“Then it’s settled,” White said.
“I thought so, too, but when I mentioned that the new version of Drain would launch anyway, his whole demeanor changed. He wasn’t happy.”
That didn’t make much sense to White. “Did he tell you why? I’m sure there’s a good explanation.”
“No, but I can’t help but wonder if he has anything to do with me not being able to access the servers.”
“No. No way, Vonnie. That seems too far fetched,” White said. “I know your dad, honey. Why would he care if the revamped mobile app launches or not?”
“That, Clay, is exactly what I’m wondering. I have to find a way to get back to California. I’ll call you later.”
“What? California? You can’t,” White said. “We don’t have enough information about tonight’s attack, Veronica. Listen to your dad and stay in Texas for a little while. It’s the best way to keep you safe, okay?”
There was no reply. “Vonnie?”
White looked at his phone. His fiancée had hung up on him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Oxley Vineyards
Kommetjie, South Africa
Oxley, who was now on his fourth drink, had been more than a little anxious to hear back from Krantz. So when his phone rang, he picked it up right away.
“Please brighten my day, Abelard,” he said. “How did it go?”
“No issues in San Francisco. Van Heerden’s men have been silenced.”
At last some good news, Oxley thought. “What about Palo Alto?”
“Palo Alto was interesting, to say the least,” Krantz replied. “The start-up is done for, like you asked, but I was interrupted by three special agents from the CID. They broke into SkyCU while I was still inside.”
Oxley stopped breathing. The CID? “I assume you left them there?”
“Correct.”
“How sure are you they were really from the CID?” Oxley asked, running his fingers through his hair.
“Their military identification cards looked legit,” Krantz said. “I took pictures of their faces. I’ll send them to you.”
In a burst of rage, Oxley threw his tumbler across the room. It smashed against a bookcase, missing by less than a foot the expansive aquarium his wife had gifted him for his fifty-fifth birthday, showering glass, ice, and single malt on the hardwood floor. This entire operation was rapidly degenerating into a full-scale fiasco.
He needed to regain control over his emotions. Oxley prided himself on his ability to remain calm, whatever was thrown at him.
“Please do,” he told Krantz, wondering what the CID presence meant. There was no way Hammond could have identified Oxley’s involvement in the attack on his daughter so quickly. Then another possibility occurred to him.
From the corner of his eyes, Oxley noted movement. It was his wife. Adaliya had entered the study without knocking, a worried look on her face.
“I’ll look into our options and get back to you with a new set of instructions,” Oxley said, gesturing Adaliya to stay put, afraid she could step on broken shards of glass and hurt herself. “For now, I want you to get the hell out of San Francisco and find a place to hunker down until I contact you again.”
“Understood.”
“Let me know if you need anything, my friend,” Oxley said. “I’ll be in touch.”
Oxley placed the phone on his desk and looked at the only woman he had ever loved. As always, he found it difficult to avert his eyes once they were set on her. Adaliya was a tall, slim, and vivacious woman in her forties who always carried herself with practiced elegance. She had long jet-black hair and dark, sparkling eyes. The plush white bathrobe she had wrapped around her contrasted with her dark skin. She was leaning against the doorframe, her hands deep in the pockets of her robe.
“What happened here?” she asked, contemplating the wet mess on the floor. “That better not be one of the tumblers my brother gave you.”
“Come this way,” he said, his fingers drawing a path around the broken glass.
Oxley slouched back into his leather chair, letting his head fall forward and using his hand to massage the back of his neck.
“Let me take care of this,” his wife said, taking over.
Oxley closed his eyes, enjoying his wife’s warm touch on his skin. The primary mission had failed, but at least Krantz had taken care of SkyCU Technology. The unforeseen presence of three CID agents disturbed him. The more he thought about it, the more Oxley was convinced the CID agents were there for the same reason Krantz had been. To neutralize Drain. Although Alexander Hammond himself didn’t have much sway with the CID anymore, Oxley knew someone who did. Tom Girdner. Another American general who had contributed to CONQUEST.