Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Chapter Two
“Breaktime’s over,” Magnus announced, pushing himself to his feet and walking away from the gathered group to collapse into the gaming chair in front of the computers.
Hawking followed him and held his hand out to drop the flash drive into his teammate’s palm. He held his breath as Magnus plugged it into the port. Everyone stood from the table and joined them.
A whirl of the system and several keystrokes later, a picture of a slim woman with eye protection over her glasses popped onto the screen. Hawking immediately noted that her plump lips seemed even more sexy when compared to her no-fuss appearance. A full body shot with her wrapped in a white lab coat, concealing her shape, filled another screen. A final picture was displayed, and all the men, including Rocco, took a deep inhale.
“Hey!” Sadie protested, whacking her Daddy’s arm.
“Sorry, Little girl. I was not expecting that from the first two pictures,” Rocco apologized as he pulled her close to his body, turning away from that last photo.
A low whistle pierced the air, and Hawking turned to glare at Phoenix. The buff man lifted his hands immediately and warded off the larger man’s attention. “I’m just human, dude.”
Hawking studied the picture that had startled everyone. The woman wore a sequined green gown that perfectly matched her enormous eyes, unmasked by sturdy glasses. The material revealed a slim but curvaceous figure he hadn’t expected lurking under her lab coat. Exquisitely made up, the woman could have been a movie star.
“You have to admit, Hawking, she’s supremely hot,” Caesar said. When Hawking leveled a glare of infinite magnitude his way, the large man added, “We’re Daddies, looking for our Littles, but we’re not dead.”
“You will be,” Hawking growled, surprising himself with the level of protectiveness he felt before even meeting her.
“Don’t you think we should hear what Magnus has to tell us about her?” Sadie chimed in, clearly trying to hide her amusement but failing.
Hawking glanced at the only person in the room who apparently had a voice of reason this evening. Sadie Miller was also the only woman in the room. She was not only the reception manager for Danger Bluff Mountain Resort, but she was Rocco’s Little girl.
Magnus grunted his agreement. “This is Celeste Blanke,” he said, reading from the data displayed on the screen. “She’s a research scientist specializing in cancer treatment and cures. The company where she has worked for seven years fired her last week with the allegation of doctoring her findings. Previous phone records to friends reveal Celeste believes she’s close to determining a compound that would keep cancer cells from multiplying.”
Hawking walked forward to stare at the young woman wearing the protective laboratory gear. Could she create something that could prevent other mothers from suffering? “Is her company correct? Is her research bogus?” he asked.
“According to phone records, Celeste hasn’t contacted anyone since being let go from the research firm. She sent one message to her supervisor when she returned home that contained screenshots she felt disproved the allegation of bad data. Her phone hasn’t been used since calling the police to report a break-in at her apartment that evening and to call a rideshare to a hotel that reports she did not check in. The device was turned off after she was dropped off and has not been turned back on. She booked a reservation here under a friend’s name without providing a departure date,” Magnus added.
“How do you know her friend isn’t coming on a vacation?”
“Unless her buddy is leaving a husband with five kids under eight and three large dogs to fend for themselves for an undetermined amount of time, it’s Celeste. Also, facial recognition has her on the ferry coming from the north to the south island. She arrives tomorrow,” Magnus said after combing through the information.
“She’s from New Zealand?” Hawking asked.
“A Kiwi born and bred,” Magnum answered.
“Does the report imply that we should expect trouble?” Phoenix asked.
“She’s arriving under an assumed name. Her apartment was ransacked, and she didn’t choose to stay at the hotel where she’d had the rideshare drop her off. She’s not using her phone and has made her first mistake by using a known associate’s name. If the last hours before she disappeared off the grid are any indication, yes,” Magnus shared, making Hawking’s stomach drop.
“Since when does a scientist’s experiments to solve cancer make her the target for what seems like a very sophisticated attack?” Rocco questioned.
“She has to be so scared,” Sadie whispered, tucking herself close to Rocco and settling happily on his lap when Rocco plucked Sadie from her chair.
“You are to say nothing to Celeste when she checks in if you’re at the desk, Little girl,” Rocco decreed. “Hawking, where is the safest place for her room?”
“Put her on the fourth floor, away from the emergency stairs and near the elevator,” Hawking said.