Page 43 of Jonas (Silver Team #4)

CHAPTER THIRTY

We were back in an Escalade, and for once, I wasn’t concentrating on Jonas.

I was replaying my short conversation with Natalie.

She sounded freaked the fuck out. So much so her voice was trembling when she begged me to meet her at a pub in College Park, a few blocks away from the University of Maryland.

She was clear she wanted to meet outside of the Beltway, away from what she called prying eyes.

The only hiccup during the call was I had to come up with an excuse for needing more time to get to the pub.

From Tysons, Virginia, the drive would’ve been forty-five minutes.

But I needed more than an hour and a half coming from the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Thankfully, in her panic, she gave in, which meant I had two hours before she was expecting me.

“I think you should wait in the car,” I told Jonas.

“No, fucking?—”

“Please hear me out. She knows I don’t have a boyfriend.

She’s going to question who you are. If she thinks I lied to her or hid a secret affair, she’s going to clam up.

We need her to trust me. We need her to think we’re just two work friends who are freaked out about what’s happening at work.

If she knows something important, I’ll call you in.

If she doesn’t, I’ll listen, and then she’ll go on her way and we go back to the farm. ”

“Keep the phone in your pocket. Not in your purse,” he commanded.

I took that as he was giving in.

“I will.”

“If you feel uncomfortable for any reason, you text me, and I’m coming in.”

“I will.”

Jonas blew out a deep exhale and took his right hand off the steering wheel. He reached across the center console and placed his hand, palm up, on my thigh. I set my hand over his. He immediately curled his fingers in and held tight.

“I don’t like you being out of my sight, Dee Dee. But you’re right; it needs to be you alone.”

Damn, but I loved he wasn’t going to go all overprotective ape on me.

“I promise, I’ll be cautious.”

“I know you will. But there are too many variables. Too many unknowns. The deeper we get, all we find is more questions. It’s beginning to feel like there are more traitors than good guys.

And the fuck of it is, we’re missing something important.

We’re missing the one thread that will unravel it all and it’s right fucking in front of us.

I feel it. The answer is right there, but we’re not seeing it. ”

“Could it be Rutte behind everything?”

“I think Rutte is up to his eyeballs in this shit. I think he’s behind the colossal fuck-up at the Pentagon. No fucking way should they have outsourced to Delcon for information storage.”

“Unless that outsource was supposed to be for declassified files only. I imagine the server rooms that store each agency’s documents are huge. The space and power needed to keep those computers running would be insane. It would make sense that less sensitive intel could be stored offsite.”

Jonas was silent for a few minutes.

“If that’s the case. And you make a valid point that someone in the DOD or the Secretary of Defense’s office transferred top secret documents to Delcon that were never meant to leave the secure servers at the Pentagon.

Penny said only the Secretary of Defense had the NSA algorithms and encryption backups. ”

“Do you think the Secretary personally queued those files for transfer?” I asked.

“I would hope the fuck not. But right now, everyone is guilty until proven innocent. Call Kira and run this down with her. Penny might have insight into Hannah Baldwin and if she doesn’t, Kira will punt the name to Shep.”

I hoped this Shep guy charged an arm and a leg for his services because the guy had to be running on fumes and coffee at this point.

I pulled the burner phone Zane had given me out of my purse, found one of the six numbers that were already programmed in, and hit the call icon.

I’d only gone a few days without a phone, yet it felt strange using one.

No, not strange, stressful. I hadn’t thought much about it but now that I was, it felt good not to be attached to a cell twenty-four-seven.

It felt good not to hear the ding of a text or the pinging notification of an email, or the rush to answer a call before it went to voicemail.

In a world where everyone is accessible at all times, it felt great to be disconnected. I vaguely wondered how long I could get away with not carrying a phone daily.

Jonas drove. I updated Kira. She listened then said she’d handle it. I said goodbye and ended the call. When I was done, I turned to look at Jonas.

There was something formidable about him.

