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“Why?” I asked.
“New protocol.” He pinned me with his dark gaze. “No one enters the office without their fingerprints on file.”
I held his stare and asked, “And if I say no?”
“Then we take you back to the airport and send you home,” he said like it was all the same to him.
That sounded like a much better idea and if Maddon wasn’t selling information to the Chinese I would’ve told Theo to take me back to the airport.
Reluctantly I placed my hand on the scanner.
A moment later a green light flashed.
“You’re good.”
That wasn’t surprising. My fingerprints wouldn’t give them anything I didn’t want them to know.
I removed my hand. Theo touched the same screen. Moved to another scanner higher up on the wall and leaned forward.
“Retina scanner,” Easton unnecessarily explained.
The elevator door slid open and again Easton waved me on to precede him. And again I was bracketed in by two men who didn’t like me or my father.
Wasn’t the first time and I was positive it wouldn’t be the last.
Thankfully the stifling ride was short.
The door opened and much to my surprise the top floor was nothing like the bland downstairs reception area. The cavernous space had an industrial vibe with a bent for chrome accents. But what caught my attention was the large enclosure in the middle. The smoked glass made it impossible to see in. The obstruction seemed out of place in the center of the large room.
“This way,” Theo directed before I finished my perusal.
The next room we entered was different from both the reception area and what I assumed was the main office. The conference room was a mix of high tech and luxury. A large flat-screen hung on the far wall. A long credenza with crystal decanters, a silver ice bucket, and other accessories took up the wall to my right. I recognized the hand-carved doors of the cabinet and knew it cost a mint. The wall to my left housed a well-appointed coffee station. But it was the monstrous table in the middle of the room that held my attention. I quickly counted eighteen chairs. Though only six were currently occupied.
Patheon.
So the rumors were true. All of Patheon was now working with Z Corps. It struck me then how much I didn’t know about the man who paid my salary.
Interesting but not surprising seeing as Zane’s intel specialist Garrett Davis had been on a CIA Ground Branch team with Jonas Lang, Smith Everette, Cash Phillips, and Easton Spears. Though sometime in the last ten years since they’d left, the Central Intelligence Agency had renamed GB to Ground Division.
To complete the Patheon team sitting at the table was former CIA case officer Layla Monroe, although when she’d worked at the Agency she was Layla Cunnings. This actually gave me hope. Seeing former Agency at the table meant Zane might be open to my cause. Next to Layla sat Kira Cain, formerly Kira Winters.
And finally, sitting at the head of the table was none other than the man himself. Zane Lewis.
The moment Zane’s piercing gaze landed on me, my heart rate ticked up until it was rabbiting in my chest. I realized I’d been wrong.
The time was not ripe. I should’ve gone with my gut and kept my distance.
Damn my father for putting me in this situation.
“Miss Michaels,” Layla started. “Please have a seat.”
I felt a hand touch my lower back. The touch was unexpected. My reaction unfortunate. I jolted, giving away more than I wanted. I knew better than to show weakness in a room full of predators.
Regrettably Zane didn’t miss my tremble.
“Nervous?” he drawled from his place at the head of the table.
The viper king sitting on his throne waiting to command his snakes to bite.
