Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

K ane's phone ringing woke him up the next morning. He'd only gotten a couple of hours of sleep after talking to Elwood. His mind was tugging on every string he could think up and they all came up empty.

"Hello?"

"Kane Townsend?"

"Yes," Kane answered the deep voice.

"Nico Saccone."

"Did you find something?" Kane both hoped Nico had found something and hadn't. It would be hard to take down a cartel, but he'd do it to protect Waverly.

"Nothing. Any new tech close to what Dr. Davenport told me about is not being talked about. At all. And trust me, I would have found something."

"Is her secret still safe?" Kane asked, hoping Nico hadn't spilled any details.

"Yes," Nico answered quickly. "Also, I took it upon myself to dig into Bruno. He used a friend of a friend's boat to sneak into Charleston three days ago with four other men. I thought you'd want to know."

"What do you know about the DR3 cartel?" Kane asked about the cartel member Hunter identified from outside Waverly's house.

"I know they operate out of the Dominican Republic. And I know Bruno does a lot of freelance for them."

"What's their specialty?" Cartels were mostly drugs and he just didn't see how that would play into Waverly's kidnapping.

"The usual. Drugs and trafficking."

"Trafficking what?"

"Everything. They're an international gang, which gives them access to a lot of things," Nico responded. "People, weapons, hard-to-get chemicals for explosives, secrets, introductions to corrupt dictators and military leaders. Why?"

"There was a local member spotted outside Waverly's house."

Nico was quiet for a moment. "That's not good. I would guess they hired Bruno to take care of Waverly, and now that he failed, they'll try to finish the job. Bruno came to do it before anyone else so he won't lose face."

"But why would a cartel want to take out Waverly in a way that made it look like an accident?" Kane still couldn't find the motivation behind this and it was driving him mad.

"I don't know, but I'll keep digging. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Thanks." Maybe Nico wasn't so bad after all.

"Tell your sister I say hello."

Kane snorted with amusement. "I'm sure it's good to know a lawyer like Olivia."

"I wasn't talking about Olivia." Kane heard the smirk in Nico's tone and before Kane could tell him what he thought, Nico hung up.

Kane cursed and threw his phone onto the bed only to find Waverly looking at him with surprise. "I take it Elwood was no help."

"Correct."

"What do we do now?" Waverly asked, sounding as defeated as he felt.

"We shake things up," Kane told her after telling her about when Nico had found out.

Waverly stared out the car window at her office building. This used to feel like home. It was her happy place. Now could it be the place where someone was trying to kill her?

"You really think we should just strut right in?" Waverly asked Kane and Peter.

"You don't have to," Peter told her again. "We can find another way."

"But it's been weeks since I was taken and nothing. You have no leads, right?"

"The only potential lead we have is the DR3 cartel," Kane told her.

"Then let's see what we can shake loose."

"You remember what I told you to say?" Peter asked.

Waverly nodded and fiddled with the camera necklace he'd given her. She had one, and Kane and Peter were wearing camera buttons. "Okay. I'm ready."

Waverly got out of the car on shaky legs. She plastered on a smile and hurried inside.

"Dr. Davenport! You're back!"

Waverly laughed and hugged the receptionist and all the security guards, explaining that Kane had secured her release and how excited she was to be home. She asked that they not call ahead to the lab because she wanted to surprise her team. At least they seemed happy to see her. Now, would those she worked the closest with be happy to see her or was one of them trying to kill her?

Security seemed surprised to see her once she reached the lab area, but they waved them all through as if she were a hero. She was swiped into the secure lab and with nerves she hoped she hid, she walked inside.

Elwood was the first to see her. His cry of joy brought all the scientists' heads up as if they were prairie dogs. Waverly felt the tears come as Elwood ran across the lab to wrap her up in a tight hug.

"I never gave up hope, Waverly. How are you here? Are you hurt? What happened?" Waverly saw the moment Elwood saw Kane standing slightly behind Peter. His eyes went wide and she felt him tighten his grip on her.

Waverly chuckled. "Put me down, Elwood, and I'll explain."

"Waverly?" Kelvin approached as if she had a contagious disease. "You look like shit. What happened? Do you know you dumped all your work on me? I had to work until six the other night. Six!"

Elwood grumbled under his breath, but Waverly was saved from replying to Kelvin as Garvey's door was flung open and he rushed out. "Waverly? Is it really you?"

"It's really me."

Garvey looked from Waverly to Kane and she saw his confusion. "How? When? Are you okay?"

"I'm good now. Kane negotiated the ransom. I just got in this morning and had to come see my work family," Waverly lied.

Elwood's eyes snapped back to Kane, but he didn't contradict her.

"Good," Kelvin snorted. "Then you can do your own damn work."

"Kelvin," Garvey snapped. "I'm so thankful you're home safe, Waverly. Maria and I have been praying for you every day. Did they catch the people who kidnapped everyone from the boat?"

Waverly shook her head. "No. It's very scary. I hate thinking of them out there," she admitted. That wasn't a lie.

Elwood reached out and took her hand in his. "You're safe now, Wave. Do you want me to come to your house? Or you can come to mine so you're not alone."

Waverly heard Peter clear his throat. Kane didn't make a sound, but she could feel him staring Elwood down from where he stood behind her. "Thank you, Elwood, but I'm staying with Kane." They'd agreed to tell everyone where she would be. They weren't going to make it easy and give the address. But if they had the connections Kane had thought they had, they'd find her pretty easily.

Elwood's face dropped and even though it wasn't her problem, she still felt bad that she couldn't return Elwood's feelings. She'd had a female professor once tell her that women should stop saying "sorry" for things other people did. This is one of those cases, but it was hard not to be empathetic. She didn't know what to say.

"Elwood," Kane said as Garvey began to talk to her. "Can I talk to you for a minute? I have a favor to ask."

Waverly turned to find Kane with a soft look on his face. He wasn't glaring or growling or looking angry in any way.

"Now, Waverly," Garvey started to say. "I want you at the hospital getting checked out. Don't you dare rush back to work. You're on leave until you're fully recovered."

"It's okay. I can get to work on my patent."

"No," Garvey told her. "You've been through who knows what and I'm sure you have PTSD. Recover. Get healthy. Paperwork will always be here when you're ready. You need to spend time with Lark and process what's happened to you."

"Thank you, Garvey. You've always been like a father to me." Kelvin snorted from his desk and Garvey rolled his eyes.

"You know I've always thought of you and Lark as family. Take a moment to recover. We'll be here for you when you're ready. And you know nothing is going to stop Maria from bringing you both some food. You know how she likes to feed people." Garvey hugged her suddenly. "I'm so glad I got that stupid insurance. Welcome home."

Kane was by her side again and Elwood was standing in front of her smiling. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you're okay," Elwood said. Everything rang true. There was no way Elwood was behind this. "You call me anytime you need anything and I'll see you soon."

"I'll send you the information," Kane said to Elwood before turning to Garvey. "I think you're right. Some time to recover is needed." Kane held out his hand and shook Garvey's. "It's been good doing business with you."

Kane turned, keeping his hand on the small of her back and turning her with him. "I missed you all so much. I can't wait to be back full-time. I'm sure it won't be long," Waverly called out as Kane steered her from the lab.

They didn't talk until they were out of the building and into the car. "What did you think?" Kane asked her.

"That I need to patent my work immediately." It was just a feeling she had. They'd said all the right things, yet there was something in the demand to take her time coming back that rubbed her the wrong way.

"Good thing I know a lawyer who can help you with that," Kane said with a smirk.