He didn’t have to do or say anything to radiate strength.

He was definitely the kind of man you wanted at your side when the shit in life hit.

I wished I’d had him all those years ago when I was struggling to make sense of a childhood that was extremely painful, yet some parts were so beautiful I was glad for it.

The juxtaposition was a mind fuck. Not because I was too weak to get through it—obviously, I had gotten through and I’d made it out better for it—but because if he’d been at my side, that struggle wouldn’t have had such a crushing weight.

“Did Penny say anything to you about Cash?” Jonas asked, breaking the silence.

“No and I asked. All she said was he looks like someone she knew and it took her off guard.”

“Did she say who he looked like?”

“No, and she changed the subject. The woman was as skittish as a kitten, so I didn’t think it was smart to push. She’s concerned she was paranoid, and by running out of work she actually drew attention to herself when there was none before.”

“She’s probably right. But like you told her, it’s not every day someone finds a catastrophic security breach.”

“Zane will protect her, right?”

Jonas jostled my hand. “Zane talks a big game, but under all that bluster, he’s a softie.

No one will get near Penny. And Kira was right; sometimes with Zane, it’s better to ask for forgiveness, especially when his protective instincts kick in.

He wants all of us clear of Black Team. From what I know about them, they lean into the gray always.

But more times than not, they’re operating outside of societal laws.

We might push the boundaries, but it’s not often we step so far outside that we’re at risk. ”

“Um. I call bullshit, Jonas. I heard with my own two little ears Zane threaten to kidnap the President. I think with just that he broke like seven hundred and twenty-one laws.”

Seeing Jonas smile in profile was a thing of beauty, but when he glanced over at me and flashed his perfect grin, it was body shiver inducing.

He looked back at the road and backpedaled. “Not often doesn’t mean never.”

“Right.”

The silence that ensued was comfortable and somehow comforting. It almost felt like we were just an ordinary couple out for a drive.

One day.

Once all of this was over, Jonas and I would be free to do whatever we wanted.

“Remember, phone in your pocket,” Jonas unnecessarily reminded me.

From the moment he’d merged onto 495, the vibe in the SUV changed. Gone was the sweet hum of normalcy. Jonas had clicked back into operator mode with a huge side helping of testosterone that was almost suffocating.

“I’ll keep my phone in my pocket,” I assured him.

According to the GPS, we were less than a mile away from the pub, and Jonas’s worry was ratcheting up.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” I told him.

“No, baby, something’s gonna get fucked up. I feel it.”

I didn’t like the words he’d said, but more—I didn’t like the slight tremor in his voice.

“Okay, if it gets fucked, we’ll still be okay. You’re gonna park at the dentist’s office across the street, you’ll have eyes on the entrance. I’ll call if something feels off.”

“I’ll be across a busy four-lane street without eyes on the back door or the parking lot.”

Right. Nothing I was going to say was going to ease Jonas’s worry.

“You remember I do this for a living,” I snapped.

“I remember, Dee Dee. I know you can handle yourself. But still, I’ve got a feeling in my gut that’s twisting and getting worse by the second.”

His response took the sting out of his reaction to me doing my job.

“How do I make this better for you?”

“Don’t get dead.”

Cripes .

That was specific and scary.

“I’m not going to get dead, honey.”

Jonas turned into the CVS parking lot where he was going to drop me off so I could walk the rest of the way to the pub and he could park across the street.

As soon as he parked, he snagged me around the back of the neck and pulled my face close to his.

“Promise, baby. Swear it, you’ll be careful.”

Oh, yeah, Jonas was panicking.

“I swear, honey.”

No sooner was the vow out of my mouth than his lips were on mine.

The kiss wasn’t like any we’d shared before. There was no urgency, no promise of something more. It was about intimacy and closeness. The kind of kiss we’d share thousands of times in the future, a hello or a see you later or a goodnight or for no reason.

Yet when he broke it, there was a tinge of sadness to it I hated.

“Jonas, I’ll be back in this car with you in less than an hour.”

