aling out the noise of the sirens. The interior wa

began

overload. She slumped against the window

Vesper. The loving fathe

and pulled out a small, gold-plated p

ice was calm, business-like. "Not w

rm him-a simple wrist lock, a twist, and the gun would be

impered. "I... I owed money. Bad people. They were goin

he security feed before they sealed it. The person in th

Vesper lied, switching tactics. She had to give him something

vered. Just a fra

Arthur w

general corporate espionage database she had memorized years ago. "About t

Most corrupt corporati

ammed on i

ercom. "Police roadblock. Commander... no,

ashed ahead. Harding hadn't given up. He knew. His

He looked at his sleeping wife.

rthur said, "Eleanor wakes

about that ghost accou

. It was cruel.

y. "If you lie to me,

he window as Har

n. His eyes scanned the interior. They

a warrant?"

probable

d you're harassing a grieving family. R

ugh the window. He g

It was a sharp,

rashing. "Get off

rm. Her nails raked acros

rding yanked

yelled at the

ine swerved around the wooden

the taillights fade. He looked down at the scratch

e silence returned

straight ahead. "Until I get a DNA test. You don't

ood," Ve

rthur said. "Clean yourself

oom. She locked the door. She l

w rubber glove she had retrieved from the bucket bef

ch her. The bullet wound on her shoulder was still

dage, exposing the angry red graze. Taking a deep breath, she retrieved the Agate, now sealed in a small, biocompatible pou

ure. A strip search would reveal a wo

, cold lump u

llars, sitting

mac of a private airfield.

The wind whipped her hair. She

rated. A text

isdiction, citing corporate asset recovery. H

. She was trading a pris