The Price of Disrespect (Gray Spear Society Book 6) Read Online Free Page A

terms of cost per ounce, the exotic material was as expensive as gold.
    The science laboratory was directly across the hall, and Aaron pushed open the door. Kamal was standing in front of a very complex piece of equipment made mostly of stainless steel tubes and small glass portals. He was a native of the United States, but his parents had come from Southern India, and his skin was very dark. He wore a white button-up shirt, brown slacks, and polished black leather shoes. He prided himself on being the best dressed member of the team. Today, the top button of his shirt was open, a sign of great distress. The move had been difficult for everybody.
    Aaron put the box on a table and looked around the laboratory. Some of the equipment had been unpacked, but most was still in crates. At this rate, it would take a week for Kamal to finish moving in.
    Somebody else was hiding behind the equipment that Kamal was working on.
    "Check the vacuum pump now," Smythe said.
    "The indicator is still red," Kamal replied. "Are you sure it's on the 220 volt circuit?"
    "Pretty sure."
    Aaron walked over and saw his second in command kneeling on the floor. Smythe was wrestling with thick electrical cables, and he seemed irritated.
    He looked up. "Oh, hi, sir."
    He had hair the color of rust, but it was cut so short it was hard to tell. His eyes were as blue as the summer sky. A strong jaw, beefy shoulders, and a tapering waist made him look like a comic book hero. He wore a gray T-shirt and jeans.
    "Maybe Nancy should handle the high voltage wiring," Aaron said. "I don't want you to electrocute yourself."
    "Nancy has ten thousand other tasks on her plate right now. I'll figure this out, sir. It's not that complicated."
    "If you say so. Still, rubber gloves might be a good idea. You may have an abundance of useful skills, but last I checked, you're not an electrician."
    "Yes, sir."
    Aaron went back to the elevator and grabbed another box. This one was labeled "computer."
    He carried the box down a long corridor with doors on either side. He walked into a large open area that was intended for training and exercise. A few blue mats were on the floor, and one of the stair climbers was turned on, but the rest of the equipment was still packed. There was a lot of open space, enough for a short running track. The cell occupied the entire top floor of the Rosemont Tower Hotel. They could afford to be a little wasteful with square footage.
    Aaron went through an open doorway into the computer room. Piles of disconnected computers and other technology components were scattered across the spacious floor. The twins possessed tons of equipment. Most of it would be mounted in racks that ran along the walls.
    Bethany was working behind one of the racks. He assumed she was Bethany because she was wearing an ornate diamond necklace with a huge pendant, known as the Eye of Satinia. Her skin looked deeply tanned but that was her natural color. Silky black hair flowed down her back. She had been born an Arabian princess, and the shape of her nose signaled her Middle-eastern heritage. As always, she wore a plain white shirt and a pleated red skirt. Her feet were bare. Aaron had seen her wear shoes only a few times in the many months he had known her.
    She looked at him. "Hello, sir."
    "Did you get any more information about the protest?" He placed the box he was carrying on a table.
    "I tried. There is a printout on the printer."
    He searched the room until he located the printer. He grabbed several sheets of paper from the output tray.
    "I identified those people as the leaders," Bethany said.
    Aaron examined the long list. Each name had the name of an organization beside it.
    "There must be a hundred people here."
    "A hundred and twelve, sir," she said.
    "And who are these groups? The Anti-wealth league. The Brigade for Basic Rights. The Alliance Against Corruption. The Ninety-nine Percenters?"
    He frowned. This situation reminded him of a trick criminals had