Page 5 of Ground Zero (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #3)

T he truck’s interior told Sheridan more about Maverick Adams than his FBI file had.

A photo of five people in tactical gear was tucked into the visor—his Blackout team, she assumed. Empty coffee cups in the console suggested long surveillance shifts. And hanging from the rearview mirror was a pair of military dog tags that looked well-worn.

“EOD?” She nodded toward the tags, even though she already knew the answer.

“Three tours.” He kept his eyes on the road, but his hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. “Iraq and Afghanistan. Learned real quick that the only thing worse than a bomb is the person willing to build one.”

“Is that why you got into cybersecurity?”

“Digital bombs are just as deadly as the physical kind. Sometimes more so.”

She couldn’t argue with that statement. Digital bombs were essentially logic bombs in computer science. They were malicious codes that remained dormant until a specific trigger condition was met, which then caused the software to perform a harmful action.

Maverick’s phone buzzed in the center console. He glanced at it and frowned. “It’s my boss this time. Fourth time in ten minutes.”

“Aren’t you going to answer?” She raised her brow as she waited for his response, curious as to what he was thinking.

She was keenly aware of the fact that he could turn on her at any moment and things could go sideways again. She’d be a fool to let down her guard.

“Not yet.” He turned onto a road that led away from the main tourist areas of Lantern Beach. “Whoever is behind this has access to Blackout’s communications. That means that we both may have been betrayed by people we trust.”

Sheridan studied his profile. The strong jawline, the way his still-damp hair curled at the edges, the focused intensity in his eyes. Everything about him suggested competence and integrity.

But someone had killed Danny. Had set up a meeting with him, shot him, and then fled.

And this person was still at large.

Danny hadn’t easily trusted people. The person who’d killed him was someone he’d let into his life, someone he’d counted on.

Sheridan was determined to figure out who that was.

She checked the side mirror, halfway expecting to see those guys appear behind them. But they were probably occupied right now looking through the houses under construction, thinking she and Maverick had hidden inside.

She turned to Maverick, carefully watching his expression for any signs of deceit. Right now, he looked solely focused on getting away with his life intact.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

His gaze jerked to hers. “Where am I taking you?”

Her muscles stiffened at the slight outrage in his voice. “Correct. That’s what I asked.”

He let out a half snort. “Listen, lady. I can let you out right here if you want. I’m not trying to take you anywhere—including taking you captive.”

Her defenses rose. “That’s a given—you’d have to try a lot harder to take me somewhere I’m not willing to go.”

He gave her a look—a half scowl, a half eye roll.

She drew in a deep breath to calm herself. “I just want to know where you’re headed.”

Maverick released a slow breath. “I’m still thinking about my options. I can’t go back to Blackout headquarters. I heard the FBI was swarming the place.”

“They are.”

Maverick stole a glance at her. “So why are you here? How did you find me, and why were you alone? Isn’t that against protocol?”

For some reason, his words caused a rush of irritation to wash through her. “Not that I need to explain anything to you, but, if you must know, I studied you before coming. Heard you liked to surf. That this was your favorite beach. That today was your day off.”

His eyes narrowed. “So you came here on your own?”

More irritation embedded itself in her muscles.

“No, I came to Lantern Beach with my team. While they went to search Blackout for you, I told them I needed to follow another lead. My boss was only half listening as I told him. Otherwise, he would have sent someone with me. But I preferred to come alone. I do my best thinking by myself.”

“I get that.”

“So I decided to follow my hunch, track you down, and arrest you.”

He suddenly threw on the brakes right in the middle of Highway 12. Thankfully, no one was behind them.

He turned toward her with outrage filling his gaze. “I’m still under arrest?”

Sheridan’s mind raced. What kind of game was he playing? Was he truly innocent and trying to defend his honor? Or was he playing her like a fiddle?

If he pulled the wool over her eyes as the saying went, then she’d never live it down with her colleagues. Her career would be sunk.

But if she was right . . . not only would she find the truth, but she’d advance her career.

She licked her lips before saying, “That depends. What are you going to do if you’re not going back to Blackout?”

His nostrils flared as he stared at her.

“If I’m being framed for a crime I didn’t commit, then I need to figure out who did this to me.

I need to go somewhere safe in order to do that.

I can’t investigate while on the run. Besides, I assume you have your guys at the ferry dock, so I’m not getting off this island. Am I right?”

“You’re correct.” Eight other agents had come with her, including her boss.

Finding and obtaining Maverick had been their top priority. Six agents were at Blackout, two were at the docks, and then there was Sheridan, the lone ranger. The junior agent who was still building her reputation in a career that was still male-dominated, despite new efforts in recent years.

Maverick stared at her, waiting for her decision.

She finally let out a slow breath before saying, “You’re not under arrest right now. But I still reserve that right. Since you saved my life, you bought yourself a few more minutes. In the meantime, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Perfect,” he muttered.

Then they continued speeding down the road to an unknown destination.

As they did, Sheridan prayed this decision didn’t get her killed.

Maverick’s mind raced as he tried to figure out where to go—somewhere no one would find him.

Then the perfect place hit him.

He turned off Highway 12 and headed down a side street toward the Pamlico Sound. This road was located on a wider part of the island, but this particular area was fairly undeveloped.

A single old fishing cottage stood at the end of the lane.

The cottage belonged to a friend he’d met a few weeks ago while surfing. Tom Reynolds was a retired New York businessman who only came here a few times a year to catch some waves and to fish. The veteran had said Maverick could use the place whenever he needed.

Maverick pulled his truck out of sight between some tress, put the vehicle into Park, and stared at the house in front of him.

The fishing cottage had weathered gray shingles and peeling white trim that was a testament to decades of exposure to salt air and coastal storms. A covered porch wrapped around the front, furnished with mismatched chairs and a rusty glider that creaked in the breeze.

Fishing nets draped one corner of the porch, and an old crab trap served as a makeshift table beside the front door.

He hadn’t told any of his friends or colleagues about Tom, so none of them should be able to trace him to this location.

Thankfully, Maverick’s truck was old enough that it didn’t have any type of built-in GPS or way of tracking it. And his phone was encrypted, so no one should be able to trace him to this location through that device either.

He should be safe here for a while.

And that was exactly what he needed.

He glanced at Agent Mendez beside him as she stared at the place. She still had her phone on her, which could lead her colleagues here. But he doubted anyone would trace her—not yet. They were too busy trying to track him down.

Those guys at the beach? They’d most likely followed her, maybe even put a tracker on her car.

Either way, they should have some time—for now.

Sheridan’s expression didn’t hold disdain as she stared at the cottage. Her gaze told him that she wasn’t snobby, nor did she think she was above staying somewhere so simple.

But caution still lined her eyes.

The reaction was only wise, considering this situation.

Maverick reached for the door handle. “You ready to get inside? We have a lot to talk about.”

He wasn’t so sure he wanted to be the one doing the talking. But he’d love to know what Sheridan knew.

There was clearly more going on than he’d ever anticipated, and his future depended on finding the answers—and maybe even some allies along the way.