Page 61 of Ground Zero

She thought about it. “I think you should set up a meeting but somewhere public. Somewhere with multiple exits. If Jake is genuine, he’ll understand the precaution. If he’s the mole?—”

“He’ll try to bring backup or set an ambush.” Maverick nodded with a frown before squaring his shoulders. “I know a place. The ferry terminal. Always crowded with plenty of ways to disappear if things go bad.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow. We have no time to waste.”

It was risky, but everything about their situation was risky. They were juggling too many dangerous variables with too little information.

“There’s something else.” Sheridan decided to voice a thought that had been nagging at her. “The person who planted that tracker on me—I’m beginning to wonder if it happened at Blackout, during the meeting.”

“It’s a possibility.”

“But it wasn’t just Ty, Colton, and Jake in that room.”

Maverick’s eyes sharpened. “Who else was there?”

“Support staff came in and out. Someone named William brought in the laptop. An administrative assistant delivered coffee.” She tried to recall every detail. “Any of them could have brushed past me and planted the device.”

“Or someone could have done it when you were walking through the building.”

He was right. The tracker could have been planted by anyone with access to Blackout headquarters.

That meant their suspect pool was larger than just Maverick’s immediate team.

Her jaw clenched tighter. They needed answers—just one good solid lead—but all she had were ghosts and dead ends.

At times, that lead felt impossible, like a fairy tale.

“Tomorrow, I’ll pay attention to everyone,” she promised. “Not just the obvious suspects.”

Maverick’s phone buzzed again. It was another message from Jake.

I know you’re innocent. But someone on the team isn’t. Meet me. Lives depend on it.

Sheridan and Maverick exchanged glances.

“He’s either very clever or very desperate,” she said.

“Or he’s sincere.” He paused. “Question is, which one makes him more dangerous?”

As she looked at Maverick’s face, illuminated by the phone screen in the growing darkness, Sheridan realized they were about to find out. Tomorrow would either bring them answers or lead them straight into a trap.

Either way, they were running out of time to stop an attack that would change everything.

But right now, they needed to get out of this house and find somewhere else safe to hide out before someone silenced them . . . just like Danny had been silenced.

Permanently.

CHAPTER 35

Maverick jolted awake in the unfamiliar bedroom.

He glanced at the time.

It was one a.m.

He and Sheridan had switched locations again and found another empty rental house. This one was on the ocean and stretched three stories high with a pool out back.