Page 27 of Raven’s Claw (Raven’s Cliff #2)
Chapter Fourteen
Jordan leaned against the far wall, plotting. She just wasn’t sure which to act on first. If she should strangle Bodie, disappear and hunt down Rook, or march over to Kash and kiss him.
She brushed the back of her hand across her mouth. She still tasted him on her lips. The hint of coffee and spice mixed with something innately him. Heat or maybe ice. She only knew that she was addicted to it. To him.
Footsteps echoed through the room as Foster walked in, giving her a small smile before heading for Mac — tugging her into a firm embrace. Jordan had expected Mac to yell. Maybe throw a punch. But she’d been oddly quiet.
“I know that look.” Kash moved in beside her, Nyx choosing to sit between them, again. “No one in here blames you.”
Jordan nodded at Mackenzie. “You sure about that?”
“Mac’s upset. Scared. Undoubtedly angry. It’s just not at you, which is the real issue.” He bumped shoulders with her. “Give it time. You’ll get used to having people care about you.”
Jordan bit back the part where she wasn’t convinced she’d live long enough to get accustomed to anything when Cannon stepped forward, his mere presence commanding attention.
Cannon shoved his hands in his pockets, which only made him seem even more imposing.
“I could stand here and give you all a laundry list of reasons why you can trust us. Missions. Connections. But the truth is, trust is earned, not given. So, let’s cut through the bullshit and just get down to facts. ”
He nodded toward Bodie. “Bodie called me a couple days ago, after the incident at the café involving Tucker Grant. He knows we’ve got a tech analyst who’s…” Cannon chuckled. “To say she’s scary good with a keyboard is an understatement. She also happens to be NSA?—”
“You involved the National Security Agency? God, do you all have a death wish?” Jordan ignored Kash’s hand on her arm. “Do you have any idea how dialed in Rook is? He’s got people watching every agency. He gets just a suggestion that someone is searching for him or Scythe…”
Dead.
They were all dead. Sure, she suspected Rook already knew her location before Tucker had waltzed in and outed her, but that incident had sealed her fate. The fact someone from the NSA had gone digging after meant Rook would be more suspicious. More prepared.
Cannon glanced at Kash then back to her. “Trust me, Becca Tate doesn’t leave trails or traces. She’s you, only with computers. A ghost.”
“If I was half as good as you seem to think, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“You’ve avoided Scythe for seven months on your own.
And yeah, I know exactly who and what they are.
Had a buddy go dark with them. He discovered something he shouldn’t and tried to leave.
Only made it a week before he had an ‘accident’.
So, you do the math.” Cannon rolled his shoulders.
“Bodie’s going to get Becca on a secure video chat.
You really need to listen to what she has to say because this goes so much deeper than just Rook Donovan. ”
Cannon nodded at Bodie, and the man started hitting keys, mumbling to himself before light flickered over his face and he smiled.
“Hey, Becca. Great to see you, again. Give me a second, and I’ll spin the monitor.
” Bodie turned it, then walked around to the other side of his desk.
“Quick introductions. The guy with long hair is Foster Beckett, and the woman on his right is Mackenzie Parker. It’s her father, Atticus, who’s gone missing.
Next to her is Zain Everett, then Chase Remington.
Finally, over here,” he waved at Jordan and Kash, “we’ve got Kash Sinclair with his furry sidekick, Nyx, and Jordan Archer.
You know her through your digging as Ember. ”
The woman on the screen — this Becca person — smiled. “Nice to meet everyone. Circumstances suck, but that’s usually how these things go, and time is never a luxury we have so, let’s get to it. Jordan… I assume you’re not going by Ember any longer?”
Jordan snorted. “I’d hoped I’d buried her in the past, but we can’t really do that, can we.” She hadn’t phrased it as a question, and Becca merely nodded.
“Well, you’ve done a pretty kickass job of staying off-grid.
Which is saying a lot considering how many resources Scythe has invested in finding you.
They’ve got agents monitoring cell phones and CCTV footage.
Anything they can hack from dash cams to ATMs to traffic cams. Any sort of photo or video that makes it online.
Hell, they have agents just driving through small towns live-streaming on the off-chance they’d catch a glimpse of you. I’m impressed it took them this long.”
Jordan shuffled on her feet. Being praised for simply surviving then putting people she cared about in harm’s way didn’t sit well. “In the end, the result’s the same. Cannon says this is about more than just me pissing off Rook and threatening to post the intel.”
