“How do we know she’s okay?” Lissette asked. “Show us proof of life.”
Marcus snorted. “We don’t have to do anything. You’re here. As a matter of fact, we don’t have to release your daughter. It might work more to our advantage to hold her until you unlock the file containing the formula for the bioenergy you were paid to produce.”
“We aren’t doing anything until you produce our daughter,” Simon said. They had to know she was in the building, not on the so-called research vessel.
Marcus’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Fine.” He lifted his chin toward Gunnar. “Get the girl.”
Gunnar retreated through a door and reappeared, pushing Holly in front of him. As they neared Solberg, Gunnar gave her a hard shove, forcing her to her knees.
Simon steeled himself from reacting.
Lissette gasped. “Don’t you hurt my baby.”
Holly’s eyes narrowed and then widened for a flash as recognition dawned. “Mom, Dad,” she said, her voice shaky, “you shouldn’t have come.”
That’s my girl.
“We couldn’t leave you with these beasts,” Lissette said.
“You don’t abandon the ones you love,” Simon said, his gaze connecting with Holly’s.
In that moment, he understood the truth. He was in love with this brave, beautiful woman. It had happened so quickly, he hadn’t recognized it for what it was. Seeing her being dragged away twice now had brought it home and made it so clear that he did not doubt what he felt. He loved Holly Gautier...Hazard...whatever she wanted to call herself.
“Exterior secure. Entering now,” a voice whispered in Simon’s ear. He’d almost forgotten the earbud. And it hadn’t been part of the guard’s frisking.
Lissette glanced his way, having heard the same.
“You have your proof of life, now open the damned file,” Solberg said. “Jeffries, the laptop.”
Dr. Harlan Jeffries stepped forward, carrying a laptop. “I’m sorry it’s come to this,” he said. “They threatened to hurt Celine if I didn’t help them complete the formula. I tried, but you two did all the work. You’re the only people who can unlock the file. The laptop wants a biometric password.” As he grew closer, his gaze met Simon’s. His eyes widened.
Simon had to say something before Dr. Jeffries blew their cover. “I’m sure you did the best you could,” he said, holding the other man’s wide gaze. “The file is locked with a retinal scan. It takes both of us to open it.”
Dr. Jeffries nodded but didn’t say a word.
“Then open it,” Solberg said, his impatience evident in his curt words and sneer. “We have buyers who expected delivery months ago.”
“Number of bogeys with you?” Remy’s voice asked in Simon’s ear.
Simon cleared his throat. “It took us six years of hard work to create the formula. We had to protect our work from being stolen or weaponized.”
Solberg snorted. “Fat lot of good that did you. Now, open the damned file.”
Jeffries’s hands shook as he held the laptop out in front of him.
“The retinal scanner only works if we get really close to the camera,” Simon said, reaching out to the device.
“We’re here,” Remy said softly into Simon’s ear.
“Be ready for when it opens,” Simon said, his gaze going briefly to Holly, where she knelt on the floor. “You’ll be amazed at what we’ve done.”
“We’d better be,” Solberg said. “Our customers are expecting big things.”
Jeffries moved closer.
Simon laid his hand on the keyboard and leaned closer. Then he pressed hard on the keyboard, flipping the laptop out of Jeffries’s hand. The doctor tried to recover it, but it was too late, and the device crashed to the floor.
At that moment, all hell broke loose in the warehouse. The sounds of booted feet, moving fast, echoed in the warehouse. Shots rang out. A couple of the guards fell to the floor.
