For a man with Matteo’s reputation, everyone in the room expected rage.
Instead, he became very still.
That stillness frightened Hargrove more.
“Where is Bell?”
Hargrove shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“You warned him.”
“No.”
“Someone did.”
“I didn’t.”
Dominic placed another document on the table.
“We know Bell emptied his apartment before Mercer’s files were recovered. We know the hospital administrator denied he worked on Elena’s case. Someone is still protecting him.”
Hargrove stared at the paper.
Then he said something none of them expected.
“Bell isn’t running.”
Matteo narrowed his eyes.
“What?”
Hargrove looked toward Nico.
“He’s waiting.”
Liana tightened her arms.
“For what?”
Hargrove’s expression filled with dread.
“For the children he monitored to get older.”
No one spoke.
Matteo’s voice dropped.
“Why?”
“Long-term results.”
Liana’s blood went cold.
Hargrove continued, barely audible.
“The study was never supposed to end in infancy.”
Dr. Sloan stepped forward.
“What follow-up?”
Hargrove looked at her.
“Immune development. Neurological response. Stress markers.”
Matteo looked at Nico.
All the unexplained crying.
The sensitivity.
The reactions.
The hospital records.
The missing intervals.
Hargrove whispered, “If Bell believes Nico is one of the surviving subjects, he may try to access his medical data.”
Matteo turned toward Dominic.
“Every hospital appointment. Every lab. Every specialist.”
Dominic understood.
“Could have exposed his location.”
Matteo looked toward the mansion’s security chief.
“Check every request for Nico’s records.”
The answer arrived twelve minutes later.
