Page 34 of Deadly Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #2)
The abandoned naval communications station loomed against the twilight sky, its weathered exterior belying the sophisticated sanctuary within.
Perched on a remote stretch of the Northern California coast, its crumbling Cold War infrastructure provided perfect cover for Knight Tactical’s most secure safehouse.
Olivia watched through the window as Griff secured their plane in one of the old hangars, the plane’s sleek lines incongruous against the derelict building.
Inside was another world entirely. Warm light spilled from recessed fixtures, illuminating polished concrete floors and state-of-the-art security cameras hidden behind peeling paint.
The kitchen gleamed with professional-grade appliances, and Olivia could smell coffee brewing from what looked like a coffee shop’s worth of equipment.
“Thank you, Lord, for your protection and guidance,” Deke’s deep voice resonated as the team stood in a circle, hands clasped. “Watch over us as we seek justice and truth. Amen.”
“And thank you for this fully stocked kitchen,” Izzy added, already heading for the refrigerator. “Though I need to be back home by Tuesday. Promised Chantal I’d help with the sledding races at school.”
From the communications room, Ronan’s voice carried, “Miss you too, babe. Tomorrow night, then?” A chorus of exaggerated kissing sounds from Zara and Kenji had him slamming the door, but not before they caught his reddening face.
The pure normalcy of the moment hit Olivia like a physical ache. These people had lives, connections, homes to return to. She glanced at Margaret Voss, sitting calmly under guard in the living room, and wondered if the woman was genuinely trying to help or leading them into another trap.
“I can help you find the evidence James left,” the woman said, her voice carrying across the room as the team dispersed from their prayer circle. “I worked with him for three years. I know how he thought.”
Olivia’s hand went to her throat, where the cricket pendant lay against her collarbone—another piece of the puzzle Voss had somehow known to give her. “Why should we trust you?”
“Because Bing Driscoll killed my partner too.” Voss’s expression hardened. “Six months before James. Made it look like a heart attack. By the time I pieced it together, James was already closing in on the truth about Cerberus.”
Kenji and Zara exchanged glances. Izzy paused in unpacking supplies, her usual energy subdued.
“You work counter-intelligence,” Axel said flatly. “Lying is literally your job description.”
“True.” Voss met his gaze steadily. “But James embedded failsafes in his code. Patterns only Olivia would recognize. Family references, shared memories. I can help identify where to look, and with luck, I might even find them, but I can’t decode them without her. ”
“Or you’re setting us up,” Axel countered. “Leading us exactly where Driscoll wants us.”
“The nomination hearing is in three days,” Voss pressed. “After that, he’ll be untouchable. This is our window.”
Olivia felt the weight of everyone’s eyes. The cricket pendant, James’s old nicknames for her, the references to their childhood games—it all meant something.
But trusting Voss meant risking everything.
“I need a minute,” she said, standing. She caught Axel’s slight nod toward the deck outside. They needed to talk this through.
The wind whipped Olivia’s hair as she stepped onto the deck, carrying the scent of sea salt and pine. Behind her, Axel closed the door with a soft click. For a moment, they both watched the moonlight silver the waves below.
“You want to trust her,” he said. Not a question.
“The cricket pendant, Axel. It was something only James would know about.” She turned to face him. “That’s not in any CIA file.”
“Or Voss got it from James himself, before setting him up.” His jaw tightened.
“You’re a Christian. Don’t you believe in redemption?” The words came out sharper than she intended.
Something flickered in his eyes. “One hundred percent. I also believe in years of field experience that tells me when something looks too convenient, it usually is.”
“So what’s your solution? Keep running? Let Driscoll win?”
“My solution is to protect you.” He stepped closer, and for a moment, the intensity in his face made her breath catch. “That’s my job.”
“Just your job?” The words hung between them.
Axel’s expression shuttered. “We can use Voss, but on our terms. Feed her selective information. Set our own trap within whatever trap she might be planning.”
The pragmatic response shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. Olivia wrapped her arms around herself, turning back to the ocean. “You really don’t trust anyone, do you?”
“I trust facts. Evidence. Things I can verify.” He paused. “The heart is deceitful above all things, Olivia.”
“And desperately wicked,” she finished the verse. “I know my Bible too. But there’s more to it than that.”
The silence stretched between them, filled with things unsaid.
Finally, she nodded. “Okay. We use her knowledge, but keep her in the dark about our real plans. It’s the smart play.” She moved toward the door, then stopped. “But just so you know … sometimes the biggest risk isn’t in trusting too much. It’s in not trusting enough.”
She felt his eyes on her as she went inside, and tried to ignore the ache in her chest. Whatever was building between them didn’t matter. Clearly, Axel’s walls were built too high for anyone to scale.