Page 9 of Lethal Salvation

“Oh, in that case, forget it.”

“I’m about to head out, do you need anything?”

“An update.”

“Well, I’m now working directly for Gideon as his PA. He’s promised me more access to Carter and Marsha.”

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

Damn Bás and his ability to read people. “No, I’m happy. He’s just a little demanding, that’s all.”

“Well, if anyone can put him in his place it’s you, Duchess.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I will.”

“Watchdog found mentions of Macey’s in an email thread between Carter and Gideon. What do you know about it?”

“Well, Macey’s is a huge fashion house in the US but they’re in financial trouble. Gideon is handling a takeover so they can use it as a foothold into the US.” Duchess frowned; Carter being involved was unusual. “I’m surprised Carter is involved. Gideon and Damon don’t normally let him near anything on this side of the business.”

Bás folded his arms. “Watchdog seems to think Gideon was trying to stall or put him off in the conversation he saw.”

Duchess sighed. “Which means Carter wants in and Gideon wants him out.”

“If Carter wants in, you can bet your ass it isn’t for any other reason than expanding his illegal empire.”

“I agree. Have Watchdog dig deeper and find out who the players are and if they tie to Macey’s in any way.”

Bás smirked. “He’s already on the case.”

Duchess should have known Bás was already one step ahead. “I had an interesting conversation with a man named Tom Lockett today. He’s Gideon’s business analyst. He let slip that he’d met Carter a few times in his club and the man was, as he put it, a sound guy and offered him a job. It wouldn’t surprise me if Carter has spies throughout the company, feeding him information.”

Bás frowned. “Wouldn’t he already have access to everything?”

“Mostly but Gideon and Damon also keep as much as they can away from him and Marsha, to stop the stink spreading and poisoning the whole thing.”

“Yeah, dirt does have a habit of leeching over everything. I’ll have Watchdog look into it. Perhaps Charlie can help with that side of things.”

“Good. Any news for me?”

Bás shook his head. “Titan and Lotus are still in the US trying to find out what they can on Director Mills. We need to figure out how close Marsha still is to her father.”

“You think they’ve fixed their relationship and are hiding it?”

“Rykov does. He believes Marsha and her dad falling out over Project Cradle was a ruse. She may have gone in voluntarily as a pregnant teenager but, when she came out and changed her name, she stayed involved, that much we do know. Just not what the capacity was. Watchdog found her papers though and it was her father, CIA Director Mills, who signed her papers to go into the facility.”

Duchess mused over the news. Watchdog was their tech guru, and there was generally nothing he couldn’t uncover or find. “I wonder what happened to her child.”

“That’s another angle Bein and Snow are chasing down. Marsha and Carter are the key to the other players and the link to Hansen.”

Bás had a real hard-on for Hansen. The CIA officer had a beef with Eidolon too, having manipulated two of the women he worked with as a handler into believing he loved them and then selling them out when they were undercover. Those two women were sisters and were now married to Jack Granger and Javier Lopez.

Hansen had a history with Bás, but nobody knew the details and Bás hadn’t shared them either. It was his right, but the time was coming for him to be open, as open and honest as everyone else was required to be with them.

“Keep me posted. I’m heading out to Carter’s club to see what I can find out.”

“Be careful,” Bás commented. “I don’t like you being alone there after what happened with Charlie.”

“Relax, Bás, he thinks I’m Gideon’s PA.”