Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(35)
Geek flashed me a toothy grin. “Why do you think I got this job? I hacked the CIA just for fun, and instead of arresting me they offered me employment.”
His smile was infectious. “Then you’re my man. I have some encrypted microchips I need cracked. It’s information on Donovan and Visticorp that could give us clues to where he would go to disappear or the people he might work with now. Teddy stole the information when he was preparing to escape Visticorp. He used to call it his insurance policy.”
Geek perked up with more excitement than I’d ever seen anyone exude. I was clearly forgiven for bursting his follow-the-money bubble. Before he could say anything, a different man who’d been working in the command center sucked in a gasp. “You have Teodoro’s microchips?”
I looked the new guy over as I nodded. Most likely in his mid-twenties, he was an average height of about five foot ten and a little on the skinny side, but not unattractively so. He had light brown hair that was a little scruffy and a short beard that seemed out of place on his pretty face. His eyes were gorgeous—rich brown-green hazel and speckled with little gold flecks. Overall, he was a handsome man. The only thing I didn’t like about him was the fact that he was wearing a white lab coat.
“How do you know Teddy?” I asked.
The question chilled the atmosphere, and I took a step back from the man. There was something about him that triggered an internal warning bell. Suddenly no one would look me in the eye, either.
I met the stranger’s gaze and noticed something there besides his worry for Teddy. I couldn’t tell what it was, but it reminded me a little of how Ryan looked at me before I knew what our history was. “Do I know you?”
The man couldn’t seem to find words.
Major Wilks cleared his throat and stepped forward, placing a hand lightly on my shoulder. “Angel, this is Dr. Edwards. He was one of Visticorp’s top scientists.”
I recoiled, and all the numerous monitors and screens in the room flickered in response to my distress. I backed up until I bumped into someone’s chest. Johnny G’s hands clasped down on my shoulders. “Easy, Angel,” he said in a low, soft voice at the same time Geek wrung his hands and begged, “Can we please get the unstable computer-killer out of the command center?”
Major Wilks looked at me, then scanned the room. “Perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere.”
Or perhaps I should just take myself elsewhere. “That won’t be necessary.” I started backing toward the door we’d come in through. “You can just show me the way to the exit. I’ve seen enough, and I’m ready to leave.”
Everyone in the room froze, waiting to see if I was bluffing. I wasn’t. My turning to leave shocked them all back into motion. “Angel, wait!”
Eyes had called out to me, but it was Major Wilks I glared at when I whirled back around. “I will not work with a Visticorp scientist.”
“Ex Visticorp scientist,” Major Wilks replied, his face stony, his manner calm and collected. “He defected because he didn’t agree with the human testing. He had to fake his own death to escape them. He’s part of our team now, and he’s done a lot to help us. He’s the reason we have a lead on Donovan, and the lists of suspected doctors he might be working with. He’s the reason we found you.”
I supposed that was better than nothing, but I still wasn’t going to go anywhere near him. That gleam I’d seen in his eyes made too much sense now. The man was fascinated by me. He wanted to study me.
My eyes found the youngest member of the group and narrowed with suspicion. “Didn’t you say you were a test subject at Visticorp?” I asked Tyson. “Did you know him there? Did he ever do tests on you? Are you okay working with this man?”
Tyson clenched his jaw so tightly the muscles in it popped. His back was ramrod straight and his hands were fisted. His utter hatred for this man was obvious. “It was the only way to find you,” he grumbled through gritted teeth. I noticed he didn’t answer any of my questions directly. “We had no leads. He had knowledge of Donovan and Visticorp. Ryan suggested we talk to him, but he wouldn’t give up any information unless we got him out of jail and let him join the team. Ryan, Abiodun, and I almost quit when Major Wilks agreed to the terms, but we never would have found you otherwise.”
“And now?” I asked.
Tyson looked me straight in the eyes. “Say the word and we’re gone. If you leave, we’ll go with you.”
His speech did two things. It made me seriously love the kid, and it made me realize I couldn’t walk away. If I bailed, I’d never find Teddy and the other two PACs. I couldn’t leave them high and dry.
The entire group exhaled as one the moment it became obvious I wasn’t going anywhere. I gave Wilks another death look. “You keep him away from me,” I warned. “And from Tyson and Abiodun, too. And not one test. Ever.”
Visticorp Man broke the silence with a soft murmur. “I don’t want to hurt you, Jamie.”
His soft tone pissed me off, but his use of my name when everyone else called me Angel was truly disturbing. So was the pain in his eyes. I stepped back, a little closer to Tyson. Yes, oddly, in the group of elite soldiers the only person I found any comfort or security in was the fifteen-year-old kid.
Tyson stood a little taller when I scooted next to him. He nudged my shoulder with his and slipped his hand into mine. It wasn’t a come-on; it was solidarity. He was presenting a united front. In that moment, he and I were a team. On the same side. I knew without having to ask that if Abiodun were here right now, he’d be standing on my other side. The three of us together.