Page 85 of Turn the Tide
“I trust you’re not here on vacation, but I can’t help you,” she said, jumping the gun.
If she knew why he was there, then he was in the right place for answers.
“A three-monkeys mandate came down for the station,” she said.
They’d been instructed tosee no evil,hear no evil,speak no evil. Basically, don’t get involved in whatever was happening in the city, and more importantly, don’t talk about it.
“My people are at risk,” he said. “Lives are on the line—”
“Lives are always on the line,” she interrupted. “Nature of the job.”
“I see you’re still a cold-hearted bit—”
“Insults won’t get you information.” She folded her arms. “I prefer honey to vinegar.”
Same old Cynthia. She could shove her preferences where the sun didn’t shine.
“Let’s skip this tête-à-tête. I don’t have the time or the stomach to bear the sight of you much longer.” He spat out the bitter words. “What do you want in exchange?”
She strutted to the front of her desk, hips swaying. Most men fell over themselves in her presence, enthralled by her seductive powers. Knox had only stumbled once.
“I tell you what you want to know, and you’ll owe me.” She shrugged. “Simple.”
Deals with the devil were never simple, but that’s what it boiled down to in this trade. Scratching someone’s back, giving a pound of flesh in exchange for something else.
Information was a priceless commodity, and Knox was in no position to haggle. “Fine.”
“Yesterday morning, my counterpart at the BfV was waiting in the lobby when I arrived. A biotech company in Munich, BioGenApex, had intellectual property stolen. The BfV claim it’s a matter of national security. They’re crawling over this like cockroaches searching for crumbs.”
Knox took a seat and crossed his legs, keeping his temper at a simmer. “And?”
“Last night we received notification that a whitewash has been initiated, along with instructions to stay out of the team’s way.”
A chill moved through Knox’s stomach. A whitewash was only supposed to happen in the event they couldn’t find Ashley and the thumb drive before the deadline.
He rose, unable to contain the upsurge of apprehension. “How long until the team arrives?”
Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. “A sanitation team is already here,” she said.
He froze. “How can you be certain?” Langley wouldn’t give the station that information.
She grabbed a remote, turning on the television in her office, and put a hand on her hip. The sheath clung to her curves, displaying her figure, but he dragged his gaze to the news. Something about the death of another scientist, Jonas Hoffmann.
“Bodies are piling up in Munich.” She gestured to the screen. “Ten employees from BioGenApex. All suicides and accidents.” The hallmark of a whitewash. “Hoffmann’s secretary was hit by a car. Everyone connected to some special project is dead, except for one scientist who is missing.”
Cleaners, sometimes referred to asplumbers, were on the ground. Knox’s team was supposed to have more time. Maybe the cleaners were only sanitizing Munich, preparing to come to Berlin in the event Knox failed.
“The D/CIA is early on this. Did Langley say why—”
“The notice didn’t come from Langley. It came from the White House.”
His chest tightened.
“Knox, you should know, the BfV plan to find whoever stole from BioGenApex and make an example out of them. They’re gunning for blood on this one.” She stepped closer, dropping her arms to her side. “I know you’ll question my sincerity, but be careful. I hope you make it through this.”
He believed her emphatically. He owed her, and the devil wanted him to live so she could collect her due.
“Knox. Good luck.”
He’d need it. They all would.
