Carmen listened but didn’t hear any footsteps. She guessed he was going to wait until she came out.
Her heart thumping, she returned to the window and looked outside. To her left, three dark figures were moving down the side of the building. She cursed under her breath. It was possible that opening the window had triggered some alarm. Did they see me talking outside? She didn’t think so, but something had drawn their attention.
She clenched her jaw. The situation had taken a dangerous turn for the worse. It might be the last time she could communicate with the outside world.
From this point forward, she had to assume she was on her own.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AFTER PACKING THE first piece of luggage, Dr. Noah Lind looked at the time on his phone. 8:39. A car was coming to pick him up at noon, so he still had plenty of time to get ready. He had two more bags to pack, but first, he needed to get something in his stomach because there was no telling when he would be able to eat again.
Lind zipped up the suitcase then went to the kitchen and removed a carton of eggs and a few slices of cheese from the fridge. As he set the items on the table, his thoughts shifted to the call he had received from the CIA the night before. He was surprised and alarmed at how easily they had discovered his landline number. No one knew that. His rent and all of his utilities were paid by a limited liability company that was part of a larger web of companies he had organized to maintain his privacy. The CIA had their ways, he guessed. If the government wanted to find you, they could find you.
But even more surprising was the purpose of their call. The CIA claimed a mysterious organization had approached his niece Victoria. At first, they assumed the group wanted some national secret, but instead, they were looking for him. The news had rattled Noah deeply. Any number of organizations wanted the information he possessed, and many of those groups would do anything to get it. That was one of the reasons he had gone into hiding.
Noah placed a cast iron skillet and a nonstick pan on the stove and turned the heat on high. After giving it a minute or so to warm up, he tossed a lump of butter into the pan and four pieces of bacon into the skillet. He then scrambled three eggs in a bowl while adding a touch of salt and pepper. Protein wasn’t very filling, and he would probably be hungry again in a few hours, but it would have to do. He had thought about going to a local bagel shop to grab something quick but decided against it after remembering the CIA agent’s warning to stay off the streets. He had already taken a risk by going out to purchase a new burner phone, and he didn’t need to press his luck by going out again.
As Noah poured the beaten eggs into the pan, he wondered what specifically the group was looking for. The agent who called was no help. He said they didn’t know what the group was after. He guessed it was one of the secret projects Noah had worked on while at Fischer Genetics. The technology used in those projects was controversial because — like many bioengineering initiatives — it had a dark side. In fact, Noah had retired partly because he was uncomfortable being involved with something that had the potential to do so much harm. The executives at Fischer weren’t happy with his decision, and from what he had heard, they had been unable to perfect the technology in his absence. Subtle threats had been made, which in turn led to his decision to move out of the country and out of the public eye.
Had representatives of Fischer contacted Victoria? He doubted it. That would be too obvious. Yes, they had hinted at repercussions, but the company’s leadership would never try to hunt him down. Besides, there were a number of genetics firms across the globe involved in the same work. He was just thankful that Victoria was safe.
After cooking the bacon and eggs, Noah slid them onto a plate and poured a glass of orange juice. He sat down at the table, but before starting on the food, he picked up the new burner phone he had just purchased the night before. He needed to call his niece to make sure she was okay, even if it was shortly after one o’clock in the morning in the States.
She picked up after several rings, and as expected, her voice was groggy. “Hello.”
“Hey, sweetie.”
“Uncle Noah, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
“And it’s good to hear yours as well. Victoria, I… I heard from a man who works for the government last night.”
“Yes, they told me they were going to call. Did they take you somewhere safe?”
“Not yet. They’re coming to get me in a few hours.”
“A few hours?” There was concern in her voice. “Why didn’t they pick you up last night?”
“Apparently, all of their field agents — or whatever you call them — were tied up in Syria. They had sort of an all-hands-on-deck situation in Damascus. Anyway, two of them are coming back to Israel today to pick me up. They’re going to take me to a safe house in Cyprus until all of this blows over.” He laughed. “I feel like I’m in one of those Bourne movies your dad and I used to watch.”
“You sure you’re okay? Has anyone tried to contact you?”
“Of course not. No one knows where I’m at. That, I promise you.”
Noah did feel safe, although something had bothered him about the conversation with the CIA officer the night before. As they spoke, he remembered hearing some odd clicks on the line. It was as though the call was being monitored. When Noah had asked about it, the officer said the agency did monitor and record all calls. That was reassuring, but at the same time, Noah thought the whole thing was rather odd.
“I don’t mean to worry you, but there is something else I need to tell you,” Victoria said.
Noah frowned. “What is it?”
“I can’t reach Devon. I left him a message about a week ago. He never called me back, so I tried a few more times without any luck.” There was a short pause. “That’s so unlike him.”
“Heavens,” Noah muttered. “Do you think…?”
Victoria seemed to understand what he was asking. “I don’t know. I hope not, but it seems too strange to be a coincidence.”
Noah felt a pinch of concern in the pit of his stomach. “Someone needs to go check his house.”
“The Nashville police are going by there today.”
“Let me know what you find out.”
Another concern entered Noah’s thoughts. “Where are you?”
“I’m at work.”
“No, I mean, where are you living?”
“I’m still in my condo. Why?”
“If they somehow found Devon, then—”
“Uncle Noah, don’t worry. First of all, the person they think is me is with them now. And even if they figure that out, they still won’t be able to find me. If they could, then they would have already picked me up. They contacted me the only way they could, through my work email.”
“How did they get that? None of this makes sense.”
“Actually, it sort of does make sense. All of our email addresses have the same structure. In other words, if you know my first initial and my last name, then you can piece it together.”
Noah shook his head. “I still don’t see—”
“Uncle Noah, I’m going to be fine.”
“I hope so.” Noah remembered he still had two bags to pack. “Well, sorry, but I have to run.”
“That’s fine. I understand. I’m so glad you called. Promise me you’ll call me again when you get to Cyprus.”
“I will, assuming they’ll let me.”
“I love you, Uncle Noah.”
“I love you too. Talk soon.”
Noah ended the call then removed the battery. It had been so good to know that Victoria was safe. And even though he was still concerned about her safety, he had to admit she was right: if they did know how to find her, they already would have.