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

S heridan wanted to feel relief as she watched two black SUVs pull to a stop twenty yards away.

Backup was here.

Most likely.

No, that was who they had to be, she corrected herself. They hadn’t come with her team to the island, but it wouldn’t surprise her if the Bureau had sent more than one team. They must have also realized that Maverick was at the beach surfing.

Something was finally going according to protocol—despite what Maverick had claimed about his innocence.

She couldn’t let him get into her head. He was simply desperate to escape, to get away with what he’d done. He’d say anything to get himself off the hook.

“Looks like your terrorism career just got cut short,” she told Maverick as she grabbed his arm, ready to lead him to her SUV.

But, first, she’d see what these guys wanted.

Instead of looking defeated, Maverick frowned at the vehicles with an expression she couldn’t quite read. Concern? Fear?

“Agent Mendez, how many people knew you were coming here this morning?” he asked.

“That’s classified.” Her throat tightened as she said the words.

She definitely didn’t recognize any of the four men that climbed out of the SUVs. But the FBI was big. There was no way she could know every agent. However, the men wore standard issue utility pants and T-shirts, and they moved with trained precision.

Which should have been reassuring.

So why did something feel off?

“If I’m right about there being a traitor feeding information to Sigma,” Maverick continued, his voice urgent, “then?—”

“Mendez!” one of the men called out as he approached. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with a buzz cut that screamed fed. “Special Agent Skidmore, FBI Cyber Crimes. Good job obtaining the suspect. We’re here to assist with transport.”

Sheridan holstered her weapon and, as per protocol, pulled out her badge. “I wasn’t expecting backup.”

Skidmore barely glanced at her ID, nor did he show his own. “Change of plans.”

“How did you even know I was here? That I located him?” A knot of confusion formed on her brow.

Skidmore ignored her question. “We need Adams in federal custody immediately. There’s been another attack.”

Her stomach clenched. “What kind of attack?”

“Pentagon systems. Same signature as the previous incidents.” Skidmore gestured to his men. “We’ll take it from here, Mendez.”

Something cold crawled up her spine. Skidmore hadn’t asked for her report. Hadn’t requested details about the arrest. Hadn’t shown his badge.

Any supervising agent would want a full briefing before taking custody of a high-value target.

She stepped in front of Maverick, suddenly feeling territorial.

“I’ll need to see your transfer orders.” Her words came out measured and deliberate.

Skidmore’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Of course.”

He reached into his jacket.

“Sheridan.” Maverick’s voice was barely a whisper, but the use of her first name made her look over at him. “These aren’t FBI agents. You and I both know it.”

She glanced at the men in front of her and frowned.

She hated to admit it, but Maverick could be right.

Something about these guys made her feel uneasy . . . almost threatened.

“Agent Skidmore.” Her hand drifted toward her weapon. “I’m going to need to verify your identity before?—”

“That won’t be necessary.” Skidmore’s hand came out of his jacket holding a gun instead of a badge.

Time slowed to a crawl as Maverick watched Skidmore’s weapon clear his jacket.

“Sheridan, move!” He threw himself sideways, his hands still cuffed behind his back.

To her credit, Agent Mendez reacted like the trained professional she was. She drew her gun before diving behind a large piece of driftwood beside him.

She hit the ground and rolled just as Skidmore’s first shot kicked up sand where she’d been standing.

The other three fake agents spread out in a tactical formation that definitely wasn’t FBI standard. It was too aggressive, too military.

These guys were shooters, not investigators.

“Stay back!” she warned them, gripping her gun as she positioned herself behind the driftwood.

The men stood back, not questioning whether she’d actually pull the trigger.

The irony wasn’t lost on Maverick that the federal agent who’d just arrested him was now the only thing standing between him and a bullet.

“Adams!” Skidmore called out. “Make this easy on everyone and come with us. We just want to talk.”

“Funny way of starting a conversation!” Mendez yelled back.

Maverick jerked against his handcuffs again. They were still locked tight.

Of course.

“Usually people lead with ‘hello,’ not gunfire!” she continued.

Another shot splintered the sand near Sheridan’s position.

She returned fire.

“Federal agents don’t shoot first and ask questions later,” Mendez called out to Skidmore. “Who are you really working for?”

The pretend agent smirked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We all know that’s not true.”

“Have you heard of Ground Zero?” Skidmore called as if testing the waters.

Maverick’s blood turned to ice.

Ground Zero.

He’d seen that code name in encrypted files he’d been trying to crack for weeks. Files that suggested someone was planning a massive attack. An attack bigger than the hurricane Sigma had tried to manipulate and control a couple of months ago.

These guys were Sigma. Maverick had no doubt about it.

The terrorist group refused to give up and had yet to be brought down completely. Only cells of the group had been taken out, but more recruits were out there doing their dirty work.

“Agent Mendez.” Urgency zipped through Maverick’s voice. “I need you to get these cuffs off me. Now.”

More shots came from the gunmen.

Still perched behind the large piece of driftwood, she fired another controlled burst. “So you can run? I don’t think so.”

“So I can help you stay alive! These aren’t random shooters. They’re here because they followed you. They were hoping you’d lead them to me.”

Maverick watched as she absorbed that information, and he saw the moment when her training connected the dots he’d been trying to show her.

“You’re right,” she finally said. “They knew exactly why I came to Lantern Beach. Who I was looking for. They must have followed me, hoping I’d lead them to you.”

“Which means someone with access to FBI operations is feeding them intelligence.” Maverick tugged at the cuffs around his wrists again. “Someone who wanted me framed for those cyberattacks.”

Sheridan remained quiet. Then, with one hand still on her gun, she reached for her handcuff key. She began tugging at the restraints on his wrists.

“If you run,” she said through clenched teeth, “I will hunt you down myself. Do you understand?”

“If we survive this, I’ll help you do it.” Maverick replied as the cuffs clicked open.

The moment his hands were free, his instincts took over. He assessed their situation with the same analysis that had kept him alive in Afghanistan.

Four shooters with superior positioning and firepower. Limited cover. No backup coming—at least, none they could trust.

But they had advantages too. He knew this beach like the back of his hand, and Agent Mendez was proving to be confident with her weapon.

“The construction site.” Maverick flexed his now freed hands and pointed beyond the dunes.

She frowned and shook her head. “That’s thirty yards of open nothing until we reach the houses.”

“I know. But once we’re inside, we can work our way through the construction zone to where I parked.” Maverick studied the terrain, wishing he was wearing anything but this wetsuit. “The frames will give us cover, and all the building equipment will mask our movement.”

He could kiss his surfboard goodbye. His father had taught him to surf on that board, and it was one of his most prized possessions. However, if he wasn’t alive—or if he was in prison—he’d never be able to enjoy it anyway. Better to focus on his survival right now.

Sheridan glanced at him and, for the first time since she’d tackled him, he saw something other than suspicion in her eyes.

Trust. Reluctant, maybe, but real.

“On three?” she asked.

“On three.”

Before they could move, Skidmore’s voice cut through the morning air with an offer that made Maverick’s stomach drop.

“Adams! We know you’ve been trying to crack the Ground Zero files. Surrender now, and we’ll tell you what really happened to your parents.”

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