Page 25 of Ground Zero

Now, everything could crash around them.

“How bad is the breach?” Ty asked.

“They got pretty deep into the file structure before our countermeasures kicked in.” William still held the computer with one hand, but he wiped the sweat from his brow with the other. “They disconnected before we could trace their location.”

Sheridan slowly released the breath she’d been holding.

That had been close. Too close.

“Any indication of what they were after?” Colton shift in his seat, his gaze laser-sharp.

“I’m still analyzing everything, but it looks like this person was focused on personnel files and communication logs.”

Sheridan’s mind raced. Maverick was looking for evidence to clear his name. Evidence that one of the people in this very room might be working for Sigma.

She studied the faces around the table again with new eyes. Ty Chambers, calm and controlled. Colton Locke, hard with a calculating but intelligent gaze. Jake Laudner, quiet but determined.

What if Maverick was right?

What if one of these men was working for their enemy?

The thought sent ice through her veins. She’d been trained to trust her colleagues, to rely on the chain of command, to believe in the system that had shaped her career.

But Danny had trusted someone too.

And now Danny was dead.

“Agent Mendez.” Cook’s voice came through the speaker. “Now that this meeting is wrapping up and with Adams in the wind, I need you back with the rest of the team. It’s all hands on deck up here at the Pentagon.”

Her heart pounded harder.

He wanted her to leave? She couldn’t do that.

She needed to think fast.

Sheridan was still trying to figure out her game plan when Assistant Director Cook’s voice cut through the tension in the conference room.

“I expect everyone’s full cooperation on this,” he said. “It’s a matter of national security.”

Murmurs of “of course” and “yes, sir” went around the table.

Another stab of panic shot through Sheridan.

If she left now, she might never get another chance to figure out what was really happening. She’d be assigned another case. She’d be away from Maverick.

She couldn’t stomach the thought of walking away now. Maverick could be her best chance of figuring out who killed Danny.

And, if she was smart, she would remember that Maverick himself could still be responsible.

“Sir.” She addressed the speakerphone. “I’d like permission to remain on-site and continue the investigation from here.”

The room went quiet.

Ty Chambers paused in the middle of closing his briefcase, and she could feel the weight of four pairs of eyes studying her reaction.

She couldn’t show any cracks now.

Sheridan held her breath, waiting for Cook’s response. This was a gamble.