CHAPTER 346: NEW LAB

"Are you sure about this, Athena? Keeping him as a driver means he might become privy to your secret matters..." Ewan muttered as he stood with Athena by the side of the car, watching Aiden’s car arrive. They needed to move in at the same time; needed to be cautious.

It was obvious by the shattered glass pane of the phone booth that the lab had been tampered with, at least the exteriors. Athena believed the security system she had cocooned her lab with should be standing strong.

It would take a couple of days to pull it down. She had said to Ewan, a few minute ago, when he had parked the car by the road, right across the booth.

Assuming they had found out the location of the lab yesterday...

However, considering the time frame between when she had been tagged with the marker, there was a slim chance of the former being the case. Yet Athena was hopeful. She just couldn’t imagine her research being compromised.

"Yeah, I am sure. I have a good feeling about him. He would be trained by the Nimbus too. I am sure he is capable of withstanding the training." She replied to Ewan’s worry.

"Okay." Ewan accepted her logic. Didn’t they say women’s intuitions were always on point?

"Are we ready?" Aiden asked, as he met them in the company of Sandro and Zane, and other agents, each loaded with guns. They were not planning on having any more casualties today.

"Yes." Ewan answered, accepting a gun from Zane. Even though the enemy would know they were here, might send more troops to annihilate them, he would make sure to fight his best, with every arsenal he had. He wouldn’t be dying here today, not until he had dealt with those twins personally!

"Let’s move in."

They utilized the booth three at a time, with Athena heading down first with Ewan and Sandro.

"They couldn’t get past here..." Athena muttered, a smile in her voice. "They couldn’t get to use the elevator..."

"It was tailored to your thumbprint?" Ewan’s eyes ran over the dusty environment. It looked in the same condition as it had been yesterday.

"Not really. The press-on button is just hard to find. Only known to Aiden and me. He will do the chauffeuring..."

A chuckle.

"He won’t be happy about that."

Her smile widened when the comment earned a little smile from Ewan’s firm lips. He had been uptight since the tracker had been discovered in her body. Was it a sigh that...

Athena shook the thought. No more of those. They were in the middle of a mission, and Antonio was her boyfriend.

"So, if they couldn’t get through here then, did they give up?" Sandro asked, his eyes roaming around the underground channel.

Athena pursed her lips, then shook her head, noting the cracks on the walls.

"I think they are digging through the opposite end of the channel. Seeing my tracker had led them here, it was easier for them to pinpoint the location...or maybe they didn’t...and are just digging blindly till they get to the spot where my tracker had marked as my lab."

"Then it would mean that your guess was right," Ewan muttered, positioning himself to push the iron door.

"No, don’t. Sandro, please... you will have to push this door alone. Ewan, get out of there! You are obviously in pain!"

Sandro immediately pushed his friend gently out of the way, ignoring the latter’s glare. And at Athena’s signal, after inputting the codes, he pushed the metal door open, with all of his might. He was heaving in and out rapidly, by the time it was done.

"Wow..." He muttered when he saw the little sitting room. "Why didn’t you tell me about this, Ewan? I would have loved to play cards here..." He continued, noting the pack of cards on the center table.

Ewan scoffed. "It wasn’t my secret to tell."

By this time, more of the agents were now trooping into the hallway, including Old Mr. Thorne and his wife.

"So, this is it." Florence started when she stepped into the lab. "The place where magic happens."

Athena chuckled alongside her. "Just science, grandma. Just science."

Florence blushed to her roots. Grandma had never sounded so wonderful in her ears.

"So, my dear, have you discovered a location yet?" Old Mr. Thorne asked, happy with his wife’s happiness.

Athena shook her head. "Maybe I can find one this evening..."

"It can be late by then..." Aiden muttered, shaking his head, noting the cracks on the walls, his mind running through options.

"I have one. It’s in a good location... In a residential area, but it’s a good camouflage. You can use it as a lab for now. The lorry will be here in the next five minutes. We should start packing." Ewan spoke in one breath, shocking Athena.

"You already had it planned out?"

Her heart fluttered even as she spoke unhurriedly, her fingers itching to pat his face gently; anyway to convey her gratitude for the ways he had been turning up for her since this fiasco started.

"Yes. I am sorry I didn’t get it past you. I just got the go-ahead from Spider."

It must be part of the things he had been typing away on the phone when they had been waiting for vans, she thought, right before she hugged him, stunning him—stunning the people around.

Old Mr. Thorne, and his wife, couldn’t be happier. Already they were contemplating putting on their matchmaking gloves back. It had been a while.

Ewan took a moment to understand that Athena was hugging him really, before he returned the hug, clutching her tighter to himself, inhaling as much as he could, her beautiful fragrance, never mind what it was managing to upset down there.

"Thank you, Ewan. Thank you so much." Athena muttered, feeling her eyes getting worked up.

No. Not now. She insisted, and broke away from the hug, in time to see the devotion shining in Ewan’s eyes.

It scared her more than she had anticipated.

She moved away from him as if bitten, not sure what to do about this change of dynamic.

"You’re... welcome..." Ewan stammered-aware of what she had seen, scared that he had pushed her away-before pointing at the boxes.

"Let’s get packing..." He managed to steady his voice while turning away, swallowing as he felt her heated stare right at his back.