Page 44

CHAPTER 44

R aven jerked her arms again, trying to get them free. There was no use. She wasn’t going to get out of this on her own.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. In one way it felt like hours, and in another way like mere seconds.

But she’d heard more footsteps overhead. She was nearly certain music was being played also.

Could she be on a yacht? Were the wealthy being entertained overhead while she was being held captive down here?

That was her best guess.

The question was: How long did these people plan on leaving her down here? When she did see them again, exactly what did they plan on doing with her? What exactly was their end game?

Fear raked through her. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

Her mind raced through everything as she waited.

Something had been bugging her, something she hadn’t been able to put her finger on.

But she still wasn’t sure what that was.

It had something to do with those Ss.

And the word Sigma.

And the fact that her dad had seemed to recognize something about it.

She closed her eyes. As she did, a moment from the time she’d been held in captivity years ago flashed back into her mind.

She remembered one of her father’s enemies coming into the dungeon where she was being kept. It had been dark, and she hadn’t been able to make out his features as he’d paced in front of her. Yet even in the darkness, she knew he was different from the rest of the men she’d encountered. He was more poised.

And she’d felt a fear down to her bones as he’d told her what he was going to do to her when he returned later that evening.

It had been worse than she’d imagined.

As he’d knelt in front of her, taunting her, she dared to open her eyes. She stared directly into his chest. A pin on his lapel caught her eye.

Ss.

That was where she’d seen that symbol before.

But Jake had arrived a few hours later and rescued her.

That man had never been found, nor had she ever been told exactly who he was. A million times she wished she’d thought to look more closely at his face. But she hadn’t.

So someone who hated her father was in on this. They’d targeted Raven as a means of targeting him.

Could it be the same man? He was the mastermind behind this, wasn’t he?

But why go through all this trouble? Why not just shoot her? Or do something more certain than these games they’d been playing.

Unless maybe their purpose was twofold.

Maybe these people had another goal, but if in the process they could also harm Raven, then that would be a win-win.

But who else could be behind this?

It had to be someone who knew her—at least a little. There were too many details that seemed familiar.

Just then, more footsteps sounded. But these didn’t come from above. These sounded as if they came from down the hallway.

Then the door to the engine room opened.

Raven gaped at the person who stepped inside.

“I want to talk to the guys who came in with me.” Jake took a step toward his SUV. “I think one of them is in on this.”

Ty grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “We talked about this. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Outrage rushed through him. “You could have a mole within Blackout. That person could know where Raven is. That fact changes everything.”

“We know how hard this is,” Colton told him. “But we have to be patient if we want to smoke this person out.”

“Waiting isn’t going to help me find Raven.” Jake couldn’t keep the irritation from his voice.

“I get that,” Ty said. “I really do. And if we need to interrogate everyone here, we will.”

“We don’t have any time to waste.” Jake raked a hand through his hair, feeling the ash there. He probably looked like death warmed over. But that was the least of his concerns right now.

He only cared about Raven.

“She’s getting farther and farther away with every second that passes.”

Ty’s hand came down on his shoulder. “I know. Take a deep breath. You just survived an explosion meant to kill you.”

Jake did the opposite and blew out all the air in his lungs.

He usually wasn’t one to overreact. He was known for keeping a cool head.

But not right now.

Right now, apprehension rumbled inside him with no end in sight.

Cassidy took a phone call and stepped away.

Something about the conversation caught his attention.

Did this have something to do with Raven?

A moment later, she shoved her phone back into her pocket and turned to them, a new excitement in her gaze. “That was Jimmy James down at the marina.”

Jimmy James was the dockmaster. The man was rough around the edges but an overall good guy.

“I asked him to tell me if he ever sees anything suspicious,” Cassidy continued. “He told me a yacht docked at the harbor for a few hours. Some important political figure was onboard.”

“Was this person announcing who he was or something?” Ty asked.

“No, Jimmy James overheard two of the team members talking about him. It’s Senator Rollins.”

“Senator Rollins?” Colton’s eyes widened. “He’s the chairman of the armed services committee.”

“Yes—and a good person to target,” Ty added.

“Yes, and two guys just pulled up in a car and went aboard with an extra-large piece of luggage before taking off suddenly.”

“Wait . . . you think Raven was in that luggage?” Jake asked.

Cassidy nodded. “I do.”

“Then we need to get to that boat.”