His meeting with Matt Tynan and Samuel Hatch hadn't made the tasks he had taken on any easier. The search for Agnes Payne and Oliver Grimble, Coalition scientists who had been involved in the original Bloomfield experiments, was not progressing well. If they could locate Payne and Grimble they'd likely find former CIA agent Willard Croft and Gideon, Jake's own brother, with them. Hatch had been looking for Croft for twenty years, and had stumbled across his share of leads. But without help, Hatch's hands had been tied. Croft always managed to slip through his fingers.
Years ago, Croft had covered Payne and Grimble's tracks with a house fire in which they were supposedly killed. Gideon had been assumed lost with them, but all that time they'd been in hiding. All those years spent shaping Gideon's genius ...
Jake dropped his head into his hands and closed his eyes. He had to learn to focus on one impossible mission at a time. Right now his top priority had to be finding Faith. His sister was out there, somewhere, not knowing who she was or what dangers awaited her. If the Coalition found her first, if they triggered her hypnotic hypersuggestibility, what might she be able to do? Genetically engineered to be a diagnostician and a medical wizard, she could be used in frightening ways, particularly in this day and age of biological weapons.
Despite all their efforts, Faith hadn't been located at any major hospital in the U.S. Searching wasn't an easy task. Faith's name might have been changed at the time of their hypnosis, as Grace's had been changed to Gretchen and Mark's to Marcus. Then again, that might not be the case. Memories that had been returning slowly teased the corners of his mind. Ten years old, her structured world being torn apart, Faith had become hysterical when Mark had been ripped away from her and drugged before her eyes. It was possible that by the time they'd calmed her down, time had become a problem. There was also the issue of individual resistance to take into account. Faith had been small, he remembered. Quiet. But she had also been very stubborn.
Jake shoved his paperwork aside. Faith could be anywhere. Anywhere in the world. They didn't even know without question that she was a doctor!
The phone rang, and Jake answered quickly. "Ingram."
"Hi. It's Marcus."
Jake relaxed a little. "Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon, little brother?"
"We're back in Delmonico," Marcus said. "Since I've been away from the phone for a few days, I wanted to call and check in." He hesitated. "Have you had any luck locating Faith?"
Jake could almost hear his brother holding his breath as he awaited the answer. "No," he said gently.
"You have to find her," Marcus said. He was frustrated, as they all were. "We can't let the Coalition get their hands on Faith."
"I know. We're doing all we can. I promise you that."
"Let me help. I can take leave if you need me."
Jake sighed. At this point, there wasn't much more they could do. Gretchen was heading the search, directing the investigation from the island of Brunhia, and she was doing everything humanly possible to find her little sister. "You know I'll call if there's anything you can do."
"I hate feeling helpless."
Jake understood, too well.
"I'm remembering things," Marcus said, his voice lowered slightly.
As they all were. "Me, too."
"Bits and pieces, mostly, but the memories are so real. Sometimes it's like everything I forgot for so long happened yesterday. Faith was ... she wasn't strong. Smart, yes, but ... I'm not saying she was weak, but she wasn't strong. Right?"
"Fragile." Jake supplied the word Marcus was looking for.
"Yeah, that's it," Marcus said. "Fragile."
"Next to you, I'm fragile," Jake said with a rare smile.
"You know what I mean," Marcus said. "Faith needs someone to look out for her."
"Yeah." Jake's smile faded. As children, Mark and Faith had looked out for each other. He was strong and she was not. She was brilliant and he ... well, Mark had often had trouble understanding things the others took for granted. Faith guided Mark and Mark shielded Faith. Jake silently cursed the people and the circumstances that had torn them all apart.
"I'll call you the minute I hear anything," Jake said.
Tara walked into the room, her eyes hardening when she eyed the phone in his hand. They had mended a few fences, temporarily at least, but an awkward tension remained between them. Even so, she expected his undivided attention now that he was home, and he couldn't give it to her.
One of these days he was going to have to tell Tara everything. Because they were engaged to be married, she deserved to know the truth about who he was, where he had come from and what he still had to do. He just hadn't been able to bring himself to say the words he knew she wouldn't understand.
Tara seemed not to be aware of the new, tightened security that surrounded her. She was under surveillance at all times, just as Jake was, in case the Coalition tried to kidnap or harm them, but she had no idea. Jake, on the other hand, was very aware of the change in his everyday life. He didn't like the situation, but at this point there was nothing he could do.
"I thought maybe we could have a late dinner tonight," Tara said, a tight smile blooming as Jake ended the call with Marcus and turned his attention to her.
"Could we make it early?" Jake asked. "I have a meeting this evening."
Tara's forced smile died, and she pursed her lips, pouting. "I can't make an early dinner. My mother's planning a party for her friend Edith, remember? I told you about it. I promised I'd help. We're interviewing a new caterer late this afternoon. Can't you cancel your meeting? Or reschedule it?"
He shouldn't be angry with Tara for asking him to cancel his meeting so she could interview a caterer; she didn't know what was going on in his world, and until he sat her down and explained everything, she wouldn't. Since she had no idea how much his life had changed, he shouldn't be annoyed with her for being, well, Tara. Still, he sounded snappish when he said, "No."
She waved a disgusted hand in his direction. "Fine. Maybe tomorrow."
Jake knew he should go after Tara as she stalked out of the room. He could smooth things over with a few words, as he had last time they'd argued. But he stayed put as the front door slammed behind his angry fiancée.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Fever by Linda Jones Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.