“First off, I’m running all of my programs remotely through Bodie’s setup, so nothing was transferred over. You still have the intel on your end. Speaking of which… What you downloaded.” Becca whistled. “I’m assuming you didn’t have a chance to go through all of it?”
“Rook sent an RPG into the bunker while I was attempting to extract the asset. So, no, I didn’t have time.”
A growl. Low. Gravelly.
Jordan glanced at Nyx, then Kash, but she couldn’t tell if it had been the dog or the handler.
“Sounds like your team’s the same as mine.
Which is lucky because you’re going to need every ounce of skill they have.
” Becca tapped more keys, had images and manifests scrolling down the screen.
“I’m betting you’re familiar with all the weapons and drug dealing, the intelligence smuggling and asset elimination.
But that’s all under Scythe’s jurisdiction.
The reason Rook’s so hellbent on getting his hands on this is what I suspect you weren’t aware of.
What do you know about an agency called Sandman? ”
Jordan frowned. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s Rook Donovan’s own creation. I guess running a ghost agency wasn’t enough. He needed to create his own within the company.”
“Wait. Rook created his own ghost squad? Is running his own missions?”
“Seems he handpicked a few agents from Scythe and started sending them on unsanctioned ops about three years ago. Nothing too obvious at first, but they got riskier and crazier over the last year you were with them.”
“Is my name on that list?”
Becca looked over Jordan’s shoulder at Kash. “You are the list. Well, there’s one other who pops up a lot. Icarus.”
“I’m not familiar with that operative, but we always worked alone.”
“It’s a bit strange. I haven’t been able to uncover anything about them, other than the code name. It seems they were recruited differently. I’ll keep digging until I have an answer, but you were his go-to. Looks like you didn’t disappoint.”
“Not exactly something I should be proud of.” Jordan pinched the bridge of her nose, just like back in the diner. Hoping to stop the spread of pain through her temples. “Why didn’t I figure this out sooner? Hell, at all. I thought it was just about the drugs and the weapons, but…”
“He hid it well. Got one of his IT guys to route everything through the Scythe mainframe — made it look legit. I’m impressed you picked up on anything because this is a work of art.”
“So, that’s why he won’t let it slide. If Scythe finds out he’s been playing them — possibly trying to replace their agency with his…”
“I imagine it wouldn’t end well. Even for someone with his connections and status.” Becca pursed her lips, looking at Cannon then Kash. As if she’d already figured out Jordan was intimately involved with him.
Jordan sighed. “Whatever else you need to say, just spit it out.”
Becca folded her hands on her desk. “You’re not the first agent who uncovered the existence of Sandman. There were two others. Both met with untimely accidents.”
Jordan glanced at Cannon. “Was one of them Cannon’s friend?”
“Dwayne Goodman. Code name, Hopper. This was after you left. Rook cut back on the number of missions. My guess is, he couldn’t find anyone to fill your shoes.
But he sent Hopper on half a dozen before one of Rook’s cyber guys got careless and left a bit of a breadcrumb for Hopper to follow.
He’d been a communication specialist and… ”
“The other?”
Becca’s jaw clenched impossibly tighter, some of the color draining from her face. “He was a year before you.”
Jordan waited, but Becca just kept staring, until everything shifted into place. “Raider.”
“I’m sorry. I think that’s why he sent you all those coded messages?—”
“All? I only got one regarding his safehouse. How to access it. A subtle hint that if I ever had to bail, I should head here, to Raven’s Cliff. That I might find some sort of salvation.”
“Raider sent you over a dozen, but I imagine Rook intercepted the rest. As for Raven’s Cliff… Turns out, Raider, Thomas Cross back then, knew Atticus Parker. Ran missions for him before shifting over to Scythe.”
“Is that why Rook targeted Atticus? It wasn’t because of my connection to Foster’s team but because of my uncle?
” She fisted her hands, wanting to punch them through the nearest wall.
“Did Atticus know about me, all along? Did he… Was he the reason I got the job at the café without intense background checks? How I was able to rent that cabin with little more than a simple form? Did I put him in Rook’s crosshairs the second I set foot in town? Jesus.”
“Jordan.” Mac’s voice echoed through the room, and Jordan had to fight not to cringe. To look the other woman in the eyes when all she could think was how she’d ruined everything.
Mac held her head high. “It doesn’t matter why Rook took my father. All that matters is that we get him back and take Rook down. All things considered, you’re our best shot at that.”