Page 35 of Nothing to Fear

The security guards were so wrapped up cursing and kicking themselves for letting Harper and Stone escape that they paid no attention as Cobalt left the building. Cobalt strolled to the car, hopped inside, and took the burner phone from the glove compartment.

What if he wouldn’t help? What if he wanted to eliminate all loose ends instead?

I’m not a loose end. Not yet. I still have value. He’ll help me.

Cobalt dialed the number, letting calm reason prevail over panic. The phone rang.

“Yes.” Daedalus’s voice carried a chilling current of power.

“Willow Harper survived the car accident. They found the offshore account and were about to hold her, but a field officer helped her escape from the facility before I could get the guards to initiate a lockdown. Gideon Stone.”

“Stone? How do I know the name?”

“He was the one sent to terminate you.”

Two years ago, the Gray Box had received a tip from one of their CIs—confidential informant—who was a major government contractor. A device that could compromise certain government security measures was going to be sold to a man known as Daedalus—an information broker dealing in counterintelligence and corporate espionage.

A man who stayed so well hidden, he was more myth than reality.

Daedalus had already been on the Gray Box radar. They’d wanted to bag him for years but had no idea what he looked like or how to find him.

Cobalt had managed to alter enough mission details to lead Stone to kill the man Daedalus met for the exchange. Still, Stone had unknowingly seen the real Daedalus, making the operative a loose end. Cobalt had followed the subsequent instructions down to the finest detail, tampering with Stone’s brake line and seat belt. But his wife had ruined everything by taking his truck. A second attempt on Stone’s life would’ve raised red flags.

“Ah, yes. Agent Gideon Stone.” Daedalus sighed, deep, long. Feral. “The man was like a ghost that day. Never even sensed his presence. He’s a problem.”

The simple thing would’ve been to let Stone do his job and eliminate Daedalus.

Simple, but a colossal mistake. If Daedalus was arrested or met an untimely death, he’d taken precautions to ensure everyone connected to him went down. He called it insurance.

“Too bad you weren’t able to take care of Stone when you had the chance.” The disgust in his tone struck a match of outrage in Cobalt.

Daedalus was safe, his identity and his empire protected even though the Gray Box had gotten close enough to destroy him. Not once had he expressed the slightest appreciation.

“You’re alive today because of me.” Cobalt stopped short of saying anything else, already regretting the anger fueling the words.

“Careful. Goad my temper at your own peril.” The threat was issued with cool aplomb. “Your next words will determine the nature of the help I deign to give. I suggest you consider your current position as you choose them wisely.”

Desperation swelled inside. Desperation and enough anxiety to give a person a heart attack. The expectation was clear. If not met, the best Cobalt could hope for was a quick death. “I apologize. I misspoke.”

Stark silence fell. And dragged.

Every nerve pinged. This fiasco would only end in one way—death. But it needed to be Harper’s and Stone’s. Whatever needed to be said, whatever needed to be done to survive. Even beg. “Forgive me, Daedalus. Please.”

A bone-chilling laugh resounded. “Of course I forgive you. After all, aren’t we friends?”

Said the devil to the worm wriggling on the hook. “Yes.”

“You’re one of the most valuable assets I’ve ever had,” Daedalus said. “It’s imperative you stay in place. Lose you, and no guarantee I’d get another asset inside the Gray Box.”

Cobalt drew in a shuddering breath of relief.

“I’ll send a small team,” he continued. “They can be there within three hours. In the meantime, activate the tracking device.”

Daedalus’s empire spread far and deep, giving him access to the black market, politicians, hitmen, classified information, and cutting-edge technology the government didn’t know about. Like the tracker planted on Harper. When in stealth mode, it was undetectable to any scanner, including the one with a six-figure price tag inside the Gray Box.

Once activated, the microchip would emit a signal so powerful, Harper wouldn’t be able to hide underground. The small team being deployed would be able to monitor her movements with a real-time video feed via satellite. Yep, Daedalus had access to one of those as well.

“You need to find a way to delay Harper from fleeing the area,” Daedalus said.