Page 9 of The Sentinel

“Why wouldn’t he want you to look at everything?”

“Unknown.”

“Did you follow his instructions after that?”

“No. If someone is trying to hide something, they do just that—bury it somewhere someone isn’t going to necessarily look. What drew me to forensic accounting was finding the little thread that allowed me to unlock the mystery or the fraud. I read way too much Mary Stewart when I was a child,” she said with a smile as if the unbidden memory was a happy one.

“Yeah, and I was a huge Robert Ludlum fan.”

“Ooh, I liked him, too. I always liked that he dedicated his books to his wife and that the female lead wasn’t some simpering idiot that had to be saved. With Ludlum, the heroine was just as likely to save the hero.”

“Samantha’s characters are the same way,” said Seth.

“Samantha Butler?” asked Anabella.

“Samantha Butler Coltraine. She’s married to King—our direct boss.”

“And he answers to Robert Fitzwallace, who founded Cerberus and is married to Jordan James Fitzwallace. She’s a particular inspiration to me. She’s rescued so many women out of bad situations.”

“And drives Fitz nuts doing it,” laughed Seth. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m hungry. Let’s get downstairs and rummage up something to eat.”

Coop followed Seth and Anabella into the elevator and then downstairs into the bar’s kitchen. Between the four of them, they were able to make a pretty decent pasta with grilled steak, prawns, and gorgonzola. It almost felt like a double date with Alicia’s presence, only it wasn’t. After dinner, Seth and Alicia headed up the massive staircase to the second floor. Coop and Anabella headed all the way up to the third floor. He showed her the saferoom and how to activate the lock from the keypad inside the room and how the Cerberus team could access it from the keypad outside it. He ensured Anabella was in for the night and knew how to hit the emergency alarm as well as let him know if she needed anything.

“Good night, Anabella. Everything will be fine, and we’ll come up with a game plan over the next day or two.”

“What do I tell people? I mean, do I call in sick?”

“That would probably be best. We don’t really want to alert anyone that you’re on to them.”

“Wouldn’t it be best to just go in and play it low key?”

“You believe two attempts have been made on your life…”

“No, I think one was made; you and Seth decided there was another one this afternoon.”

“Trust me, if Seth says there was a high-caliber rifle shot aimed in your direction, there was. The guy is freaky good at determining that sort of thing. I’ve never known him to be wrong.”

“Never?”

“Not even once. He’s an interesting guy—he can back you up in a firefight and then turn around and track the suckers electronically.”

She sat back and smiled at him. “You like him.”

Coop nodded. “More than that, I trust him.”

Anabella cocked her head to one side. “You don’t trust many people, do you?”

“No, I don’t. But I trust every single person who works for Cerberus. I’ve never worked with a finer team. Lock the door behind me. I’m going to go make a sweep of the building. I’ll let you know when I’m back on the floor.”

“I feel like I’m causing you guys an awful lot of trouble when I’m not absolutely certain I’m in danger.”

“Look, Anabella, I meant what I said. If your instincts are telling you you’re in danger, it’s best to listen to them. If you’re wrong, you will have lost nothing, but if you’re right, coming to us could very well have saved your life.”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For not making me feel stupid.”

---