The River (24 page)

"You know the limit, Hans. It's there for a reason."

"I apologize, Vance. I-I'll cut back. I promise. It's just that―"

Vance eyed him sharply. "No excuses! I don't envy you. You'll have to deal with the Director."

He hid a smug smile when he saw Hans flinch.

"Meanwhile," he continued. "
Peter
will join his friends. Del and the others haven't seen me for a while. Eventually, they'll wonder why I was separated from them and they'll become suspicious. Then again, they haven't seen Francesca either."

"Why even bother keeping up the charade?"

"If they're plotting anything, they'll share it with me. If Hawthorne's told them where the file is, they'll share that as well. We'll plan a reunion in an hour."

Hans licked his lips nervously. "And the Director…"

"Will see both of us in the morning," Vance finished.

He allowed his thoughts to drift while he gazed toward the window. He was finally home, and the Nahanni had never looked better. 2005 had been so far out of his element―a rat race of stress and chaos.

He let out a relieved sigh.

Thank God!
No more studying or boring classes.

Sure, he had a knack for anthropology, but the homework was a killer. It had totally cramped his style.

He stole a peek at Hans.

The Director would not be pleased.

It was mid-morning, and Jake's stomach was making a racket―probably more from nerves than from hunger. He wondered what the others were going to say when he returned to the lab. What would Lawrence say?

How does he feel, knowing that I spent the night with Del?

An image of naked limbs and hot, soft skin flickered before him.

Pushing the scintillating memory from his mind, he followed Blackwell to the lab. The man stepped aside and waved him in. Then the door slid shut between them.

Lawrence, TJ and Hawk stood around Gary, watching something on the monitor.

"Good morning," Jake said self-consciously.

Lawrence gave him a curt nod, then disappeared into his room.

"They moved us in," Hawk said, pointing to the three extra cots in the far corner.

Jake nodded, relieved.

It would be much easier to escape if they were already together.

"Hey, man!" TJ said with a grin. "Pulled an all-nighter, huh?"

Jake didn't want to discuss his night with Del―especially with her ex-boyfriend.

He glanced over his shoulder. "How's Lawrence?"

"Ah, he's fine, dawg. Just doesn't want you to hurt his little girl."

Jake sighed. "I'd never hurt her."

"I know, man."

There was an awkward silence.

"Ever see the movie The Notebook?" TJ asked hesitantly.

Jake raised a mocking brow, but said nothing.

"Hey! I'm a movie buff, Jake. What can I say?"

"Yeah, but…
chick flicks
?"

"They're even better if you bring the
chic
k," TJ grinned. "Anyway, the two main characters in The Notebook are destined to be together, but they've got to go through all sorts of shit first."

Jake cocked his head, amused. "So, you're saying that Del and I are destined to go through shit?"

Before TJ could answer, the door behind them creaked open and Lawrence reappeared, throwing Jake a bothered look.

"Yeah, dawg," TJ whispered. "Unless
he
kills ya first."

Jake swore under his breath, then headed straight for Lawrence.

"We've got to talk."

"So, you saw Del," Lawrence said calmly, one eye pressed to a microscope. "How is she?"

Jake kept his voice low. "She's fine, Lawrence. Just like you said. I filled her in on everything. Lawrence, I…uh…think you should know that I―"

"I don't need details, Jake. Just tell me, do you really care about her? And do you plan on sticking around?"

"Of course I do. On both counts…providing we get out of here."

"Del's had enough people disappear in her life, Jake. Not many dealt with her MS in a positive way―including her mother. Del needs stability, not a careless fling."

Jake's jaw flinched. "You know me better than that. I don't care about the MS. We'll deal with that as it comes. But I do care about Del, and I honestly don't have a clue what's going to happen when we get back.
If
we get back."

Lawrence's expression lightened. "I'm sure things will work out the way they're meant to. Now that we've got that settled, Jake, perhaps you should go see what Gary's working on."

He walked away.

Confused, Jake eyed him suspiciously.

