HOW’S IT GOING?” JEREMY TOOK A SEAT ACROSS THE TABLE from Jack, wincing as his shoulder hit the edge of the chair.
“You okay?” Jack asked, and Jeremy nodded.
Jack pushed the laptop away from him. “The ad’s all set to run tomorrow, but I’m not making any progress tying Crosse directly to Licentia. Do you know of any other alias Crosse might have used or kept his money under?” he asked. “He’s got to be accessing his money through some channel.”
“No. You can be sure he had it all worked out well before he faked his suicide. Considering he had the means and ability to create false backstories for senators and judges, he had to have made some for himself. I’m sure he’s got money in accounts around the world.”
Jack stood and stretched. “So you’re saying our only hope is if he answers the ad?”
“He’ll answer it.”
“So in the meantime, we wait.” Jack’s email pinged. “It’s Scotty. He’s got some more tox reports. Why don’t you take a look? See if it looks like something Crosse cooked up in his lab.”
“Okay.” Jeremy took Jack’s seat in front of the laptop and immediately engrossed himself in the report.
“I’m going to go take a shower,” Jack said, standing, then thought of something and turned to Taylor, who had just entered the room. “Your story airs tonight, right?”
She nodded. “Yes, but it’s the last thing on my mind right now.”
He hated seeing that worried look in her eyes. He pulled her toward him for a hug. “We’re going to find Crosse. I won’t let him get anywhere near you or Evan.”
She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. “I know you’ll do everything in your power, but you can’t promise that. You know that as well as I do.”
“I’ll die protecting you.”
She pulled away from him, her expression angry. “Don’t say that. You’re not dying. No one is dying. I’m not losing you again.”
“Sorry. Of course. No one’s dying.” But if they were going up against Crosse again—if, in fact, they’d never stopped but just had not known it—Jack knew that it was a likely possibility one of them would end up dead.