He also wanted to rest his eyes on the woman he’s sworn to protect. He could only assume that she was feeling a bit lost and confused at what she learned this morning. So, when he arrived at his studio, Preston followed him out of the car. Cliff was surprised to find a determined Alexis sitting on his steps with Dylan.
The corner of his lips tilted upward in a smirk. He should have known that she would want to be a part of figuring out what they’re up against and devising a plan.
Wordlessly he bent down and lifted her into his arms, being mindful of the dress she wore, and carried her up the steps. Alexis buried her head against his shoulder and Cliff released a deep sigh that had been bottled up since this morning. He wanted nothing more than to place his lips against hers, strip her bare, and finally feel her wrapped around him. But as he set her on her feet as they reached the landing at the top of the stairs, he settled for a quick peck against her mouth.
Cliff waited for the other men to reach the landing, placed his finger in a biometric scanner, leaned close to a small blue light that scanned his retina before twisting the knob to unlock the door.
“This goes without saying, but none of you know that this exists. Okay?” he explained to everyone, but his gaze was pointed toward Preston’s.
Cliff didn’t wait for a response as he ushered everyone inside the shop’s upstairs apartment.
“Wow, this is quite the setup,” Preston murmured as Cliff watched him take in the large monitors hanging on the walls and the six computers set up beneath them. Cliff couldn’t help but think that this wasn’t anything compared to the quadruple locked bedroom down the hall that kept computers allowing him access to every government agency and their files. Hell, even he was impressed with that room and all of its gadgets.
Dylan assisted Alexis into a chair facing the central computer while Cliff took the seat closest to him.
Underneath her breath, Cliff could hear Alexis grumble, “Reconnaissance team my ass.” He chuckled at her observation. Cliff knew that it wouldn’t take her long to figure out that he did so much more for his government than scout locations and information. He was surprised that Dylan hadn’t figured it out yet, or maybe he had and just kept his mouth shut. After all, Dylan still worked with the FBI on a secret team that Cliff wasn’t sure that his wife Sydney was aware of.
“Okay, let’s see if we can identify your family in our files then see how much time we have.”
“Time we have for what?” Preston asked.
Cliff let Preston’s question linger in the air as he pulled out a small scanner. Lifting the plastic bag containing her father and mother’s pictures inside, he rested the images on the glass.
From beside him, he watched Alexis’ eyes widen as the screen displayed thousands of images per second, a red square narrowed in on the similar physical characteristics of the pictures.
“I bet Jameson would love to get his hands on this program,” Preston added, leaning forward to watch the screen as well. Jameson was the software genius of the Connelly family.
Cliff couldn’t bite back his chuckle. “Who do you think was commissioned to create it?”
Suddenly the images began to slow down and the red light of the scanner dimmed, alerting Cliff that the application was almost complete. He pulled the plastic bag away from the device and gently returned it to Alexis who barely noticed through her stare at the screen.
A red X marred the image of her mother with the title unidentifiable typed below. Alexis gasped as she read the information and Cliff wanted nothing more than to ease her pain.
“Hey, it just means there was no criminal activity on her so she couldn’t be identified.”
“Or. . .” she pushed as she turned to look at him, questions in her distressed gaze.
“Or nothing. If you can remember your mother’s full and maiden name, we can run a search in another application after we identify your father. I’m certain he won’t be using your family name.”
Pings sound on the computer, drawing Alexis’ attention back to the screen. Cliff continued to look at her for a moment, wishing he had the right to scoop her up and take her away from everything. He had the means to go off the grid to a remote location, and he would if he had even the slightest of inklings that she would join him willingly. For now, he could only protect her here in Carson.
He studied her face for a second more, memorizing the lines around her mouth and eyes – laugh lines Mrs. Connelly called them, but right now, the corners of her mouth are turned down into a scowl. Alexis was too beautiful for that expression.
Pulling his attention away, Cliff glanced at the monitor where a picture and a name shone brightly. As Alexis had explained, the wanted poster looked almost identical to the one from her locket, only more graying in the hair. The man had barely aged.
“Lev Dison,” she reads aloud.
Shaking his head, Cliff clarified the name, “Devil Son. It was sort of like an anagram for the name he’s known for by the government. He’s been captured twice. Once, for drug trafficking, which he got out of. Second, for solicitation of a minor almost eight years ago. My guess is that was the start of the sex trafficking. He’s been unseen for years.”
“Until now,” Dylan added in.
“Okay, so what information did this give us?” Alexis asked more calmly than Cliff was expecting.
Nodding, Cliff moved the mouse to click on the image, bringing up hundreds of known cartel members and associated criminals. “What it means, especially with the newest technologies in big cities to counter terrorist activity, we can monitor any movement from these known links.”
Scrolling down the screen, Cliff commited to memory the faces and names listed. But at the end, Cliff found himself jerking back in his seat as if the computer mouse had burned his hand.
“Dude, what is it?” Dylan asked as Alexis simultaneously questioned.