Page 25 of Code Name: Tank (K19 Sentinel Cyber #4)

“Actually,” Tex’s voice came through the speakers, “I have to agree with Dragon. Something about this evidence bothers me. The files Alice and I have been analyzing all week show inconsistencies with what’s being presented here.”

“The inter-agency team has access to additional intelligence sources you don’t,” the secretary clapped back.

“Of course,” Tex replied, though his tone suggested he wasn’t entirely convinced.

“Will there be any follow-up interviews with Pierce?” Dragon asked.

“Treasury and the DOJ are handling all aspects of the case now. Pierce did say to tell you he’s sorry for involving you in this.”

“I want to talk to him,” Dragon said firmly.

Hartwell’s expression grew concerned. “Piper, that’s not possible. He’s in a secure location while the investigation continues.”

“Then, arrange something secure. I need to understand what happened.”

“Could we talk privately?” James motioned for Dragon to follow him into the hallway.

“No.”

He raised a brow.

“This isn’t about feelings. It’s about getting answers.”

“I know you need closure,” Hartwell said gently. “But right now, our priority has to be stopping any remaining threats. Pierce gave us intelligence about the theft operation, but there could be others involved.”

“What kind of others?” Dragon asked.

“That’s what we’re working to determine.” He looked round the room. “I showed you the courtesy of closing this investigation personally. I didn’t need to do that.” Hartwell’s impatience came through his voice. “Now, I need to return to DC.”

“DC? Is that where he’s being held?” Dragon pressed.

“I can’t answer that.” He stalked out of the command center, leaving everyone stunned.

“Did he say ‘closing this investigation’?” Atticus asked.

“He did,” Admiral responded. “The finalization documents arrived in my email while he was still here.”

As we left the command center, I watched Dragon’s expression change.

“Something about this doesn’t feel right,” she said once we were outside and on the way to her camp.

“What, specifically?”

“The timing, the presentation, even James’s demeanor.” She shook her head. “I can’t put my finger on it, but something else is at play here.”

It had been two days since the secretary arrived to close the case and inform us that Flint was in custody. My gut was screaming at me that Dragon was right to think we weren’t getting the whole story, but I couldn’t figure out why.

She had been quiet since he dropped the bomb on us, and I could see her working through the inconsistencies I was.

“I keep going over it,” she said as we sat in front of the fire at the end of the day. “The timing, how quickly everything wrapped up.”

“What bothers you most?”

She faced me. “Flint doesn’t want to talk to me? That doesn’t sound like him. He came here to convince me he’d changed. Why would he suddenly not want any contact?”

I agreed that didn’t add up.

“Maybe the situation is more serious than we know,” I suggested. “If he’s cooperating with the investigators…”

“Then, he’d want me to know that too.” Dragon shook her head. “I hate to say this, but James is lying to me. Not just me, all of us.” She rested her head on my shoulder, then raised it again. “Plus, something about the federal procedures bothers me,” she continued.

“Ever heard of a witness being interrogated by the Treasury before?”

“No. Have you?”

I shook my head. “Never.”

Alice was the only one in the command center when we walked in the next morning. She looked better than I’d seen her in weeks.

“I’m glad you’re here. Admiral wants a team briefing in twenty minutes.”

“Actually,” Dragon said, “maybe you can help us think through something. I’ve been going over what James told us, and some details feel unclear.”

“Which details?”

“Something feels off about the procedure process. Why aren’t we hearing more from the DOJ?” Dragon shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe we should get clarification,” Alice suggested.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Dragon agreed.

Alice’s eyes opened wide. “Well, duh. Why don’t we just ask our DOJ contact? Brenna could clarify the procedures in five minutes.”

Dragon and I exchanged a look. It was such an obvious solution.

“Of course she could,” Dragon said.

“I’ll reach out to her,” Alice said, pulling up Brenna’s contact information. She dialed, waited, then frowned. “Straight to voicemail.”

She tried again with the same result. “Let me call her office line.” There was a long pause. “That’s weird. The automated message says she’s on administrative leave through the end of the month.”

“She’s on leave in the middle of our investigation?” Dragon asked.

“When did her leave start?” I asked.

“According to this, the day after Flint disappeared.”

“That’s concerning,” Dragon said.

“Maybe there’s a family emergency?” Alice suggested, though she didn’t sound convinced.

“Let me make some discreet inquiries,” I offered. “Different contacts, different perspectives.”

I stepped into the hallway and made three quick calls to former colleagues at various agencies.

“Learn anything?” Dragon asked when I returned.

“What Hartwell’s doing isn’t just atypical; he’d get called on the carpet for it, even at the cabinet level,” I said.

“Argh. We need to talk to someone.” Dragon rubbed her temples. “But who?”

“I have an idea,” Alice said. “What about McTiernan?”

Dragon gasped. “That’s perfect! He knows governmental procedures inside and out. Annoyingly so.”

“Plus, he’d have no reason to complicate things if the procedures are standard,” I added.

“And we can ask him about Brenna’s sudden leave,” she continued.

Alice nodded. “I’ll set it up.”

The command center hummed with quiet tension as we assembled. Admiral sat near the front, Alice to his right, with her laptop ready for the video connection. Atticus took his usual spot nearby, while Dragon settled beside me.

“Everybody ready?” Admiral asked. Without waiting for a response, Alice’s screen came to life, showing CIA Director McTiernan.

“Good morning, everyone,” Money said. “Alice said you have some procedural questions?”

“Morning, sir,” Admiral replied. “Are you aware that Brenna Austen, our DOJ contact, is suddenly on administrative leave?”

McTiernan’s brow furrowed. “Brenna? No, I wasn’t aware. When did that start?”

“Three days ago,” Dragon answered. “The timing seemed unusual.”

“You’re right to be concerned,” McTiernan said. “Let me look into that. What else can I help clarify?”

“We need to ask about Cory Pierce,” Admiral said. “Treasury Secretary Hartwell says he’s in federal custody and our investigation is closed. We’re trying to piece this all together.”

“Cory Pierce?” McTiernan’s expression grew thoughtful. “What’s the situation?”

“Hartwell says Treasury has him in custody.”

“Interesting.” McTiernan looked at something off screen. “Treasury doesn’t handle federal-level custody of any kind. That’s DOJ jurisdiction.” He looked directly at the camera. “I need to make some calls.”

“Thanks, sir,” Admiral said.

“I’ll be back in touch soon,” McTiernan replied before abruptly disconnecting.

After the screen went dark, the team sat in silence. “So, uh, I don’t even know what to say.”

“Let’s start with good night. We’ll take this up again in the morning,” said Admiral. “Ready, sweetheart?” he said to Alice, who shook her head.

“Tex and I have a couple of ideas. I’ll be up soon.”

Admiral stepped forward so Tex could see him. “She’ll get back to you in fifteen. If she insists on working, it’s going to be from the main residence, not alone in the boathouse.”

As we walked out, I felt Dragon’s eyes on me.

“What?” I asked.

She smiled. “That’s what you’d do.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I insisted on working, you’d make sure I was somewhere safe and warm instead of telling me not to.”

She was right. I’d never tell her what to do, and it wasn’t only because I respected the hell out of her—I also loved her. Not that she was ready to hear me say it yet.