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Sophie inclined her head. Ty came and stood behind where she sat on the couch, his hand on the back of her neck in a gentle touch of reassurance.
“It was one of my first ideas for the chip prototype. I don’t know whether I should be proud or ashamed. We never ran with it because it was too expensive to manufacture, even though it offered many advantages over the materials we used for the chip in the end. But that was then.” She lifted one shoulder. “Technology changes.”
Sophie rubbed circles against her temples and for a moment she looked her age, the toll of dealing with a pharmaceutical giant evident. “I was young and naïve. I believed in the inviolable purity of science. We patented Carbon45 and then forgot about it. It never even occurred to me that Pharmasyn would take what I had created and use it for something illegal.”
Ty wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder. She leaned into him and he kissed the top of her head. Theirs was such an uncomplicated love. Jo wanted that intimacy with Griff, the unspoken trust and affection. But did she have the courage to be so vulnerable? She’d been alone for so long, had to fight on her own side for so many years.
She snuck a glance at Griff, taking in his craggy features and solid form. He could be her shelter, a bulwark against the storms. But it meant relinquishing the last of her defenses. Letting him see her raw and stripped bare.
Griff met her gaze, eyes dark and knowing. Heat flushed through her as she recalled what they’d already shared. She craved more, so much more—his mind, heart, and soul. And now she wanted to take the leap with him, into the unknown. She just had to find the confidence to make it.
Sophie tapped the screen. “This paper never made it to publication. It was buried when I testified in court.” She rifled through the papers. “But the evidence here proves Carbon45 was an extremely viable, if expensive, option for manufacturing the chips.” She frowned. “If Raptor has taken this to commercial production, they’ll need a substantive supply of carbon and a manufacturing plant to create the microchip”
Jo leaned forward, the pieces slotting into her mind, like a jigsaw she’d been staring at too long suddenly making sense. “I believe Raptor planned on the manufacturing plant in London. But the idea got discredited when Abbie Allard testified against them in court.”
“So, then they had to rethink.” Ty offered.
“Yes.” Jo bobbed her head in agreement. “That’s where Hellisheiði comes in, the geothermal plant in Iceland. Hellisheiði pioneered carbon capture and storage techniques that prevent CO2 emissions from being released, turning the gas into solid mineral deposits of carbon deep underground.”
“It’s an endless source of pure raw materials for a chip that removes a man’s ability to feel emotion.” Sophie’s cheeks paled despite the warmth of the room.
Jo stared at the papers. “We can stop them with these documents. Put a hold on their shipping operations.” Excitement buzzed in her blood. “This is it. It’s what we need. It’s the link between Hellisheiði, Carbon45 and the microchips.” She exhaled a shaky breath. “We need to get this information out there.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and swiped it on, frustration instantly nipping at her. “I don’t have any signal.”
Ty’s face grew grim. “There’s no signal up here. Tomorrow, first thing, we have to take this information back down the mountain. On foot.”
38
Griff trudged up the rise behind the cabin, his breath pluming in the icy darkness. The moon cast an eerie glow over the silent snowdrifts, so he made a point of keeping to the jagged shadows of the trees.
The grinding ache in his shoulder was numbed somewhat. Sophie had strapped it for him, restricting the movement, which was helping to minimize the pain. The Advil Jo had given him earlier had also helped, but he swallowed another two with water as he headed to where Ty had said he would find Wyatt. He screwed the lid back on his water bottle, bracing himself for the usual stab of angry regret accompanying any thoughts related to his injury.
It didn’t come.
He stowed his water bottle in the small backpack he carried, musing over what it meant—the lightness in his chest despite the increased pain in his shoulder. He should be angry right now. Pissed at how this trip had exacerbated his symptoms, but he wasn’t.
He dropped to one knee on the ridge summit, scanning for any sign of Wyatt in the freezing stillness. A great horned owl exploded from the trees in a blast of snow, its massive silhouette blotting out the bone-white moon. He tracked it as it drifted overhead, envying its silent power.Senses on high alert, Griff pivoted at a faint shuffle behind him.
A bush shuddered, shedding snow, and Wyatt emerged, weapon braced across his chest. He eyed the darkness warily. “It’s been quiet.”
“You think they’ve given up?”
Wyatt shook his head. “Not with what we know. These bastards are like honey badgers jacked up on speed.” His mouth flattened into a black line. “They’ll be back.”
Griff flexed his aching shoulder, triggering a fresh jolt of pain. He welcomed it, letting it sharpen his focus. “Your mom and dad are catching some rest. I’ll take over for a few hours.”
Wyatt slung his gun over his shoulder and handed him a boxy comms set. He hesitated, his face thoughtful. “Special forces?”
Griff nodded. “What gave it away?”
Wyatt gave a small laugh. “My Dad was too. Stands out like a sore thumb. The way you hold yourself, how you approach problems. The way you take care of Jo.”
“Jo doesn’t need taking care of,” Griff chuckled softly. “She’s a bulldog with the Pharmasyn stuff. Won’t let it go it for anything.”
“She’s smart. Attractive too.”
Possessive heat flared in Griff’s chest but extinguished when Wyatt flashed white teeth at him in the gloom.
“Just messing with you. I see the sparks between you two and I’m not in the habit of impeding a man who looks at a woman like that.”
