Free Cravings (Fierce Hearts) by Lynn Crandall Page B

of the different varieties of birdseed. Sunlight sparkled on the light coating of snow on the ground and tree branches. The scene should have calmed his nerves, but his insides continued to churn.
    “You’re right,” he said, turning his attention back to Casey. “When?”
    “I’ll let you know. Probably as soon as everyone is free. There’s been too much waiting and pondering. It’s been necessary, but I suspect The Nexus Group won’t let it go on much longer. They’re probably ramping up for something right now.”
    Asher rose to his feet. “I’ll do some more investigation on the genomics research company, so for the next time we talk, I hope to have decent intel.”
    Casey’s rumbling chuckle escaped his throat. “Intel. It sounds like our colony is a ring of spies.”
    “Mission Kennedy.” Asher chuckled with Casey. But the mission was too serious to laugh for long.
    Back in his truck after a brief stop at his apartment, Asher made quick work of getting to the newspaper building and settling down with coffee in front of his desktop.
    He knew he wouldn’t find anything incriminating on the Phoenix Biosciences website, but it was a start. He clicked on News Room. Perusing the list of news releases gave him a sense of the company’s public face. The company investigated DNA sequencing and performed analysis to gain a greater understanding of human disease.
    Asher dashed a look around the room. The idea of such a company with possible ties to William Carter Enterprises, i.e. The Nexus Group, made it hard to swallow. His gaze stopped on a release regarding use of implants featuring nanotechnology. He clicked on the release, his fingers tapping out a staccato beat on his desk.
    The company clearly was using nanotechnology, the study of tiny, tiny things, to solve problems in everything from medicine and chemical engineering to space science. While that made Asher’s head spin, he gathered that it wasn’t the big news. The facility boasted a deep pipeline of products with potential for changing everything—governments, control over the environment, distribution of resources, the kinds of animals and humans on the planet—if not introduced with caution.
    He scratched his head, his focus on thoughts jumping up in his mind for attention. What, he wondered, was the connection between Phoenix and the politician Daren Sage?
    He entered Sage in a search. Handsome in an Ivy League way, Sage was forty-six years old, the son of a local pharmacist. Lots of social media praising his platform. A state senator for four years, he’d established a record of support for new technology and jobs to go with it. Lots of news articles, quotes from interviews. He read like a typical politician—plenty of words, little substance. But one thing grabbed Asher’s heart and squeezed.
    According to the police blotter, Sage’s father was being investigated for selling prescription stimulants to abusers. That could mean the father already had connections in the crime world. Asher wondered how deep the illegal activity ran. He didn’t have to stretch his mind too far to imagine a direct connection to a member of The Nexus Group, especially since his son was getting financial support from Phoenix.
    He twisted a lock of his hair, realizing he had nothing on Phoenix to connect it to The Nexus Group. Nothing solid. Only speculation.
    “Hey, Asher, what’s up?” It was Asia. “You look deep in thought. Anything to share? I’m taking a break from my stories.” She pulled a chair from another desk and sat beside him.
    “I’m looking for connections to The Nexus Group. Actually, I’m just trying to find out more information about it.”
    She leaned back and rubbed her hand through her shoulder-length, dark hair. “You should talk to Casey, and maybe Sterling and Lacey Aegar. Remember they gathered the intel on William Carter Enterprises?”
    Asher pulled up memories of private investigators Sterling Aegar and her sister, Lacey.