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“We don’t think so.” Daniel had promised her honesty, and that’s what she would get, even if it hurt him to scare her. “Not yet. The attacks are too uncoordinated. Tobias is smart enough to avoid jail, but his men aren’t as careful as he is. Still, it’s only a matter of time before Gideon figures out you’re alive and that Tobias is using you to find the evidence Lena collected.”
“I don’t have the evidence.” Ellie came to an abrupt stop, the carpet covering the wood floor bunching under her feet. “I never did. Otherwise, I would’ve handed it over to the FBI years ago.”
“It’s possible Lena gave it to you without your knowledge,” Jonah offered. “Or she left a backup somewhere. A place only the two of you would know.”
Ellie's forehead creased in concentration as she considered those options. “I suppose it’s possible, but that wasn’t her style. Lena didn’t trust anyone. She only handed off files in person. Even then, she used encryption codes…” Her expression brightened with realization. “What if the FBI recovered something from the warehouse where Lena and I were shot? They may have the evidence but not realize it.”
Cole leaned forward in his chair, planting both feet on the ground. “Wouldn’t the FBI have gone over that scene with a fine-tooth comb and examined anything electronic they found?”
“Not necessarily,” Jonah said. “Lena was dead. The warehouse was used by transients. If the evidence wasn’t obviously connected to the case, or was encrypted beyond their ability to crack, they might’ve archived it with the rest of the digital overflow.”
Ellie bobbed her head in agreement. “Lena was paranoid. She could’ve hidden the evidence on a burner phone or a generic flash drive. Something ordinary enough to be logged and forgotten if no one knew what it was, especially if it wasn’t found on her body, but somewhere nearby.”
Daniel had to admit it was possible. Evidence from chaotic scenes like that warehouse sometimes fell through the cracks, especially if resources were pulled to other cases.
“How does the FBI mole fit into all of this?” Ellie asked. “If Gideon doesn’t know I’m alive, and Tobias is the one after me, then why didn’t anyone respond when I called the emergency line?”
“We don’t know.” Daniel massaged his temples. A headache was brewing. “We can’t even confirm there is a mole. It’s possible the attackers tracked your personal phone, and that’show they found us at the hospital. We’re being cautious by not informing the Bureau until we know more.”
The front door opened. Lieutenant Rodriguez strode in, her expression dark. She’d been outside coordinating with local and county authorities to track the suspects. From the look on her face, the search hadn’t gone well.
“The perpetrators may have acted like reckless fools,” Vikki announced, “but they planned their escape well enough to evade capture. I suspect this stunt was designed to frighten Ellie into finding the evidence.”
Daniel quickly brought her up to speed on their discussion. Vikki considered Ellie’s theory for a long moment. “How would we find out what evidence the FBI collected from the warehouse without alerting the Bureau?”
“My former boss, James Callahan, would know,” Ellie offered. “He’s retired now, but he was responsible for processing the warehouse. He knows I’m alive but doesn’t know my new identity. The Bureau created it using internal systems and buried the paperwork under layers of red tape so deep only a few people could ever find it. James was the one who insisted on that. He wanted to make sure no one, not even the Bureau itself, could track me down. But if anyone could give us answers without putting me or Owen at risk, it’s him.”
“Jonah, track him down, please.” She directed her attention back to Daniel. “In the meantime, I want your surveillance footage. Ryker and Gavin are pitching in to help on the case.”
Ryker Montgomery and Gavin Sterling were members of their ranger team. Both men were exceptional investigators, and Daniel was glad for their help.
“We’ll try to identify the shooters and tie them to either Tobias or Gideon,” Vikki continued. “We’ve also collected bullets and casings. If their weapons were used in another crime, it could help us identify them.”
Daniel inclined his head. “Don’t forget the blood from Mr. Broken Nose. Chief O’Neal sent it to the lab. We should have the DNA results by now.”
Vikki pulled out her phone. “I’ll follow up.”
Progress. They still had more questions than answers, but there was forward momentum now.
Daniel prayed it would be enough. They needed to stop this for Ellie and Owen’s sake. The men hunting her had made foolish mistakes, which gave them an edge, but all of that would change the moment Gideon or someone from the Iron Fist learned Special Agent Elizabeth Conway was alive and well.
Those men would shoot to kill.
TWELVE
Hours later, the gentle lull of the vehicle threatened to put Ellie to sleep. Country music played softly from the radio and miles of highway stretched beyond the beam of their headlights. Jonah hadn’t been able to locate a phone number for her former boss, only an address. He lived about three hours from Silver Creek, in a tiny tourist town near the Brazos River.
Ellie prayed James would have answers.
She glanced at her watch. Another forty minutes to go. Night had fully fallen, and the darkness pressing in around them felt heavier now that they'd left the highway for a narrow country road. Daniel's gaze was fixed straight ahead, his profile lit faintly by the dashboard. He'd been quiet for most of the ride. The silence wasn't awkward exactly, but it had weight, as if he was mulling something over.
Ellie couldn't shake the feeling that he was having second thoughts about trusting her. She'd promised to be honest, but words were cheap. She'd have to prove herself through actions, and that would take time they might not have. The whole situation was frustrating. It was also her fault. Every step forward seemed to bring a new challenge.
What bothered her most—and she knew it wasn't logical—was how much his doubt stung. Somehow, Daniel's opinion mattered more than it should. And that only fueled her frustration. Her life was in chaos, and here she was trying to interpret mixed signals from a man she barely knew. She had more important things to focus on, for Owen’s sake, if not her own.
Which reminded her… “Should we check on things back at the ranch?”
“We called twenty minutes ago.” Daniel shot her a quick look. “I know it’s nerve-racking to leave Owen behind, but I promise, he’s safe. The ranch hands are on high alert, and Cole might joke around, but he takes his job seriously. He won’t let anything happen to my mom or Owen.”