The Safe Bet (Hidden Truths #1)(85)

“Of course we have cameras. They were disabled last night. And so were the alarms.”

“At what time?” When Ava realized he wasn’t going to answer her question, she averted her eyes and kept them trained on the table, afraid he’d notice a lie on her face.

“Ava?”

She slouched her shoulders forward; she had no intention of telling him everything—how could she? She might get Henry in trouble. But she’d say just enough to help Henry if she could.

“Henry and I were alone at the lab. We’re the only ones who work on Sunday nights. Henry insisted I go out with a friend of mine who was in town, visiting.” She stole a glimpse of the man from the corner of her eye, but his face revealed nothing. “I left around eight for Baltimore. Henry stayed at the lab until midnight most nights. He was very dedicated.” Her heart thundered in her chest—the sound of its beating traveled to her ears like a dozen stallions pounding the ground all around her.

Ava flinched at the sudden opening of the door. A tall and fit woman with silver-gray hair took a few steps inside the room. Ava thought her age to be somewhere above fifty, although she had none of the characteristics that Ava associated with women of that age. She was sharp, her green eyes bright as the edge of a knife. And the look she was giving the man made even Ava’s hairs stand up on her arms.

Good for her. Ava didn’t like him, either.

“I need a word. Now,” the woman snapped, and Ava’s skin puckered at the sound of her voice.

“I’ll be right back,” the man said as he started for the door.

Ava heard him mumble a few words to the woman before the door swung shut. Among them were “Syria” and “terrorism.” Not the greatest things to hear. Ava tapped her fingers on the table, her body burning with impatience. Nervous energy wrung her tighter than a corset.

“I’m sorry about that.” Ava focused on the eyes of the mystery man after he entered the room—alone. Too bad. She would have preferred the ice queen.

This time, the man removed his blazer and slipped it over the back of the chair before sitting down. He pressed his large hands on the desk and stared into her eyes. She wondered what response this new approach was intended to elicit.

“Someone managed to cut the alarm and video feeds without triggering a response last night,” he rumbled. “Henry is supposed to check in every hour while at the lab. It’s protocol, as I’m sure you’re aware. When he didn’t check in, a team was dispatched to the location.” He pushed his hands against his black slacks and squinted at Ava as if the sun were in his eyes, but there were no windows in the room.

“Was the place empty when you got there?” It was hard for her to believe that the lab could have been wiped spotless of furniture and all that equipment within one hour. What in God’s name had happened?

“Was Henry acting suspicious at all, lately? Did he do anything out of the norm? What was his mood like, these last few weeks?” The man rattled off questions so fast Ava could barely hear him.

Her face tightened with anger, and pained irritation crawled up her spine. Did they think Henry was behind this? “Something is clearly wrong. I’m worried about Henry. Please, what if terrorists—”

“Did you ever see Henry talking with anyone outside the lab? Does he have any known friends or acquaintances?” His brown eyes bore through Ava. He was relentless. “What was the last thing he said to you before you left the lab?”

Finally, a question she could answer. “To get drunk.” A smirk snuck to her lips at the memory, but he didn’t find her amusing. He managed to scowl at her without looking too ugly, an impressive feat. “I never go out. Ever. Kat—Katarina and Eddie take the time to let loose on the weekends, but I . . . wait, where are Kat and Eddie? Are they here? Are they okay?” Her thoughts began to scramble with concern for them, as well. Although if they hadn’t answered their phones because they were also being interrogated by this secret agency . . . well, that was better than being attacked by terrorists. Wasn’t it?

“We need to focus on Henry right now.”

“But—”

“Ava, I need to know—was the project complete? Did you solve the equation?”

“No.” She angled her chin up, crazy defiance shimmering in her eyes. “Who are you, again?”

The man scratched his short hair but never broke eye contact. “I’m the only one who can find Henry. To help him. That is who.”

“Find him? Or accuse him of something?”

Regardless of what they thought, Ava knew Henry was no traitor. He wanted the country to be safe, and he wanted to do the job Homeland Security had hired them to do—to keep America free from a chemical terrorist attack. The man was a patriot.

“Henry’s missing. The equation you were working on is gone. This is a serious matter, Miss Daniels.”

“That is why I’d like some answers. I’m worried terrorists have Henry and are torturing him for information.” The thought of Henry in captivity was one Ava couldn’t stomach. She battled a wave of nausea as she tried to focus. “Are you going to keep me here? Locked up?”

“If Henry is being tortured somewhere like you claim, aren’t you concerned about your safety?”

“Of course, which is why I need your help, but not the interrogation,” she snapped back.