CHAPTER 3
Gavin
Well, fuck! This hasn’t exactly gone as planned.
Problem was, I just didn’t have the time or the luxury of getting to know Charlie before I told her the truth about why I’d been looking for her. Honestly, I couldn’t even believe she’d gotten into the vehicle with me. Damn! That could be dangerous.
Mental note: Teach Charlie not to get into vehicles with strange men.
I was both pissed off and relieved that she was sitting here beside me. And I wasn’t quite sure how to rationally deal with the two entirely different emotions at one time.
The asshole who’d been watching Charlie didn’t appear to be following us. When we’d gone out the gate of the dog park, he’d still been a fair distance away. And we didn’t have a tail.
I didn’t think it was a coincidence that the guy hadn’t taken his eyes away from Charlie, but maybe I’d jumped the gun just little. Though better safe than sorry. Right now, I was suspicious of anybody who was watching her that closely.
“I-I don’t understand,” she said awkwardly.
She sounded terrified now, and my heart sank. She was so sweet, so adorable that the last thing I wanted to do was upset her. But hell, she needed protection right now, and I wasn’t going to take any chances. I had no idea why somebody wanted her dead, but until I figured it out, she needed to stay away from any place she normally frequented. Nobody knew me. I wasn’t associated with her in any way.
If anybody could hide her, it was me.
“Please don’t be afraid. Not of me,” I said in a milder tone. “I’m here to help you. I didn’t search you out to hurt you. I was just worried someone would get to you before I could warn you.”
“You were looking for me? Us meeting up wasn’t an accident?”
Smart woman! “I was looking for you because somebody put a paid hit out on you, Charlie. I don’t know why, and I don’t know when it will happen. But I’m worried that you’re already under surveillance. That man at the park… I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.”
“That’s crazy,” she answered, sounding confused. “I don’t have any enemies. I’m a scientist. Why would anybody want to murder me?”
“I wish I knew the answer to that question.” Even though I didn’t detect anyone following us, I still weaved in and out of traffic on the way to my house, keeping an eye out for anybody tailing me.
“There’s nobody after me,” she answered with certainty.
“No old, pissed-off boyfriends?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear her answer.
“None,” she answered immediately. “I haven’t had a date in years.”
Damn! I didn’t want to admit to myself how glad I was to hear that. “Work? Anybody there?”
She let out an exasperated sigh, but it took her a few moments to answer. “No. I don’t think anybody there wants me dead.”
Her hesitation to answer caught my attention. “Something happened. What?”
“Nothing worth killing somebody over,” she said hastily.
“Tell me.”
“I found out something strange a day or two ago. That’s all.”
“What?” I prompted.
“I’m involved with a research team, right now we’re working on a vaccine for a potentially deadly virus. When I finished some of my research, I gave it to my boss Thursday night. I picked it up from him yesterday morning so I could keep adding to my notes, but along with my work was an additional folder with some other research inside it, as if he’d grabbed both by accident or they’d stuck together or something. It appeared to be studies and tests on a deadly virus to see how it can be replicated and grown rather than looking for a vaccine. And from what I could tell, it was level four biohazard rated—the worst of the worst. We don’t deal with viruses at level four. There are only a small number of labs that can.”
“What did you do when you found out the information wasn’t yours?”
“I took it into my boss, Doug Whitman. Explained that he’d accidentally given me another file. But when I asked him about the level four virus and where it was being tested, he looked sort of freaked out, though he tried to hide it. He snagged the file from me, and made up some excuse. Said it wasn’t anything we were working on at our lab, but a friend’s research that he was reviewing, since that the information was sensitive and I couldn’t share any of the details with anyone.”
“Did he say anything else about the file?”
“No. Other than his warning to not tell, he didn’t want to talk about it—said it was his friend’s research and none of our concern. I tried to tell him that I was worried. The virus is deadly. And according to the data in that file, it looked to me like somebody was trying to find a way to spread it instead of eradicating it. Something like that could kill off millions of people. I tried to make my boss realize just how dangerous it could be if it got released, but he just told me it was nothing to worry about, and not to share the information because it was just a simulation of what could happen.”
“Did you believe that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, why would anybody need that sort of data if they weren’t thinking of using it in that way, though… I suppose it could be that they were trying to find a way to counter it. But… I don’t know. It didn’t feel that way.”
Everything was pointing in that direction. “So this virus… you think it could be used as some kind of biological warfare?”
Shit! It was a horrifying thought, but what if Charlie had accidentally interfered with a study on biological warfare? The money to be made from selling off information like that to other countries was astronomical. However, most of the countries who would want that type of thing were not our allies. That was probably the scariest part.