Lawrence hadn't socked him in the eye, and to tell the truth that scared the hell out of Jake. Shit, if it had been
his
daughter…

He strolled toward the wall lined with heavy equipment where TJ and Hawk stood fiddling with the cell sorter. Neither had a clue what they were doing.

But Gary certainly did.

He sat at the main computer, tapping furiously at the keyboard.

Jake grinned. "Isn't this where I left you last night?"

"Getting the cell sorter online took longer than I expected. I'm rechecking the, uh…settings."

"Getting anywhere?"

"Keep your voice really low, Jake. I haven't been able to jam the audio. If I do, they'll suspect something."

"Mind if I observe?"

"Not at all."

Jake sat down and eyed the monitor. It flickered, then cleared and he hissed in a breath.

Gary had tapped into the security camera in the lab.

Without warning, the camera zoomed in and Jake discovered that he was staring at his own back.

"Blackwell's trying to see what we're doing!"
he hissed.

Gary nodded. "Here's the camera for the hallway."

He brought up a split screen so they could monitor four areas of the Centre. The elevator, the hallway, the lab and a room with pale peach walls.

Jake knew that room.

"Don't worry," Gary smirked. "Your shirt hid everything."

Jake felt an awkward blush heat his face as he stared at the lower right screen…at Del. Curled up in a chair, she nibbled on a sandwich while reading a magazine, as though she didn't have a care in the world. He studied the curve of her face, noting the tired shadows under her eyes.

He smiled, remembering the night before.

Neither of them had slept much.

"Someone's coming!" Gary warned.

Jake eyed the upper left screen.

VanBuren stepped out of the elevator. Someone was standing behind him, just out of view of the camera.

"If we had audio, we'd be able to hear."

The person in the elevator stepped out into the hall.

Peter Cavanaugh.

Jake stifled a curse. "Where are they taking him?"

"They aren't taking him anywhere. Look at his hands."

Peter was walking beside VanBuren, looking as comfortable as if he had been invited to dinner. He walked freely, talking casually. No handcuffs, no armed guards.

Gary gnawed his lower lip. "They seem pretty chummy, Jake."

Like old buddies.

On the monitor, Jake saw a young pregnant girl pass the men in the hall. Peter grinned at her lecherously and VanBuren muttered something in his ear. They were joined by the chief of security. When Peter said something to both men, Blackwell shook his head emphatically.

Jake tried to make sense of Peter's appearance, but what he saw seemed impossible. Contemptible. The kid's behavior pointed to something much more insidious. Peter was involved with the Centre, with Paughter and VanBuren …
with murder.

"Hey, are you two done yet?" Lawrence called, moving closer.

"We've run into a snag," Jake answered calmly.

"What's the problem?"

Lawrence leaned toward the screen just as VanBuren drew back his fist and slammed it into Peter's face. The kid stumbled against the wall, then he grinned.

"That's Peter Cavanaugh," Gary said in a low voice. "Del's anthropology student."

"He's also part of the Centre," Jake added.

Lawrence shook his head sharply. "Your friend isn't
part
of the Centre. He
is
the Centre."

"What?"

Lawrence stared at them. "Peter Cavanaugh is an anagram."

"An anagram for what?" Jake asked.

"For
Vance A. Paughter
.

"They're coming," Gary said.

He shut down the computer while Jake struggled to absorb the fact that Peter was a traitor. A traitor who had been close to Del for a year. Someone who had known all along that her father was still alive.

Bastard!

The lab doors opened.

VanBuren stepped inside, calmly removed a pistol from his jacket pocket and flicked it at Lawrence.

"Doctor Hawthorne, I'll take you to see your daughter now."

Jake exchanged a knowing look with Lawrence. Peter/Paughter couldn't have the doctor around for their reunion. Because Lawrence would recognize him.

Immediately after they left, Jake led everyone to Lawrence's room.

"What's going down?" TJ asked as soon as the door closed.

"Peter's not who we thought," Jake said briskly.

Hawk raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"The kid we knew as Peter Cavanaugh…is really Vance Paughter."

"What the f―" TJ bit back the curse with an angry grunt.

