Every time Devin thought he might get a moment alone with his father’s laptop, his dad did something to make sure it didn’t happen. The man even took it with him to the bathroom rather than leave it alone with Devin for two minutes.
Two minutes was all he needed, but at this rate, he didn’t know how he was going to get even a few seconds with it.
He was running out of time, and the implied threats against Grace continued to haunt him despite Ghost’s assurances. Devin had extended his trip to Tokyo so he would fly out on the same day as his father, but tonight was his last opportunity to complete his mission.
With his father once again at a meeting, his laptop in tow, Devin retreated to his room and pulled out the secure phone he used to contact Ghost.
“Any luck?” Ghost asked the moment he answered.
“No. I don’t know what to do.” Devin explained the events of the weekend and his lack of success. “How am I supposed to plug a flash drive into my dad’s computer if he doesn’t trust me to be alone with it for even a few minutes?”
“I hate to tell you this, but you may have to resort to drugging him.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Where are you having dinner tonight?”
“We aren’t. He has a business dinner. I’m not supposed to see him until tomorrow morning when we’re headed to the airport.”
“We’re going to have to change that,” Ghost said simply.
“How?”
“You need to run into your father tonight.”
Devin heard the confidence in Ghost’s voice, and his own boosted up a notch. “Sounds like you have a plan.”
“Always.”
* * *
Grace didn’t know what she was going to do. She stared at the numbers on her computer screen, but no matter how hard she tried, she didn’t know how she was going to make ends meet on the minimal salary her grandfather could afford to pay her.
Even with her insurance and room and board provided, the simple truth was that she had spent the majority of her funds buying her way out of her contract in New York, and what little she had remaining was quickly disappearing in the form of maternity clothes and copays.
She also desperately needed her own car. She wasn’t terribly picky when it came to what she drove, but living in Colorado, four-wheel drive was a must.
She didn’t want to think about what it would cost to buy diapers and clothing for two babies, much less the larger items, such as car seats and cribs. After looking over her grandfather’s financials, she knew he didn’t have any extra money to spare right now either. The majority of his liquid cash needed to stay in reserve for unexpected repairs and working capital.
Though her grandfather had insisted she hire someone to help with housework, they had ultimately compromised with settling for a weekly cleaning service, at least until the business was a little more established. If only she could get her own business up and running, but finding clients required her to meet people. So far, the only people she had met in town were her doctor and a few of her grandfather’s employees—not exactly the kind of people who had a lot of money lying around to invest.
She needed another source of income, but who would be willing to hire someone for only a few months? Once the babies came, she didn’t want to be tied to an office job.
A knock sounded at the door, and she closed her laptop before crossing to answer it.
“Sean. I thought you were leaving today.”
“I am, but I wanted to talk to you for a few minutes before I head out.”
“Sure. Come on in.” Grace motioned him inside and led the way to the living room. “Please, sit down.”
Sean sat on the couch across from her. “I don’t know if your grandfather talked to you much about it, but my dad is trying to diversify his financial holdings.”
Grace shook her head. “Grandpa didn’t mention it.”
“His investment in this ranch was one venture, but he’s still looking for a few more solid options.”
“It’s always good to diversify, but what does that have to do with me?”
“My dad’s financial analyst with his company does a great job keeping on top of the dealerships, but expanding beyond the car business isn’t his strength.” Sean leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. “I thought you might be interested in doing some financial planning for him.”
“Are you serious?”
“Very. He approached me about doing some investing for him, but I have my hands full with my own business.”
“You started a business?”
“Yes. Internet security.” Sean’s face lit up. “We only have three people working for us so far, but we’ve already landed a couple big clients.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“So what do you say about working for my dad?”
“I’m definitely interested.” She rested her hand on her stomach. “Do you think he would be okay with me working from home? After all, I really don’t need to go into an office to do my research.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.” Sean stood and handed her a business card. “Give him a call. I already mentioned you might consider it, so he’s expecting to hear from you.”
“Thanks, Sean. I really appreciate it.” She took the card and stood as well.
“Happy to help.” He started toward the door. “And who knows. If my business keeps going the way I hope it will, I may have some business to throw your way too.”
“I hope it works out for both of us.”
“Me too.” Sean stopped. “You know, I was thinking about coming up again next weekend. One of the benefits of owning my own plane. If you’re up for it, you can fly down to Arizona with me and my brother today, and I can bring you back next week. That would give you time to meet with my father and work up his basic financial plan.”
“I don’t know . . .” Grace hesitated. The thought of getting on a small airplane left her with an uneasy feeling, and her instincts told her to stay here in Colorado where no one could find her.
But logic swayed her the other direction. The truth was that if she went to Arizona she could see or at least call Molly to make sure she could get a message to Devin when he came back stateside. She wavered for a moment before the practical side of her caused her to shake her head. “That’s really nice of you to offer, but I’m afraid paying for a hotel room for a week is a bit out of my budget right now.”
“Nonsense. My folks have tons of room at their place in Sedona. You can stay with them,” Sean insisted.
“Sedona? I thought your parents lived in Phoenix.”
“Not during the summer. It’s too hot.” Sean took a step toward the door. “My brother and I aren’t flying out for another hour or so. That’s plenty of time to pack.”
What he proposed made sense. If she could lock down even one solid client, she could finally start moving forward in life again instead of relying on her grandfather to take care of her. “Let me talk to my grandfather. Can you stop by before you leave so I can let you know then if I’m able to go with you?”
“Sure. See you in an hour.”
Grace showed him out and felt a surge of excitement and apprehension. Should she play it safe and avoid every place she and Devin had been together? Or should she start living her life again and trust that everything would work out? She looked at the office to her left. It was time to start living.
