same names,” she said. “But I’ve also placed Raymond Greer high within Warbucks ranks. And only he would know that I have that code.”
“That leaves Waterstone, Grace, Claymore, and Menton-Squire.” he pointed out.
Bailey nodded at that. “Raymond Greer worked for Ford Grace before marrying Grace’s sister. I know he’s been involved in the brokerage of the sales in several instances. Myron Falks is Samuel Waterstone’s head of security. I’ve compiled quite a bit of circumstantial evidence against him as well. I know the two of them are involved, I just don’t know who’s giving the orders.”
That was more than the unit had. Much more. She’d obviously been working on this at a deeper level than they had imagined.
John tipped back his drink, finished it, and set the glass on the table.
“How did you manage to tie Greer and Falks into it?” He crossed his arms over his bare chest and watched her gaze caress the naked flesh.
“Tying Greer to it wasn’t that hard.” She shrugged, and the full slope of a breast flashed within the folds of material draping over it. “He’s ex-CIA. He has the contacts to knowabout classified research-and-development projects. He still maintains friendships with very high-level individuals, and with his marriage to Mary Grace Altman, he has the power and financial backing to aid many of those individuals. Falks was easier, actually. His alias Mark Fulton was tagged several years ago during a sale of advanced electronics on the black market. We didn’t have enough evidence for an arrest or conviction, but we know he was there.”
“And each family has the power or resources for transportation and delivery,” he stated.
Bailey nodded at that.
He blew out a heavy breath before wiping his hand over his face and staring back at her silently for long moments. He had actually expected her to know what was stolen. She had her own sources, her own contacts and assets. The fact that rumor hadn’t made it back to her was in a way an indication that this operation was much more high-level that any of them had wanted to believe.
“When was
CROSSFIRE
?” she asked.
He nodded sharply. “It was stolen during transportation to a secret military base in DC several weeks ago. Word went out to terrorist organizations and nations days ago that
CROSSFIRE
was coming up on the auction block and that you would choose the broker. We have a major situation here with limited time to track the weapon, considering there’s a highly classified multinational meeting in the Middle East in three weeks to discuss a new peace initiative that has garnered surprising support.”
“So we have three weeks to ensure that Warbucks approves of my choice of John Vincent as the broker,” she stated.
John nodded. “Considering the item, the price that will be attached to it, and the level of trust that will be required in this trade, any broker will demand a face-to-face with Warbucks as well rather than his middlemen, whom they’ve met with before. This is our chance to identify him and to take him out.”
He watched her expression turn somber, her green eyes losing a bit of their brilliance as bleak bitterness filled them.
“Warbucks was one of Orion’s employers,” she said. “I suspect he was hired to kill Ford Grace’s wife and daughter fourteen years ago and I know he hired out the deaths of my parents. I want him, John. I won’t be pushed out of this one. Try to take me out of it, and you and your entire team will regret it.”
He shook his head slowly. “This can’t be just your operation any longer, Bailey. It has to be a shared venture between you and me.”
“And your Jerric Abbas look-alike?” The tight, sarcastic smile she gave him was telling. “I met him outside the elevators tonight—with several of Waterstone’s security team, by the way. He made a point of letting me know he was here, to have me verify his identity as Abbas.”
John grinned. The identity of
“That leaves Waterstone, Grace, Claymore, and Menton-Squire.” he pointed out.
Bailey nodded at that. “Raymond Greer worked for Ford Grace before marrying Grace’s sister. I know he’s been involved in the brokerage of the sales in several instances. Myron Falks is Samuel Waterstone’s head of security. I’ve compiled quite a bit of circumstantial evidence against him as well. I know the two of them are involved, I just don’t know who’s giving the orders.”
That was more than the unit had. Much more. She’d obviously been working on this at a deeper level than they had imagined.
John tipped back his drink, finished it, and set the glass on the table.
“How did you manage to tie Greer and Falks into it?” He crossed his arms over his bare chest and watched her gaze caress the naked flesh.
“Tying Greer to it wasn’t that hard.” She shrugged, and the full slope of a breast flashed within the folds of material draping over it. “He’s ex-CIA. He has the contacts to knowabout classified research-and-development projects. He still maintains friendships with very high-level individuals, and with his marriage to Mary Grace Altman, he has the power and financial backing to aid many of those individuals. Falks was easier, actually. His alias Mark Fulton was tagged several years ago during a sale of advanced electronics on the black market. We didn’t have enough evidence for an arrest or conviction, but we know he was there.”
“And each family has the power or resources for transportation and delivery,” he stated.
Bailey nodded at that.
He blew out a heavy breath before wiping his hand over his face and staring back at her silently for long moments. He had actually expected her to know what was stolen. She had her own sources, her own contacts and assets. The fact that rumor hadn’t made it back to her was in a way an indication that this operation was much more high-level that any of them had wanted to believe.
“When was
CROSSFIRE
?” she asked.
He nodded sharply. “It was stolen during transportation to a secret military base in DC several weeks ago. Word went out to terrorist organizations and nations days ago that
CROSSFIRE
was coming up on the auction block and that you would choose the broker. We have a major situation here with limited time to track the weapon, considering there’s a highly classified multinational meeting in the Middle East in three weeks to discuss a new peace initiative that has garnered surprising support.”
“So we have three weeks to ensure that Warbucks approves of my choice of John Vincent as the broker,” she stated.
John nodded. “Considering the item, the price that will be attached to it, and the level of trust that will be required in this trade, any broker will demand a face-to-face with Warbucks as well rather than his middlemen, whom they’ve met with before. This is our chance to identify him and to take him out.”
He watched her expression turn somber, her green eyes losing a bit of their brilliance as bleak bitterness filled them.
“Warbucks was one of Orion’s employers,” she said. “I suspect he was hired to kill Ford Grace’s wife and daughter fourteen years ago and I know he hired out the deaths of my parents. I want him, John. I won’t be pushed out of this one. Try to take me out of it, and you and your entire team will regret it.”
He shook his head slowly. “This can’t be just your operation any longer, Bailey. It has to be a shared venture between you and me.”
“And your Jerric Abbas look-alike?” The tight, sarcastic smile she gave him was telling. “I met him outside the elevators tonight—with several of Waterstone’s security team, by the way. He made a point of letting me know he was here, to have me verify his identity as Abbas.”
John grinned. The identity of
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