Page 15 of The Phoenix (Spy Girl 6)
“I don’t understand the question,” I say.
“You’re still in love with Lorenzo, Huntley.”
“And he’s engaged to Lizzie. The last thing Lorenzo needs is a scandal in his life.”
“You’re right. He does seem to have a lot on his plate.” He gives me a grin. “Since we don’t have a ride, maybe we should go back and eat some more of that wonderful food.”
“That sounds fun,” I tell him as I call Ellis and give him instructions on where to pick us up.
When we arrive back in the kitchen, Dassi is sampling some of his own creations. He gives us a warm smile.
“You are back for more culinary delights?” he asks.
“Yes, our driver is on his way, so we have a little time to kill.”
“Well then, we must do this the right way,” he says, rushing into the kitchen. He returns with five bottles of wine and a sommelier. “The right wine brings out the flavors in each and every dish, and one should never let such incredible food go to waste.”
Glasses are set in front of us, a sparkling wine is poured, and after a toast to the Olympics, Dassi presents caviar topped with truffle-butter popcorn.
“I need a vat of this popcorn,” I tell Dassi. “Are you selling it at the sporting event locations?”
“We are not,” he says, “but maybe we should.”
Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. I turn toward the window and look out, seeing General Agueda shaking hands with a man.
“I thought he wasn’t supposed to be here today,” I say out loud.
“The general?” Dassi replies, looking out the window. “He’s here nearly every single day.”
“Who is that man he’s talking to?” Intrepid asks, but as soon as they turn in our direction, I know the answer.
Harrison McClellan.
“Thank you for the wine,” I say, setting it down and rushing toward an exit. I reach into my handbag, thankful that I have some of the teeny tracker dots, and carefully place one on the tip of my finger. Once outside, I pretend to have just noticed the men.
“Mr. McClellan,” I say, making a beeline toward him. “How wonderful to see you. And, General Agueda, it’s been a while since you interrogated me.”
The general lets out a hearty laugh. “Well, thankfully, it wasn’t you who was trying to kill the prince.”
“Miss Von Allister,” McClellan says politely, but he doesn’t look happy to see me.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask.
“Well, obviously, I thought it would be good form to see the finished product since the Sphere is pretty important to Von Allister Industries,” McClellan replies in an irritated tone.
I twirl around and smile. “It turned out really pretty, didn’t it?”
“I’m not sure pretty is how I would describe a state-of-the-art, technologically advanced space,” McClellan snarls.
“Maybe not, but it’s why the athletes are going to love it. Do you have any idea of the combined social media influence of the Olympic athletes? They are going to be taking a lot of pictures with the CitySphere as the backdrop, and the world is going to be drooling.” I give him a grin. “And that’s good for VA Industries. As a matter of fact, I’m going to snap a bunch of photos to share. I have a fair amount of followers myself.”
“I bet you do,” General Agueda says, allowing his eyes to slide down my body. “We’ll let you get to it then.”
“I’d rather go on a tour with you. Actually, General, why didn’t you come with Lorenzo and Admiral Lamonte today? They mentioned you’d already vetted and signed off on the location.”
“I have.”
“Do you think it’s safe? Like, really? I mean, the number of people staying here is one thing, but then you have the suppliers, contractors, and staff. I don’t see how you could possibly say with certainty that it’s one hundred percent secure. And I’m worried about Lorenzo.”
“Why are you worried about him?”
“There have been numerous attempts on his life already. Now, an even bigger stage is set.” I lower my voice. “And I’m concerned about something else. Something I overheard that I probably shouldn’t have, something scary.”
“What’s that?” the general asks, leaning in closer—falling hook, line, and sinker.
“I overheard Daniel’s dad—you know, President Spear—mention rumors of a possible military coup happening in Montrovia during the Olympics.”
The men share a glance.
This is not the first time they have heard this.
“A military coup?” the general scoffs. “That’s a ridiculous notion.”
“You don’t think we have to worry? It would be really bad for my father’s business if the Sphere were mixed up in something like that.” McClellan is studying me, so I say to him, “Is that really why you’re here?”
“No,” McClellan replies, putting his arm around my shoulder, pretending to be my friend. “I’m very impressed with you, Huntley. Have you considered joining VA Industries?”
“Like, a job?” I ask.
“Yes. A management training program, so you could learn all aspects of the business.”
“The Sphere is what interests me the most. This one is so different than the one in Iraq. Like, my father’s room there is so different than the athletes’ rooms here.”
“You were in your father’s room at the Sphere?” McClellan questions.
“Yes, we visited every single space at the sphere when I was there, including the lab where your company does its crop research—the head scientist there was such a sweet man—as well as Ares’s private living quarters.”
“You shouldn’t have been allowed access to the labs.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I knew the code.”
“What code?”
“The code that gets you into everything. It was fun. I never got to know my father, but I felt close to him when I was there. Especially in his quarters. He had some plans for the Sphere that h
e hand-drew, specs and a notebook full of ideas and sketches. Notations regarding poetry and art. And I so wish Princesses Ophelia and Clarice were still alive to see this. They would have been very proud of their country. They had such a love for this place. I’ve only been here a short time, and I fear that I have fallen in love, too. I would hate to see anyone try to ruin it.”
“Which is why we are here today,” McClellan says bluntly. “Good day, Miss Von Allister. We have business to conduct.”
I throw my arms around him in a hug, planting the tracking device in his suit coat pocket. “It was so wonderful to see you today, too, Harrison. I’m sure we’ll talk again soon.”
As he and the general retreat, I yell out, “And be sure to check out my social media pics of the Sphere. I’ll try to get some good selfies!”
As soon as they are out of earshot, I call Terrance. “All right, tech guru, I just placed a tracker on Harrison McClellan, but I don’t want to know where he is. I want to hear what he’s saying. Is that possible?”
“Not through the tracker.”
“How about through his phone?”
“It’s secure. A Von Allister phone with its own satellite.”
“Find out where he’s staying in Montrovia and figure out a way to bug it. I want someone listening to what he is saying twenty-four/seven.”
“Aye, aye, boss,” he teases.
I hang up and call Ares. “Can you or can you not hack into The Society phones? Do you not have some kind of back door?”
“I do not. I made them very secure.”
“I am at the CitySphere in Montrovia today. It’s beautiful, by the way. Harrison McClellan is here with General Agueda. Something fishy is going on between those two.”
“In what way?”
“Come on, you had me trained to study nonverbal cues. To know when someone is lying. They were lying to me. And, when I mentioned that the US had heard rumblings about a coup, they shared a glance.”
