a power grab, and Molchalin wasn’t happy about it. He killed her. We have the evidence. It was personal. Otherwise, he’d have had one of his goons kill her.”
“Why Eisenberger?” Ethan threw the question out there.
“No one in the government is talking about Eisenberger. Ethan, I need you to learn everything about the man. I want to know what he ate for lunch the day he died, and I want to know what he was working on and with who.”
“And the Undersecretary?” Con started typing.
“Jewell will do that.”
“Is she feeling better?” Ethan and Con asked at about the same time.
“She’s got the flu, but she’s pulling that information between bouts of nausea. Giving her that bit of work is the only thing keeping her from signing back on.” Archangel sighed. “We haven’t had time to go through all the documents you sent us from the Archambeau case, but we’re hoping to find something in them that would lead us to a rationale as to why Molchalin wanted both of them dead.”
“Why in the hell did that guy have everything printed out and not on the computer?” Con groaned. “Living in the Stone Age.”
“Maybe he read Eisenberger’s rantings,” Ethan interjected and laughed. Only he was the only one. Ronnie sat up straight, and Con’s eyes bounced over to her. “Shit, that would explain why he wanted the banks in Switzerland.”
“Explain that,” Archangel barked.
“Sir, they would have the cash deposits, not just digital money. That country's deposits and safety deposit boxes hold at least a quarter of the world’s wealth.” Con stared directly at the screen. “I haven’t read Eisenberger’s manifesto, but what if Molchalin has and is moving to that end? Being the force responsible for dismantling the digital cash system and being the one at the top of the heap when it was all over and done with?”
Archangel took off his glasses but didn’t speak for several long moments. “So, why would he steal the crypto?”
“He could cash it throughout the world and amass billions of dollars in tangible physical assets.” Ronnie was following the bouncing ball, and she didn’t like the direction it was going.
“But we stopped that and moved the money out of his accounts.” Con shook his head.
“It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have other events in progress or scheduled,” Fury growled.
Ronnie opened her mouth to say something, but then … still … “I know this is way out there, but what’s in London that’s physical and more valuable than digital money?”
Ethan snorted. “The crown jewels.”
Ronnie watched as Con’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “Estimated value is from 1.2 to 5.8 billion dollars.”
Fury shook his head. “We’re really getting off track here.”
“Are we?” Archangel asked. “I don’t want to discount any possibility. I’ve alerted the British government we believe Molchalin will land on a farm strip near London. Con, I need you to get to London. Ethan, everything you can dig up on Eisenberger. Also, for everyone, let’s go through what hard evidence we have and dig in. I don’t want to miss a thing. I’ll bring in Alpha and Tori. They’re damn good at puzzles, and Tori will have a fresh eye.”
“So will I,” Ronnie added. “I haven’t been involved in anything with Molchalin yet.”
Fury snorted. “For a damn good reason.”
“And that reason is now out the door,” she sniped back. “I’ll have Con bring me up to speed on the way to London.”
“That’s a negative. We’re pending approval on your continued role in this case,” Archangel told her.
Oh, no. No, that wasn’t going to happen. She’d started the case. It was hers. “No, we are not. This is my case. You wouldn’t pull one of the others off their cases. You’re not pulling me. Tell your approval authority that pulling me from it would be bad. Very bad.” Ronnie stood up. “I’m calling my hotel and having the concierge bring my things here. We’ll be ready to leave within the hour. Centurion out.”
She turned off her earpiece and stared at Con, whose mouth was hanging open. He blinked and looked from her to the computer screen.
Archangel pinched the bridge of his nose. “This really isn’t my day.”
Fury chuckled. “Better you than me, my brother.”
“I don’t understand,” Con said and glanced back at her, his brow furrowed. “Why does she get to give ultimatums?”
Fury barked out one of his evil ass laughs. “Your clearance isn’t high enough for that one, Techie Boy. The Rose is clear.”
“Con, get to work on this mess. Find me something solid to go on. Our wild-ass guesses are not going to give us the firepower we need.”
“I copy,” Con said, and Ronnie watched as he ended the connection for the meeting. He tapped his earpiece. He probably didn’t want anyone else to hear what he was about to say.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on? My clearance is as high as it gets,” Con asked from behind the computer.
“Nope.” She popped the “p” like she was mad at it. “Your clearance isn’t anywhere near the top of that pole, and if you needed to know, someone higher in the food chain would brief you.” There was no way in hell she’d ever tell anyone she was David Xavier’s daughter. Her father felt he had to rein her in, even though her younger sister was the wild one in the bunch. Her mother was on her side, surprisingly. Her mom didn’t coddle any of them, and once they decided what they wanted in life, she supported them. On the other hand, her father didn’t like that she’d forced his hand and gone through Shadow training, but it was that, or she would have gone out on her own and found someone to train her. Yeah, none of that would come to the light of day. She’d die before she let that info out of the bag.
“Why not? And how high in the food chain are you? Above Archangel?” Con narrowed his eyes. “How is it you can tell him what he’s going to do?” Con stared at her. “Who are you?”
“I’m me. I’m an assassin, and I’m a fashion designer when I’m not killing people. I have nothing further to say to anyone about my identity. Continue down this path, and there won’t be a second date. There might not be a Conner Solomon.”
Con’s mouth snapped shut, and he stared at her for a full minute before his face split into a wide smile. “So, where do you want to go for our date?”
Ronnie cocked her head and lifted an eyebrow before she said, “London.”