Chapter 31

Seb shifted beside her, and Alexis felt his fingers wrap around hers. When he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, she didn't pull away.

Emery had been right when she'd accused her of bailing on them. You don't walk away from someone you love. You stick around and work it out.

Someone you love.

Alexis had fallen in love with Seb. When had the simple attraction grown into this consuming feeling of needing him to be part of her life? Perhaps it'd always been there, and she just hadn't seen it. From the moment they'd met, there'd been an undeniable ease and connection.

She'd fallen in love with the stubborn man beside her. A man, who Finlay claimed, declared himself a lifelong bachelor.

You really know how to pick them, Alexis.

Her thoughts drifted to Kyle, arousing old fears and uncertainties.

"Alexis," Seb murmured, tightening his grip on her hand. She could hear the concern in his voice. "Are you all right? You seemed lost in a place you didn't want to be."

When she turned her head to look at him, he watched her anxiously. Alexis cleared her throat. "I'm tired and worried about what we'll find at the lab."

"We'll deal with it together." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I was an ass. We need to talk. Later."

"We should be close to the Visitor's Center," Emery said, as Alexis nodded in agreement. "Where are we meeting your friend? In the parking lot or on the highway?"

"Parking lot," Seb replied, releasing Alexis's hand and leaning forward. "Emery, among other things, my company provides security for corporations and executives. My partners and I are good at what we do. We'd like to help you."

It was a smart move on Seb's part to omit they were a private military firm. When Finlay had told her what Seb and Drake did for a living, every military action flick she'd seen had run through her head. Despite her calm appearance, Alexis knew Emery was afraid and felt alone. If she knew what Shadow Defense was capable of, she'd worry she'd become entangled with people more dangerous than the ones she was running from.

"You can't help me. He already found me twice." Emery's voice was empty and hollow.

"Most of Rodolfo Manetti's contracts are government. He's their go-to guy when they have network security issues. It wouldn't have been difficult for your father-in-law-to-be to access online files and locate you."

Alexis watched Emery draw in a deep breath. She didn't think Seb would discover her real identity.

"He'll find me again." Emery's voice was barely audible. Alexis doubted she was aware she'd spoken aloud the thoughts that had to be on constant repeat in her head.

"We're not government and we don't use Manetti's company. We're a private corporation. When it comes to protecting our clients, we're willing to bend the law." Seb glanced at Alexis.

His conversation with Javier. He was referring to helping Emery disappear, so Manetti couldn't locate her.

"Why would you help me? You don't know me," Emery said, her eyes glued to the road ahead.

"It's what we do. We help people who find themselves in impossible situations." Seb's face became serious. "Rodolfo Manetti has the resources to keep looking until he finds you. We can help you disappear."

Alexis watched Emery chew on her lip as she thought about Seb's offer. When they were alone, she'd need Seb to fill her in on what they'd learned. For now, she would stay silent as Seb attempted to persuade Emery to accept Shadow Defense's help.

"He'll kill anyone he thinks I've contacted." Emery's fingers clenched the steering wheel, and she shook her head. "I can't be responsible for anyone else being hurt. They would have killed Vance if I hadn't spotted one of Rodolfo's men. No where is safe. I need to keep moving."

"We believe the woman Manetti killed was involved in our recent operation in Paris."

She'd been right. Alexis's mind raced through the implications. Antoine had to have been in Paris, hiding in plain sight.

"Whatever Manetti is involved in is big. Too big to let you live." Seb's words hung heavy in the air. "Let us help you."

"I don't know." Emery's voice wavered as the sign showing the turnoff for the Visitor Center appeared on the road ahead.

Seb opened his mouth. Alexis placed her hand on his knee. He looked at her and she raised her eyebrows. This was Emery's choice to make. She was deciding whether to trust them with her life. He gave a slight nod before settling back in his seat.

Emery turned into the parking lot. "Your friend isn't here yet. Where do you want me to park?"

"At the far end, away from the light posts, so no one spots the truck." Seb pulled out his cell phone. "I'll text Orlan and let him know we've left the truck here."

Seb sent the text message as Emery parked the car.

"We've got company. A black SUV," she said, and Alexis tensed, worried Antoine's men had found them. "He's pulled up beside the building's front doors."

Seb looked up from his cell phone and out the window. "The black Tahoe is our ride. Leave the keys under the driver's seat and lock up the truck. Orlan has a spare."

They got out of the truck. Drake was already standing beside the SUV. Seb dropped the cell phone into his pocket and started across the parking lot while Alexis waited for Emery.

