Midnight Fever (Men of Midnight #5)(73)

Suzanne and John had built a beautiful residential complex on the same street, and Felicity had had Kay in stitches describing how John had wanted to turn it into a high-tech fortress.

ASI was super high tech, but with soothing colors, everything elegant but as comfortable as possible with every perk under the sun.

Felicity was very happy here. Of course, her fiancé worked here, which made her loyalty ironclad. Felicity had received head-swimming offers from headhunters and had never been tempted, not once, not for one second.

She loved her job, she loved her co-workers, she loved her bosses and their wives, and she loved Metal. Kay had watched her blossom from a shy nerd to a confident woman in the time she'd worked at ASI.

Kay had even envied Felicity, just a little.

Kay loved working at the CDC. Or had loved it until the troubles started. But no one could accuse CDC employees of being friendly or being teammates outside work. ASI guys and their women were really good friends outside work. Strong, steadfast friends, friends for life. 

And at work-Felicity was making the company a lot of money. The server farms, for example, which were her idea, were bringing in income like a river pouring cash, Nick said. But Felicity was clearly valued beyond her success as a rainmaker.

While Kay sat beside Felicity studying Priyanka's files, almost every single ASI operative stopped by, some just to say hello, some to ask her if she needed anything, some to ask how she felt. The news of the pregnancy was now official, and it was amazing to see all these really hard-bitten men all but offer to rub her feet for her.

Felicity had to beat them off.

At which point, they turned their attention to Kay. Some jungle drumbeat had somehow made the rounds that Kay belonged to Nick and might become a future consultant or even employee, and they were rolling out the red carpet. If she'd accepted everyone's offer to make her a cup of tea, she'd drown. Pillows had been thrust at her, two operatives came in to ask her opinion on which gas masks to purchase, and everyone had stopped by to introduce themselves.

Her first day at the CDC, she'd spent completely alone in her office.

Sometimes life gives you gentle hints.

Sometimes life gives you a punch in the back to make you stumble forward. This was one of those times.

Her life was in total disarray. Very bad things were happening at her workplace. It was clear that people she implicitly trusted, people who were supposed to work tirelessly for the public good, had betrayed the trust given to them. Why had they done it? For money, for power, for both? Who knew?

The one thing Kay knew was that she would never again be able to drive onto the CDC campus and feel good about what she was doing.

For her, whatever happened, the CDC was gone. Her dream job since she was in high school had turned into a nightmare.

She was under threat. It was true that she was being protected by an amazing man and an amazing company. They had spread their umbrella of protection over her and it would take a lot to pierce that protection.

Nonetheless, pure evil had taken a swipe at her and she'd been nicked by its claws.

For the moment, there was no past for her. No job to go back to; she couldn't go back to her apartment; she didn't dare visit her grandfather for fear that he'd be caught in the crosshairs.

Though now, maybe, she was being given a future.

But first, unfinished business.

"I have something," Felicity said. "Anomalies. But I don't have any context. Don't know what they mean."

"Show me," Kay said, and Felicity did. The worst possible news. As they proceeded, Kay could feel her heart breaking.

Felicity's findings corroborated her findings of use of the CRISPRs at the CDC in Atlanta.

Kay went over the data again and again. Told Felicity to try to prove her wrong. To find data that disproved her thesis. But Felicity couldn't.

In the end, they sat back and looked at each other.

"I can't believe it," she whispered, sick at heart.

"Yes, you can," Felicity answered sadly. "I can read it on your face. This isn't a surprise. You don't want it to be true. But it is."

Kay nodded.

Felicity touched her hand gently. "I can look into him. Hack into his finances. I'll bet you anything we'll find a sudden flow of money. Big money, to do what he's done. It always comes down to money."

"It wouldn't with me or with you."

"Or with Nick or Metal or Joe or Jacko or any of the rest of the guys at ASI. There wouldn't be enough money in the world to have them do something like this. Betray their consciences and their country. But that's not the case with this guy. He sold his soul to the devil, probably for a lot of money."