When Jake told them what he had seen on the security camera, they were shocked. TJ paced the room, clenching and unclenching his fists, while Hawk stared mutely at the floor. Gary slumped on the bed, depressed.

"Del's the one he wants," Jake said, gritting his teeth. "He can use her to get to her father's file. And if Lawrence gives it to them…"

"Then the future is doomed," Hawk said quietly.

Gary nodded. "And we're all dead."

"The little bastard!" TJ fumed. "When I first heard he had a crush on Del, I wanted to kick his puny little ass. Now I want to―"

"Easy does it," Jake cut in. "We need to buy Gary some time. If Paughter finds out we know, he'll have us separated. We have to put on a front and welcome
Peter
back into the fold. Got it?"

"That ain't gonna be easy. I'm not sure I can, Jake."

"You have to, TJ. You have to greet him like he's still one of us. And whatever you do, don't tell him anything about Gary being a hacker. If he knew, he'd see to it that Gary's brains were used in the next batch of serum."

Beside him, Gary flinched.

Jake led them toward the door. "We'd better go back out or someone'll wonder what we're doing in here. And remember, don't let on that you know who he is. He's just
Peter
."

Half an hour later, Peter entered the lab.

Paughter,
Jake reminded himself.

Escorted by Blackwell, the kid dropped into a chair, groaning loudly. His face was swollen and an angry welt had erupted under his right eye where VanBuren's ring had caught him. Blackwell moved beside him and Peter jerked his head away, as if he were terrified of the man.

"Peter!" Jake said in mock concern. "Thank God you're okay."

I'll rip you a new asshole later.

"I thought I'd never see you guys again," the kid moaned. "They kept me locked in a room."

"What happened to your face, dawg?" TJ asked.

Paughter tossed Blackwell a scornful look. "I wasn't walking fast enough."

Jake pressed a cold, wet cloth against the kid's face.

"Christ! What's on this, Jake?"

"Just some alcohol. Wouldn't want that to get infected."

Paughter tossed the cloth aside. "They gave me some kind of injection. Said it would make me heal faster."

Suddenly, a red light flashed outside in the hallway and a loud piercing alarm cut through the air.

Everyone jumped―including Paughter.

Blackwell grabbed the kid's arm. "That's enough visiting for one day. We can use you someplace else."

Jake caught the anxious look that Paughter flicked Blackwell as he was dragged from the room. At least the kid had the sense to make it look good. Kicking and screaming, he fought with Blackwell, even managing to get in a few good punches.

Jake gritted his teeth.

"Maybe they'll beat the hell out of each other. Save me the trouble," he muttered to TJ.

"What's happening?" Hawk hissed.

"I don't know. But we'd better find out."

Gary moved quickly, and within seconds he had hacked back into the Centre's security program. Searching the different cameras in the Centre, he quickly discovered the problem.

"It's Francesca."

Jake's eyes were immediately glued to the monitor.

On it, Francesca was stumbling down a hallway in her bra and panties. VanBuren stormed after her, struggling to fasten his pants.

Hawk gasped. "Oh, shit! He's trying to…"

"Rape her," Jake finished. "The bastard's got her trapped."

They saw Francesca stop dead in her tracks. Twisting, she lunged at VanBuren and clawed at his face. Within minutes, he had her backed into a corner. She was screaming…begging.

Jake's eyes widened as VanBuren grabbed Francesca's arm. In a flash, the man violently ripped off her bra and backhanded her across the face. Her head snapped sharply to the side. Then she collapsed on the floor.

She didn't move.

VanBuren hovered over her, his back to the camera. He swiftly dropped his pants and for a long moment he simply stared at her. It was impossible to tell if he was speaking…or waiting. Then his body twitched and his head arched.

"What's he doing?" Jake whispered.

TJ scowled. "The five knuckle shuffle."

They watched in horror as VanBuren moved toward Francesca.

Jake jumped to his feet, swearing loudly.

"Shut it off!"

He stalked into Lawrence's room and slammed the door.

Twenty

D
el was ecstatic when her father entered her room. She couldn't believe how vibrant he looked, how young and handsome. In truth, he looked ten years younger than the last time she had seen him.