“Make the call and tell her who I am and to expect me, but I told you, we can’t risk a security team, not even the one in Seattle,” Harlan said. “Pulling in security would send up red flags to anyone who is watching. We need to keep this close.”

Victor pondered that briefly. “I’ll try to persuade her to assist in the investigation, but I’ll warn you right now, she might refuse. The Rancourts left a nasty reputation for the Foundation behind. We’re still dealing with the fallout. As far as Olivia is concerned, she has no reason to trust you.”

“I’ll deal with Olivia.”

Lucas looked skeptical. “How do you plan to do that?”

“Simple,” Harlan said. “I’ve got something she wants, and I discovered long ago that’s more than enough to gain someone’s cooperation.”

Lucas’s eyes got very cold. “What do you have that she would want badly enough to make her willing to cooperate with a Rancourt?”

“A lead on her mother’s killer,” Harlan said.

CHAPTER 3

Not what I expected,” Lucas said.

“No.” Victor contemplated the door through which Harlan had just left. “He’s not his father or his grandfather. But he is quite possibly a lot more dangerous.”

“The interesting thing is that he doesn’t look like much of a threat.” Lucas thought about Harlan Rancourt’s surprisingly normal aura. “He’s definitely got some talent, but nothing special. Most of our security and research personnel are stronger. I’d say he’s probably an average intuitive talent.”

“If the rumors are true that he handled security for his father—not the routine enforcer stuff—Harlan tracked down the monsters. They said the bad guys never saw him coming.”

“That was over five years ago,” Lucas said. “We’ve always considered the possibility that he was there that night and that the blast was meant for us. We figured something went wrong with the timing, right? The bomb exploded prematurely? If Harlan was nearby, he might have been wounded by the blast. The shock waves could have done permanent damage to his energy field.”

Victor tipped his head to one side and squinted a little. “That might explain why he is no longer a high-end talent, assuming he was in the old days. But just because he lacks some serious psychic power doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous.”

“Granted”—Lucas exhaled—“it’s easier to commit murder with a gun than it is to do it with some exotic monster talent.”

“But the gun or a knife or any other weapon always leaves evidence,” Victor said. “Regardless, what worries me now is that we don’t know his full agenda. I’m convinced he’s as desperate to locate Vortex as we are. But then what?”