Page 10 of Ground Zero

She was keenly aware of the fact that he could turn on her at any moment and things could go sideways again. She’d be a fool to let down her guard.

“Not yet.” He turned onto a road that led away from the main tourist areas of Lantern Beach. “Whoever is behind this has access to Blackout’s communications. That means that we both may have been betrayed by people we trust.”

Sheridan studied his profile. The strong jawline, the way his still-damp hair curled at the edges, the focused intensity in his eyes. Everything about him suggested competence and integrity.

But someone had killed Danny. Had set up a meeting with him, shot him, and then fled.

And this person was still at large.

Danny hadn’t easily trusted people. The person who’d killed him was someone he’d let into his life, someone he’d counted on.

Sheridan was determined to figure out who that was.

She checked the side mirror, halfway expecting to see those guys appear behind them. But they were probably occupied right now looking through the houses under construction, thinking she and Maverick had hidden inside.

She turned to Maverick, carefully watching his expression for any signs of deceit. Right now, he looked solely focused on getting away with his life intact.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

His gaze jerked to hers. “Where am Itakingyou?”

Her muscles stiffened at the slight outrage in his voice. “Correct. That’s what I asked.”

He let out a half snort. “Listen, lady. I can let you out right here if you want. I’m not trying to take you anywhere—including taking you captive.”

Her defenses rose. “That’s a given—you’d have to try a lot harder to take me somewhere I’m not willing to go.”

He gave her a look—a half scowl, a half eye roll.

She drew in a deep breath to calm herself. “I just want to know where you’re headed.”

Maverick released a slow breath. “I’m still thinking about my options. I can’t go back to Blackout headquarters. I heard the FBI was swarming the place.”

“They are.”

Maverick stole a glance at her. “So why are you here? How did you find me, and why were you alone? Isn’t that against protocol?”

For some reason, his words caused a rush of irritation to wash through her. “Not that I need to explain anything to you, but, if you must know, I studied you before coming. Heard you liked to surf. That this was your favorite beach. That today was your day off.”

His eyes narrowed. “So you came here on your own?”

More irritation embedded itself in her muscles. “No, I came to Lantern Beach with my team. While they went to search Blackout for you, I told them I needed to follow another lead. My boss was only half listening as I told him. Otherwise, he would have sent someone with me. But I preferred to come alone. I do my best thinking by myself.”

“I get that.”

“So I decided to follow my hunch, track you down, and arrest you.”

He suddenly threw on the brakes right in the middle of Highway 12. Thankfully, no one was behind them.

He turned toward her with outrage filling his gaze. “I’m still under arrest?”

Sheridan’s mind raced. What kind of game was he playing? Was he truly innocent and trying to defend his honor? Or was he playing her like a fiddle?

If he pulled the wool over her eyes as the saying went, then she’d never live it down with her colleagues. Her career would be sunk.

But if she was right . . . not only would she find the truth, but she’d advance her career.

She licked her lips before saying, “That depends. What are you going to do if you’re not going back to Blackout?”