Page 77 of Chain Reaction

She held her breath as she waited to hear the voice on the other end. “Raven?”

“Hi, Dad.” Her voice almost sounded flat, which wasn’t what she intended. Yet there was no way she could sound warm toward him either.

“What a surprise.”

She crossed an arm over her chest, her body tense as she gripped the phone. “Am I catching you at a bad time?”

“I just got back from dinner. What’s going on? Or are you calling just to catch up?”

Her life would look a lot different if she and her father had a relationship where she just called to catch up.

“I actually have a question for you.” She told him about the situation—about the bombs made to look like historical relics. About the picture of the Syrian embassy.

He made affirming sounds here and there, letting her know he was listening.

But as soon as she mentioned the word Sigma, he went quiet.

He knew something, Raven realized. Her pulse quickened.

She waited for him to share.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you,” he finally said.

Frustration welled in her. “You know something, don’t you? Dad, I really need to know?—”

“All I know is that it sounds like you’re in a bad situation.” His words sounded quiet and rushed. “You need to be very careful.”

“Who are these guys? Are they coming after me specifically?”

“I can’t tell you that. But you need to stay out of this.”

“Dad . . . if you know something, you need to tell me.”

Someone called to him in the background. “I have to go. But, please, listen to me. Get as far away from this situation as you can. Please.”

Before they could talk anymore, the line went dead.

Raven stared at the phone a moment and frowned.

What wasn’t he telling her?

Was the reason he was being quiet a matter of national security? Or was there another motive?

Had her dad gotten caught up in something he shouldn’t have? Was Raven now a target because of it?

Colton walked with Jake to the bomb site. Jake had wanted a moment alone with his superior to talk through things, so he jumped on the opportunity.

Though Ty had shared some while Raven was there, Jake knew his colleagues would share more without her present.

“So, Ty says there are no leads,” Jake started.

Colton’s jaw twitched. “Not really.”

Jake kept his steps steady. “I assume you checked the security footage?”

“We did. We didn’t see anything. But, of course, the area where the bomb was left isn’t covered by the cameras.”

“Convenient . . . almost like somebody knew that.” The words left a bitter taste in his mouth.