Page 48 of Bonded in Death

“Interesting, isn’t it? As it’s well cloaked. Also interesting is this building has military-grade shields. Two layers of shields that are regularly upgraded. That’s not only a considerable cost for a company of this size, this nature, this profit/loss margin, but inexplicable as—”

“Military grade is for the military, not private companies, not for civilians or civilian companies.”

“Exactly.”

“Do you have them?”

“Well now, of course, but of my own design, and the expense is built in. We don’t have that here—not that shows. The financials are bogus as well, and I’ll go after that shortly. Here’s one more.”

“What’s this one?”

“This is the home of your victim’s supervisor. This area?”

He highlighted it.

“This also has two layers of shields. I believe if I take the time to pinpoint other supervisory staff, I’ll find the same.”

“Sometimes you have to work at home,” Eve murmured.

“As we prove most every day. Your victim’s home doesn’t have those shields. But it did, in one area. Apparently removed eight years ago.”

“When he retired. So the company is a front.”

“It carries on its business—a good business, successful, very competent. But that business doesn’t pay for these shields, and doesn’t require them. And it defies logic they wouldn’t use and have use for those two levels. The tunnels still exist—I’ve verified that with other buildings.”

“Can you get through the shields?”

His impossibly blue eyes met hers. “Darling Eve, you wound me.”

“Undetected?”

“Ouch.”

She rubbed her hands over her face, laughed. “All right, Ace, go at it. I’m picking through bombings, brutality, corruption, and treason.”

“Do what you do,” he said, and went back to his own.

Eve worked, drank more coffee. And heard Roarke’s occasional mutters, curses, heard the Irish thicken in his voice as he ran into walls.

The cat snored lightly in his sleep. Outside the windows, the city lights glimmered.

“There, bugger you now, I’ve bloody well got you.”

“You got it?”

“I’ll need a tourniquet if you keep stabbing my ego.”

She swiveled, stared at the screen. “That’s a live feed! You got a live feed.”

“I can’t keep it for you and stay in the shadows. What they have’s too good for that. You have ten seconds more.”

“Those are the lower levels. There are people working there. That’s a goddamn armory! And labs. And—”

“I’ve got you a still, but that’s all we can risk on the live. What you have there, Lieutenant, isn’t just a front.”

“It’s an HQ.”

“My guess, AISE—Italy’s intelligence agency. Possibly a collaboration with AISI.”

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