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“Selene, I’m right in the middle of a meeting, couldn’t this have waited?”
No, I’m afraid it couldn’t.
AJ wondered why Selene wasn’t talking, but poking around in her mind explained volumes.
Get out of my head, AJ
“Dr. Swartz, may I introduce Selene Hightower. She’s one of my oldest friends.” AJ turned towards Selene and motioned towards her researcher. “Selene, this is Dr. Francesca Swartz.”
“Dr. Swartz.” Selene extended her hand, but refused to make eye contact with the doctor. This is highly embarrassing. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
AJ wasn’t sure what was going on, but Francesca’s hesitancy to shake Selene’s hand and her sudden silence was interesting. Tension rolled off Selene in waves, which wasn’t something new, but she was more anxious than usual. Oh, something was definitely going on here and AJ was going to find out what that was.
“Ms. Hightower, it’s a pleasure to meet you. If that will be all, Ms. Locke, I need to get back to the lab.”
She was out the door and gone before AJ could say anything.
“What the hell was that all about Selene?”
“What?”
“I heard what you were thinking. Do you know the good doctor?”
“Not really.”
“That’s not what you were thinking just now.”
Selene became a little more aggressive and advanced on her. “Let it go AJ”
“Calm down, big girl.” AJ sat on the couch trying to look as non-threatening as possible. “Since you’ve canceled my meeting with Dr. Swartz and you refuse to tell me why her body went off the charts when you came in, why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”
Selene paced the office like a cage animal. AJ could barely make sense of her racing thoughts. Something about a guy named Ian, De Marcus and then a flood of emotions about Francesca. De Marcus!
“What’s going on with De Marcus, Selene?”
“Stay out of my head AJ. Fuck.” Selene took a deep breath and slowed her pacing.
“Okay, so…”
“I got a call from this guy, Ian. Seems someone’s tapping him and he wants this guy dead. The guy, De Marcus.”
“Okay, so…”
“So, I think it’s a ruse.” Selene pulled a chair around and sat facing AJ
“Color me stupid, but why do you think it’s a trap?” AJ wanted De Marcus and she was willing to do whatever it took to kill the bastard. Trap or no trap.
“Just a feeling.” Selene pulled her fingers through her long dark locks and then flicked the ends back.
“I’m going to need more than that, Selene.”
”The word is out that we want De Marcus. How easy would it be to have someone set me up on the pretense of hiring me and then off me? I haven’t heard from Ian in decades and then out of the clear blue he sends me a note that he wants to hire me for a job. Then he names De Marcus as his problem.”
“Yeah, but why would he tell you the problem is De Marcus?”
“Exactly.”
“Because he wants you to take the job, that’s why.” AJ said, stating what she saw was the obvious answer. “He has to know that you want De Marcus. Would you have taken the job if it was someone else?”
“Probably not. I told him the last time I did work for him not to call me, ever.”
“Hmm, so he tells you it’s De Marcus ’cause he knows you wouldn’t do the job otherwise. I’d say he’s pretty smart. He knows you won’t work for him and he knows he needs someone good, very good and you’re the only one who can get ’em.”
“Maybe.”
“Who better to hire than someone who has an axe to grind? Revenge is always a great incentive. If you won’t take the job I’ll do it. I want De Marcus dead, period.”
“You paid me to kill him and I’m going to kill him, so stop with the bullshit. Besides, you have Clarissa to worry about.”
“When do you meet with Ian?” AJ knew that she wanted to be there when Selene met with Ian. Selene was right, it could be a set up. They couldn’t be too careful.
“Thursday, six p.m..”
“I should be