Page 9 of Ground Zero (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #3)

“ I ’m going to have to answer,” Sheridan told Maverick. “The longer I wait, the more suspicious it looks.”

“Understood,” Maverick muttered

With her free hand, Sheridan answered the phone. “Mendez.”

“Agent Mendez!” Cook’s voice was sharp with concern and barely contained frustration. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for the past hour.”

Sheridan met Maverick’s eyes as she carefully chose her words. “Adams got away, sir.”

“Got away? So you found him?”

“He was surfing just as I suspected.”

“How did he get away?”

Heat flushed her cheeks, but she forced her voice to remain steady. “Four men showed up on the beach as I was trying to apprehend him. These men claimed to be with FBI Cyber Crimes Division. They weren’t. They began shooting.”

“What?” Surprise lilted his voice. “Why didn’t you call me right away?”

“Because I was too busy trying to survive and get to safety.”

Cook didn’t acknowledge her comment. “And Adams? Where is he?”

“He knew the terrain better than I anticipated and ran. I’m still pursuing him, trying to figure out where he went.”

“I can send backup.”

“No need. He’s far away now. He actually swam out into the ocean. There was a boat waiting.”

“I can call the Coast Guard.”

Her throat burned. “That’s probably a good idea.”

She blurted out a description of the imaginary boat, hating that the Coast Guard might waste their resources on a lie. But she was backed into a corner and running out of options.

Forgive me.

“I’ll need a full report on what happened,” Cook continued.

“Of course,” Sheridan said..

“We need Adams in custody immediately. See if you can figure out where he went. Call local marinas. Talk to rental agencies. Talk to his friends. In the meantime, we’ve had an incident at the Pentagon.”

“An incident?”

“Someone scrambled the access codes. It’s a mess.”

“Adams?” she asked.

“We don’t think so—this seems to have originated out of China. The rest of the team is headed to DC now.”

She swallowed hard before asking, “So Adams isn’t a priority anymore?”

“We definitely want to question him,” Cook said. “But now we’ve got to handle this security breach up in DC. Keep looking for him. I need to know what he knows.”

“Will do.”

“And Agent Mendez, I want you to understand something.” Cook’s tone turned deadly serious. “Maverick Adams is extremely dangerous. He’s not just a hacker—he’s a trained EOD specialist with combat experience. Don’t underestimate him.”

Sheridan looked at Maverick, who listened to every word with that same calculated expression.

“Innocent until proven guilty, though,” she said. “Right?”

He grunted. “Something like that.”

“Got it.”

“Good. Now, unless you’re hot on Adam’s trail, I’ll need you to get to Blackout headquarters within the next hour for a briefing.”

She raised her brow. “A briefing?”

“Since you’re still there, you can be our liaison—for now. We’re coordinating with Blackout for a full rundown on Adams and his known associates. Go to the meeting, listen to what they have to say, and we’ll take things from there.”

Dread pooled in her stomach.

One hour.

Then she couldn’t avoid this any longer.

But Sheridan wasn’t sure what exactly she was walking into either.

Maverick saw the dread that filled Agent Mendez’s eyes.

Her face went pale, and her grip tightened on her weapon.

He waited until she ended the call before speaking. “They want you at Blackout headquarters.”

“How did you—” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “You were listening.”

“I didn’t have much choice. His voice was loud, and I was standing right there.”

Understanding filled her gaze before her expression shifted back to dread again. “I have to go to this meeting. It’s my job.”

Maverick continued to stare at her. “What are you going to do with me?”

Sheridan remained quiet, studying his face and determining his fate.

Finally, she said, “You stay here and find answers. Prove to me that someone’s setting you up.”

“And if I can’t?”

Her expression didn’t crack. “Don’t disappoint me.”

Maverick almost smiled despite their circumstances. The woman had moxie. He had to admire that. “I’ll try not to.”

She holstered her weapon but kept her hand near it. “How am I going to get to Blackout? My car is still at the beach.”

Maverick grabbed his keys from the counter. “I’ll drive you back to your car.”

She narrowed her eyes, clearly still cautious. “How do I know you won’t just keep driving?”

He met her eyes directly. “I assume people—if not the FBI, then local law enforcement—are still guarding the docks, which is the only way I’d be able to drive off this island.”

“You’re resourceful. You might think of a way.”

“You’ll have to trust me.”

“I’m not good at trusting people,” she admitted.

“You’ll have to learn then. Because right now we need each other.”