"Shadow Game" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feehan Christine)

remember the last time he had smiled, but the impulse was there. He kept his
back to the group, not certain he could keep a straight face while she lied to
the colonel. Lily Whitney had no idea what was going on; her father had given
her very little information and she was simply winging it. Her dislike of
Higgens, compounded by her father's unusual behavior, had put her firmly in
Ryland's camp for the moment.
He had no idea what Peter Whitney's game was, but the man was buried deep in the
mire. The experiment to enhance psychic ability and bring together a fighting
unit had been his project, his brainchild. Peter Whitney had been the man who'd
persuaded Ryland the experiment had merit. That his men would be safe and that
they would better serve their country. Ryland couldn't read the doctor as he now
could most men, but whatever Whitney was up to, Ryland had become convinced it
wasn't anything that would benefit him or his men. Donovans Corporation had a
stench about it. If there was one thing Ryland knew for certain, Donovans was
about money and personal profit, not national security.
"Can you read that code your father uses for his notes?" Higgens asked Lily
Whitney, suddenly losing interest in Ryland. "Gibberish if you ask me. Why the
hell don't you just put your work in English like a normal human being?" He
snapped the question at Peter Whitney irritably.
At once Ryland swung around, his gray gaze thoughtful as it rested on the
colonel. There was something there, something he couldn't get hold of. It was
shifting, moving, ideas formulating and growing. Higgens's mind seemed a black
ravine, twisted and curved and suddenly cunning.
Lily shrugged. "I grew up reading his codes; of course I can read it."
Ryland sensed her growing puzzlement as she stared at the combination of
numbers, symbols, and letters across the computer screen.
"What the hell are you doing getting into my private computer files, Frank?"
Peter Whitney demanded, glaring at the colonel. "When I want you to read a
report, I'll have the data organized and the report will be finished and
up-to-date, neatly typed in English. You have no business in my computer either
here or at my office. My research on many projects is on my computer and you
have no right to invade my privacy. If your people go anywhere near my work,
I'll have you locked out of Donovans so fast you won't know what hit you."
"This isn't your personal project, Peter." Higgens glowered at all of them.
"This is my project too and as the head of it, you don't keep secrets from me.
You don't make any sense in your reports."
Ryland watched Lily Whitney. She remained very quiet, listening, absorbing
information, gathering impressions, and soaking it all up like a sponge. She
seemed relaxed, but he was very aware she had glanced toward her father, waiting
for some sign, for a hint of how to handle the situation. Whitney gave her
nothing, didn't even look at her. Lily hid her frustration very well. She
shifted her gaze back to the computer screen, leaving the others to their
argument, clearly another long-standing one.
"I want something done about Miller," Higgens said, acting as if Ryland couldn't
hear him.
I'm already dead to him. Ryland whispered the words in Lily Whitney's mind.
All the better for you and your men. He's pressing my father hard about pushing
this project forward, not terminating it. He isn't satisfied with the findings
and doesn't agree it is dangerous to all of you. Lily didn't look away from the
computer or give away in any manner that she was communicating with him.