The tears she was trying to hold back flowed down her cheeks.She shook her head and buried her face in his chest.“I’m just scared.And mad.Who would do this?Did you find anyone?”
“No,” Damien answered, his chest rumbling with the single word of frustration.“I didn’t want to, but I also really wanted to.”
A noise behind Damien had him shoving her back toward the cabinet and spinning.In a heartbeat, his gun was pointed at the door.
Reed froze in the doorway.He dropped his stainless steel bottle to the floor, the sound echoing loudly in the lab.
“I apologize,” Damien said.“Clearly, there was a break-in.I didn’t hear you coming until you were right there.”He tucked his gun away and approached Reed.“Are you okay?”
Reed stared at Damien like he’d never seen him before.His gaze was blank and scared, much like Harmony was sure hers was.
Damien reached Reed’s side and snapped his fingers in front of Reed’s face.“Say something.”
“You have a gun,” Reed said, his stuttered words soft.
“I do.But I don’t like using it.Someone was here.When we arrived, the lab was like this.Don’t touch anything.We need to call the police.”
“No,” Harmony and Reed said together.
Damien paused and looked between them.“Why not?”
Harmony glanced at Reed, who still looked like he was panicked.“The work we do is under contract.Some of it is not able to be shared with the public.Even the police department.We need to speak to Doctor Griffiths first.”
“The police need to be aware of this, even if they aren’t allowed in here.I’m going to call Marcus.You call Doctor Griffiths.”
Harmony nodded and pulled out her phone.Her hands were still shaking.
“Yes?”Doctor Griffiths said as he answered, sounding both bored and annoyed.
“Good morning, Doctor Griffiths.This is Harmony Gibbs.There’s been a break-in at the lab.We?—”
“What?Where are you?”
“I’m in the lab right now.Reed is here, too.The door was open when I arrived.Everything is… It’s destroyed.”
“I’m on my way.Don’t touch anything.I’ll call campus police and get them to get the security footage.We need to call in the FBI for the federal projects we’re working on.”
“Do you need me to call anyone?”
“Do you know anyone in the FBI?”
Harmony looked up as Damien walked back over.“Um, no, sir.I don’t know anyone in the FBI.”
“I do,” Damien said.“I can call them.”
“Is that Mr.Joseph?”Doctor Griffiths asked.
“Yes.He was with me when I arrived.He has a contact with the FBI.Would you like him to call them?”
Doctor Griffiths sighed heavily.“Yes, I suppose that would be helpful.”
Harmony nodded to Damien, who stepped away to make his call.“He’s calling now.”
Doctor Griffiths clucked.“Well, isn’t he a good one to have around.I’ll be there soon.”
The phone went silent.She looked and Doctor Griffiths had hung up.
Harmony took a breath and looked around the lab again.Damien had guided Reed to a chair, and Reed was looking at everything, too.Harmony walked over to him.
