Page 79 of Chain Reaction

As she stood near a massive fireplace in the main room, she heard people talking. She looked up in time to see a couple of Jake’s teammates coming down the stairs. Atlas and Maverick if she remembered correctly.

They nodded hello before pausing near her.

She remembered how Jake said he wasn’t sure if he could trust them. The tidbit put her on edge. She needed to play it cool right now and not let on to that fact.

“You okay after yesterday’s fiasco?” Atlas asked. “That was a pretty rough situation.”

“You can say that again. I’m still a little shaky but incredibly grateful to be alive.” She smiled slightly.

“That’s a good way to look at it.” Atlas cast her a compassionate look. “To be grateful for life is to recognize that even in struggle we can find gifts and blessings.”

“Ignore him.” Maverick rolled his eyes. “He should have been a poet or the leading man in Hollywood.”

Raven couldn’t help but smile.

Maverick quickly sobered as he turned back to her. “We’ve been trying to get to the bottom of what happened.”

Raven had to wonder just how much he knew. Did Maverick have any idea that information had been stolen? That someone here could be a traitor?

“The timing couldn’t be worse,” Maverick continued. “Did you see those waves today?”

“That’s because there’s a storm brewing offshore,” Atlas reminded him with the shake of his head. He turned back to Raven. “This guy loves surfing more than breathing.”

“Technically, I really love breathing also.” Maverick shrugged. “What can I say? My lungs like air.”

Despite herself, she found herself smiling. These guys were likable.

But were they trustworthy?

Before they could talk anymore, Jake stepped back inside.

Raven’s heart gave an involuntary squeeze when she spotted him.

That reaction is not a good idea, she silently scolded herself.In fact, it’s a bad, bad idea.

She tried to read his expression. “Everything good?”

He nodded. “All things considered.” He glanced at his colleagues. “Any updates with you guys today?”

They both shook their heads.

“We’ve been busy,” Atlas said. “But no answers yet.”

“That’s what I thought,” Jake said.

Raven turned back to him. “So what’s next?”

“We’re free to leave.” He nodded to Atlas and Maverick. “We’ll be in touch.”

With a wave, they started toward the door.

But Raven knew the last thing she wanted was to go back to her house and twiddle her thumbs. There had to be more they could do to find answers.

Just as they climbed inside Jake’s Tahoe, her phone rang.

She glanced at the screen. “It’s Cassidy. I’ll put her on speaker.”

A moment later, Cassidy’s voice came through—although she sounded staticky, like they had a bad connection. “Raven, is Jake there with you?”