Lost and Found (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #2)(7)

“You weren’t kidding, were you?” Nina Blunt sank into the chair beside Ariel with a shake of her head.

Ariel sighed. “I mentioned to Nina that you wouldn’t be happy to see me.”

“It’s not that I’m not happy. It’s that it’s dangerous,” Robert replied.

Ariel waved that off. “It’s Canada. Nothing bad ever happens in Canada. Now that Bliss place, I steered clear of. Do you know what the per capita murder rate is? You’re lucky any of you came out of there alive at all. Hello, Tag. Thanks for flying me over. It was lovely.”

Big Tag grinned. “That was my personal plane, of course. Only the best for my London team.”

Tucker groaned. “He just admitted he steals his sister-in-law’s planes. Case’s brother-in-law is a billionaire, and he must really love his sister to put up with Big Tag.”

Tag shrugged. “That’s fair. Now how about we shelve the romantic drama for now, though I fully expect to get regular updates from one of you.”

Robert frowned the boss’s way. “There’s no drama. Let’s move on to Dr. Walsh. I’m sure that’s why Dr. Adisa is here.”

The picture changed from that asshole Green to a woman in a white jacket, her brown and gold hair in a slightly messy bun. She wore a pair of tortoise shell glasses and a plain black dress. She smiled at the camera, the restrained expression of a professional.

Thirty. Rebecca Walsh was thirty years old and running her own department at one of the world’s most elite research facilities.

Had Rebecca Walsh been the one to help Hope McDonald erase his mind? Was he looking at the woman who’d helped rid him of his past?

“She’s pretty,” Tucker murmured.

She was, but in an oddly bland way. There was nothing that stood out about her. Her skin was blemish free, her face nicely symmetrical. He couldn’t tell a thing about her body. The only thing that stood out to him was the look in her eyes. Those eyes were big and brown and soulful.

This was the woman he would live close to for the next however many weeks or months it would take for them to do what they needed to do. Robert would be the one to befriend her. Jax and River were already living on the same floor, keeping an eye on things. Nina was her brand-new daily barista.

He and Robert were the last pieces to slide into place. They were going in as a couple. A newly married couple. He was not looking forward to it. If Owen had his way they would be the least affectionate newlyweds in history.

“Dr. Adisa has been studying our target.” Fain was all business again. “And Ms. Blunt has been setting herself up to be a part of the target’s daily life.”

Tag leaned in. “For those of you who haven’t met her, Nina Blunt joined the London team a few months ago. She used to work for Interpol. She’s an expert analyst, and we’ve brought her in to help us deal with Dr. Walsh. You’ve all met Ariel.”

Ariel knew him well. She’d been his therapist while he’d lived in The Garden. She’d helped them all.

Nina was a pretty woman with auburn hair. She was exactly the type of woman he would usually hit on, but since he’d seen Jax lying there on the floor of the underground research facility known only as The Ranch, he’d drawn in on himself.

This was serious. Jax had almost died. This wasn’t about a good time or finding as much pleasure as he could. He could die and he had zero idea who he was. He could die before he’d ever lived.

Before he’d had a chance to be more than the man in that file, the one who’d betrayed his friends. The one he was almost certain none of them truly trusted. It was precisely why he took the background jobs. He was with them, but not. Never quite one of the lads.

“I’ve written a report on her with the aid of Nina,” Ariel explained. “I’ve sent it to your emails for your perusal. Most of my observations are based on research. I haven’t met Dr. Walsh, but she’s been written about quite a bit. I relied on Nina for more personal observations. She’s an odd one. Quite complex and intriguing.”

Nina leaned forward. “I’ve been here for a couple of weeks. I’m working at the coffee shop at the bottom of the building Dr. Walsh lives in. One of the things that stands out about our target is her devotion to schedule. I would say she’s got a mild form of OCD because that happens often with genius-level intelligence. But it also might be a simple habit she’s gotten into because she’s quite busy. It should make her easy to monitor. I’ve included that schedule in the report. The third week of every month is a bit different because that’s when she works on her second job.”

From what he understood she was involved in some kind of volunteer effort to teach kids science. He was certain she was a good teacher, but how did a woman who hadn’t had a childhood, from what he could tell, truly connect to kids?

“I agree with Nina,” Ariel said. “Dr. Walsh has gotten into a routine, but I also think she craves something to take her out of it from time to time. Her volunteer work proves she’s got a sense of humor and fun.”

He wasn’t sure how much fun the kids had listening to lectures on science. She didn’t look like the kind who would teach kids how to blow up soda bottles. She would likely read from a prepared report and then wonder why the kids had fallen asleep.

“Which is precisely why I think finding a new friend could be the perfect way to get close to her,” Nina admitted. “In her previous jobs, she usually had a close group of friends, but most doctors her age are finishing up internships or finding fellowships. What I basically mean is they move around a lot. Because of her youth, she struggled to find close friends, but she’s certainly had a healthy social life up until recently. Do you want to go over the salient facts before we get into specifics?”