Page 42 of Pressure Point (Lantern Beach Blackout: Detonation #2)

CHAPTER

FORTY-TWO

Quinn held her breath as the final shutdown sequence processed through the weather modification systems.

Her eyes remained fixed on the central monitor displaying Hurricane Delilah’s vital signs.

The storm’s artificial enhancement was failing. The pressure readings were stabilizing, wind speeds were dropping toward natural hurricane levels, and the deadly precision of its track began to wobble as the weaponized elements dissolved.

Around them, water already pooled on the shelter floor as storm surge began flooding the low island.

They had minutes, at most, before the rising water made evacuation impossible. But the equipment readings showed they were so close to total shutdown. She couldn’t risk not seeing this through to completion. For all she knew, there could be a backup protocol that would reboot.

On the monitor, Hurricane Delilah’s data showed a storm that was still dangerous as it was weakening.

“Come on,” Quinn whispered, watching the last artificial enhancement protocols terminate. “Come on, work . . .”

Alarms continued to blare.

Finally, an electronic chime sounded, barely audible over the storm.

The final system went offline.

“It worked!” Quinn felt a surge of relief so powerful it made her knees weak. “Atlas, it worked! The storm’s slowing down and reverting to natural behavior!”

Maverick stepped into the shelter. “Charges are set. You just have to hit this button.” He handed her his tablet.

Quinn nodded, grateful that they could destroy this equipment.

“Are we still in danger of changing things too quickly?” Atlas asked.

“It doesn’t look like it. Everything appears to be stabilizing.”

“That’s great news!”

She turned toward Atlas with a triumphant smile, ready to celebrate their success in stopping Sigma’s weather weapon.

They’d done it—they’d saved thousands of lives and eliminated a terrorist threat.

Then gunfire erupted from the shelter’s entrance.

Atlas pushed Quinn behind a bank of monitors as bullets shattered equipment around them.

Through the chaos, a voice called out, “Step away from the equipment! Hands where I can see them!”

His blood turned to ice.

As he turned, he instinctively knew who the voice belonged to.

Noreen.

The woman stepped into the shelter.

Her weapon was drawn and her expression coldly professional. And she looked as gorgeous as ever with her flowing black hair and trim build. But the beauty stopped at surface level. Inside, she was rotten.

“Atlas,” she purred. “Long time, no see.”

“Noreen . . .” His teeth clenched. “You’re the last person I expected to see here. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always been a bit of a snake.”

“Ouch. Still haven’t gotten over me?”

“Oh, I got over you a long time ago.”

“No hard feelings, right?”

“I’d love nothing more than to see you behind bars. Does that count as hard feelings?”

She shrugged. “It’s a toss-up, I suppose.”

“I don’t know how you live with yourself.”

She pretended as if she didn’t hear him. “I guess you didn’t know your new little girlfriend was recruited by the CIA? I guess she couldn’t tell you about Russia.”

Russia? So Quinn did have Russian ties? What did Noreen know about Quinn’s past?

Then she turned to Quinn and said with mock sympathy, “I’m afraid you’ve just made a very serious mistake.”

Quinn stared at the woman, understanding stretching through her intelligent eyes.

“You were behind all of this.” Quinn’s voice sounded steady despite the fear in her gaze as the storm pounded them

Noreen smiled coldly. “Someone had to ensure the program’s security. And now you’ve just destroyed months of Hughes’s careful work. That wasn’t very smart.”

The water around their feet was rising steadily, and Atlas heard Hurricane Delilah’s weakened but still dangerous winds howling outside.

They were trapped on a flooding island with his evil ex and armed Sigma operatives.

But at least the weaponized hurricane had been stopped.

Even if they might not live to see the lives they’d saved.