Page 73 of Carnal Risk

“I’ll buy you one in every color of the rainbow.” Garrett gently pressed his lips to hers, thankful she’d taken it in stride. Three little words danced on the tip of his tongue but he couldn’t bring himself to say them.

“Is Seth okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, he’s fine. We’re all fine.” As fine as we can be with a murderer trying to kill us all.

Dean approached and Garrett straightened his back, steeling himself for the conversation.

“I think we need to cancel tonight’s event,” Dean told him.

“Look, normally I’d agree, but we can’t stop living because some asshole is trying to terrorize us. We need to draw him out and catch him. You need to check out the video from the hangar and see if anyone messed with the plane.”

“But the NTSB…”

“Break the fucking rules, Dean. Get a copy and let them have the original. I don’t give a shit. We need to stop this now. Two people are dead. You know we have what they want. They know it. They’re not going to stop.”

“Even if there is evidence of something suspicious, we might not see it before tonight.”

“Look, we have armed guards. Undercover security. Everyone at Altura is a suspect. Double check the short list of staff who worked on the PFx Prototype,” Garrett suggested.

“I already checked it. There weren’t many people on it, and none of them have a motive. I think we need to consider that maybe Evan was working with an outsider. Maybe he changed his mind and that’s why he took the data. And before you start defending him, I know you keep saying he didn’t do anything, but he stole data. What you’ve got there, and of course you won’t let me see it, which is an entirely different story, it’s the only data. Emerson has been wiped clean of the project.”

“But Evan is the one who’s dead.” Garrett shook his head.

“Which gets us back to thinking it’s someone inside,” Selby said.

“Whoever killed Evan knew his habits, how he packed his rig. Was close enough to poison him. Granted, he’s jumped with lots of people who aren’t tied to Emerson, but still,” Garrett scrubbed his fingers over his hair, “if this is someone close it’s exactly why we need to trap them. We need to lay the bait. Let them know I have the laptop and all the things that he owned. Tonight is a huge event. Most of the people Evan knew will be there. Someone who’s going to this party tonight is in on this and the only way to find out who, is to root them out. Drop some crumbs about the location of the drive and they’ll go looking for it.”

“What are you going to say?” Dean asked.

“Not much. I’ll just mention that we think I have what the perp was looking for. I’ll say I have Evan’s laptop and found something. When people ask what, we say it’s confidential. I make it clear that because of recent security issues, I’m moving downtown. I keep a penthouse in the Gas Lamp district.” Garrett glanced to Selby. “You’re going to stay with Lars, and we’ll keep eyes on both properties. If so much as a snake slithers onto either place, Dean’s people will grab them.”

“As much as I hate this plan, we have nothing. As long as you and Selby stay with Lars, it should be fine,” Dean agreed.

“No. I’m going to stay in the city. I don’t want anyone going after Selby. If anyone finds out I’m with Lars, they’ll come for me there. No, it needs to be clear that we’ve found what they were looking for, and I have it. Far away from Selby. Can you pull this off, Dean?”

“I think we need to give it a shot before someone else gets killed. I certainly think keeping Selby away from you is a good idea if you’re planning on telling people that you have the data.”

“I think we need to keep the data somewhere else,” Selby said, pushing up onto her knees. “Right now, we’ve got it on that drive. Talk about a shit plan for backup. I’m concerned, though, that until we clean Emerson of whatever Evan might have done, we don’t want to put it up on their systems. If you trust Lars and me, we can take care of it.”

“I trust you.” Garrett shoved to his feet and extended his hand. He considered that he hadn’t thought twice about his response. He’d already doubted her once; never again.

Selby smiled up at him, her eyes darting to Lars, who approached from the field. Garrett couldn’t be sure who had betrayed him, but after everything they’d been through, they were the only two people he was certain wouldn’t divulge his plans. Even though he’d shared some information with Dean, he still hadn’t divulged what was on the disc, or other key factors.

He considered that Seth had had access to the engine, and the curious fact that Chase hadn’t suffered any ill effects from discovering the PFx Prototype. At least a dozen people in his company all had clearance to work on the project. On face value, not one of them had ever given him reason to doubt them. Regardless, he’d called in his own personal detectives, and had begun running exhaustive security scans on their current activities. Not only was the PFx Prototype worth millions of dollars, it could potentially be utilized to protect soldiers. In the hands of the enemy, its organic composition and myriad uses would steal advantages from their country.

As he and Selby walked toward and joined up with the tight-knit group of friends, their weary faces spoke volumes about the situation. While they’d celebrated Cormac’s life in the way he would have wanted, they all knew the plane crash wasn’t an accident. With friends as potential foes, a loss of trust, their spirits were beginning to falter. Garrett wondered as he scanned his inner circle, who had become an enemy. Within days, he’d find out the answer that eluded him. In the meantime, his priority was to keep Selby alive.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Selby fidgeted with her evening dress, and recalled her appointment with Garrett’s personal shopper. He’d brought several dresses and studied her as she diligently tried them on, modeling his selections. Standing before the mirror in the bedroom, she’d promptly undressed in front of him when she caught sight of the fifteen thousand dollar price tag on the sheer lace, floor length gown.

Shoving her arms into a worn cotton robe Lars had brought from her apartment, she’d protested. Unless the gown converted into a small-sized car, she’d told Garrett, there was no way she’d let him spend that amount of money on a dress. He’d simply laughed, ignoring her argument. As if he were buying a box of paperclips, he’d selected the entire lot and ordered the assistant to leave.

At times Garrett was exceedingly practical, yet she often forgot the opulent lifestyle in which he lived. She wondered how she could ever fit into it, aware that there was nothing he couldn’t buy. Despite his wealth, he was never pretentious, his generosity abounding with a down-to-earth benevolence. With the strength of a true leader, he led with both conviction and compassion.

After they’d dressed, the sight of Garrett in his tuxedo had taken her breath away. She’d forced herself to remain calm, as he took her hand and led her to the car. A driver held the door open and she’d gingerly sat down, careful not to damage her dress. She’d been relieved when she realized an armed guard had been assigned to sit up front with the driver. After everything that had happened, she trusted no one.

Despite Garrett’s confidence in his employees, he and Lars were the only two people she knew for certain weren’t the murderers. Everyone else was a suspect as far as she was concerned. If the killer could take down a plane, a car would be child’s play. He’d assured her they’d take the most secure route, traveling inside the bulletproofed stretch limo. Altura had been well secured. A lingering doubt bored a hole in her stomach, but she concealed her fear with a forced smile as the car lurched forward.