Page 27 of Ground Zero

He’d started to trust her, started to believe she might actually come around to his side.

But what if her decision to help him had been purely tactical? What if she was playing a longer game, earning his confidence so she could lead a strike team directly to him?

Maverick saved his work and closed the laptop, his senses suddenly on high alert. He’d been so focused on the code that he’d let his guard down, stopped listening for approaching vehicles or footsteps on the wooden deck outside.

That was when he heard it.

A soft creak from the front porch.

The sound was too deliberate to be wind, too careful to be an animal.

Someone was out there, he realized.

His entire body tensed as he prepared himself for whatever might happen next.

CHAPTER 15

Moving silently, Maverick picked up his friend’s revolver from where he’d left it on the desk. The weapon felt familiar in his hands—not his preferred sidearm, but it would do.

Another creak sounded from the front porch. Closer this time.

He moved to the front door and stood to the side of it.

If Sheridan had betrayed him, if she’d led a team of federal agents or Sigma operatives to this location, he was about to find out just how much trouble he was really in.

The doorknob turned slowly, almost imperceptibly.

Maverick raised the gun and took aim, his military training kicking in despite the sick feeling in his stomach.

He’d trusted Sheridan Mendez with his life, and she might be about to prove that trust was misplaced.

He continued to listen.

He hadn’t heard the sound of any approaching vehicle. He’d heard no radio chatter. No coordinated movement to suggest a tactical team.

But someone was definitely out there preparing to come inside.

Taking a deep breath, Maverick gripped the .38 tighter and threw the door open, stepping into the doorway with his weapon raised.

A figure stood on the front porch, silhouetted against the late afternoon sun.

But it wasn’t who he’d expected.

Sheridan’s heart nearly stopped when she saw Maverick standing in the doorway, gun pointed directly at her chest.

For a split second, she wondered if she’d made a terrible mistake coming back here alone.

Then she remembered the pizza box in her hands and held it up like a shield.

“I just thought you could use something to eat.” She tried to keep her voice steady despite the adrenaline flooding her system.

She watched the tension drain from Maverick’s shoulders as recognition dawned in his eyes.

He lowered the weapon, but his guard remained up. His gaze swept past her, scanning the area behind her.

“Get inside.” He stepped back to let her enter. “Quickly.”

Sheridan slipped through the doorway, and Maverick continued his visual sweep of the surrounding area for another thirty seconds before closing and locking the door behind her.