Page 48 of Hollow State

"Pretty well, actually," Darwin said. "I mean, we kept in touch after residency, even though we took different paths. And then right about the time I got my fellowship at the institute, he called me about a patient who had a severe spinal injury." Darwin hadn't known at the time that Liam was dating Sarah, but it wouldn't have mattered. "He wanted information on AXS-1 and to know whether it was possible for me to do a consult. Prewit and I actually did it together. And Liam and I have worked together on a few tough cases over the years."

"And what about Sarah?" Wynn asked. "You keep in touch with her too?"

"What?" Darwin jerked his head. He never expected Wynn to be jealous. Not of Sarah anyway. Then again, Sarah had always accused him of being a secret keeper. Of neglecting to tell her key details about his life. Maybe he should've let Wynn know that Sarah had been married to one of his friends and that he occasionally saw her at social functions.

"How long has it been since you…" Wynn sat up taller. "Shit. I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. And it’s not the time or place."

"No. It's fine. I understand," Darwin said. And he did. "Liam and I are colleagues. And friends." Darwin never liked airing personal business in front of a room full of people, but for whatever reason, this didn't bother him. It wasn't uncomfortable, even if it was real and raw.

And this was his family—at least, that was how he'd come to feel about every single one of them.

"I respect Liam. He's a brilliant doctor and a good man who happens to be married to my ex-wife." Darwin took Wynn's hand. "I don't seek her out, and honestly, I'd rather just spend time with Liam. I think he knows that. But I also don't avoid her anymore, either. What happened was a long time ago. I'm hoping I've learned not to make the same mistakes twice."

"So far, so good," Wynn said.

Neve stood. "Not to be rude, but we need to move past this sidebar."

"Agreed," Darwin said. "And I need to talk to Liam. In person. We have to make that happen."

"Negative." Coulter knocked his knuckles on the table. "That would be suicide."

"Liam and I have a history. We have a bond," Darwin said. "I could certainly interpret the medical jargon that Quinn would never understand."

"That might be true, but you're a wanted man." Neve moved to the corner of the table. "Your face has been on television for the last five months. You walk into the biggest hospital in the province, and there are four hundred people in that building who've seen you."

"We find a way to make me invisible."

"That's impossible," Coulter said.

"Not to mention, we don't know what this Liam guy will do." Quinn sat on the edge of the table. "You're telling me about a man you trust, and I believe you trust him. What I'm asking is a different question. What does a doctor with a career and a family do when a fugitive walks into his hospital, and the RCMP is already asking him questions? Because that man doesn't have to hate you to pick up a phone. He just has to be scared, or has to think he's helping you by turning you in."

"He wouldn't do that." Darwin tapped the center of his chest. "If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't turn him in."

"You don't know that," Coulter said. "The things people are saying about you don't paint a very pretty picture."

"I know him better than any of you do."

"Maybe, but you don't know what he'll do when he's faced with a moral dilemma like that," Kane said. "You knew Prewit would bend the rules for you. For me. He'd done it before. He'd helped people who were hiding something. It was all for the greater good, which is why Prewit had no problem doing it. However, can you stand there and tell me that this guy, Liam, has made questionable decisions? That he'd risk his medical career for anything that was less than a cause? And have you honestly watched the coverage about your case? What they have on you? What the world is saying about you? If you have, you'd comprehend that even your own mother might have doubts."

"He'll understand it's all a lie once I've had a chance to speak with him."

"Maybe he'll sit down and listen. Maybe he'll even wait, go home, talk with his wife, because of the shared history," Quinn said. "But Kane's right. We can't risk what he might do. Not at this juncture."

"We have to risk it. That's the only way." Darwin slammed his fist on the table.

"Let's put this aside for a moment," Neve said. "We have other things to discuss, too." She jerked her chin. "Gideon, you're up."

Darwin wasn't finished. Not by a long shot. But he'd take the time he was given to collect his thoughts and find the right argument. There was no way he was sitting in this bunker when he had an opportunity like this staring him in the face.

"When I was inside that helicopter's flight management system, I asked it for the airframe history, and I found something interesting." Gideon turned the tablet around. "That helicopter's been to the Bellingham International Airport in Washington State five times in the last three months."

"You know as well as I do Hyperion uses that airport frequently for international travel." Darwin came forward. "Why are you suspicious of it?"

"Honestly, at first glance, it looks like a typical executive drop-off." Gideon tapped the edge of the tablet. "Chopper lands, whoever's on board clears customs and hops on a private charter to wherever." He swiped his finger across the screen. "I've been on a couple of these when HELIOS was first tested in the field. But we always did it through King County International."

Darwin leaned his hip against the table and studied the tablet. The numbers and lines of codes meant nothing to him. "What’s all this?"

"Flight plans of private charters from Washington state to South America," Zadie said.