Page 10 of Pressure Point (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #2)

CHAPTER

TEN

Twenty minutes later, Atlas made his way toward the conference room on the ground floor. Ty Chambers, Colton Locke, and Cassidy were already there, sitting across from each other at the polished oak table.

The room’s soundproof walls and electronic countermeasures made it the most secure space in the building.

Before sitting with them, Atlas grabbed a cup of coffee and a granola bar from a snack area. He couldn’t forget to eat. Too much was riding on him staying sharp and alert.

“How is she?” Ty asked as Atlas walked toward the table.

“Shaken but steady. Whoever she is, she’s got good instincts.” Atlas pulled out a chair and sat down. “The would-be killer called her Quinn. Name mean anything to either of you?”

Colton frowned, his fingers already moving across his laptop. “Running the name through our databases now. Could be an alias, could be real. We’ll see what comes up.”

“Did she fit any missing person alerts?” Atlas continued.

“No,” Cassidy answered. “Her prints didn’t turn up anything, the knife is a fairly popular one with no prints, and the car you saw at the clinic? It was stolen.”

Atlas ran a hand over his face. “So every lead has turned up nothing?”

“Pretty much,” Colton muttered, staring at the computer. “And I don’t see anything on anyone named Quinn.”

“What about the woods?” Atlas asked. “Did your guys find anything useful?”

Cassidy shook her head. “No, if there were any signs of a struggle, they’re gone now. Covered up.”

“So we’re dealing with someone who knows what they’re doing.” Atlas’s jaw tightened as he said the words.

“Or someone connected to an organization with serious resources.” Colton gave them a knowing look.

The unspoken name hung in the air between them: Sigma.

“Any updates on Sigma activity?” Atlas asked the question, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

He took a long sip of coffee as he waited for their response.

“Hudson is looking into it. They’ve been radio silent for two months,” Ty confirmed. “Not a whisper on any intelligence channels. It’s like they just vanished.”

“That worries me more than if they were actively causing trouble.” Colton’s brow furrowed. “In my experience, when terrorists go quiet, they’re planning something big.”

Atlas leaned back in his chair, processing the implications. “So we have a woman with no memory who could possibly be connected to Sigma and is the target of a professional killer. And I’m bringing her into our secure facility. Maybe this is a bad idea.”

A memory of Noreen hit him.

His colleagues had been put at risk because of his decision. He couldn’t let that happen again.

Yet he couldn’t walk away from someone in need either.

“When you put it like that, it does sound insane,” Ty admitted. “But you know what they say—keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If she’s a threat . . .”

“We’ll know soon enough.” Colton’s jaw tightened at the words. “Her amnesia won’t last forever. And people have a hard time maintaining false identities under stress.”

“How long do we let her stay?” Atlas asked the question that was weighing on him most heavily.

Ty and Colton exchanged a look.

Finally, Ty said, “We’ll know when it’s time for her to leave.”

It wasn’t much of an answer, but Atlas understood the subtext.

Things might turn ugly.

He hated the thought, but he couldn’t deny reality.

“There’s something else.” The words felt as if they were fighting Atlas as they left his lips. He looked down at his hands, then back up at them. “While Quinn was asleep, she spoke in Russian. Then she said something in English about ‘the target is protected’ and how she needed more time.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

“You record it?” Colton asked.

Atlas nodded, pulling out his phone and playing the Russian words.

“Can you translate?” Cassidy asked.

“I thought I understood her, but I doublechecked to make sure my Russian wasn’t rusty. It wasn’t. She said, ‘No, you can’t make me do it. I won’t. Too many will be hurt.’”

“That sounds . . . suspicious.” Colton cocked his head and gave Atlas a knowing look.

“We’ll have our language specialists analyze it,” Ty said. “See if we can determine what dialect of Russian and its regional markers. Might give us a clue about her identity.”

“Just remember, this woman may be a victim,” Colton said. “But she could also be the most dangerous person who’s ever set foot in this building. Don’t let your protective instincts cloud your judgment.”

Atlas wanted to argue, to defend Quinn’s innocence.

But he couldn’t. Not when the evidence was mounting that she was far more than a simple amnesia victim. Her language ability. Her survival skills. Her instincts.

“I’ll be careful,” he promised.

“We know you will,” Colton said. “But Atlas? If it comes down to a choice between her safety and the safety of this team . . .”

“I understand,” Atlas cut him off.

Because he did understand, even if he didn’t like it.

As the meeting broke up, Atlas made his way back toward the guest quarters. His mind churned with questions with no good answers.

But when he thought about Quinn being alone in that room, probably staring out at the dark water and wondering who she really was . . . his heart took over.

Whatever the truth turned out to be, he wasn’t going to abandon her to face it alone.

Not until he had proof that he should.