Page 85 of Silver Fire
“Are you saying we need Dr. Leroux?”
“What I am saying is this plan is not workable,” Yuri replied haughtily. “I think this research is bogus.”
Yuri found himself slammed against a worktable, his neck held in a vise-like grip. Justin was barely controlling his anger. “Is it my understanding you’re calling Dr. Leroux a fake?” he whispered menacingly to the older man.
“No, no of course not,” Yuri answered haltingly.
Justin released him and backed away. He’d been having trouble controlling his temper lately, and it didn’t take much to set it off. His thoughts were preoccupied with Sophie and his plans for her.
“Do we need Dr. Leroux?”
“Blackstone would not prefer it, but yes, we would need a second opinion,” Yuri replied carefully.
The second opinion would be an unwilling second opinion. Justin turned away and whipped out his mobile phone.
“Do you have anything for me?”
“You’re all set. You have two tickets to the fundraiser. You are going as Dan Pryce, an agriculturist. Morgan will be your associate, Harry Winters,” Eric Opperman said. “I’ve also gotten a vendor pass for one of your men.”
“Excellent.”
“I’m reminding you that Blackstone and McCord will be there. Lockwood too. I’m not comfortable with you exposing yourself that way.”
“They will not recognize me.”
“I surely hope so, Justin, I don’t know what you are up to.”
“Just do as you’re told. When’s my crew coming in?”
“They should be arriving on separate flights tomorrow. Dulles.”
Justin stared at his phone long before he ended the call with Opperman. He traced a finger on the picture he had snapped of Sophie sitting at the cafe and smiled.
* * *
Derek waitedfor Sophie in her office, bouncing a tiny rubber ball on the wall as he mulled the powder-keg situation they were in. Literally a ticking time-bomb. Fuck. He checked his watch. When Sophie said she was far from finished, he had not expected her to mean over two hours.
She was busy enriching the first batch of zefinium power sources for the MDI laser gun prototype. Who was he to complain? She was working to fulfill her commitments to MDI.
“Sorry,” Sophie said breathlessly as she strode briskly into the office and removed her lab coat.
“No problem, Angel,” Derek said warmly as he rose and gave her a chaste peck on her forehead. “Probably what you get for playing hooky yesterday at lunch.”
“One of my assistants didn’t show up for work,” Sophie grumbled. “She didn’t even bother to call.”
Derek stiffened. “Who?”
“Polly Smith.”
“How long has she worked for you?”
“A few weeks.” Sophie’s eyes widened with horror. “No, I don’t think she’s a spy. Her school credentials check out.”
“You never know, Sophie. Some spies spend years undercover before they’re activated.”
Sophie shook her head adamantly. “She’s a bonafide nuclear physicist in the making. She’s really smart.”
“So she learns your secrets and then she takes off to work for them,” Derek pointed out.