Page 5 of Devil
Shuffling the files to the side, he pulled his computer in front of him. Once it was powered up, he used a secure connection to log into the research center he’d now be responsible for. He didn’t start his job for another four days, but he had access to the files of the prior chief operations officer. Over the past few weeks, he’d spent hours getting up to speed on how the center was run. He’d reviewed everything from building schematics to procurement files to timesheets to employee files. Managing the research center, and its labs, would be different from what he’d done for the navy, but it wouldn’t bethatdifferent. The specifics of what chemicals or equipment were used, he’d have to learn. But it wasn’t hard to see the patterns in how the facility operated. Including what needed to be done to keep it running smoothly.
Pulling up the schematic, he began to click through the images. The building had sixteen labs. Ten were standard research labs, like Dr. Devillier’s. Four performed classified work. Two were top secret. Of the four classified labs, two conducted research on how to mitigate the impacts of chemical warfare and the other two addressed biological warfare. The top-secret labs did things that even he wasn’t granted access to. He’d read the heavily redacted file, and as best as he could surmise, they did something that involved the manipulation of light and sound.
His files confirmed that Dr. Devillier knew about the classified labs, and the decision to place her in the same building had been a strategic one. Which, again, was one more piece of information Darius didn’t have—why would having her there be strategic? Was she expected to watch over the researchers in those labs? Was she expected to help them, if needed? If so, how did that play into her role as an agent for China?
While his orders were clear—keep an eye on her, and if she needed backup, provide it—never had he gone into an op with so little information.
It was going to be an interesting year.
CHAPTERTHREE
Devil satat her desk and forced herself to reread the paragraph she’d just written, looking for inconsistencies or anything that could be construed as a lack of clarity. It was only Monday, and she had the rest of the week to complete the final report, but her mind kept drifting. Drifting to her much-wanted—and maybe even needed—three-week vacation that would begin on Friday.
Such long breaks were an anomaly for her, but she, Six, Gavin, Cyn, Joe, and Nora were scheduled to spend several weeks at Cyn’s family’s estate southwest of London. They might decide to pop over to Paris for a bit, or maybe to Rome to spend a few days with Six’s family. But for the most part, they planned to live the life of the idle rich, if only for a few weeks. Something they hadn’t done since the summer after they’d graduated from high school, twenty years earlier.
A knock sounded at her door, and Devil smiled. She’d received the company email that morning informing them of their new COO. The message introducing Commander Darius Washington included an impressive bio and a picture…a picture of the man she’d seen at Smith House several nights ago. She wasn’t concerned about meeting him, but she did find it amusing. It had been a long time since she’d been attracted to someone; go figure when it happened, not only did he not return the sentiment, but he was a colleague, too.
“Come in,” she called as she saved her work.
A beat passed, then Commander Washington stepped into the room. He was as good-looking as she remembered from the week before. She’d hoped that with the passing of a few days, including a rather rambunctious dinner at Cyn’s house on Saturday night, maybe she’d remembered wrong. But no, her memory hadn’t failed her. At all.
She rose from her seat. “Commander Washington,” she said, holding out her hand.
His eyes flashed with something, but then they shuttered as he approached. Reaching over her desk, he took her hand. “Dr. Devillier, it’s very nice to meet you.”
She thought that might be laying it on a little thick, but she opted not to say anything.
“I’ve heard good things about your work,” he continued.
It was such a banal statement she almost laughed. Of course he’d heard good things about her lab. The work that she and her team did was exemplary, but she was also one of the only labs to be fully funded by grants. While she may not love a lot of things about her family, theyhadtaught her how to run a business. And while research was at the core of what she did, she never lost sight of the fact that research was also a business.
She nodded. “We do what we can.”
“May I ask what you’re working on now?” He nodded to her computer.
“We wrapped up a study two weeks ago on a potential new drug for pancreatic cancer. I’m writing up the findings now for the article.”
“Does it have potential?”
She shook her head. “Not in the form it’s currently in. We couldn’t produce any consistent results. And while it might help a small percentage of people, the potential side effects are significant. That said, there are some promising aspects to it. I’m recommending that it go back to the design board, so to speak.”
He studied her as she answered, and something flickered in his eyes, something that might have been empathy. His predecessor had been efficient, but she’d cared for nothing except the bottom line. In many ways, Devil understood that approach. The research center was a business, and if the business wasn’t running well, then those who relied on it wouldn’t have the means to do what they did. On the other hand, the work doctors like Devil did could save lives—in fact, several of the drugs and medical procedures developed and tested in the labshadsaved lives. Perhaps that was something Commander Washington understood and appreciated. If so, it would be a welcome change.
“Are you disappointed?” he asked.
She stared at him. It was an odd question. “I’d much rather have found a miracle drug that could fight one of the least survivable cancers out there, if that’s what you’re asking.”
His lips twitched. “Of course,” he said. “I’ll be ramping up over the next several months, but if you have any suggestions with regard to running the center or supporting the labs, my door is always open.”
“We need better security,” she said without hesitation. “Your predecessor didn’t want to spend the money, but the systems we have are outdated and need to be upgraded. We also need cameras in the parking garages. We’ve had two staff people accosted in the past three months—one works for me, so I take it personally. If people don’t feel safe here, they won’t want to work here.”
He regarded her, then nodded. “I’d already come to the same conclusion when I reviewed the files. I have someone coming in two days to bid on the garage system. We’ll need a Department of Defense contractor, or someone authorized by them, for the internal system, but I’m working on that.”
Now it was her turn to study him. Not only was he pretty, but he appeared to be a take-action kind of guy, too. Dammit.
She nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. Other than that, I can’t think of anything now.”
“My door is open should that change.”
