Page 33 of Deadly Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #2)

With Izzy’s drones guiding them and making certain they weren’t followed, it didn’t take much longer than normal to pilot the powerful SUV back up to the safehouse. Axel lifted a prayer of thanks for the successful mission, never once taking his eyes off the older woman in the seat beside him.

Once back inside the safehouse, Ronan gave out orders for watch duty while Axel kept his eyes on Margaret Voss sitting calmly at the kitchen table. She didn’t look like much—mid-fifties, sensible haircut, practical clothes—but twenty-plus years of tradecraft meant she was far from harmless.

Olivia leaned against the wall, glaring at Voss, fingers tugging at the tiny cricket pendant Voss had given her. “What do you know about my brother? Were you two working together?”

Her questions came out in a predictable rush. He wanted answers, too. So did the rest of the team. But interrogating an asset with Voss’s background had to be done strategically.

Not that Olivia would know that. Or care at the moment.

Lucky for them, Voss appeared more than willing to engage.

She raised a hand, eyes on Olivia. “I know you’ve got a lot of questions.

I’ll get to them. Trust me. But before I talk about James, you need background context.

Operation Cerberus began as a legitimate program—identifying domestic terror cells through social media analysis.

But Driscoll twisted it, using the data to blackmail politicians, judges, anyone useful.

” She looked at Olivia. “Your brother discovered Driscoll was selling intel to private military contractors. When James threatened to expose it, Driscoll arranged his ‘suicide.’”

Axel’s stomach clenched at the clinical way Voss delivered this bomb. He watched Olivia carefully, noting the slight whitening of her knuckles where they rested on the table, the barely perceptible tightening around her eyes.

But her voice, when she spoke, was steady. “The phone in the safety deposit box,” Olivia said. “That was you?”

Voss nodded. “I needed you to find James’s note, but safely. The coded message ensured only you could access it, even if Driscoll’s people forced you there.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry about the complexity. I had limited options.”

Zara looked up from her computer, catching Axel’s eye before turning to Voss. “You’re Agency. Or you were.”

The older woman nodded. “I’m still active. Barely. Once Driscoll had James killed, I started planning my exit, but I couldn’t leave without taking Driscoll down first. One last mission and I’m out for good.”

“Why now?” Axel demanded. “Why is Driscoll suddenly so desperate?”

“He’s about to be nominated for a cabinet position. He can’t risk Olivia piecing together what she might have heard from James.” Voss’s eyes fixed on Olivia. “Your brother died trying to expose them. Driscoll was using Cerberus to build a shadow network of influence. James had proof.”

Axel watched Olivia absorb this. The weight of it settled visibly on her shoulders—her brother died a hero. But that truth came with its own burden.

Kenji appeared in the doorway. “Perimeter check complete. We’re clear for now, but the snow’s getting worse. Local channels are calling for a full whiteout by nightfall.”

Axel nodded, mentally adjusting their exit timeline. Bad visibility worked both ways—good for concealment, bad for rapid evacuation if needed. He studied Voss, who met his gaze steadily.

“There’s more,” she said. “James left a failsafe. Data that would expose everything—not just Cerberus, but the entire network Driscoll built. Names, dates, transactions.” She glanced at Olivia.

“He encoded it into patterns only you would recognize. Patterns in your shared history. We just have to figure out where he stored it.”

Zara shifted position, her weapon never wavering from Voss. “You’re saying Dr. Kane has the key to exposing a major intelligence scandal, and she doesn’t even know it?”

“James was brilliant that way,” Voss said softly. “He hid the truth in plain sight, knowing his sister would eventually see the patterns. That’s why Driscoll’s getting desperate. The nomination hearing is in three days. If Olivia puts the pieces together before then ...”

The implications hung in the air. Axel saw Olivia’s hands clench in her lap, saw the subtle straightening of her spine. He recognized that look. She was done running. That meant his job was about to get a lot more complicated.

A muffled thump from upstairs had everyone’s weapons up. Ronan’s voice came through their comms. “Just ice falling from the roof. We’re clear.”

But Axel had made his decision. “We need to move.”

“Copy that, bro.” Ronan jumped to his feet. “Knight Tactical has more safehouses than I have socks. I’ll call the big boys, see what’s available. ”

Izzy cracked her knuckles. “I can have the Pilatus ready for takeoff in less than an hour, if you pilot types think we’re good to go wheels up in this storm.”

Ronan and Griff shared a long look. “I’m good if you are,” Ronan challenged.

Their quiet teammate smiled, the barest movement of his lips. “This ain’t nothing. Let’s haul butt.”

Flying into this soup made Axel’s stomach twist, but he’d do anything to get Olivia farther away from Driscoll.

He shot Ronan a grateful look and then addressed the group.

“Pack it up. We move in fifteen.” He caught Olivia’s eye.

“Whatever patterns your brother left, you’ll have to solve them somewhere else. This location’s been active too long.”

As his team moved with practiced efficiency, Axel watched Voss watching Olivia. The CIA agent’s expression was unreadable, but there was something in her eyes—relief? Fear? He couldn’t tell. But one thing was certain—they were now playing a much bigger game than simple witness protection.