Page 23 of Ground Zero (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #3)

S omething warm unfurled in Sheridan’s chest at the concern in Maverick’s voice.

When was the last time someone had worried about her safety? Really worried, not just professionally but personally?

Danny had, she realized. But Danny was gone.

“This is our only choice.” Her voice sounded soft as she said the words. “You know it as well as I do.”

Maverick remained quiet a long moment, and she knew he was wrestling with the decision. No doubt the logical part of his mind understood the strategic necessity. The emotional part—the part that was beginning to care about her as more than just an ally—hated it.

“If something feels wrong, anything at all, you get out immediately,” he finally said, his voice taking on a raspier tone. “Promise me.”

“I promise.”

“We need a way to communicate.” Maverick pulled out his phone and showed her an encrypted messaging app. “Download this. It’s military-grade encryption, nearly impossible to trace or decode.”

She programmed the app into her phone, testing the connection. “What will you do while I’m playing double agent?”

“Stay hidden. Work on the Ground Zero files. Try to figure out the specifics of this attack plan.” He looked at her. “And be ready to extract you if things go sideways.”

The weight of what they were planning settled over her. She was about to walk back into the lion’s den, surrounded by people she couldn’t trust, knowing that one wrong word or suspicious glance could get her killed.

But it was also their best chance to stop thousands of innocent people from dying.

“You should get some sleep.” Maverick glanced at his watch. “You’ll need to report in early tomorrow morning. I’ll keep watch tonight to make sure we’re safe.”

Sheridan looked at him—this man who’d gone from terrorist suspect to trusted partner in the span of a single day.

Tomorrow, she might never see him again.

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.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

Ty’s words brought Maverick a small measure of relief.

“You’ve got to listen to me. Something big is going to happen in less than seventy-two hours,” Maverick told him. “Bigger than the previous attacks. I’m trying to stop it.”

“What?” Ty’s voice sharpened. “What kind of something big?”

“I’m trying to figure that out. But, Ty, I need you to know—whatever evidence you’ve seen, whatever digital trail points to me, it’s fake. Someone with high-level access has been setting me up for months.”

“Maverick, if you’re innocent, then turn yourself in. Let us help you prove it.”

“I can’t do that. Not when I don’t know who I can trust.” Maverick glanced toward the living room where Sheridan slept. “Someone on our team is working for Sigma. Someone who’s been feeding them information.”

Another long silence.

Ty already knew that, didn’t he? What he didn’t know was who.

And maybe that was why Maverick didn’t remain above suspicion in Ty’s mind.

Ty most likely didn’t want to admit that any of the guys he’d hired could be dirty.

“Be careful,” Ty said finally. “And Maverick? If you really are innocent, then find proof. Real proof. Because right now, the evidence says otherwise. I don’t want to see you framed for something you didn’t do.”

The line went dead, leaving Maverick staring at his phone in the darkness. Even his closest ally wasn’t sure he could be trusted.

He was truly on his own now.

Except for Sheridan.

Tomorrow, she’d be putting herself at risk to help him prove his innocence.

He couldn’t stomach the thought that something might happen to her in the process.