Page 47 of Silver Fire

“Angel, I’ve never had relationships. I had women, and I fucked them. I never date them.”

“Well, if I’m just a woman you want to fuck,” Sophie said indignantly. “I’m going home with Beth.”

Beth, hearing her name turned toward them, but it was obvious she and Stephen had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Derek.

“I don’t think so,” Derek returned darkly.

“Well, we’ll just find out when we leave tonight, won’t we?” Sophie said snarkily.

She turned her attention to Beth and Stephen and ignored Derek. Not date. Huh! She might be naive and inexperienced, but she’d take another thirteen years of celibacy rather than be treated like another one of his women. What a jerk!

8

The man knownas Justin got into a nondescript vehicle parked at an alley some distance away from Rooster Bar. He took off his horned-rimmed glasses and threw them on the dashboard. Leaning forward, he got out his smartphone, punching a number and waited for the call to go through.

“How did it go?” A cold low voice crackled over the phone.

“Hit pay dirt,” Justin replied. “Followed the reporter, led me straight to Sophie Leroux. She was in the company of a redhead.”

“Were you able to get close to her?”

“Yes. But I have not heard anything of consequence. They were just rehashing the incident at the lab yesterday.”

“The Abu-Haxa nearly got her. We need to make our move soon.”

“We have a problem.”

“What?”

“She has a man. He is not an ordinary business executive or political player in DC.” Justin waited for the cursing on the other end of the line to cease before he continued. “It’s hard to read him.”

“A spook?”

“Difficult to read,” Justin repeated.

“We can’t lose track of her again. She’s our backup plan.”

“I’ve got that handled.”

“Good. But Bishop, time is running out. Blackstone informed me that the cores are built and she has them somewhere. But he is against any type of force. Fool has some personal attachment to the girl. I don’t. And my patience is at an end. He can’t deliver, we take the research by force. I have other mining corporations in a bid for the towns.”

“I’ll see what I can do to get rid of the complication.”

“And our other plan?”

“I was able to look into the information Roscoe sold me. It’s solid.”

“Excellent. Abu-Haxa may have just done us a favor. Anything else you need from me?”

“Sending you a picture of the redhead. Have Opperman find out who she is and if we can exploit her. We might have to use coercion to get Dr. Leroux’s cooperation and the more people we can use to threaten her, the better.”

“And her man?”

“Leave him to me,” Justin said. His boss couldn’t see him, but he could feel a chilly smile curve his lips. Sophie Leroux did not stand a chance. He sent the picture of the beautiful redhead at the bar, started the car, and pulled out of the alley.

* * *

Derek and Jackstood by the hallway leading to the exits. They were all leaving through the back when Beth decided she needed to use the ladies room and the other two women decided to join her. Of course there was a line already snaking out of the restroom, so the three women had fallen in line, delaying their departure.