The woman stood beside the open driver's door and stared at the keys in her hand.

"You don't have to decide right now." Alexis wouldn't stop her if she took the truck and left, but there was a better option. It would give her time to sort things out. "Help us. When this ends, you can choose to leave Miami with us, or leave on your own."

"You're assuming this will end well." Emery looked at her.

Alexis shook her head. "I don't know how it will end, but I know Shadow Defense will figure out who is behind this and make sure the algae is no longer a threat."

Emery's hand trembled as she looked down at the keys, and then at Seb and Drake, who were standing beside the SUV, talking. She let out a sharp exhale before placing the keys under the seat. Then she locked the door and slammed it shut.

Alexis looped her arm through Emery's and they walked across the parking lot to join Seb and Drake.

"This is from Finlay," Drake said, giving her a hug. "I'm also supposed to tell you that you need to use that genius brain of yours to fix the error in the formula before she and Vala die of boredom at the hospital.

"I have some ideas to bounce off of Dr. Butler," Alexis said as Seb opened the vehicle's back door. "He should know definitively if they'll work."

Alexis didn't add because she believed it was his formula.

Seb sat in the front so he and Drake could debrief. After being introduced to Drake, Emery leaned her head against the back of her seat and dozed off. It was a short drive to the University of Miami. Alexis let herself drift off as well.

She woke up to Emery grumbling that there'd better be a couch in the lab because she intended to get caught up on sleep. Alexis didn't need her help to save the world.

By the time they'd crossed the campus, the two of them were fully awake.

"Most of the buildings are locked at night. How are we going to get in without a key card?" Alexis asked as the building housing Dr. Butler's office and lab came into view.

Drake grinned and held up a key card. "I sat in on a lecture. The guy beside me said the professor was an egocentric jerk. After listening to the man's lecture, I'd agree. I don't feel bad about the hassle he's going to have when he finds his key card missing."

"What about Butler's office and lab doors?" Seb asked.

"I noticed most of the professors carried two cards. Butler only carries one. The key card I stole is programmed for the building door, but it also opened the lab door. I checked." Drake pointed to a man standing beneath a stand of trees at the end of a grassy area. "I pulled Rodriquez from the hospital to take my place on campus while I drove out to get you."

"Hey, boss. Seb." Rodriquez smiled as they approached and nodded to both Alexis and Emery.

"Anything happen while I was gone?"

Rodriquez pulled out his cell phone. "A guy entered the building shortly after you left. Butler's office window lit up." He swiped the screen and passed the phone to Drake. "He didn't stay long, but didn't leave empty-handed. If you swipe to the next shot, you'll see a closeup of the insulated cooler."

It's how Alexis would move algae samples to ensure they didn't degrade. The disturbing thought gnawed at her.

The algae sample she had discovered was in a sealed container to keep it from drying out. Alexis had thought it was the cool ocean water that had kept the algae sample viable. When she'd checked it several days ago, the sample hadn't degraded. Normally, its resilience would be regarded as a good sign. In their case, it increased the danger the algae posed.

There was no sense alarming the others until she'd checked out Dr. Butler's lab.

"It's too dark to make out who it is," Drake passed the cell phone to Seb and pointed to the lampposts beside the building. "A crew was out this afternoon working on the lighting. They mustn't have completed the repairs."

"Maybe they weren't repairing them. We know Antoine's employers have the funds to make things happen," Seb said, handing back the cell phone, and he turned to Alexis. "How long could the algae last in an insulated cooler?"

"I don't know enough about the algae and the virus to answer that." She knew her next statement wasn't what any of them wanted to hear. "But I would assume indefinitely."

"Let's check out the lab," Seb said.

Drake passed him the key card. "I'll take over from Rodriquez, and he can head back to the hospital."

"Emery, you're with Alexis and me." Seb strode across the green area in front of the building.

Alexis and Emery hurried to keep up with him.

The key card got them into the building, but the lab door refused to open.

"Drake could have checked the wrong door," Alexis suggested.

"No." Seb bent down and examined the lock.

"Can you pick it?" Alexis asked.

Seb shrugged as he texted Drake. "The company claims this model is unpickable. But nothing is unpickable given enough time." He paused and read Drake's response. "He tried the key card when Butler and Overlin left for lunch."

"Someone reprogrammed it between then and now," Emery said as she watched the hallway. "Why?"

"Because they don't want anyone entering the lab while they're in Europe," Alexis said, the ache in her gut telling her something was very wrong. They'd left samples of the genetically engineered algae in the lab.