“Honestly, yes. The methods of replication and some of the other information looked exactly like it was being designed to be used as a weapon. I know it’s not logical—”
“It is logical in an insane type of way, Charlie. Think about it. Biological weapons are highly sought out in some countries, and the payment would be enough to make somebody incredibly rich. Someone could use the virus to manufacture a dirty bomb, which is a hell of a lot more difficult to detect.”
“But, we’re scientists. We use our knowledge to do good things,” she answered, sounding confused.
I shook my head, just a little bit enchanted by how naïve Charlie was when it came to being bad. “Money, or even the possibility of being filthy rich changes people.”
I didn’t want to tell her that some people were just inherently evil. I was certain she knew those people existed, but I wasn’t sure she’d even encountered them up close and personal.
I’d seen enough cold-blooded murderers in prison to make my skin crawl, bastards who would slit somebody’s throat and wallow in the blood without a hint of remorse.
“Okay,” she finally answered. “But that still doesn’t explain why anyone would be after me. Even if somebody at the lab is working with deadly viruses to try to make a biological weapon, I’m certainly not the one doing it.”
“If what you saw was their research to make those weapons, you’re a threat to the whole organization. I guarantee it goes a hell of a lot higher than just your boss, and there has to be more people involved in this crime. Something worth that much money is worth killing for in some people’s mind. Keeping it a secret is essential. They can’t risk having you go to the authorities. It’s likely why they put a hit on you. I’m just glad I came across it on the dark web.”
“You found the hit on the dark web? Why were you there?”
I was relieved that she didn’t sound accusatory. She just sounded…confused. Not that I blamed her. Just taking in the fact that somebody might want her dead was probably a lot to handle. Hell, I was used to it. I’d made a lot of enemies. But Charlie was just doing her job. I vaguely wondered if she’d ever even gotten a parking ticket.
I answered as I got off the freeway. “You can call it a hobby, I guess. One of my personal missions is to hack the dark web, and try to find a way to obliterate it from the internet completely. It’s a nest for pedophiles, murderers, sex trafficking, and a lot of other things we could do without in this world. So I spend my free time hacking into the information available and trying to block it or dismantle some of the operations there.”
She shuddered. “So that’s where you ran into the hit on me?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry that I had to tell you about it so soon. I was hoping I could get you to trust me, instead of freaking you out like this. But I don’t know that we have the luxury of time. It’s Saturday. The hit was placed last night, and it wouldn’t have taken long for somebody to find you once someone took the job. You weren’t exactly hiding.”
“I didn’t know somebody wanted me dead,” she replied in a forlorn tone.
“I’ll keep you safe, Charlie. I promise.”
“Where are we going?”
“My place. You and I have no previous association, and I have a damn good security system. We’ll figure things out from there. Right now, all I want is to keep you safe.”
“I still can’t fathom that all this is true, but if it is…thank you.”
“For what?”
“You may be saving my life.”
I didn’t bother to explain it might get a whole lot worse before it got better. “I have some government contacts. I’ll call them when we get to my house.”
“What if it’s a false alarm, or a misunderstanding?”
“I’m damn good at what I do, Charlie.” I was skilled enough to land myself in prison for doing it, but I wasn’t about to tell her that at the moment. “There is a hit out on you. It’s not an error. I want to call in the FBI and a couple of friends to help.”
“I’ll tell them anything I can.” She let out a ragged breath, as if she’d been holding it. “In some ways, I’m actually relieved.”
“Because you have somebody out there who wants you dead?” I asked in a bewildered voice.
“No. I’m glad that at least the information I saw is going to be investigated. I’m generally not the type to panic, but I wasn’t really buying what my boss told me. I guess it’s possible that somebody was just messing around, but they’d need the virus to study in order to get the results I was seeing. And Doug, my boss, seemed really nervous. I’ve been thinking about this whole situation since he took the file back from me yesterday.”
“Gut instinct?” I suggested.
“Yeah. Not to mention the detailed report. It was not good, Gavin.”
“You were already thinking about talking to somebody, weren’t you,” I guessed.
“Yeah… I just wasn’t sure where to go. If it was nothing, I knew I’d lose my job, but I was willing to take the risk.”
I nodded. “That’s why they want you dead.”
“The pieces all make sense, I guess. But is money really worth killing somebody?”
“You’d be surprised how many sick people are out there who think it is. But being rich only feels good to me when I’ve actually earned it honestly.”
She turned her head to look at me. “Does that mean you’re wealthy?”
I tossed her a smile. “Just a little, though I’ll admit, I’m pretty damn proud of what I’ve managed to accomplish. Me and my partner, Kane… we’ve worked our asses off for every damn penny we earned.” I took pride in my success now. But there was a time when I’d hated myself for the things I’d done.
