Page 16 of Pressure Point (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #2)

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

Quinn had been relegated to the gazebo with a guard standing by.

She’d been there for three hours at least. Someone had brought her water and a sandwich, which she was grateful for. Though the breeze was strong, when the wind settled the mid-July heat overwhelmed her.

She’d been questioned by uncountable people, including the FBI. She’d told each of them the same story: She hadn’t realized what she was doing. Her instincts had kicked in. Everything was all a blur.

She knew her explanation seemed unlikely, but it was the truth.

Swallowing hard, she looked at the guard beside her, a woman who’d said very little. Quinn knew she wouldn’t get any information from the woman.

Then her gaze drifted to the FBI agents gathered on the shore.

Would she be arrested? Taking down an aircraft had to be a felony, right?

However, everyone had acknowledged that she’d stopped a catastrophe from happening. The more they investigated, the more authorities realized that helicopter had been coming to do some serious damage.

But shooting down an aircraft was nothing that could be easily dismissed, and she knew that. If she’d been wrong or if her aim had been off, she could have killed an innocent man. There was still so much she was confused about as well.

She continued to watch the people milling around, talking and theorizing about what had happened.

At first, Quinn had just been a curiosity to everyone here.

But now they glanced at her as if she were a threat.

Maybe she was.

But something inside her had made it clear that helicopter was about to harm people who’d helped her. She couldn’t let that happen.

She wasn’t sure how she knew that information. But she had. It must have been buried somewhere deep in her mind.

Had she been a part of planning the mission? Was that how she knew about it?

As she leaned back against the gazebo, her gaze wandered across the landscape to Atlas.

He stood on the beach with several of his colleagues, all of whom looked out over the water where the helicopter had gone down.

Some of the wreckage had already been retrieved. The woman guarding her had explained that the sound was shallow, which had made it easier to investigate the remains. And the water had cooled the fire, which also helped them examine the wreckage sooner.

She’d seen the pilot being taken away in an ambulance with an armed guard.

Maybe they’d get some answers from him. Maybe they’d even get some answers about who she was from him.

She had no idea.

One of the men with Atlas—one who appeared to be in charge—stepped away from the group and paced toward her. He was tall and broad with brooding eyes and a five o’clock shadow.

He paused by the gazebo and leaned against it, his eyes serious and his jaw hard.

She waited for him to speak.

Finally, he said, “I’m Colton Locke, cofounder of Blackout.”

“Impressive place you’ve got here.”

“Your skills are impressive. Possibly deadly.”

“Understood.” She nodded slowly. “Call me Quinn.”

“I don’t know whether to be impressed or frightened by what you did earlier.”

“If it makes you feel better, neither do I.”

Something softened in his gaze as if he appreciated her honesty. “I just heard from the lead investigator that the FBI isn’t going to arrest you.”

Her breath caught. “Are you sure?”

“You saved us. But there will probably be more questions as the investigation continues.”

“I understand.”

“I’m going to let you keep staying here,” Colton said, his jaw still firm. “But I just want to make it clear that at the first sign you’re a danger to any of my men, women, or their families, I’ll personally see to it that you get the punishment you deserve. Am I clear?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. He was protective of those who worked for him. She couldn’t blame him.

“Crystal,” she murmured.

“I can’t help but think that if your memories return, you could clear up a lot of the uncertainty about your intentions.”

“I’d say that’s an accurate assessment.”

Colton shifted and crossed his arms. “Atlas mentioned something about taking you back to the woods where he found you.”

Her eyes widened. She’d figured that was off the table.

“Yes, we talked about it,” she said. “We wondered if being there might trigger a memory. But that was before . . .”

Colton narrowed his eyes. “I’m still going to allow him to do that. Answers about your identity would help all of us. Don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t.” Quinn’s throat burned with emotion as she said the words. She meant them. She really did. “I won’t.”

As Atlas stood on the shore watching the recovery crew work on the water, Colton returned to his side.

He held his breath as he waited to hear what Colton had concluded. Would he order Atlas to get Quinn off this property? He could understand if that was the decision.

But he hoped it wasn’t. Having her leave was more of a liability than keeping her here.

“I told Quinn you’d take her back to the site where you found her,” Colton started. “You okay with that?”

Surprise washed through him. He’d assumed Colton would want to keep her under lock and key until they had more answers. That he’d consider her a threat at worst. A potentially useful obligation at best.

“Absolutely.”

“Great. We need to know who she is now more than ever.” He paused. “Do you want me to send someone with you?”

Atlas considered the implications before shaking his head. “I don’t think she’ll talk if someone else is there.”

Colton gave him a pointed look. “She’s dangerous.”

“She won’t hurt me.” He believed the words. He had nothing definitive to go on, just a gut feeling—a gut feeling he trusted.

“If you say so.” Skepticism ran through his voice.

Atlas nodded toward the remains of the copter, shifting the subject before Colton changed his mind. “Do we have any idea who that helicopter belongs to?”

“We’re looking into it. It’s a short list. Could be military, certain federal agencies, or even a well-funded terrorist organization.” Colton’s gaze flicked to Quinn, then back to Atlas. “Like Sigma.”

The name hung in the air between them, heavy with implication.

Maverick jogged to them, tablet in hand. “Guys, I just got the preliminary data from the remains. It’s the same kind the US military uses on training missions.”

Atlas’s gut clenched. He didn’t like the sound of that.

Colton’s eyes narrowed at the news. “Any signature elements?”

“I’m still analyzing everything.” Maverick gave him a reassuring nod. “I’ll let you know when I have any answers.”

Around them, the organized chaos continued as Blackout operatives secured the grounds.

Atlas should be focused on the tactical situation, on the fact that their supposedly secure facility had just been attacked.

Instead, he found himself thinking about Quinn with growing unease.

What if bringing her here was a huge mistake?

What if Sigma was playing a game so sophisticated that even he, with all his psychological warfare training, had been completely taken in?

Because despite the growing evidence that Quinn was far more than she appeared, despite every logical reason to treat her as a threat, some part of him still wanted to believe in the lost woman who’d looked at him with such trust.

Even if that belief might be exactly what got him killed.