Page 94 of The Lazarus Protocol

“What do you think our safeguards are for? We run checks for that kind of thing regularly, scanning all our networks for intruders.” Kraus shook his head. “It’s impossible.”

“One day someone will invent something so advanced we can’t find it.”

“You really think that’s what this is?”

Emanuela didn’t answer right away. “What I think is that it bears investigating. Because if our anonymous tipper is correct, then we have a serious problem.”

“Follow the trail, then. Pull on the string and see what happens.”

She knew then that he planned to cut her loose if anything “happened.” Kraus wouldn’t hesitate to burn her if things turned into a situation where someone needed to take the fall. He’d tell everyone that she should’ve seen it, and that she was the reason Simon had betrayed them.

He slid a thin stylus out of the corner of the phone and tapped the screen, clicking through a menu. “There was motion-activated footage from shortly before the time of death.” He hit Play.

“Looks like he’s in the bathroom.”

“That tracks, since he was found dead in a towel. Soaking wet.” Emanuela shuddered. Not a way she would like to go.

Kraus scrolled back. They watched Simon walk down the hall and go into the bathroom, and moments later another man followed him. The killer left the door open. The two conversed, and the killer lifted a pistol to shoot him.

Kraus paused the footage at the point when the killer turned toward the camera to leave. He grabbed an image of the man’s face. “We can run this. Find out who killed Simon.”

After they identified him, it would be Emanuela’s duty to surmise why Simon had been killed. He’d discovered something he shouldn’t have or got too close to exposing an entity who didn’t want to be revealed. Then again, it might have nothing to do with his work at the CIA. His death might be revenge for some slight, or a money deal gone bad.

One way or another, they were going to find out the truth.

She just had to keep Kraus out of the loop long enough to decide what to do with the information.

THIRTY-THREE

Milan, Italy

Ice pulled over, tucking the vehicle up against an industrial building before he grabbed the tablet. The silence of the empty car threatened to set his thoughts spiraling, but right now music would be a distraction he didn’t need.

Better to sit alone and focus on finding Kai’s signal.

He tapped the icon and started the scan. “Come on, come on.”

After tracking the comms earbud all the way across the Italian border, over to Milan, it had finally stopped. He’d seen the white van enter this warehouse. If they’d brought Kai here, then this was the place Ice would bust in and get his friend back.

No matter what.

“Bingo.” The location icon for Kai’s earbud showed up on the map, fifty feet away maybe. Northwest of where he’d parked on a narrow street between two buildings. Hemmed in was a risk if anyone decided to shoot at him from a window—or a roof. But it also meant he was out of the way.

His phone rang.

Ice snatched it out of the cup holder and answered, “Yeah?”

“It’s Noah. You’re on Speaker and everyone is here.”

“You finally answered the phone?” Jay called out from the background.

Ice said, “I had to take care of something.”

“Update,” Noah said.

Definitely an order. “How’s Adam?”

“I’m good.” But he didn’t sound it. Adam also sounded far away from the phone, his voice strained. “I’ll be good.”