Page 60 of Ground Zero

CHAPTER 34

As the late afternoon sunlight faded through the windows, Sheridan stared at the message on Maverick’s phone. Her mind ran through the implications.

Jake either genuinely wanted to help, or this was a trap.

“Don’t respond. Not yet.” She stood and paced to the window, processing everything they’d just learned.

A British nuclear submarine.

A diplomatic reception.

Several shipments of bomb-making materials.

The perfect storm of targets that would create chaos on multiple levels—military, political, international.

And someone masquerading as a good guy was going to help make it happen.

Sheridan turned back to Maverick. “Off the top of your head, who has had recent Norfolk access from your team?”

Maverick’s jaw tightened as he went through the list. “Jake has base-wide clearance—he negotiated our contracts there. Hudson was there three weeks ago for a system assessment. Kyle has temporary access for training exercises.”

“What about Atlas?”

“No current clearance that I know of. His focus has been on the Port of Virginia, not the naval station. In fact, he’s not even here on Lantern Beach right now. I suppose he could still be guilty. However, he and his girlfriend single-handedly stopped a super storm from hitting the US. I’d think if he was in on this, he wouldn’t have nearly lost his life trying to stop Sigma. The same could be said for Jake. He put everything on the line to stop this terrorist group in the past.”

“Sigma has been busy . . .”

He let out an airy laugh. “Tell me about it. Sometimes it seems like they’re throwing everything at the wall and trying to see what sticks.”

That left them with two suspects, both with means and opportunity.

But what about motive? What could possibly drive one of Maverick’s teammates to betray not just their entire team but their country?

“Like we talked about earlier, I need to get into Blackout’s scheduling system.” A plan formed in Sheridan’s mind. “See who’s slated to go to Norfolk in the next two days. But if I’m too obvious about it, I’ll tip off whoever’s involved.”

“You could say you’re following up on the evidence you found. That you need to cross-reference my movements with the team’s schedules.”

It was a good cover story. Believable. “That could work.”

Maverick stood and moved closer to her. “However, I’ve got to say, Sheridan, that I don’t like this. You’re walking into a building where someone inside may have tried to kill you twenty-four hours ago.”

“I know.” She met his eyes and saw the genuine concern there. “But we’re running out of time and options.”

The worry in his eyes did something strange to her heart—something strange that she tried to ignore.

“What if Jake’s message is sincere?” Maverick asked. “What if he knows something and wants to help?”

Sheridan considered it. “Then we need to be very careful how we respond. If Jake’s clean and reaches out to you, it means he’s suspicious of someone else on the team. But if he’s the mole . . .”

“If he’s the mole, then he’s trying to locate me and eliminate the last threat to the operation.” Maverick’s tone sounded grim.

They stood there a moment, the weight of the decision hanging between them.

Every choice felt like a potential trap and every ally a possible enemy.

“We stick to the plan,” Sheridan finally said after several moments of thought. “I go to Blackout again tomorrow, gather intelligence, try to identify who’s scheduled for Norfolk. You stay hidden, work on preparing evidence that proves your innocence.”

“And Jake?” Maverick asked.