overnight. They've been studying your firm's filing system, they've been watching you, for months.”
“Even so,” Alex said, “I think we should contact security.”
“No,” Ben said.
“Why not?”
“First, like I said, it's a waste of time. Second, you've introduced me to enough people in your firm as it is. I don't want the attention.”
Sarah, pissed, started to say, Sorry to put you out, but managed not to.
“You trust your boss?” Ben said. “The cowboy?”
Alex wanted to say, I don't trust anyone. Instead, he said, “Why? You think he's involved?”
Ben shrugged. “He was here early this morning.”
“He keeps odd hours. Anyway, why would he do it?”
“How should I know? He's your boss.”
“He's making seven figures a year. I don't think his motives would be financial.”
Ben laughed. “Is it ever enough?”
The room was quiet for a moment. “All right,” Sarah said, “option two. What are we talking about exactly?”
Ben looked at Alex. “Can you work with that backup file?”
“Of course,” Alex said.
“Then do it. Grab a few days’ worth of gear, find a secure place to hole up, forget about everything else, and figure out what's so special about this technology.”
“It doesn't sound like much,” Sarah said.
“It's not. But it beats Alex waiting around for someone to put a bullet in the back of his head.”
She realized he was only talking about Alex holing up. What was she supposed to do? Two people were dead. Someone had stolen something from her office. They'd hacked the PAIR system, they'd broken into Alex's house. The thought of the only two people in the world who understood what was happening just leaving her was frightening.
“Yeah?” Alex said. “What's Sarah supposed to do?”
Sarah was so grateful she had to force herself not to smile at him.
“The same thing you're doing,” Ben said. “Lay low. Wait for you to figure out what the technology really does.”
“I can figure that out faster with Sarah than I can alone.”
Sarah blinked. Did that just come from Alex Treven?
Ben shook his head. “I think it would be more secure if-”
“If what?” Alex said. “If we separate? I don't see how. And you said it yourself: the thing that's ultimately going to make us secure is knowing why someone wants this technology badly enough to kill for it.”
Ben scratched his cheek. “All right. Suit yourself.”
Alex looked at Sarah. “Can you disappear for a few days?”
She let out a long breath. “Maybe if I were sick… you've been sick, right? The flu?”
“Until this morning, anyway,” Alex said. “Osborne saw me on my way in.”
Sarah tried to smile. “I guess I could catch what you had. And you could have a relapse.”
Alex looked at Ben. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
Alex sighed. “Can you spend a little more time on this? A little more time with Sarah and me?”
“I don't think you really need me.”
Alex put his palms on his desk as though seeking support, or trying to steady himself. “Yes, Ben, we do. We're just a couple of lawyers, as you noticed. Look how fast you found me the last time I tried to ‘hole up’ on my own. Someone else could do the same. We need to stick together.”
Ben looked out the window. He clenched a fist. The knuckles popped.
“Stick together,” he said.
Alex looked at him. “That's right.”
Ben nodded. “All right. But you two have your jobs, and I have mine. Your job is to figure out the technology. My job is everything else. I'm in charge. You don't question me. You don't lecture me. You do as I say. This is my world you're in now, not yours. Understood?”
Alex said, “Fine.”
Ben looked at Sarah. Sarah returned his stare- -fucking control freak -but said nothing.
“Understood?” he said again.
“I understand you,” she said.
“Yeah,” he said. “I understand you, too. Let me see your cell phones.”
Sarah thought, Now what? But she said nothing. She handed Ben her phone. Alex did the same.
Ben turned each unit off and dropped them into a leather bag on the desk. Sarah said, “What are you doing?”
“You don't question me,” Ben said.
“I do if you just take my phone. And just because I'm not supposed to question you doesn't mean you have to get off by never offering an explanation, either.”
Ben chuckled. She wanted to slap him.
“I know it's hard for you to accept this,” he said, “but someone has gotten seriously into your lives. Your homes and workplaces. The cars you drive. The places you go. The things you do. Are you getting it now? I can guarantee you that if I were the one hunting you, I'd be glued to your cell phone signals unless you were giving me
something even easier to follow. Do either of you have any kind of emergency roadside assistance or concierge service subscription along with a car GPS?”
Sarah nodded and saw Alex do the same. That word he'd used so casually-”hunting”-had chilled her.
“Well, congratulations. I'd be all over that, too. You say you're ready to disappear for a while, but you don't know how to do it. It's not supposed to be easy. You're going to have to give up a few conveniences. Okay? Do you need any more explanation than that, or do you get it now?”
They were all quiet for a moment. Sarah realized what he was saying made sense, but still resented the way he said it.
“What do we do?” Alex asked.
Ben looked at Sarah. “Exactly what I tell you,” he said.
18
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME
They went to the Four Seasons in Ben's rented car, Alex driving, Sarah shotgun, Ben in back. Ben was pissed. He'd been back for, what, twelve hours? And he'd already lost control of the situation.
He didn't trust the girl. She was obviously political, and it wasn't inconceivable she had an uncle or a cousin in one of the security services. It would have been easy enough for her to make a call-hey, Uncle Ahmad, you should take a look at this technology I'm trying to patent. It's the kind of thing you told me to keep an eye out for. Yeah, maybe it was unlikely, but he knew Iran's cyberwarfare efforts were real.
And someone had taken those documents from Alex's office. Someone who knew where to go, or who had been given some very precise information. There had to be someone on the inside. Who else had the connection? And who else would have the motivation? The fact that she claimed to be missing documents, too, only made him suspect her more.
It was a huge risk to bring her along now, but he didn't really have a choice. He'd seen the way Alex was looking at her, and he could tell the idiot was half in love. Well, he couldn't exactly blame him. He had to admit she was attractive. But Christ, she was a handful. He shouldn't have said anything about Iran; it could only serve to tip
