Page 45 of Ground Zero

Maverick stared at her, tension on his face—tension he tried to hide. But she saw the tautness in the tight line of his lips and the hard set of his shoulders.

“I’d go with you, but that’s probably a bad idea,” he finally said. “Be careful, though. Check everything for bugs and trackers.”

She wished Maverick was simply being paranoid, but she knew he wasn’t.

And part of her hated the concern in his voice—the sincere concern.

It made her want to let down her guard, which was a terrible idea.

Instead, she forced herself to nod. “Yes, it’s better if you stay here. You be careful as well. There’s a lot going on, and one misstep could be the difference between life or death.”

Based on Maverick’s pensive expression, he totally agreed.

Twenty minutes later, Sheridan stood in her rental house and searched every item of clothing she planned to wear. Her jacket, her pants, her shoes, even her badge and holster.

She found nothing, no trackers.

But the process still left her feeling violated.

Someone whom either she or Maverick worked with had planted that tracker. Most likely, there was more than one person at play—someone on both sides.

The betrayal burned in her chest like acid.

She dressed carefully in a clean suit, checked her weapon, and applied makeup to hide her exhaustion and stress. In the mirror, she looked like Special Agent Sheridan Mendez, professional and competent.

The woman looking back at her gave no hint that she’d spent the night as a fugitive, helping a suspected terrorist who might be innocent.

Or someone who might be playing her better than anyone ever had.

The phone call from last night bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

Who had Maverick been talking to? What had he told them? And most importantly—could she really trust him?

She was about to find out. Because in thirty minutes, she’d be walking into Blackout headquarters, working alongside someone who might want her dead, armed with nothing but her wits and the hope that Maverick Adams was really one of the good guys.

Sheridan took one last look at herself in the mirror, straightened her shoulders, and headed out to face whatever was waiting for her.

It was time to get some answers.

Lord, be with me. Help me pull this off. Show me what to look for.

Most of all, protect us.

Not just me. Me and Maverick.

And all the people who could be killed if these terrorists get away with their plan.

CHAPTER 25

Blackout headquarters looked different in the harsh morning light.

What had seemed sleek and professional yesterday now felt cold and potentially hostile. Maybe that was because an enemy could be waiting inside—a faceless, unknown enemy.

Sheridan parked in the visitor lot and took a deep breath before walking through the front entrance.

Ty and Colton waited for her in the lobby. Both men looked like they’d had as little sleep as she had.

“Agent Mendez.” Ty stood as she entered. “Any progress on locating Adams?”