Page 42 of Ground Zero

The thought bothered her more than it should.

“Maverick . . .” She pushed off the wall and turned toward him, her breath catching at the sincere concern in his gaze. “Be careful while I’m gone.”

“You too.” He shifted and stretched his neck muscles.

She’d only taken a few steps toward the couch when he called her name.

“And Sheridan? Thank you. For trusting me. For risking everything to help stop this.”

Her heart filled with warmth.

“Thank me when we’ve saved the world.” She sat on the couch and pulled a throw blanket over herself.

But as she closed her eyes, she wasn’t thinking about saving the world.

She was thinking about the man keeping watch by the window and hoping they’d both survive long enough to figure out what was growing between them.

Maverick watched Sheridan’s breathing even out as she finally fell asleep on the couch.

She’d been exhausted, but it had taken her nearly an hour to stop checking the windows and actually close her eyes.

He envied her ability to rest. His mind spun with too many variables, too many unknowns. Less than seventy-two hours until Ground Zero, and they were no closer to stopping it.

He moved to the front window, keeping low as he scanned the street outside.

Empty—but that didn’t mean much. Professional operatives knew how to stay invisible.

The weight of his encrypted phone in his pocket felt like lead. He’d been avoiding this call all day, but time was running out.

He needed to know if anyone at Blackout still believed in him.

Maverick glanced back at Sheridan, making sure she was truly asleep. Then he stepped into the hallway and dialed Ty Chambers’ direct line.

He’d considered who to call. He’d almost decided on Jake.

But this went above Jake.

Ty and Colton needed to know what was going on. But he wouldn’t mention Sheridan. They didn’t know that Maverick was working with her. Not yet.

His boss answered on the first ring.

“Adams? Where are you, and what are you thinking?”

Even through the whispered conversation, Ty’s voice carried the mix of relief and frustration that Maverick had expected.

“I’m lying low.” Maverick kept his voice quiet. “And I’m thinking I’m not going to prison for a crime I didn’t commit.”

“Maverick—”

“I’m being set up, Ty. Someone’s been planting evidence, altering my files, making it look like I planned this cyberattack.” Maverick’s voice remained barely above a whisper. “I need to figure out who’s behind this. Does everyone at Blackout think I’m guilty?”

A long pause stretched on the other end of the line.

When Ty spoke again, his voice was careful, measured. “Everyone is concerned. The evidence is . . . compelling.”

The words hit Maverick like a punch to the gut. Even Ty, who’d hired him, who’d trusted him with the most sensitive operations, was having doubts.

“It’s compelling because I’ve been set up,” Maverick shot back. “If I was behind this, I would have been more careful. You know I would have.”