Edge of Obsession (SKALS 3)

Her hands shook as she cradled her cup of tea. Some fruity herbal blend that smelled like peppermint.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like anything?”

Sebastian leaned back and rested his arms on the sides of the floral wing chair with a tilt of his head. “Hospitality isn’t why I am here. I can get that at home, Mrs. James, and I am sure that is a place we would both much rather I be.”

Her painted lips tightened in unspoken agreement, though she tried to keep her face passive. “I told your men I would do what I could. You just have to give me a little more time. I wasn’t…well last night.”

“I’m sorry about what happened. Believe me, that was not how I wanted things to play out. I’m not a sentimental man, but I like to believe there are still some people who can be trusted to do the right thing when it comes to saving their family.”

His soft, coaxing tone did nothing to put the woman’s mind at ease. Dread and reluctance still darkened her eyes.

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m glad you asked,” he said, standing. “I need some answers and you are the only one who can give them to me, Colleen. Why did your husband disappear?”

“I don’t know.”

His expression hardened. Faltering, she stiffened under the smoldering weight of his stare, her own dropping with Sebastian’s humorless smile.

“I am disappointed you would lie to me after the conversation we just had. I was hoping to keep this visit pleasant.”

“I’m sorry…I just…”

“Never lie to me again,” he interrupted, cutting her short. “You won’t like the consequences if you do. Now, do we have an understanding or do I need to emphasize my point?”

Her shaky exhale filled the silence. Tea sloshed over the side of her mug despite her efforts to steady her hands. “We have an understanding.”

Sebastian’s expression remained cold and expectant. Lifting his chin, he waited. The blonde set her cup down on the lace doily spread across the table and wrung her hands, refusing to make eye contact.

“Patrick was working on a project before he disappeared. He spent years pouring his heart and soul into it, day and night. I’d never seen him more excited. He said it was going to change the world, not to mention our lives. Contractors were all trying to outbid each other, offering him top dollar. It’s funny really. We thought this program was going to make all of our dreams come true when, in reality, all it did was end them.”

Ignoring her sentimental outpouring, he focused on the facts. “What did this program do?”

“I don’t know. Science and technology were never my strong suits. The concepts are difficult for me to grasp. From my understanding, it was some sort of interchangeable computer virus. But it was sleek, super stealthy, and capable of eradicating entire systems in the blink of an eye.”

Sebastian frowned, his stare narrowing with disapproval. “What was your husband planning on doing with this thing?”

“Essentially? Ending war. Patrick created something that would allow us to infiltrate any system, undetected, and shut their systems down. The program is its own firewall. Once in place, any attempts to hack it would have devastating consequences. It would send out return signal that would fry the source, rendering it useless. All those attempts by other countries to hack our bank systems…all the threats of nuclear weaponry aimed our way…Patrick’s program would have wiped them all clean. It could have blanketed our entire country under its shield.”

Dropping back into the wing-backed armchair, he scrubbed a hand across his chin, his mind spinning as he pieced together the facts.

“That is quite an amazing feat,” he mused, his brow furrowing. “But if things were going so good, I fail to see why your husband would leave. It seems to me, he could have easily been one of the richest, most powerful men in the world.”

“Project Blue was not without its flaws,” Colleen said, a deep sorrow creeping into her voice. “Patrick was afraid something like this would happen. As I said, the program was only fully impenetrable once it was in place. He signed a contract with our Department of Defense when Blue was in its final stages, but before he could activate it, the information was stolen from his system, and its codes wiped clean.”

“When did this happen?”

“A few months ago.”

Biting his cheeks, he nodded. The shrill chirp of his phone interrupted them. Pulling it from his pocket, Sebastian glanced at his partner’s name and silenced the ringer. Part of him clung to denial, hoping and praying with everything he had, his instincts were wrong. Lifting his troubled gaze to hers, Sebastian forced himself to ask the one question still burning between them.

“What other agencies knew about this project, Mrs. James?”

“All of them. Including yours. Sadly, SKALS is not an unfamiliar notion to me. Your boss is the one who originally outlined this idea.”

That bit of information hit him like a cold smack. The bear claw and coffee he’d grabbed for breakfast pitched in his stomach. So that was what the son-of-a-bitch was up to. Unable to stop it, a crazed laugh bubbled past his lips. Still, he had appearances and a reputation to maintain.

“Did he now?” he asked, raising a brow. “Pray tell, Colleen, if your husband knew Marx and SKALS so well, why did he decide to cross them?”

For the first time since he’d met her, the woman showed a hint of dignity and pride. Her spine straightened, and her eyes met his without fear or shame. Her expression was both eloquent and pointed.

“With all due respect, Agent Baas, you work for the man. You know exactly why.”

Nodding he stood, and straightened his uniform. “I thank you for your time. This conversation has been very enlightening. For what it’s worth, I am sorry your husband left you to deal with the blowback from the choices he has made.”

A sad smile plied her face. “Me too.”

He paused at the front door. Squaring his shoulders, he kept his hand curled around the knob and spoke without facing her. “I will see that your brother receives a ration of food and water every day. In exchange, I expect you to remain silent about this visit. I was only here following up on your husband’s whereabouts. Nothing more.”

He didn’t wait for a response. Once outside, he scanned the street, all too aware of the reluctant prickle stirring on the back of his neck. Only this time, the accompanying chill sank clear down to the depths of his soul. There was no justifying what Marx ha

d done. No way to explain why their commander would steal that kind of information. They had always worked in tandem with the other agencies. Their mission, no matter how warped the means, had always been to serve the greater good and protect their country.

No wonder people were starting to crawl out of the woodwork. Marx was on the verge of starting a war. His stomach clenched as he unlocked the Benz. It made sense now. Burrel’s agitation. Their power hungry commander was kicking a virtual hornet’s nest. He was becoming a rabid dog in the government’s eyes, and they were gearing to put him down. By proxy alone, the rest of SKALS would go down with him.

Nerves and the unfamiliar potency of fear made Sebastian start to shake. What the hell had they gotten themselves into? Without Blue, they were all as good as dead. With it, God only knew what Marx would do. He slid behind the wheel and dragged a trembling hand down his face. His mind churned in time with his stomach, both making him sick.

If Marx so much as suspected he was going to turn, he would take his entire family down before he had a chance to stop him. If he marched into headquarters now and shot the fucker, he was as good as dead, and his family would still meet the same fate. The men who served Marx faithfully would take him down in a heartbeat. They had been conditioned and tortured to the point of breaking to follow orders. To serve the bastard faithfully and without question. No mercy. No compassion. Just loyalty and compliance. His eyes drifted shut as he wondered if this hadn’t been a part of Marx’s plan all along. Had he been priming them to do their jobs or merely cultivating his own brutal army?

No doubt, some of the men would be thrilled by the prospect of unlimited power. They were already in a position to do and say as they pleased. Blue just opened the door to allow them to do it on an epic scale. SKALS would no longer be a secret underground sector, but a true super power that ruled the world. The ruthless enforcers of Marx’s marshal law. Some of them would never turn that kind of potential down. They would jump at the chance to indulge in an unlimited violence spree. Even if he could reason with some of his team, SKALS would be divided within its own ranks. Getting to the bastard wouldn’t be easy. Nothing about the situation was…and no matter how Sebastian looked at it, no matter where he landed, he was headed for war.