Page 56 of Code Name: Admiral

“Roger that.”

I was about to tell him about Grit’s accusation, but decided to wait. I hadn’t met Sweeney until after Diesel and I graduated from Cornell, and since he’d never worked for the bureau, he didn’t know him.

Before I could retreat to the morning room to talk to Alice, Tank returned.

“What’s your read on Grit?” Diesel asked when he walked in.

Tank hesitated.

“Go ahead,” I told him, quickly changing my mind about reading Diesel in. I’d ensured Tank overheard the entirety of my conversation with Grit and was anxious to get his opinion.

“He’s either telling the truth, or he’s one hell of an actor.”

Diesel’s head cocked. “What about?”

“He thinks Chad Sweeney is the mole.”

“Wait. Isn’t he the bureau’s deputy director?”

“Affirmative.” I turned to Tank. “What’s your gut telling you?”

“About Grit or Sweeney?”

“Either.”

Tank shook his head. “I can’t explain it, but I don’t think Grit’s our guy. I don’t know about Sweeney,” he said in a low tone of voice.

“What about any of the agents he sent?” Diesel asked.

“Professional, by-the-book types. Nothing stands out except maybe being too clean.”

I nodded. Sometimes, the absence of red flags was a red flag itself.

“There’s something else I wanted to mention,” Tank added. “Blackjack picked up chatter about additional movement in the city. Alessandro Castellano’s people are getting restless, and get this. Vincent’s gone dark.”

Dark? Interesting. He wouldn’t be for long once Alice got wind of it. No doubt she’d find him in a heartbeat.

“Are the brothers turning on each other?” Diesel asked.

“Looking that way. Alice’s digital breadcrumbs might be having the desired effect.”

Speaking of Alice, I was growing impatient to see her. I hadn’t since my conversation with Grit began, and I needed to. She’d become my touchstone. While she used crystals, sage, and meditation to find her balance, I’d come to rely on her soothing presence to find mine.

“If there’s nothing else, gentlemen…”

“In other words, he wants to spend time alone with Alice,” said Diesel, motioning for Tank to follow him out.

It wasn’t something I’d apologize for, and both men knew it.

As soon as I saw her seated in the same place she’d been earlier, a sense of peace settled over me.

“Hey,” she said, rubbing her eyes when I approached.

I stood behind her and massaged her shoulders. “You need to rest.”

“I’m fine.”

“Alice.” I turned her chair to face me. “You’re going cross-eyed.”