Page 185 of Somebody's Watching Me
Rowan reminded himself to maintain a level of professionalism as Liam began the breakdown. First and foremost, this was a job. A job that came with the understanding that he was to remain loyal and protect Fairweather Holdings, along with the family, by any means necessary.
As a McIntyre, the concept of loyalty was an easy one, and to extend that mindset to his career went without saying. He knew the game and how to play. How to skirt the line of good and… questionable ethics. It was what made him so sought after by people and corporations willing to pay top dollar for his skills and discretion.
But Annabeth wasn’t part of the job. Seeing her clutch Jamison’s hand as she learned of Zanmi’s breeding plans tested his resolve, tossing the last bit of impartiality he thought he was holding onto out the window.
As Liam finished, Simone rose from her chair to stand behind Jamison, holding onto her shoulders. “How are you protecting Emily?” she asked. “And Claudia?”
“Claudia is at home with Parker and their daughter. Parker has refused security and police protection, no matter what I say,” Liam replied. “I’m not sure what’s going on with Trevor and Heather, but Damon is not leaving anything to chance and is taking off with Emily to hide somewhere. Rowan spoke to him briefly, and he wouldn’t say where exactly they were going.”
“Damon and I agreed that was for the best,” Rowan said, catching Ben’s eye. It had been a long, hard discussion, but Ben had finally agreed to let Damon and Emily test the theory of phase five in their security plan. A complete and total vanishing act. “The less we know about where they’re going, the better. I only wish Claudia and Madison would go with them.”
“Damon Fairweather thinks he’s capable enough to thwart off a Zanmi attempt on his sister without police or federal help?” Klausen asked incredulously. “They won’t last a week.”
“Klausen, I know you trust your team, and I’m willing to do the same for today, but as a whole, we just can’t.Ourfamily can’t trust anyone except us.“ Liam hit a button on the laptop next to him, projecting information onto the movie screen. “So yes, I stand by Damon’s choice to take his sister out of the equation for now.”
Rowan had listened for a solid half hour as Damon went off on Claudia’s partner deciding to keep them at home. “They’re sitting ducks with that asshole, and if they go missing, check with me first. I might have kidnapped them myself if it means saving my sister and niece from Parker’s stupidity.”
Up on the screen, Liam showed everyone various pieces of information. Lines connecting Zanmi to the breeding plan, and the medical documentation to back it up. Most of what was up there had been provided by Killian. His brother had no qualms about using his connections to obtain confidential information, and Rowan owed him one.
Ben didn’t seem to have a problem with it, either. Zanmi wasn’t some competitor. This was personal, and Benjamin Fairweather wasn’t hesitating when it came to calling in favors.
Which was how they were able to learn the latest piece of disturbing information. The news came in around mid-morning, directly after Liam returned with Jamison. There had only been a few minutes to review it before Liam’s parents arrived with the jammer.
“Show them,” Dr. Cohen ordered. “I got this jammer equipment from a guy in the mob, and it could crap out on us at any minute.”
Rowan kicked Liam out of the screen display and called up the rough draft of blueprints.
“What are we looking at?” Klausen squinted at the design taking up half the wall. “Is that a big house?”
Simone walked slowly forward, stopping a few feet away. “Haven House.”
“Originally, we thought it was Haven.” Dr. Cohen joined her. “It would make sense since they’re obviously gaining access to the home repeatedly and would need to familiarize themselves with the layout.”
“But that’s not Haven,” Abe rolled closer. “It’s smaller.”
Dr. Cohen smiled over his shoulder at him. “Good call, Abe.”
“So, if it’s not Haven, what is it?” Simone asked.
“It appears they’re planning to build a version of Haven House.”
Annabeth shifted nervously, her big brown eyes meeting Rowan’s. He didn’t care for the look in them but couldn’t abandon his laptop. Not with the show about to start.
Pale and face drawn tight, Jamison didn’t look so good either and joined Simone at the screen. “What’s that large open space on the second floor?”
“A nursery.” Liam watched her closely. “That will never be used.”
“Tell them the rest.” Ben prowled around in the back of the room. Having been the one to gain the blueprints from an associate, he’d already had the chance to examine them. “Tell them who paid to have these plans drafted and filed for public record all the way back in 2018.”
Dr. Cohen moved to face the room. “Michael Sinclair.”
“But that’s impossible.” Klausen appeared as shocked as the rest of them. “Michael Sinclair was serving overseas for most of 2018. He would have never heard of Haven House back then, just like the rest of the world.
Sighing, Dr. Cohen nodded at Rowan to change the screen, and Michael Sinclair’s face became the center of attention.
“I don’t know, but Sinclair’s involvement is completely unrealistic.” Dr. Cohen pointed at the man in question. “He does not follow. He does not take orders from anyone except himself. Initially, my mind took the same path as Liam’s. It made sense that we were dealing with a wolf looking for a new flock of sheep.”
Going quiet for a second, Dr. Cohen stared at the photo of Sinclair. Rowan split the screen and brought the stats up. Carnage and chaos typed in neat rows for everyone to see. Years and locations of service. The bombings. The victims. Sinclair’s personal details. Information on his parents, who were pillars of their community. His big sister, the stay-at-home mom. His little brother, the real estate agent. They even had pictures of Sinclair as a boy holding up a fish while standing with his grandparents. It was all there. Every facet on display. The life of one man and the death he had brought to so many. The American dreamgone wrong.
