Page 45 of Lethal Game

"Lauren just seems like she has a lot of ambition and likes tospend Henry's money. They go out to dinner a lot, and the fancier the restaurant, the better. My parents are worried she's taking advantage of his loneliness."

"Maybe he's just enjoying the attention of a younger woman."

"I'm sure he is. I will say that she is very smart. She leads one of his research teams. They're working on a nanoparticle delivery system."

"I have no idea what that is," he said dryly.

"It's complicated, and I'm not sure I know exactly how it works, but in cancer treatment, if they can isolate nanoparticles and deliver medications to certain cells without affecting other cells, it could be a game changer. Only the cancerous cells will be affected, not the healthy cells. They've just started clinical trials, so it will take time to know how effective this new system is, but it looks promising. Henry is very excited about it. I only know as much as I know because my dad always asks him a lot of questions. He's a science nerd."

He thought about how much his mother had hated chemotherapy, how it had affected her entire body in such a negative way that she'd become a shadow of herself. "I'm glad they're working on that because cancer sucks."

She gave him a compassionate look. "How long was your mother sick?"

"About nine months start to finish, but all of it was bad."

"I know. I work in oncology at the hospital, so I know what that looks like. It's why I'm excited about what Henry's team is developing. I just wish the research and the trials could go faster, but it takes a long time."

"It does," he agreed. "And people die while they're waiting for a cure."

Alisa reached out, gently squeezing his hand. The gesture was meant to comfort, but the warmth of her touch lingered, stirring something deeper in him. She was such a sweet person, so genuine, so kind. Her touch felt like a balm to his cynical andwounded soul. He'd spent a lot of time on the dark side of life the last few years. He'd almost forgotten what this felt like.

As he held on to her hand, their gazes met, and something inexplicable passed between them, something he didn't want to define, and he didn't think she did, either.

Fortunately, they didn't have time for words because Lauren opened the door and told them Henry would see them now.

Alisa let go of his hand as they followed Lauren down a wide corridor where glass-walled labs were located one next to the other. The doors were closed, many with coded locks and signs prohibiting entry. At the end of the hall was Henry's office, which was spacious and well-decorated with a view of the city from the windows behind his desk.

Henry got up to greet Alisa with a hug, and Jason took a moment to study him. Henry Cavendish was a tall, lean man with pepper-gray hair, glasses, and pale skin that looked like it never saw the sun.

Henry’s warm smile faltered the moment Alisa introduced Jason, tension flickering in his eyes. But he came forward to shake his hand and then waved them toward a couch and two chairs, which surrounded a coffee table laden with medical journals.

As they sat down, he was surprised to see Lauren taking a seat as well. And he wasn't the only one.

"Lauren," Henry said. "Would you mind checking on the experiment? It's time-sensitive, and I need you to make sure it runs smoothly. I can take care of things here."

"Oh, of course," Lauren said, not looking happy about being dismissed.

As she exited the office, she left the door open, and Jason couldn't help but wonder if that was deliberate.

"I spoke to Dr. Grayson last night," Henry told Alisa. "He shared his thoughts with me about what is going on with your mother. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I called you, but you didn't answer, and I didn't wantto bother you with a message. I figured you were with your mom."

"I was. I'm also stunned her condition is because of a toxic substance. She has apparently been getting dosed for the last ten days, and I can't imagine who would poison her."

"It's impossible to imagine," Henry agreed, turning to him. "I assume you're investigating, Agent Colter."

"I am. And the person I'd really like to speak to is Dan Hunt. I understand you and Alisa's father are very good friends. Do you know where he is?"

"Pamela said he went to visit a friend," Henry returned.

"And you didn't find that strange, considering his wife is fighting for her life?" he challenged.

"I found it quite odd," Henry said. "And rather appalling, to be honest. I never thought Dan would leave Pamela on her own. He's always been a very loyal, loving husband. Has he spoken to you, Alisa?"

"No," she replied. "But I need him to come back and help me deal with all this."

"I called him, but his phone didn't connect," Henry said. "That surprised me, too. I'm sorry you're having to handle all this, Alisa. What can I do to help?"

"You can try to help me find my dad. Who else would know where he is?"

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