* * *
Devin tried to appear relaxed as he contemplated what he had to do. The needle concealed between his first two fingers made his presence in the lobby that much more surreal.
How had he come to this? Clearly something about his father had put him in this situation, but he still couldn’t make any sense of the possibilities.
Though he had anticipated a long wait, for once his father arrived back at the hotel at a reasonable hour. Devin remained where he was, a seating area with several partitions hiding him from view as his father passed by.
Devin stood and started forward, using his long stride to close the distance between them. He was a dozen yards behind him when another man approached and greeted his father in Japanese. Devin’s jaw nearly dropped open when his dad responded in the same language.
Boyd Shanahan spoke Japanese? Was this really the same man who didn’t acknowledge the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese? The same person who insisted on speaking English wherever he went regardless of the native language of the countries he traveled in?
Devin pulled his phone from his pocket, pretending to look down at it to give him a reason to have stopped his forward progress. The conversation between the two men was brief, and the Japanese man returned the way he had come.
Once he was sure his father was heading for the elevators, Devin once again started walking.
“Hey, Dad.” Devin stepped beside his father as he pushed the up button. “I didn’t know you were getting back so early.”
“Devin. What are you doing down here? I thought you were ordering room service tonight.”
“I went to the hotel gym to work out.” The elevator door chimed open, and Devin waited for his father to enter before him. For once, luck was with him, and he found himself alone with his father.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’ll be coming back this way any more this year.” Devin hesitated only briefly before he lifted his hand and patted his dad’s shoulder.
“I’ll go to Paris this fall . . .” The last word slurred, and Devin reached out to support his dad’s weight.
“Dad? Are you okay?” Devin spoke with concern, guilt weighing on him as he watched his father’s eyes go glassy and then flutter closed.
When the elevator doors opened on his dad’s floor, Devin dragged his now unconscious father into the hall. When they reached the room, he lowered his dad to the floor and checked his pockets until he found the room key. Once he unlocked the door, Devin pulled his father inside.
Going through the routine of a dutiful son first, he set his dad’s computer bag aside and dragged him to his bed. Once his father was settled and Devin was certain his breathing was still steady, Devin retrieved the laptop from its bag.
He sat on the floor by the door so if, by some chance, his father regained consciousness, Devin wouldn’t be visible.
After powering on the laptop, he inserted the flash drive Ghost had given him. Two minutes later, the red light flashed to green, and he repeated the process with the drive Fai had given him.
After he turned the computer off and replaced it in its case, he set the laptop bag on the desk and debated what to do next. If his father really had passed out, would he call a doctor? Should he wait with him until he woke up?
According to Ghost, the drug mimicked a sleeping pill and his father would likely sleep a full six to eight hours.
With that in mind, Devin removed his father’s shoes and suit jacket and placed them both neatly in the closet.
A knock sounded at the door, and Devin’s hand lifted to his rapidly beating heart. Who would be coming to his father’s hotel room? Supposedly his dad’s work had concluded at his meeting this evening.
Quietly, he closed the closet door, a million thoughts racing through his mind.
For all he knew, someone from the hotel staff might have seen him dragging his father into his room and come to check on his condition.
Another knock sounded. Devin debated whether to answer, but before he could move, he heard the distinctive click of the lock opening.
He ducked into the bathroom and took position behind the door to keep from being seen.
The outside door opened a split second later, and footsteps approached. Devin had to remind himself to keep his breathing slow and steady to avoid being heard.
The new arrival walked past the bathroom, the footsteps barely audible.
Devin expected some kind of reaction when the intruder saw his father passed out on the bed, but the faint footsteps continued on. It took a moment for Devin to compute when and where the footsteps stopped. Could it be that whoever was here was after the same thing Devin was? When he heard the sound of the zipper on his father’s computer bag, he was faced with another choice. Did he protect the information he had just stolen? Or did he let someone else gain access to what he still didn’t understand the importance of?
His cell phone chimed and made the choice for him.
Unarmed and no longer having the element of surprise, Devin quickly scanned the bathroom. He tore down the shower curtain rod and wielded it like a sword as he emerged from the bathroom. The intruder had already started toward him, and Devin was surprised to see the man was of European descent rather than Japanese as he had expected.
“Who are you?” Devin demanded in English. “And what are you doing in here?”
Seeing Devin’s makeshift weapon, the man backtracked farther into the room to put distance between them. The instant he was out of Devin’s reach, his hand disappeared beneath the hem of his shirt.
Sheer terror flooded Devin, along with an intense survival instinct, when the man came up with a gun. Devin surged forward and swung the rod. The hollow metal tube connected with the man’s arms, but the weapon didn’t drop from his hand as Devin had hoped.
The man groaned in pain, then lifted the weapon again. Devin blocked the motion by sweeping the rod low with as much force as he could muster, this time hitting the man’s knees hard. He tumbled backward, simultaneously squeezing the trigger.
Devin felt the bullet whiz by him, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard the thump as it lodged into the wall.
“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into,” the man said. The accent was thick and identified him as eastern European, but Devin was more worried about why he was shooting at him than where the man was from.
Questions burned on Devin’s tongue, but with the man’s gun hand lifting once more, he didn’t bother to voice them. Instead, he swung the rod again, this time aiming for the man’s head. An instant before it made contact, the man lifted his left arm and blocked it. Despite his cry of pain, he managed to grab the end of it and wrench it away from Devin.
Devin backpedaled, his eyes searching for anything else he could use as a shield or a weapon.
The gun lifted once more, a door crashed open, and a gunshot rang through the air.