“That the one with ‘Safeguard Project’ in the subject line?” Gabe struggled to remember. “I’ve got it flagged to read as soon as I catch a minute to spare.”
“No worries. I’d want to see how all of this pans out in any case.” Harte shook his glass. “What do we know about the funding behind Edict currently?”
“Not as much as we need.” Gabe had Marc and Lizzy gathering intel but corporate headquarters might have more immediate information. “So far, the trail leads to a small biotech out in California. Apparently they’ve invited Miss An-mei Cheng to do research for them.”
“Doesn’t sound like the kind of company to have the funds to back Edict. What kind of research?”
“Need more details on that too, but my contact had the impression her research had some creative military applications.”
“What sort of research does this girl do?”
“Genetic. Maylin says her sister is at the forefront of her field in gene therapy and recombinant DNA, working with gene-editing proteins and how they get into human cells. Potential treatment for genetic disorders in live patients.” And wasn’t that a mouthful? Gabe had spoken to Maylin at length on the flight from Seattle to be sure he could say it all without stuttering. For a woman with a completely different career, Maylin had a far more thorough understanding of her sister’s research than expected. Gabe had no doubt his girl was every bit as intelligent as her little sister.
Considering how many people trapped themselves in a miserable job because the job description reflected their intelligence level, Gabe thought Maylin was a whole lot wiser than most in choosing what would be right for her even if her family didn’t respect what she did.
Maylin had built a challenging, fulfilling career for herself with her catering company and she was happy.
He could learn a lot from her.
“Considering the potential applications, I’m doubting this biotech company is so interested in the girl for humanitarian reasons. If they have her, they’ll have some real security around her. Otherwise, it’d be awkward to explain to the US authorities if she somehow finds her way home. You’re not going to walk into a research lab and find her there holding test tubes, chained to a lab bench. There’s going to be layers of security and personnel to get past. Even if all we have to worry about is Edict, it’ll be a challenge.” Harte leaned forward and set his half-drunk glass on the low table between them. “Your girl can’t have the funds to pay for the kind of operation it will take to get her sister back.”
And here was the difficult part.
“No.” It killed him to say it. But resources, ammunition, equipment, they all came with a high price tag. Maylin was not independently wealthy. “At the beginning I’d hoped once we found the sister, it would be something doable with a four-man fire team. The more we find out, the bigger this whole thing is looking.”
Harte shook his head. “What made you take this on in the first place?”
“Someone tried to run her down right in front of me.” Gabe clamped his mouth shut. Swallowed arguments that’d only waste time. This wasn’t going well, and he wasn’t going to be able to change Harte’s mind if he came across like a man gone soft. Practical reasoning was what he needed.
Harte sighed. “Knight in shining armor syndrome. Every fucking one of us falls victim to it.”
“It’s why we work for Centurion and not Edict.” It was petty to say. Gabe did anyway.
The difference between Centurion and Edict was a set of ethics. A moral code. The members of Centurion Corporation had one and were willing to sacrifice profit for it. They were also pickier about what contracts they took in the first place. It meant they suffered through some complicated decisions.
Edict kept things straightforward. Pay them and they got the job done. No matter how wrong it was.
“You hinted there was good news in here somewhere.” Harte peered mournfully into his glass.
“Since the biotech sponsor does have offices in Tianjin, I initially thought we’d need to go there to locate and extract An-mei Cheng.” Gabe sipped some of the melted ice water in his glass. “Our little run-in with Jewel included a slip of the tongue. Indicates the sister is actually in the States.”
“No shit?” Harte raised an eyebrow.
Gabe nodded. “Worth checking out their facility in California and any other sizable holdings they have domestically before taking the search to the other side of the world.”
“Keep me posted.” Harte stood. “Can’t give you additional resources right now, and I’m guessing you knew it walking in here. We’re good men but we’re running a business, not a charity. It’s my job to keep us business-minded enough to stay well into the black every year when the books are balanced, even if I have to be the asshole.”
There’d been a small hope. But the decision was made and communicated. Gabe didn’t waste time or emotion on disappointment. “Our team has decided to move forward with locating the girl. We’ll renegotiate once the initial goal is achieved.”
Harte nodded. “You do that.”