CHAPTER TWELVE
“Giamanco is dead,” said Joey staring at Marissa.
“That’s great! I mean, it’s good for us, right? I can go home now?” she said.
“Not yet, honey. The man that really wants you is far more dangerous. His name is Vasily Gorbeva. He wants a formula that you’re working on that will deliver some sort of neurotoxin via a puff air or something, like an inhaler.”
“Th-that’s my thesis work. I didn’t share that with anyone.”
“Marissa, why in the hell were you working on something like that?” he asked.
“I wasn’t working on it. You forget that I was assigned this by my professor. I had to do the work. That’s why he was fired.”
“Right,” he nodded. “Well, for now we have a bit of a breather until they think we can get out of here. We want to make sure no one is in the area. Tanner is sending drones and adjusting the satellites.”
Marissa shook her head, circling the big table in the center of the room. She pushed her hair from her face, then adjusted her ponytail. The cabin was warm but a snowstorm was brewing outside. They could be stuck for days.
“What are you thinking?” asked Joey.
“The other students in my class. What if they were assigned things that are like this; that someone might want? What if it was planned by the professor and these other men?”
“That’s fucking scary,” said Joey. “Do you know what they were working on?”
“No. He didn’t want anyone talking about what their assignment was. He wanted you working on it individually, no help, and no input from others.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Not really. The challenge was that we were told to stay off digital resources as much as possible.”
“Meaning?” asked Joey.
“Meaning, stay off the computer resources if you can. It was nearly impossible to do in this day and age. I mean, when was the last time you saw any resource materials in writing?”
“You’ve got a point,” he said nodding. “What was his name?”
“Mills. Professor Shawn Mills. Mid-fifties, five-ten, silver hair thinning on top. He wears very thick glasses and when he’s nervous he stutters.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like he’ll be difficult to find. Let me text the others,” he said.
Marissa nodded, rising to start something for dinner. She chose the canned beef stew and placed some refrigerated biscuit dough in the oven. By the time it was all heating up, Joey had notified the others.
“River is going to see if he can find him.”
“River? When did he arrive?” she asked.
“He was undercover with the FBI. Apparently he left the Navy to work for the feds, at least temporarily. He didn’t know you were one of the women. He was primarily at the house with the other men of Giamanco.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. I would have definitely screamed if I’d seen him in the audience.”
“You wouldn’t have had to. You and River are like the other triplets. You all look alike. Tall, lean, blue eyes, blonde hair. It would have been hard to hide.”
“That’s true,” she frowned.
Joey plated their stew and served the hot biscuits with honey and butter. The food was so good, they hadn’t realized how hungry they were. When the lights began to flicker, Joey looked around the room.
“I’ll get the kerosene lanterns ready. It’s going to be a long cold night.” Marissa grabbed his hand as he stood.
“Joey? It doesn’t have to be a long, cold night. I mean, we’re in agreement about us, aren’t we?”
“We are,” he smiled. “But I need for you to be really, really sure Marissa. No going back. When we finish this, you go back home and finish your masters. I’ll finish my time with the Rangers and we get married. Happily ever after and all that wonderful stuff.”
“I agree,” she smiled. “Happily ever after forever.”
“Let me get the lanterns. Finish eating. You’re going to need your strength.”
Marissa could only smile as he gathered the lanterns, pouring kerosene into the bellies. When his phone rang, face up on the table, he told her to answer it. She stared at the screen, shaking her head.
“Nope.”
“Nope? Answer it, Marissa. It’s fine.”
“Nope. It’s mom.” He laughed, picking up the phone.
“Hi, Miss Ramey,” he smiled.
“Joey Dougall, I know you’re with my daughter and I want to know why she hasn’t called me in the last twenty-four hours when I know damn good and well she’s had the opportunity and she’s spoken to her father.”
“Um, let me give the phone to her,” he said softly. He pushed it toward Marissa and she shook her head. He pushed it again and she let out a long slow breath.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, mom? Hi, mom? That’s what you’re going to lead with?”
“Sorry.”
“That’s a little better. Marissa, why wouldn’t you have called me or your father or anyone here? Why? We would have helped, we could have helped.”
“You are helping. Now. Mom, I was scared and embarrassed and all the things I shouldn’t have been. It was immature and I regret every second of it. But I’m okay. Really, I am. I’m with Joey and Dad and the others are working to stop the man that wants to take me.”
“I’m well aware. Will you come home?” she asked hopefully.
“As soon as they can get to us. I won’t ever leave again, I can promise you that.” Her mother laughed and Marissa let out a sigh of relief. “I knew someone there could help me, Mom. I just, I just panicked I think. I didn’t want anyone to know that I couldn’t handle things for myself.”
“Marissa, we all need help now and then. All of us. You just stay safe, do what Joey tells you.” Marissa could feel her face blush, the heat causing her to touch her skin. “Speaking of Joey.”
“Not now, Mom,” she whispered.
“Well, that tells me what I need to know. Stay safe. Come home. Your father and the others will end this.”