I turned into the driveway of my Medina waterfront home and stopped at the gate to enter the code.
“Holy crap! You live here?” Charlie’s voice was filled with excitement.
“I love this place,” I answered as I navigated through the gate and up the winding drive.
“Who wouldn’t?”
There had been a time when I couldn’t have even afforded the bus fare to get to this obscenely rich neighborhood. Remembering those times kept me grounded. “I’ve been lucky. I have a good partner. And our business is lucrative.”
“I’m sure you’ve worked hard,” she argued. “Nobody does that well without a little luck and a lot of ambition.”
I shrugged, almost embarrassed by her praise. I really didn’t deserve it. I’d gone to prison and done some horrible things in my past. Anything good I was doing now was never going to change my past.
I took her and the dogs inside after parking my vehicle in one of several garages. When we entered the kitchen, I asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Honestly, no. Finding out somebody might be trying to kill me kind of ruined my appetite.”
I put my hands on her shoulders. When she looked up at me with her expressive dark eyes, I nearly lost it. “Charlie, I won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll find out who set this up and why.”
“What do I do now? Do I go to work and pretend like nothing ever happened? Do I resign? My work is my life, Gavin.”
“I know how hard this must be for you.” I spent most of my time in front of a computer, obsessed with my job, and my personal pursuits to end as much of the bullshit as possible on the dark web. “But you can’t go to work. You can’t call them. Give me some time. Please.”
Hell, I was desperate to put her mind at ease, but there was no way in hell she could get near that lab until we knew who put the hit out on her.
“Right now, I just want to go back to my boring life,” she said in a voice so sad that I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around her and hold her tightly in my grasp.
Her arms crept slowly around my waist, and even though she didn’t cry, I could feel her body trembling with fear. “Don’t be scared, Charlie. I know this is all really weird, but we’ll figure it out.”
I cursed my unruly dick as it sprang to life the moment I felt her body against me, inhaled her scent, and felt her warm breath against my neck. Fuck… The sensations were intoxicating as hell.
I was disappointed when she drew away to look at me. “Why are you doing this, Gavin? Why get involved in a situation that has nothing to do with you.”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” I knew I was being vague, but I didn’t want to explain how I’d learned the hard way about right and wrong.
“I guess I’m crashing at your place for a while,” she said with a nervous smile.
Charlie could move in permanently, and I doubted that I’d ever regret it. She affected me just that much. It wasn’t comfortable, and feeling this way wasn’t something I wanted, but damned if I could stop myself from wishing I could get this woman into my bed.
But it was more than that.
I actually…liked her. She was beautiful, smart, funny, and definitely kind to animals. It wasn’t a lot to go on to explain my attraction to her. I’d met plenty of beautiful women. But this one was different. I felt like we understood one another, and I’d never experienced that before.
I shrugged. “Make yourself at home. I’ll start making some calls.”
I let go of her completely so I could go to my office and start phoning some of my contacts. I wanted to start looking around the dark net for any other clues about who was after Charlie.
“Gavin?” Her voice was hesitant as I started toward my office.
I turned back toward her. “Yeah?”
She didn’t speak. Confusion, fear, anger and several other emotions flashed in her eyes, and she opened her mouth and then closed it again.
I moved closer to her again. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head, making her braids bounce around on her shoulders. “I don’t think I am. This all seems so surreal. Maybe I’m just feeling…lost.”
I cursed myself for not handling all of this a little bit smoother. This was a woman who had never lived in my world, a woman who’d been educated and had probably never come close to a bad neighborhood, or a prison for that matter.
I held out my hand. “Would it help if you stayed with me?”
She seemed to consider my words for a moment and then nodded. “I think it would. I just don’t want to be alone.”
The fact that she was starting to trust me made my chest ache. “Come on. We’ll do this together. If two geeks can’t figure it out together, I’m not sure who can.”
Just like I’d hoped, she smiled, then placed her hand in mine. “I’m the science geek,” she answered.
“I’ve been a misfit most of my life,” I told her openly, honestly. It was the truth. I’d never quite fit in, and very few people understood me. I was different, the type of person who was just fine in my own little world.
“Me, too,” she confessed.
Maybe I’d never realized how lonely I’d always been.
Or there was a chance that Charlie was a kindred spirit.
Whatever it was, it felt good to have her here. And I was damn happy that thinking about something from the dark web had kept me up all night until I figured out the mystery.
If I hadn’t, there was every possibility that this adorable, smart female might already be dead.
I had to struggle with my anger at the thought of anyone harming Charlie as I threaded my fingers through hers and dragged her toward my office.