Page 19 of Sin

I pursed my lips and returned to watching London. Depending on the object he was searching for, it could take minutes, hours, or even a full day to locate. I knew there were many factors which affected how quickly he found something, like if the object was moving or stationary, its size, if it was buried, etc. It also helped if he had a starting point, like a general area to search within or from. If Lucas was in a moving car, it could take London a long while to pinpoint his—

London’s eyelids flew open, revealing eyes of pure white. Slowly, the color returned, and he blinked brown eyes at us as if in a daze. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention on him, waiting for him to speak.

But then he jerked to his feet and crossed to the digital map on the wall, pocketing the earbuds as he moved. It showed a basic outline of each continent and the countries, states, and territories within. London zoomed in until he hovered over a city several states over. Monroe.

“He’s here,” he said in a raspy voice from sleep. His lids drooped, and his brows pinched in pain. “I can’t… I can’t pin down a specific area because he’s moving. Maybe on a bus or a train? Lewis, I want you to access family members or friends of any remaining workers who might live in this area. I don’t care how distant the relation might be, got it?”

“Got it,” Lewis said, taking a seat on one of the rolling chairs and spinning to face the computer behind him. He slapped some large headphones over his ears and placed his hands on the sides of the monitor. Instantly, dozens of files filled the screen, everything from birth certificates, genealogy records, to mortgage agreements.

“Jinx,” London said next, and Jinx jumped to his feet at the ready. “Call Monroe's local law enforcement and tell them to keep an eye out for him but to not engage. They don’t need to know the details, just that Lucas is dangerous and should be avoided. All we need from them is his whereabouts and to keep the citizens out of his way if he’s spotted. Again, they are not to engage. Once you’re done, start loading the van.”

Jinx nodded and pulled out a phone from his pocket. He marched out of the room, dialing a number as he went.

Before the door had even shut, London was turning to Blade. “Did you manage to work on the suits?”

“Yes, but I’m still not done. I need to tweak some things before they’ll be ready to wear. Then after another round of testing, they should be finished.”

“Okay,” he said, rubbing at his temples. “Okay, yeah, do that then. Take Mare with you to help with the testing.”

“Will do,” Blade said, grabbing the tablet she’d been designing on as Mare switched off her movie and stood. “You need to sleep, boss man.”

London stretched his neck back and forth, and I fought the urge to go over and massage his head for him. “I know.”

“I’ll meet you in the weapon’s room,” Mare said to Blade, darting her gaze my way one more time before ducking out of the room.

Blade only hesitated a moment longer, her dark eyes latching on to where I sat off to the side. Was she nervous to leave him alone with me? It sure looked like it.

London must have realized she hadn’t left because he opened his eyes and frowned at her. When he noticed where her attention seemed glued, he huffed.

“Blade,” London said in a clipped voice. “Go.”

“With all due respect, boss man, I don’t think you should be alone with him. Keep Lewis here.”

“Your concern is noted,” he said, one side of his lips quirking in a half smile. “I’ll be fine, Blade,” he added softly. “I’ll rest soon, okay?”

She still didn’t look happy, but with a stiff nod, she vacated the room.

He looked so exhausted, his head appearing as if it took everything in him to hold it up. But despite how tired he was, he moved to one of the computer screens and pulled up a video call app. I didn’t have long to wonder who he was calling before President Osborne’s face filled the screen.

“Status?” she asked in greeting.

“We have a general location, but he’s moving around the city, so it’s not exact. Based on the trail I followed, it looks like he’s been in the area for a while though. I have Jinx informing the local police about the situation, and Lewis is looking into which of the lab workers may have family or friends nearby that area. We’ll head out once we have more information, and—”

“You need to rest, Mr. Whitmore,” President Osborne interrupted. She clucked her tongue in admonishment. “We need everyone on your team at their highest level of performance.”

“I can rest on the flight. Or maybe the drive. He’s not near any major airports, so we’ll fly to the nearest one, then track him the rest of the way by car. There will be plenty of time for rest then,” London assured.

“There is,” she agreed, “but the fastest way to recover is uninterrupted, peaceful sleep. Which we both know you won’t get if you attempt it on a plane or in the squad car. Especially not with Mr. Benson’s particular driving. Which is why I’m ordering you to wait until your power is restored before you head out. Trust that your team’s got this handled for now.”

London hesitated but gave a reluctant nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

Her gaze skittered over me. “How has Mr. Gonzalez integrated into the team?”

So we were just going to pretend I wasn’t here? Really?

“You could just ask me, you know?” I pointed out, standing.

London stiffened, almost like he’d forgotten I was here, and ignored me. “It’s too soon to tell, but there haven’t been any issues.”

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