Chapter 14

14

Jason eased the motel room door shut, his eyes still scanning the quiet street beyond. The rhythmic thud of horses being led to morning workouts mingled with the low rumble of diesel trucks from the nearby interstate, creating an oddly soothing backdrop to their tense situation.

Alex made a beeline for the bed, her phone clutched like a lifeline. “Give me a minute,” she said, her voice tight with worry.

Gravy disappeared into the bathroom, the sound of running water quickly filling the air. Jason sprawled across the other bed. He couldn’t help but watch as Alex initiated the video call, curiosity getting the better of him.

The moment Gabriel’s battered face appeared on the screen, Jason sat bolt upright. Even from his vantage point, he could see the bandage wrapped around Gabriel’s head, his eyes blackened and swollen. The young genius was propped up in a hospital bed, his left arm encased in a splint.

“Gabe? What happened?” Alex’s voice was tight with concern.

“I was attacked,” Gabe said, his words slightly slurred. “But I’m okay.”

No. He wasn’t. Jason bit back his natural response. No need to argue about what was a minor detail at this point.

“Attacked?” Alex’s pitch rose. “Where?”

“At the alternate lab site. I was working late and?—”

“An all-nighter? Again? Gabe, we’ve talked about this ...” Alex’s exasperated tone barely masked her fear.

“I know, I know,” Gabe sighed. “But I’m so close to a breakthrough with the NeuroVerse?—”

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, a gesture Jason was becoming all too familiar with. “And you took off without Mac or Liv. How did they get to you?”

“Well, I got hungry and ordered some food online ...”

She bit her lip. Hard. “Gabe, for a genius, that was spectacularly stupid.”

Jason could practically feel the tension radiating off Alex. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the phone, and he found himself wishing he could ease some of that stress from her shoulders.

“I know, I know,” Gabe’s voice crackled through the speaker. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“Surveillance tapes,” Alex said, her voice taking on a sharp, professional edge. “Have you checked them?”

“Mac and Liv are handling that,” Gabe replied. His face wobbled in and out of the frame as he tried to shift position in the bed, clearly with great effort. And pain.

Jason leaned in closer as Mac and Liv appeared on the screen, flanking Alex’s cousin. The tension in the room ratcheted up another notch, making the air feel thick and heavy.

“Nothing obvious on the surveillance tapes,” Mac reported, his face grim. “Just two guys in black ball caps, faces carefully hidden from the cameras.”

“So pros,” Jason cut in, his military instincts kicking into high gear.

Liv nodded. “That’s my guess.”

As Mac detailed the intruders’ movements, Jason watched Alex. She vibrated with fury and nervous energy, her fingers drumming an incessant rhythm on her knee.

“And?” Alex blurted out, her voice strained.

“And nothing,” Liv responded. “They didn’t take anything, didn’t disable the interior cameras. Just looked around and left.”

“Because Gravy and I weren’t there,” Jason guessed, a cold feeling settling in his gut.

“Looks like,” Mac agreed.

The debate that followed was heated but hushed on Jason and Alex’s side, as they were both all too aware of Gravy’s presence in the next room. The fact that they had the tech to intercept Gabe’s late night food order, and they took nothing from the high-tech lab made the implications clear. The attackers knew where to find Gabe’s alternate lab. And they had the resources to pull together a quick attack. Resources few organizations outside of his teams, or Seven-Five’s, would have.

The coincidence was too great to ignore.

The sudden silence as the shower shut off cut through their side of the discussion like a knife. Jason tensed, acutely aware of their dwindling privacy.

“We should wrap this up,” he murmured to Alex. “Gravy will only stress out. Besides, the fewer people who know what’s going on, the better.”

Alex nodded reluctantly, ending the call just as Gravy emerged from the bathroom, hair still dripping.

“What’s up?” Gravy asked, his eyes darting between them. “You guys look stressed.”

Jason forced a neutral expression. “Nothing major. Alex, can I talk to you outside for a sec?”

Horses whinnied in the background as they stepped out into the crisp, morning air. He led Alex to a secluded corner of the motel’s exterior, the scent of old cigarettes and stale beer clinging to the peeling paint. The distant rumble of trucks on the interstate provided a constant backdrop to their hushed conversation.

The game had changed, and he wasn’t sure if they were ready for what came next.

“We need to park Gravy somewhere safe,” he insisted, his voice low and urgent. “His disappearance has to take a backseat until we end this ... whatever it is.”

Alex nodded quickly, her eyes darting around as if expecting danger to materialize at any moment. “Agreed. What’s your plan?”

“My team could pick him up?—”

“No.” She cut him off, her tone brooking no argument. “Gravy is RAVEN’s client. My personnel will handle this.”

Jason bit back a sigh, frustration simmering just beneath the surface. “Fine. Whatever you want.”

He waited while she contacted Mac again, arranging the drop-off. “Once you and Liv get Gravy to safety, Army and I are going to shut this down,” she told Mac firmly.

Jason could hear the man’s protests through the phone. “He and Liv want to help,” Alex relayed to Jason. “They can call in contractors to babysit Gravy.”

“Bad idea.” Jason stepped closer to the phone so Mac could hear him. “We can’t know who to trust. The fewer people involved, the better. Alex and I are going it alone. No Redemption Creek team. No RAVEN personnel.”

Alex nodded, though concern flickered across her face. “Just the two of us,” she confirmed.

Great. Just great. Alone with Alex, chasing down unknown assailants with unknown motives. This was either going to be the start of something incredible or the biggest mistake of his life.

Either way, there was no turning back now.