“What?” He actually looked surprised to see she was still there. “Yep, I’ve found Kincade’s offshore bank accounts. Cullen’s actually better with tracking that kind of thing than I am, although not by much. We might just be able to strip those accounts and get back some of our own. But if I’m reading this right, Kincade had some playmates.”
D.J. studied the screen again. “We’ll also see where these transfers lead us. It’s too early to start pointing fingers, but a couple originated in the Regents’ server in . . .”
He paused as if trying to choose his words carefully. Sasha waited for a second and then prodded him. “Originated where?”
He swallowed hard and answered. “Admin in St. Louis. But, hey, that could be misleading. Kincade was damn good at hiding his tracks, so this might be a false trail.”
A shiver of dread washed over her, as if someone had just tromped on her grave. The last thing they all needed was for this mess to lead back to another Regent, not to mention there were only a handful stationed in the St. Louis sector. Fewer still when she eliminated the two she trusted implicitly—her father and her Uncle George. She wasn’t about to start pointing fingers at any of their close associates without having hard evidence to back up the accusation.
But neither was she here to protect the guilty. “D.J., we need to nail these guys whoever they are. If you do get any of the money back or the names of Kincade’s accomplices, the steak dinner’s on me. Your choice of restaurants. Cullen, too.”
“It’s a deal.”
He went on keyboarding, muttering under his breath as he did so.
Time to get back to her own work. Once she made some headway, she’d take a brief break and check in with Laurel. By now, most of the Paladins should be up and about. According to the morning reports, the barrier had finally stabilized long enough for everyone to have a peaceful night.
Well, except for her. Her dreams had been full of nightmarish images of Others chasing her through the darkness, blood dripping from their swords, their pale eyes flaring with the need to kill. The strange part was that she hadn’t just been running from them but toward someone else. She’d awakened with her heart pounding right before turning that final corner to safety. Rather than be relieved the nightmare had ended, she’d been disappointed because she hadn’t gotten even a glimpse of who had been waiting for her.
Although she could guess.
As soon as she sat back down at her desk, her cell phone rang. She almost let it go to voice mail now that she’d finally gotten into a productive rhythm. Unfortunately her conscience wouldn’t let her ignore it for long. As the representative for the Regents, she needed to be available twenty-four/seven. Lives could depend on it.
A glance at the caller ID eliminated that possibility, not when her godfather was calling. Hopefully he and her father wouldn’t make a habit of checking up on her every day or two. She gave up and answered.
“Hi, Uncle George, what’s up?”
Evidently her lack of enthusiasm showed in her voice. George laughed and said, “Gee, why don’t you try to contain your excitement, Sasha? You wouldn’t want me to think you’re happy to hear from me or anything.”
She winced. “Okay, my bad. I’m trying to wade through an unbelievable number of e-mails, most of which say nothing and accomplish even less.”
“Welcome to the world of upper management, my dear. I take it you’re in the office and not out enjoying the day.”
“I originally planned to stop by the office for just a few minutes but decided to put in a couple of hours to clear a few things off my desk.”
“Well, at least try to get out in the sun for a while. That is, if it ever actually shines in Seattle. Any truth to the rumor that people there don’t tan, they rust?”
She grinned. “You know, I think that’s a rumor the people out here started to discourage others from moving here. It’s been sunny and warm since I arrived.”
“Okay, if you say so. But speaking as your favorite honorary uncle, I’m hoping you don’t like it too much.”
Without waiting for her to respond, he went on. “At least I see the barrier has stabilized, so that’s good.”
“Yeah, it is. I was going to stop by the labs on my way out to see how the wounded are doing.” She paused. “We lost two guards, so that’s been tough on everyone.”
“Rumor has it that another problem almost got solved.” George’s voice turned chilly. “Too bad that didn’t work out.”
Sasha’s brow furrowed. “What problem was that?”
“I understand that one of the guards almost eliminated one of Seattle’s pet Others. I suppose they’ve even wasted our limited resources patching up the bastard. Far better for all concerned if they’d let him bleed out and die. Good riddance all around.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. How could anyone even begin to think Larem’s death would be beneficial? George’s disappointment was beyond disgusting.
As tempting as it was to rip into him for his callous attitude, she had to learn how he’d found out about the attack so quickly. She sure hadn’t said anything and seriously doubted that either Devlin or Laurel would’ve reported the incident. The last thing any of the locals wanted to do was draw attention to the Kalith living among them.
“Wow, the grapevine must be in full swing. How did you hear about that so quickly? I just learned about it myself late yesterday.” She kept her voice neutral, aiming for mildly curious rather than outraged.