to give in before the bone broke. Her
assets now fully exposed, he gently ran his hand across her skin, as if
examining a fragile work of art.
“Yes,
Ahmad has an exquisite eye for color,” he bragged. “He once described you as a pure
opalescent gem.” He nodded his head and the same gentleman who greeted them at
the door held a robe out for Lexi. “This is the last conversation we will
have,” the sheikh said in dismissal.
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
Chapter Nine
Dane
slammed the phone down on its cradle. Damn bureaucrats! Every agency
he’d called on behalf of finding Aly told him the same spiel – “the European
Union and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have their best people
working on it.” She’s been missing for almost a week now! The FBI claimed to
only have jurisdiction in the United States. He hoped Greig Carsten was as good
at cracking through online encryptions as he was at developing antiviral
software.
The
Carsten twins had arrived in Germany early yesterday morning. Greig, the
eldest, was somewhat of a computer genius. When Keith was questioned about how
he had contacted the sellers, he told them that he was given a pass code to be
used for online communications. Dane tried sending a message to them, faking an
interest in purchasing a replacement for Aly, but had so far received no reply.
Greig was trying to trace the outgoing message to its recipient. Dane had to
hand it to the guy; he appeared to have the patience of a saint.
The
reunion should have been a joyous one, the years apart seemed to melt away as
their teasing banter soon picked up where it had left off. Just as quickly, it
came to an abrupt halt as everyone remembered the reason for the reunion.
Lexi’s absence left a deep hole in their camaraderie. Still, Dane felt oddly
relieved, the burden seemed to lighten with their presence. It was evident that
they all shared an equal concern for her safety.
Although
it had been seventeen years since he’d seen the twins, Dane had no trouble recognizing
them. They’d been like siblings to him and he began to question how he’d ever allowed
the years and distance to interfere with that relationship. Inwardly Dane
kicked himself – instead he’d given Keith Ingram his fraternal trust. Yeah,
and look where that got him… Bravanger was still uncovering the attorney’s
unlawful activities! Dane wondered if the Carsten sibling’s identities would
have come to him as readily without the obvious “tells.”
First
up and easiest was Greig. Dane wanted to punt his behind again, recalling when
he’d first heard about the incident that had killed the twins’ mother and
permanently injured Greig. Opa had just put him in charge of the London office,
and he’d been too overwhelmed with the responsibility to find it feasible to
attend a funeral in the States. He’d sent his condolences along with flowers…
hadn’t he? He couldn’t remember. Greig’s spinal cord had been injured in the
accident, resulting in his legs being paralyzed.
Expecting
to see a wheelchair, Dane was caught off guard when Greig swung into the room on
crutches. He reached out his hand in greeting and was instead pulled into a sturdy
man-hug, including the requisite slap on the back. The guy was strong! As he pulled out of the clinch, Greig expertly placed one of the metal crutches
a step back to catch his balance. His dark blue eyes held a glint of humor,
pleased with himself for putting the surprised look on Dane’s face.
Dane
gifted him with a chuckle, as he drank in the sight of his childhood best
friend. Greig equaled his height, although his shoulder span was wider, a
testament to the workout his arms and deltoids received taking on the brunt of
his body weight. He wore a long-sleeved polo, accommodating the arm clamps of
his custom-made crutches. His khaki slacks disguised the framework of the leg
braces worn beneath.
Stefan
stepped up next, clasping his hand in a traditional handshake with
assets now fully exposed, he gently ran his hand across her skin, as if
examining a fragile work of art.
“Yes,
Ahmad has an exquisite eye for color,” he bragged. “He once described you as a pure
opalescent gem.” He nodded his head and the same gentleman who greeted them at
the door held a robe out for Lexi. “This is the last conversation we will
have,” the sheikh said in dismissal.
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
Chapter Nine
Dane
slammed the phone down on its cradle. Damn bureaucrats! Every agency
he’d called on behalf of finding Aly told him the same spiel – “the European
Union and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have their best people
working on it.” She’s been missing for almost a week now! The FBI claimed to
only have jurisdiction in the United States. He hoped Greig Carsten was as good
at cracking through online encryptions as he was at developing antiviral
software.
The
Carsten twins had arrived in Germany early yesterday morning. Greig, the
eldest, was somewhat of a computer genius. When Keith was questioned about how
he had contacted the sellers, he told them that he was given a pass code to be
used for online communications. Dane tried sending a message to them, faking an
interest in purchasing a replacement for Aly, but had so far received no reply.
Greig was trying to trace the outgoing message to its recipient. Dane had to
hand it to the guy; he appeared to have the patience of a saint.
The
reunion should have been a joyous one, the years apart seemed to melt away as
their teasing banter soon picked up where it had left off. Just as quickly, it
came to an abrupt halt as everyone remembered the reason for the reunion.
Lexi’s absence left a deep hole in their camaraderie. Still, Dane felt oddly
relieved, the burden seemed to lighten with their presence. It was evident that
they all shared an equal concern for her safety.
Although
it had been seventeen years since he’d seen the twins, Dane had no trouble recognizing
them. They’d been like siblings to him and he began to question how he’d ever allowed
the years and distance to interfere with that relationship. Inwardly Dane
kicked himself – instead he’d given Keith Ingram his fraternal trust. Yeah,
and look where that got him… Bravanger was still uncovering the attorney’s
unlawful activities! Dane wondered if the Carsten sibling’s identities would
have come to him as readily without the obvious “tells.”
First
up and easiest was Greig. Dane wanted to punt his behind again, recalling when
he’d first heard about the incident that had killed the twins’ mother and
permanently injured Greig. Opa had just put him in charge of the London office,
and he’d been too overwhelmed with the responsibility to find it feasible to
attend a funeral in the States. He’d sent his condolences along with flowers…
hadn’t he? He couldn’t remember. Greig’s spinal cord had been injured in the
accident, resulting in his legs being paralyzed.
Expecting
to see a wheelchair, Dane was caught off guard when Greig swung into the room on
crutches. He reached out his hand in greeting and was instead pulled into a sturdy
man-hug, including the requisite slap on the back. The guy was strong! As he pulled out of the clinch, Greig expertly placed one of the metal crutches
a step back to catch his balance. His dark blue eyes held a glint of humor,
pleased with himself for putting the surprised look on Dane’s face.
Dane
gifted him with a chuckle, as he drank in the sight of his childhood best
friend. Greig equaled his height, although his shoulder span was wider, a
testament to the workout his arms and deltoids received taking on the brunt of
his body weight. He wore a long-sleeved polo, accommodating the arm clamps of
his custom-made crutches. His khaki slacks disguised the framework of the leg
braces worn beneath.
Stefan
stepped up next, clasping his hand in a traditional handshake with
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