Page 142 of Girl Between (Dana Gray FBI Mystery Thriller #5)

Jake paced the sidewalk as Creed barked orders over the radio.

The scene on the street was a spectacle of police, FBI, SWAT, EMS, and fire. If the blackout hadn’t warned Monroe they were coming, this surely would.

The grid search had flushed out two targets. A warehouse on Iberville and the Plaza Tower on Howard and Loyola. Creed had sent this same circus to each location, not wanting to gamble on Jake’s hunch, though he’d voiced his opinion multiple times that this was the only viable target.

Jake didn’t have proof. But he’d been doing this long enough to know when to trust his gut. Right now, his gut was screaming that this was the place.

There was a wrongness emanating from the condemned tower. And he wasn’t the only one who felt it.

“This building had three anonymous calls about vagrant activity in the past three weeks,” said one of the officers. “My money’s on this being Monroe’s hideout.”

Normally, Jake didn’t gamble. Not with lives. Not with Dana. But there was a fifty-fifty chance she was in there. He’d managed successful extractions with worse odds. But choosing wrong could cost him everything.

It made him second-guess himself. And he couldn’t afford to be hesitant right now. Not when less than a split-second could separate life from death.

“What do you think?” George asked from his position at Jake’s side.

“I think this is the place,” Jake replied.

“Are you sure?”

Jake had no proof. Nothing but a gut feeling. A gnawing intuition that Dana was near. He wanted more. He knew his friend would follow him if he said this was the place, but the tiny seed of doubt he’d allowed to creep in had taken root.

“I wish I was,” said Jake. “But I’m not willing to wait to find out I’m wrong. If she’s in there right now, and I’m standing out here with my dick in my hand …”

George lowered his voice. “I’m with you, Shep. I don’t care about Creed’s orders. Say the word and NOPD goes in.”

Praying he was right, Jake looked up at the 19 th floor, wishing for a sign.

But they were out of time. Creed had a team in place ready to cut the backup power. From here on out, they’d be running blind.