Liam took a running leap, preparing to tackle the man. One way or the other, he was getting inside the car. He stopped short when an expression of horror crossed Green’s face. He clutched his chest, and Liam caught him before he could drop to the ground.
“No! Uncle Syd!” Leaving the safety of the SUV, Aubrey ran to her uncle, falling to her knees beside him.
Liam gently laid Green on the pavement. He was gasping for breath, his entire body twitching and writhing, his face deathly pale.
“Go get some help, Liam. I’ll stay with him.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.” He looked around and saw a couple standing a few feet away. “Get a doctor out here!”
They nodded and ran inside the hospital. Less than a minute later, two people in hospital garb ran toward them.
Aubrey was leaning over her uncle, urging him to stay alive. When help arrived, Liam pulled her away to allow them to attend him.
Aware that she was in danger, but knowing there was no way she would leave her uncle, Liam stayed as close to her as possible. His eyes continually roamed the parking lot, looking for a threat.
For several long moments, they watched as CPR was performed. Liam already knew it was a hopeless cause, but he had to give the medical people credit. They worked tirelessly to try to save him. It was no use. When a nurse stood and looked over at them, he knew the words before she said them.
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing more we can do.”
Chapter Forty
Three Days Later
OZ Headquarters
Montana
“Looks like we have more questions than answers.”
Liam’s eyes roamed the room, taking in the perplexed expressions of his fellow operatives. Returning his gaze to Jazz, who’d made the statement, he nodded. “That about sums it up.”
“Who are these people?” Gideon asked. “And how many are out there?”
“According to Green, more than we can fathom.”
“Perhaps so,” Ash said, “but I don’t think it’s as dire or as hopeless as it looks.”
“How’s that?” Gideon asked.
“Green was a pawn. As was Ferante. Looks like Senator Nora Turner was, too. Their relationship with this entity or organization was the ultimate quid pro quo. For status, wealth, and even the price of staying alive, keeping their families safe, they did certain things to aid this group.”
“That’s a good thing, how?” Xavier asked.
“We focus on finding who is in control. Once they’re exposed, the others will lose their power.”
“Cut off the head of the snake,” Eve said.
“Exactly.”
“Okay, but how are we going to find the snake head?” Xavier asked. “Everyone we know who was involved is dead.”
“We start from the beginning,” Liam said. He hadn’t slept much in the last few days, trying to come up with an answer. “Go through every name Green gave me. Find connections. There have to be some. We work it until we find the one thing that connects them all.”
“I’ve already been looking into this school that Green claimed he attended,” Serena said. “His bio only reveals what university he went to, which was UCLA. There’s nothing about his formative education. Looks like a lot of his early years have been erased. It’s got to be somewhere, though.” She shrugged. “We’ll dig until we find something.”
“And in the meantime, how much danger is Aubrey in?” Jazz asked.
The other thing that had kept him from sleeping. “I don’t know. The only players she knew about—Ferante and her uncle—are dead.”