Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Evolution - Brian Freeman Page 0,101
Maybe that was the whole point of building the software.”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I think if Medusa already owned Prescix, the tech cabal would know about it. Prescix is part of Medusa’s plan, but they don’t have what they want yet.”
“Then why did the SUV pick up the casino manager and take him to Gabriel Fox’s estate to be murdered?”
Bourne frowned. “I don’t know. Hopefully, we’ll find out at the party tonight.”
“Assuming they let us in,” she said.
“Don’t worry about that.”
“I’m coming out,” Abbey called from the dressing room. “Are you ready to be dazzled?”
Jason smiled. “Ready.”
He waited as Abbey pulled back the curtain and emerged wearing a purple cocktail dress with flowers and swirls beaded over the fabric. The fringed hem fell only to the middle of her thighs and showed off her legs, and the deep V revealed the swell of her breasts. She did a little spin in her matching high heels, making the fringe fly, and then she smirked and balanced one hand on her hip.
“Well?”
“Wow,” Jason said.
“Does that mean you approve?”
“It means I’m concerned no one will be able to take their eyes off you. You may look too beautiful.”
“Thank you, sir,” Abbey said as she came and stood next to him in front of the mirror. “You know this thing costs like six months of my rent.”
“You’re worth it. We need to look the part.”
“I need to get my hair done, too. Men can get away with the scruffy look, but not women.”
“Our next stop is the salon,” Jason said. “We’ll have them package up the clothes and be on our way.”
“Are you going to tell me how you plan to get us into that party?” Abbey asked.
“You probably don’t want to know.”
“Tell me anyway. I mean, we don’t have an invitation.”
“But Iniya does.”
Abbey looked confused as she thought about what he meant. Then she inhaled with a sharp gasp as she understood. “Jesus. You’re not going to kill her, are you, Jason?”
“No.”
“It’s one thing to kill people from Medusa. They’re trying to kill us. But this woman isn’t Medusa.”
“You’re right. At least I don’t think she is. My plan isn’t to kill her, Abbey. If I had to do something like that, I’d go there alone. Not with you.”
Abbey was quiet for a while. “Because sometimes you do have to do things like that. Right?”
“Sometimes.”
“You kill innocent people.”
“I’m not going to lie to you, Abbey.”
“Would you have killed me if I got in your way?”
Jason said nothing.
She stared into the mirror and admired how she looked in the dress, but the sparkle had gone out of her eyes. “I don’t know how you can live in your world. I really don’t.”
“There are days when I don’t know either,” he said.
She didn’t look at him as she walked back behind the curtain. “Well, I signed on for this. I came with you.”
He heard her changing, and he switched out of the tux into his other clothes as she did. A few minutes later, she came out from the dressing room, and she was Abbey Laurent again, not a fashion model. The cocktail dress hung on a hanger, and she gave it to him to pay for without a word. Her face was unhappy. He’d seen that face on women in the past. Women who’d discovered the man he really was.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“I can do this myself. You don’t have to go.”
“No. It’s a party. You’re less obvious if you’re not alone, right? Isn’t that what it says in your Life According to Treadstone book?”
“Yes.”
“So let’s go.”
Abbey headed for the display area of the store. He knew, right then, at that moment, that she hated him. He was bothered enough by her reaction that he forgot about the camera he’d spotted in the ceiling of the boutique. He didn’t remind her to keep her head down and her face out of sight.
*
NASH Rollins didn’t see a caller ID when his cell phone rang. Normally, the Treadstone phones could unmask the number of anyone who was calling, but not this time. He took the call and barked, “Who is this?”
“Hello, Nash,” Miles Priest said in his gravelly voice.
“Ah. Miles. Of course. Do you have information for me?”
“I do. You wanted us to focus on the woman. That was a good call. She’s in Las Vegas. We caught her on facial recognition in the Forum Shops.”
“Are she and Bourne still together?”
“So it appears.”
“Do you know what they’re doing there?” Nash asked.