Chapter 15
Lucky
I pull into the nearest parking garage, grab my ticket, and jog to the MIT Student Center. Inside, I follow directions pointing up the stairs to the food court. Striding past a herd of young males, I finally find Callie waving her hands over her head. Sitting, I scrape a plastic chair around a corner while she turns her laptop screen toward me.
She wickedly stabs a finger at a field of red circles on a page of equations. “You see this crap?”
“Sorry, luv, not following you.” For a brief moment, I stop looking for trouble and find her eyes, now a turbulent sea of blue.
Then, I go back to assessing our surroundings. The rest of the students seem legit, none interested in our conversation. If the FBI is watching, they’re bloody excellent at hiding.
She stammers, “Th-this shit is not my thesis. Dr. Subramanyam must’ve stolen my work. I-I can’t believe it.”
“You sure it was him? Think, Callie. Who else could’ve done this?”
“You mean Gerry?” She pulls out the pink thumb drive, inspects it, and when her face begins to cloud, I take her hand.
Kissing it, I hope to soften the betrayal. “Perhaps. Do you have another copy of your work?”
“Yes, of course. Holy crap. I need to straighten this mess out.” She picks up her cell phone and leaves a message with Dr. Subramanyam while I examine the room.
So far, I don’t detect any one acting suspicious but that doesn’t mean the FBI isn’t about to close in. “I think I should take you home.”
Eyes narrowing, she leans back in her chair. “Why would I go anyplace with you?”
Bloody hell, I should’ve apologized, first.“Because I’m your bodyguard.”
“Your job ended when the earrings went back in the bank.” She crosses her arms over her chest and I would love to spend time arguing with her but not here.
“Tell me, luv. The first time your apartment was broken into. What was in your safe?”
“I don’t know. I used it for storage. Maybe some old notebooks.”
I raise my brows. “And? Are they gone now?”
Her eyes widen. “How could you possibly know?”
In my headset, Suds shouts, “North stairway. Get her out of there, now.”
Three men in suits head our way. If we don’t leave now, I could get arrested. The other possibility is far worse. It could be armed terrorists and I could end up dead.
Fook. I slap her computer shut, stash it under my arm, and tug her out of her seat.
“Go.”
With her hand in mine, I rush her down the opposite steps, through a crowd of students, and out the front door where a bus squeals to a stop.
“Come on.” I grab her upper arm and pull her up the metal stairs. Inside, I throw a twenty into the fare box and sit us down in the back.
Breathing hard, she clenches onto my knee and stares out the back window. “Who were they?”
“Not sure but it wasn’t safe.” I don’t mention how one of the men reached for a weapon or the dangerous intent in his eyes.
“Someone is after me?” That innocent look is growing old. Shehasto know more than she’s been letting on, right?
I shoot a finger to her lips, the bus hits a pothole, and we bounce. After a mile of narrow streets lined with brownstones, I calm and let Suds know our location.
Then, I tell her, “You need to call Dr. Liam and get this straightened out.”
