Eli could tell from the look on her face that she was alarmed after being around them for only a few minutes. His heart began to pound.
He watched their faces. If they were enhanced, they’d hear his racing heart, but they showed no signs of noticing, and continued to peel their sausages apart with a fork, take small bites, and ask Eli questions about his research.
Eli put a couple of the trackers in two of the investors’ briefcases and then told them goodbye, wanting to get Ava the hell out of there.
They walked Nora back to her car, and Eli made sure no one followed them. As Nora said goodbye to them, she whispered, loud enough for only Eli to hear, “They aren’t human. I’ve never seen anything like them before. Ever. Be careful.”
He nodded and whispered a quiet, “Thank you.”
“They aren’t harmless,” she said.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. He went back to the conference and he attended the lectures, but it wasn’t easy to focus. That night, he took Ava to dinner, and when they were done eating, he checked the location of the four investors.
The trackers showed that they were at the University of Galway, the same place where Niall worked and where he’d taken them to look at the astronomy equipment.
As far as he knew, there was no reason for the investors to be there. He liked to rely on evidence, but this time he was going to trust his gut. His gut said they were up to no good. He was going to investigate. If they had a reason to be there, then great. If not, he’d put a stop to whatever they were doing.
But first, he had to look out for Ava. He would not be leaving her alone in the hotel. He called Nora quickly and asked if both he and Ava could spend the night with them. They agreed, and he planned to go to the university after she was asleep.
He didn’t tell Niall they were at the university. He probably had the right to know, but Niall had been through enough at the hands of evil. Eli didn’t want to involve him, not unless it was absolutely necessary.
When Ava asked why they were leaving the hotel, he could only tell her that it wasn’t safe.
As soon as Ava was asleep, he snuck out of Nora’s house. He was sure Nora and Niall would hear him, but neither of them came after him.
Outside, he looked up. The night was clear, so he couldn’t fly. He grabbed his keys and got into the rental car. Once he was at the university, he could hear the investors from outside the building.
Eli’s pulse raced. They were inside the biology lab and they were discussing the topic he’d lectured about that morning—cloning.
14
Ava
Eli was up to something. That much was clear. He’d told her he was worried about the investors, but he never really said why.
Why did it matter if they wanted something he couldn’t do? People were demanding, especially of scientists. They wanted answers, and sometimes they couldn’t accept that science couldn’t help them.
Eli was kind, but he had a backbone of steel; she’d seen it over and over. She wasn’t sure why he didn’t just tell them no. Unless they’d threatened him or someone close to him. He’d been adamant that she not be alone with them.
And if they’d threatened him, why hadn’t he called the police? Her father knew people in the FBI, the CIA, and the JAG Corps. She’d offered to get in touch with her father, but Eli had said it wasn’t that kind of problem. If there wasn’t a crime involved, then she didn’t know what the big deal was. But it was clear that it was a very big deal, at least to Eli. He’d been cagey when he suggested they stay at Nora and Niall’s house.
She could tell he was worried, so she’d agreed without asking too many questions. But that didn’t mean she was just going to accept whatever he said.
She lay in bed, pretending to be asleep, making sure to move a little and breathe deeply. Then, he proved her right—within ten minutes, he was up and sneaking out of the room. She followed him, taking care to be very quiet. She’d noticed in the lab that he had really good hearing.
He was going to take the rental car. She saw Nora’s car keys on the countertop. She was going to take them and she’d apologize later. She waited a few minutes and then got in Nora’s car. Thankfully, the road was fairly clear and she was able to catch a glimpse of the car Eli was driving.
Eli drove straight to the university and went in one of the back doors. She felt silly at first, assuming that he was going to check on his space equipment. But he didn’t go to that area of the campus.
When she got to that door, she figured it would automatically lock behind him. But no. The lock mechanism was completely broken off, as if he’d forced it.
She touched the fragments of the lock that were left behind. Had he used a tool? What in the hell was going on?
He went down a hallway she hadn’t been down before. All of the signs and posters indicated that they were in the biology wing of the campus. At the end of the hallway, there was one light on. From inside, she heard voices.
She stopped outside the closed door and peered inside a large window. She was looking into a traditional lab with tables and sinks and all kinds of glass equipment.
Eli stood in the middle of the room. And so did the four men. They were talking and their voices were raised, but she couldn’t make out
