Page 104 of Blind Prophet

Arrow wants me to vet Dorian as a conceivable whale. If I focus solely on my role—vetting Dorian—I should start with the basics. I should consider his biography. What socializing experiences does he have, and what personality traits affect his decision-making and leadership style? In short, I need to understand his rationale to best predict his future behavior.

He stormed out because he didn’t like being accused, but is he also guilty?

“Let me send a car for you,” Sophia says.

“No. I need to hear him out.”

“I don’t like this. If he’s guilty, you’re not in a safe place. Men like him don’t react well when cornered.”

“Can you ask the team to look into his satellite contracts? I’ve been thinking about the why. He’s got contracts the world over. Zenith is Dorian’s baby. A company he founded as opposed to inherited. Can you see if there’s any connection between these random events and Zenith contracts being granted?”

“You’re thinking it’s coming down to money?”

No, he has more than he can spend in a lifetime. But for some, acquisition becomes an addiction.

But this is Dorian.

“It wouldn’t just be money. That’s what I want to understand.”

Motivation is the key to understanding the human mind.The words from a Langley instructor tell me I’ve been approaching this all wrong.

“Power, perhaps? See if you can access the contracts. What information does Zenith collect? What restrictions do the contracts place on them? See if there are any significant variances between countries in those contracts. Do you get where I’m going?”

“I’ll get a team on it. See what they can uncover. It’ll take some time.”

“Also, look to see who benefits if Dorian is framed.” A thought comes to mind. “You told me you couldn’t tell me your source, but–”

“Our initial source has determined it’s not Dorian.”

“And you don’t find that suspicious?”

“We do. Do you remember that list of names we showed you in the briefing?”

“Yes.”

“Our source is one of the unlisted names. Nicholas Ivanov. British national, Russian descent.”

“You’re still researching Dorian because you haven’t decided if you trust Nick.” Her silence confirms my assumption. Nick’s reputation is less than sterling. “I know Nick, by the way. He was in our wedding.” But I understand why they didn’t leverage my relationship with Nick for information. I recently debriefed a deep undercover operative who worked closely with Nick for years. If the team needed an expert to weigh in on Nick Ivanov, they’d go to that source.

“Caroline, we’re still pursuing this angle because he remains a person of interest. In the meantime, I’m sending a team to the gate.”

“I’m staying.” What I’m not sharing is that I need to stay for reasons that have nothing to do with Project Unity.

“Luke’s pushing hard for you to return. He’s concerned for your safety.” Her voice drops an octave. “I know you said you’re not interested, but all signs here point to a spark on his side. And a highly protective streak.”

Zero chemistry existed between Luke and me. I sigh loudly so she’ll back off.

“Tell Luke there’s no need to worry, and I’ll see him when I’m back.”

“Do you want to tell him yourself?”

“Negative.”

“Someone’s been hanging out with the Arrow Tactical guys.” I can hear her smile.

“Your fault.”

“Be safe.”

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