The Boss Assignment (Rogue Protectors Book 3) by Victoria Paige (red scrolls of magic txt) 📗

solution to a very damning problem. “It’s quite possible he was simply trying to come up with an alias at that time.” He shrugged. “Your name was convenient.”

“Convenient?” Charly fumed. “I almost lost a year of my life. That asshole!”

Antonio gave an empathetic nod. “But now I’m more certain that August Leigh is Charles Bennett and used you to cover his tracks.”

Charly blew out breath. “It seems Nico came through.” This was huge. It at least cleared the part whether she was the Dr. Evil in this whole thing.

“He did.”

She looked around her lab. “So, when do I start work?”

10

“When do you start work?” he repeated her question, a brief smile touching his face. Antonio considered this a significant victory, although the doctor appeared to be evasive about something. He probably was an idiot for not pressing the matter about why someone—most likely the CIA—erased Dr. Bennett’s work record from the CDC. He was taken by the excitement on her face when she saw the lab, he didn’t want to ruin the moment, but at least they’d laid the who is Charles Bennett issue to rest.

There was still that little problem that he was in danger of getting thrown into a U.S. prison on kidnapping charges. He could argue he was working with John Garrison and, with the CIA man’s whereabouts up in the air, Antonio made an executive decision to safeguard their human and biological agent assets.

That sounded reasonable.

Through the glass pane of the lab he spied Nico and Luis coming into the basement. “Right now, you’re going to help Nico analyze the Z-91 information in our logs referencing the activities in our lab as it pertains to its creation.”

Dr. Bennett nodded. This was another priority on Antonio’s list. Settle once and for all that Anriotech had been framed.

They met the men in a bullpen outside the lab.

“I have virus data and images of both Z-91 and Z-92 on my laptop,” Charly said.

She really wanted that laptop. A brief grin touched his mouth at the mulish set of her lips, the curve of her delicate jaw. Antonio found himself obsessing over her every feature. There was a moment in there he had the odd urge to grab her and kiss her.

“I’ll get it for you. Why don’t you let Nico show you what we have?”

“I’ll still need my laptop,” she retorted. “I don’t have a photographic memory, you know. And chances are, I’ll still need to compare their structures.”

That mouth. All Antonio wanted to do was kiss her and shut her up.

“I’ll go fetch it.” He smirked, but before he ended up in a verbal sparring match with her again, Antonio turned around and walked to the elevators. Luis fell into step beside him.

“Looks like our doctor has you wrapped around her finger.”

“She agreed to help. I’m just keeping her happy.”

“Keep convincing yourself of that, amigo,” Luis said as the elevator car arrived and they stepped inside.

“Anything on surveillance?”

“Two men who are known acquaintances of Pierre drove to our warehouse,” Luis said. “Our security chief is interrogating them now.”

“You don’t look too happy.”

“If they’re acquaintances of Pierre, then there’s a link between him and the favela boss who got killed … what was his name again?”

“Sousa.”

“Then there’s a link between Sousa and Pierre and XZite. Will this link extend to Renata?”

“I never butted into her personal relationships,” Antonio said. “But after her reaction yesterday, her relationship with Pierre cannot be overlooked in the investigation.”

They stepped out of the elevators and Antonio jerked his head to the gardens where there would be no one to overhear them. Martinez’s visit to his office this morning unearthed long-forgotten wounds. But were they really forgotten?

Walking over to the fountain to let the streaming water further mute their conversation, he turned to the one man he’d trusted for so long. “Tell me straight, Luis. You think Renata is involved?”

“Have you had Nico check her emails and phone records?”

“No. Hadn’t considered it and it doesn’t feel right. It’s Renata,” Antonio exhaled heavily. “Tell me what to do, Luis.”

His mentor regarded him for a long time. “I’ve told you and Martinez this many times. Dante’s death was not on either of you. You have a responsibility to Andrade Industries now, Antonio. To its employees who work hard, to the people who need the affordable drugs you produce. I know Renata was a big supporter of XZite, so maybe Pierre convinced her of other potential customers after you let on that you were thinking of getting rid of it.”

“But the communication of Pierre’s death came from the Charles Bennett email. How do you explain that?”

“The real question is if Sousa was the one involved in killing Pierre. He obviously didn’t know about the potential of Ebola virus exposure. He got agitated when you showed up in your biosafety suits—but that was your intent, right? To shake up the people of the favela into revealing their secrets. Even the ones who are too scared to talk will be dying to speak now if they knew they might die of a potentially fatal disease like Ebola.”

“Whoever was aware of Sousa’s movements could be our key to who killed him,” Antonio concluded. “And whoever killed Sousa could be working with Doctor Z.”

“Who we can assume is the one sending emails to Charles Bennett.”

“True. So, what are you suggesting?” Antonio asked.

“Continue to scare the shit out of them and watch where the flies land.”

“Show up again in our biosafety suits?”

“I wouldn’t go that far… chances are they might be too scared to even approach.”

“Maybe Martinez could mediate …” Antonio slipped out his phone to call the BOPE captain and realized he had a missed call from the man. No message.

Antonio returned the call.

Martinez answered on the first ring. “I was about to call you back.”

“What’s going on?”

“We have a problem,” the man clipped. Antonio could hear a door open and close as if he was moving into a different location.

“What’s going on?”

“I should be asking you.”

“Get to the point, Martinez,”