it,” Rhys said, his voice tighter than he’d like. “I won’t get anything out of Tessa if I question her directly.”
Carter’s shoulders pulled back. “Have you tried?”
“I don’t have to. I know what Dylan did to her. I saw how she reacted when you confronted her.”
“But I’m not you,” Carter said. “You can make anyone talk.”
“Yes, I can,” Rhys said, squaring his shoulders. “So, let me do my job.”
Carter’s eyes narrowed at the challenge, but Rhys didn’t back down. Eventually, Carter gave a reluctant nod.
“Fair enough,” he said. “You have until Monday. If there’s no progress by then, we switch to more traditional means.”
Five days. That should be more than enough time. Both for Tessa to regain her strength, and for him to find out what he needed.
“If that’s settled, then I think that Dr. Rosenthal is right. We should be getting back to the office.” Carter moved toward the back door. “I’ll have Jake swing by with a week’s worth of supplies tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Jake said, helping Charlie down from the counter.
Rhys paused at the screen door as he heard a rustle deep inside the house.
“Until then we’ll have to come up with a plan to slow down Boyd,” Carter said, as he started down the back steps toward where his sports car du jour was parked. “Charlie, you can start digging into that Project Exodus that she was talking about. I’ll have Mason start looking into SciGen financials.”
“Where are you off to, Rhys?” Charlie asked when he made a sharp turn at the bottom of the stairs.
“Perimeter check,” he called out as he turned the corner of the house.
***
Tessa stood with her ear to the bedroom door, waiting for the house to go quiet. She’d been there for a while now, listening to the constant muffled hum of voices. After a while, she’d even cracked the door, hoping to catch a little more of what they were saying, but no luck. They were too far away—in the kitchen by the sound of it—and deliberately keeping their voices down.
It didn’t take a PhD to figure out what they were discussing.
One look in Carter Macmillan’s eyes and Tessa knew that he hadn’t taken a word she’d said seriously. The damned fool would never back down. He’d just keep digging until he found something that would put him and his whole team in danger.
Including Rhys.
Which meant that Tessa had to make sure there was nothing for him to find.
Of course, that would be a hell of a lot harder if she never had a moment alone to make her escape.
She was just about to admit defeat and give up when she heard the squeak of a door hinge swinging open, then closed.
Then silence. Nothing. Not a footstep. Not a sound.
Everyone must have gone out back. She strained to listen and, sure enough, she could just barely hear them talking outside her window. They had to be headed for their cars.
Which meant this was her chance.
Tessa turned around and grabbed the bag that was sitting on the bed. She didn’t know if she would get far enough to use the change of clothes, but figured she was better safe than sorry.
Speaking of which, it would be good to have some protection, just in case. Jake’s knife was still where she’d dropped it on the floor. She bent over to pick it up, and red-hot pain sliced through her side. Tessa hissed in a breath as she straightened up.
Damn it. Rhys was right. She was in no condition to leave.
But she didn’t have a choice. This might be her only chance. She had to seize it.
She tucked the blade inside the bag and hobbled out of the bedroom door.
Hopefully, everyone would stay busy planning her future long enough for her to get a decent head start. She didn’t need much. Even ten minutes would be enough.
It was still morning. With any luck, that meant the neighborhood would be quiet and she could slip in between the cover of houses until she reached downtown. Then she could head straight for the bus. She
Carter’s shoulders pulled back. “Have you tried?”
“I don’t have to. I know what Dylan did to her. I saw how she reacted when you confronted her.”
“But I’m not you,” Carter said. “You can make anyone talk.”
“Yes, I can,” Rhys said, squaring his shoulders. “So, let me do my job.”
Carter’s eyes narrowed at the challenge, but Rhys didn’t back down. Eventually, Carter gave a reluctant nod.
“Fair enough,” he said. “You have until Monday. If there’s no progress by then, we switch to more traditional means.”
Five days. That should be more than enough time. Both for Tessa to regain her strength, and for him to find out what he needed.
“If that’s settled, then I think that Dr. Rosenthal is right. We should be getting back to the office.” Carter moved toward the back door. “I’ll have Jake swing by with a week’s worth of supplies tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Jake said, helping Charlie down from the counter.
Rhys paused at the screen door as he heard a rustle deep inside the house.
“Until then we’ll have to come up with a plan to slow down Boyd,” Carter said, as he started down the back steps toward where his sports car du jour was parked. “Charlie, you can start digging into that Project Exodus that she was talking about. I’ll have Mason start looking into SciGen financials.”
“Where are you off to, Rhys?” Charlie asked when he made a sharp turn at the bottom of the stairs.
“Perimeter check,” he called out as he turned the corner of the house.
***
Tessa stood with her ear to the bedroom door, waiting for the house to go quiet. She’d been there for a while now, listening to the constant muffled hum of voices. After a while, she’d even cracked the door, hoping to catch a little more of what they were saying, but no luck. They were too far away—in the kitchen by the sound of it—and deliberately keeping their voices down.
It didn’t take a PhD to figure out what they were discussing.
One look in Carter Macmillan’s eyes and Tessa knew that he hadn’t taken a word she’d said seriously. The damned fool would never back down. He’d just keep digging until he found something that would put him and his whole team in danger.
Including Rhys.
Which meant that Tessa had to make sure there was nothing for him to find.
Of course, that would be a hell of a lot harder if she never had a moment alone to make her escape.
She was just about to admit defeat and give up when she heard the squeak of a door hinge swinging open, then closed.
Then silence. Nothing. Not a footstep. Not a sound.
Everyone must have gone out back. She strained to listen and, sure enough, she could just barely hear them talking outside her window. They had to be headed for their cars.
Which meant this was her chance.
Tessa turned around and grabbed the bag that was sitting on the bed. She didn’t know if she would get far enough to use the change of clothes, but figured she was better safe than sorry.
Speaking of which, it would be good to have some protection, just in case. Jake’s knife was still where she’d dropped it on the floor. She bent over to pick it up, and red-hot pain sliced through her side. Tessa hissed in a breath as she straightened up.
Damn it. Rhys was right. She was in no condition to leave.
But she didn’t have a choice. This might be her only chance. She had to seize it.
She tucked the blade inside the bag and hobbled out of the bedroom door.
Hopefully, everyone would stay busy planning her future long enough for her to get a decent head start. She didn’t need much. Even ten minutes would be enough.
It was still morning. With any luck, that meant the neighborhood would be quiet and she could slip in between the cover of houses until she reached downtown. Then she could head straight for the bus. She
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