Page 28 of Ground Zero (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #3)
“ I ’d like to examine this privately.” Sheridan held up the USB drive.
Ty nodded. “Of course.”
“Will you tell us what you find?” Colton’s voice sounded tight with concern.
Sheridan met his eyes and saw the worry there—worry for a friend, for a teammate who might be innocent or might be guilty of treason. “Yes—if I can. You deserve to know what’s on here.”
Ty still hesitated. “Listen, to be truthful, we already searched his office. That USB wasn’t there earlier.”
“You’re telling me that whoever left it did so since you searched the office?” she clarified.
“That’s correct,” Colton said.
“And when did you search it?” she asked.
“Yesterday.”
She nodded slowly. “Good to know. Any cameras?”
Ty’s jaw tightened. “They went dark for about an hour yesterday.”
“Go figure,” she murmured.
The men left, and she closed and locked the door behind them. Then she sat at the computer with hands that weren’t quite steady.
This USB drive could contain evidence that would either clear Maverick’s name or condemn him beyond any doubt. She found herself hoping desperately for the former, which should have been a red flag about her objectivity.
But she was past the point of pretending this was just another case.
She inserted the drive and waited for the files to load, hardly able to breathe as folders appeared on the screen. Her heart sank as she read the file names.
NAVAL_STATION_ACCESS_CODES.txt
FBI_PERSONNEL_FILES.zip
SIGMA_CONTACT_PROTOCOLS.doc
PAYMENT_CONFIRMATION.pdf
Each file was a nail in Maverick’s coffin. Access codes to Naval Station Norfolk—one of Ground Zero’s primary targets. Classified FBI personnel files that could only have been obtained by someone with high-level clearance.
And most incriminatory of all, what appeared to be payment confirmations for services rendered to an organization called “Sigma Industries.”
Sheridan opened the payment file with trembling fingers. Bank transfers totaling over two million dollars, all deposited into an account with Maverick’s social security number attached. The dates went back three months, perfectly aligning with when the cyber-attacks had begun.
It was too perfect. Too clean. Too convenient.
Real criminals didn’t leave evidence sitting in their desk drawers like breadcrumbs for investigators to find. They especially didn’t keep records of treasonous activities on USB drives hidden in their offices.
But any prosecutor would look at this evidence and see an open-and-shut case.
Sheridan grabbed the USB drive and slipped it into her pocket, her mind racing.
Someone had gone to extraordinary lengths to frame Maverick Adams.
The questions were who and why?
She needed to get back to Ty and Colton, needed to see their reactions when she told them what she’d found.
Sheridan unlocked the office door and stepped into the hallway, still processing what she’d discovered on the USB drive.
Every instinct she possessed screamed that the evidence she’d found was fabricated.
Fabricated, but oh so authentic-looking.
She nearly collided with two men when she stepped out—both tall with athletic builds and a military demeanor. Their cargo and black T-shirts marked them as Blackout operatives.
Plus, she’d seen them somewhere before.
“Agent Mendez?” The taller of the two extended his hand. “Kyle Harrell. This is Hudson Roberts. We work with Maverick.”
She sucked in a breath. These were the men from Maverick’s pictures. His teammates.
Sheridan shook hands with both men, immediately noting the intensity in their eyes. These weren’t casual introductions.
They’d been waiting for her. Wanting to ask questions, to see her reaction.
“We heard you were here investigating Maverick.” Hudson’s voice carried a slight accent she couldn’t place. Michigan maybe? “Any word on where he might be?”
A rush of panic swept through her. Were they testing her? What if they already knew the answer, and this was a trap?
She remained composed as she said, “I’m afraid I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation.”
Kyle stepped closer, invading her personal space just enough to make her uncomfortable. “Look, Agent Mendez, we know Maverick. He’s like a brother to us. If he’s in trouble, we want to help.”
“The best way to help him is to let me do my job.”
“Have you found anything that proves he’s innocent?” Hudson pressed. “Because we know he is. Maverick would never betray his country.”
Something in Hudson’s tone made Sheridan look at him more closely. An urgency that went beyond normal concern for a colleague.
It was almost like he needed to know what she’d discovered.
“I really can’t share details about the investigation,” she said again.
Kyle and Hudson exchanged a look—quick but loaded with meaning. The same kind of silent communication she’d witnessed between Ty and Colton earlier.
“Of course.” Kyle’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “We understand. We’re just worried about our friend.”
“Naturally.” Sheridan moved to step around them. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to?—”
“Agent Mendez,” Hudson called after her. “When you do find Maverick, remember that he’s one of the good guys. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.”
The words followed her down the hallway as she walked back toward Ty’s office. Her skin crawled with the sensation of being watched.
Something about that entire interaction had felt wrong—too practiced, too deliberate.
One of those men knew more than they were letting on.
The questions were: Which one, and how much?
She thought about the USB drive in her pocket, about the perfect evidence that painted Maverick as a traitor.
Then she wondered if she’d just met the person who’d planted it there.