He nodded and said the words, “You will.” But his tone lacked conviction.

“Honey—”

“Go, baby. Let’s get this done so we can get back to the farm.”

I leaned back in for a quick closed-mouth kiss.

I opened the door but turned back and smiled.

“If you think I’ve finally found my dream man and won’t do everything in my power to get safely back to you, you’re crazy.

We have plans, Jonas—falling in love to do, memories to make, more kisses to share, nights making love, morning showers, swims in the creek, loads of stuff I can’t wait to share with you. ”

I started to jump out when he called my name. “You’re right. You’ve got this. I’m acting like?—”

“You,” I cut him off. “You’re acting like you care about me. And I love that you’re worried and being protective. It’s what makes you— you . See you soon, J Dog.”

I heard his grunt as I slammed the door.

Therefore, I was smiling as I made my way to the restaurant.

I paused at the front door, took a moment to clear my emotions, and entered without looking across the street. I knew Jonas would be exactly where he said he would be; I didn’t need to confirm his location, or give him any more ammunition to worry.

Given the time of day, the pub was mostly empty—it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner.

It was the perfect bastardized time to have a quiet conversation.

I spotted Natalie sitting alone at a table in the corner.

She looked worse than she’d sounded on the phone.

As soon as she saw me she gave a listless wave.

There had to be more than what was happening at Delcon. She looked as freaked out as Penny had when she first arrived in the basement. The closer I got to Natalie, the more her paleness became noticeable.

“Hey,” I greeted softly.

She stood and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course. You okay?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know. Something’s happening.”

Shit .

“Let’s sit and talk about it.”

Natalie nodded and released me.

Before I could ask her to elaborate, a server appeared at the table. “Can I start you off with something to drink?”

I glanced at the waters on the table and shook my head, “Water’s fine.”

“If you don’t mind, we’re gonna chat a bit before we order,” Natalie told the guy.

He glanced around the room and smiled. “Take your time.”

I waited for him to move along to another patron before I prompted, “Tell me what’s going on.”

Right out of the gate she accused, “You left.”

I’d practiced this and talked it over with Jonas on the way here.

“I did. I’m sorry. Anson asked me to run an audit, and when I found the same thing you did, I got scared. I thought he’d fire me, or worse, I’d be implicated in something I didn’t understand. So I quit.”

“You quit? Sharron said you were a no-show.”

Sharron was a supervisor and I had no problem lying about her.

“I don’t know why she’d say that. I called her and told her I had a better job offer.”

There was movement to my right that caught my attention. Two tables over, a lone man was seated. Dark hair, nice suit, vaguely handsome, and familiar.

Tingling started at the back of my neck, but within seconds a cold sweat was dripping down my back.

I pulled my phone out, found Jonas’s name, and tapped out a text:

Keith Mitchell is here. Need exfil. Now.

When I was done, I looked back at Natalie.

“How about we take a walk?”

She almost looked relieved at my suggestion but there was something else there…excitement maybe.

With a glance around the restaurant she nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

We both pushed back from the table and stood. As soon as I was on my feet, I felt something hard shoved into my lower back.

“If you make one move I don’t like, my friend outside takes out your man,” a voice said from behind me.

Natalie held up her phone, screen facing me, a picture of Jonas sitting in the Escalade across the street.

I didn’t waste my breath accusing Natalie of setting me up. Obviously, the bitch wasn’t who I thought she was.

“Lead the way,” I seethed.

Natalie rounded the table. The man behind me gave me a little shove, and when we passed by Keith’s table, he stood and followed. I was taken through the kitchen. The young man who’d come to our table to offer us drinks stood by the food pick-up counter.

“Glad you got your suspect, officer.”

“Yes. Thank you for your help,” Natalie the lying bitch chirped.

I said nothing to help myself.

The sooner I was out of the restaurant, the sooner Jonas would be safe.

Then he’d find me. And when he did, I was kicking Natalie’s ass.