“And his coat doesn’t have that little string that pokes up from the shoulder seam of Aidan’s coat.”
Aidan glanced down at his shoulder.
“Not that one,” Ethan said. “The other one.”
Aidan looked at the other shoulder, the same one visible on the man in the video. Sure enough, a single black thread poked up from the seam, its frayed end about an inch long.
Seth and Chris leaned forward a bit and peered at the coat, then leaned back.
Chris frowned. “He could’ve been wearing a different coat.”
“This is the only one I own,” Aidan protested.
Ethan nodded. “And it’s the only one I’ve ever seen him wear.”
Aidan’s Second, Brodie, was particularly talented at removing bloodstains, so Aidan didn’t have to replace his clothing as often as other immortals did.
“All the more reason,” Chris said, “for Aidan to buy another coat to wear when he kidnapped Veronica.” The man was like a dog clinging tenaciously to a bone, damn it.
Ethan frowned. “The woman’s missing?”
“Yes,” the rest of them chorused.
“Why would you think Aidan took her?”
Chris pointed to the laptop. “Because we have visual confirmation that he did.”
Ethan shook his head. “I don’t think that’s Aidan in the video. If I had to guess, I’d say it was his twin.”
“I don’t have a twin,” Aidan said at the same time Seth said, “He doesn’t have a twin.”
Ethan shrugged. “Could Jared be up to something again?”
Jared was one of the Others, ancient immortals who were almost as powerful as Seth but believed that any interference in the fate of mankind would result in the world’s destruction. Seth had defected from the Others’ ranks millennia ago to marry a human woman and lead the Immortal Guardians. Zach had defected three years ago to marry Lisette.
Jared had secretly defected shortly after Zach when he’d had a vision that Gershom would succeed in his quest to launch Armageddon. But Jared had done so without the Others’ knowledge and had since adopted something of a secret-agent role, working with the Immortal Guardians while maintaining the status quo with the Others.
Ethan looked at Seth. “Jared assumed Marcus’s appearance once, and Ami said Jared looked exactly like him. Maybe he did the same this time with Aidan.”
Seth shook his head. “Jared would have no reason to kidnap Veronica.”
“Then maybe it’s Gershom,” Ethan countered.
Aidan looked to Seth. “Can Gershom assume the appearance of other men?”
Seth frowned. “I know he can shape-shift into animal forms, but the human body is more complex. Getting every facial expression, every freckle or wrinkle or even the walk and posture just right is exceptionally difficult. Jared can do it because he’s particularly talented at such. But I don’t know about Gershom.”
Aidan curled one hand into a fist. “It must be Gershom.” And the bastard had used Aidan’s form to trick Veronica into trusting him.
Chris crossed his arms. “I’m still not convinced it wasn’t you.”
Aidan lunged to his feet.
Seth sped around the table and planted a hand in Aidan’s chest before Aidan could kick Chris’s ass. “Chris, stop provoking him.”
“I’m not provoking him,” Chris said, no anger in his voice. “I’m viewing the situation as objectively as I can and have what I believe are reasonable doubts. A haircut and a shopping spree could explain all but one of the differences Ethan spotted in the video. And the smile being a little bit off could be because it wasn’t a genuine smile. Real smiles reach the eyes. Fake ones don’t.”
Seth reluctantly met Aidan’s gaze. “He has a point.”
Aidan’s stomach knotted. “You don’t really believe—”
“No, I don’t.” He turned to Chris. “Which is why I need your word that you will consider all possibilities while conducting your investigation. If Gershom is responsible, we need to discover what his endgame is and why he took Veronica.”
Aidan shook his head. “Could he have done it just to fuck with you, Seth?”
Ethan nodded. “He knows how protective you are of immortals and gifted ones. It would be an easy way to get back at you for defeating him last time.”
Seth swore.
Chris removed a small spiral notebook and a stubby number two pencil from his breast pocket and began to scribble down notes. “I’ll look into Veronica’s background and see if I can find a reason beyond her being a gifted one that would make her seem to be a valuable tool Gershom could use against you.”
Ethan pursed his lips. “You didn’t, by any chance, used to date her or anything like that, did you, Seth?”
Hell, that hadn’t even occurred to Aidan.
Chris either, apparently.
All three stared at Seth expectantly.
“No,” their leader answered.
They breathed sighs of relief.
“Did the woman work here at the network?” Ethan asked.
“Yes,” Chris and Aidan answered in unison.
“Then perhaps that’s why Gershom wanted her. We know he was manipulating Dr. Whetsman and using him to sneak vials of the sedative out of the network. Whetsman’s dead, right?”
Seth nodded. “The brain damage from Gershom’s mind control combined with the damage that resulted from Cliff beating the crap out of him was too great. We couldn’t save him.”
Ethan nodded. “Then maybe Gershom is simply looking for a new puppet or a new source of intel. He may not have even known she’s a gifted one.”
Seth looked to Chris. “He has a valid point.”
Chris scribbled some more. “I’ll look into all the employees who have called in sick or missed work this month and double-check to ensure they’re really sick and not missing like Veronica in case she wasn’t the only target. It may also be a good idea, Seth, for you to read their minds once they’re all accounted for and make sure Gershom didn’t tamper with them.”
“Give me their names and I’ll do it.”
“I’ll also have my guys look up all the other gifted ones in the area, just in case that’s the lure and not the network connection. Make sure they’re okay.”
“Sounds good.”
Ethan glanced at Seth. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“We’ll let you know,” Seth told him.
Chris handed Aidan a stack of papers.
“What’s this?”
“The list of female gifted ones you stole. I want you to go over it and circle the names of every woman you’ve had contact with.”
Aidan slammed the papers down on the table. “This is ridiculous! You make it sound like I’m the carrier of a contagious disease or something.”
“I just want to make sure none of the others have been harmed in any way,” Chris retorted, unperturbed by Aidan’s anger.
Aidan swung on Seth. “Seth—”
Seth held up a hand. “Indulge him in this, Aidan. He isn’t going to let it go. And the faster he can eliminate you as a suspect, the faster we’ll determine what and whom we’re dealing with.”
“Fine,” Aidan grumbled and retook his seat. Catching the pencil Chris tossed him, he swiftly scanned the list and circled the name of each woman he’d met.