Page 79 of Silver Fire
“Taggart, he was here—Justin,” Derek said. He repeated the description. “I know it could be anybody. I don’t give a damn if you pick them all up. I’m taking Sophie back to the condo. Call me if you have something.”
Derek called Viktor next. “Justin was here,” Derek said tersely. “The corner cafe at Old Towne Alexandria. Fucking asshole was seated near our table the whole time.”
“Damn, Lockwood,” Viktor murmured.
“He has pissed me off for the last time.”
“I’ll have Tim pull up whatever feeds we have of that area.”
“Tell Marissa I have Taggart scouting the grid around the cafe.”
“Copy that. Anything else?”
“Find him, Viktor.”
Viktor said nothing, but Derek knew his friend was eager to get a noose around this Justin guy. It was something else to steal the research, but it seemed Justin’s interest was personal and fixated on Sophie. And judging from the words on the napkin, there was no question what kind of fixation it was. Derek’s gut twisted with anxiety. Some stalker wanted Sophie, but Derek would be damned before he allowed that bastard near her again. Justin was too cocky for his own good, but Derek was betting on that cockiness to get the man caught.
* * *
Justin checkedhis rearview mirror for any tail. When he got back to his car, he quickly changed his shirt and put on a cap. He was careless and his desire to upstage Lockwood nearly cost him his advantage. That man infuriated him, and he was getting his hooks deep into Sophie. Justin might have a hard time making his woman forget Lockwood. But he had methods of coercion, and he was excited to try them on her.
He felt himself harden with his arousal. Her gray eyes had mesmerized him ever since he got up close and personal with her at the bar—the smattering of freckles on her nose and those pillowy lips he couldn’t wait to taste. He imagined her flawless smooth skin turning red while he willed her to submit to him. Those eyes would be hazed with pain until he could teach her to find beauty in that pain. Where he had failed with his wife, he would succeed with Sophie.
His phone buzzed. It was Morgan, one of his crew.
“Bishop.”
“We have the location.”
“Status?”
“We can break in tonight.”
“Time?”
“Night shift changes at eleven.”
“OK. Good work. I need to make one stop before I rendezvous with you guys. We can figure out logistics.”
Justin smiled. Everything was falling into place. He dialed Opperman’s number.
“Eric?”
“Something wrong, Justin? This is not a scheduled call.”
“I need facial recognition of a picture I’m sending you. Subject’s name is Layla and her father appears to be a man of consequence, a senator I think. There is a fundraiser connected to her father. I want you to find out how I can get in.”
“What does this have to do with the job?”
“Just do it, Eric. I have a good feeling about this.”
Justin ended the call, slightly irritated with his partner. So what if he decided to mix business and pleasure? But something told him that Layla would be playing an important role in his plans.
Soon, my beauty.
* * *
Derek was pacingthe length of the “war room”—the most technologically-equipped briefing room at AGS. A widescreen monitor, with direct feeds coming from the datacenter, displayed a satellite image of Olde Towne Alexandria including a street level video of some areas.