Page 14 of Storm Warning

Andre covered one of her fists with his hand and squeezed lightly.

When she glanced at him, Riley saw a clear warning to tread lightly in his eyes. Sassing Brent Maddox put you on a one-way express to the exit.

But his questions revealed distrust, and she’d worked hard to earn the trust of Maddox and her teammates. Even a hint that she hadn’t convinced them of her trustworthiness rankled.

Riley wrestled her temper into submission and looked at her boss. “No, sir. Nothing stands out.”

His forehead furrowed. “I’ll put Zane on it. Hopefully, he’ll help us figure out this puzzle. If someone is targeting you, there’s a reason, and we must know what it is to derail the next attack.”

She sat back in her chair. Zane was always the first call for operatives employed by Fortress Security. Although unable to operate in the field, Z hadn’t forgotten the need for updated, accurate information on missions. An IED in the Sand Box had ended his career as a Navy SEAL. Now, he was an invaluable resource behind the scenes at Fortress.

As good as he was, though, Zane only had 24 hours in a day. Teams couldn’t monopolize his time. Her lips curved. Good thing she didn’t have to depend on Z’s amazing computer skills.Riley had her own computer skills that she used to help Artemis and Echo. “Don’t do that, sir. Zane is overloaded. I can handle the research.”

“All right. If you hit a roadblock that you can’t go around or your time is too limited, ask Zane for help.”

“Yes, sir. I will.” She’d just make sure she didn’t need Zane’s help.

“What now, sir?” Seth frowned. “I don’t like that Riley has been singled out.”

“Same. For the moment, your mission is Riley, but I have another operation brewing. Your teams might be deployed again.”

Iona scowled. “Interrogator and his buddies took Riley in the middle of an operation on foreign soil. What’s stopping them from taking off with her again?”

Maddox’s eyes glittered. “Not what, Byrne, but who. And that person is you. You know she’s a target. Develop a plan to keep your teammate safe. Maddox out.”

Elias whistled. “The boss isn’t happy.”

“He’s not the only one,” Seth said.

“What do you mean?” Iona folded her arms across her chest.

“We should have been keeping better tabs on each other. We’re depending on the comm devices to clue us in when a teammate is in jeopardy. These guys were professional enough to strip the comm device from Riley’s ear when they kidnapped her. We were lucky Andre noticed she was missing so fast and tracked her down.”

Iona shifted her gaze to Riley. “I’m sorry, Riley. I let you down. It won’t happen again.”

She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. What was she supposed to say to that? It’s okay? It wasn’t. No harm was done. Next time, though, that might not be the case. Seth was right.They had to keep track of each other better. “Perhaps we can use our tactical watches.”

Seth looked thoughtful. “Maybe. We’ll think about it. In the meantime, get some rest. We won’t sleep much until we figure out who is after Riley because we protect our own.”

The operatives returned to their seats and settled down to sleep on the flight to Bayside, Texas where one of the Fortress doctors was waiting for the teams and for Christopher.

Andre and Riley walked down the aisle and sat in the last row of seats. A minute later, Christopher left the bedroom followed by Noah and Violet.

The medic stopped near Andre. “Do you mind if Christopher joins you? I think he wants to spend time with you and Riley for a while.”

Hope gleamed in his eyes as he watched Andre. Riley glanced at Andre, eyebrow raised in silent inquiry. She didn’t mind if the boy hung out with them and was sure Andre wouldn’t either. The kid had an obvious case of hero worship going on.

“Sure.” Andre scooted over to sit next to Riley, leaving the aisle seat for Christopher. “I might fall asleep, though. You okay with that?”

“No problem. I’m tired too. I slept little while those men had me.”

An expression came and went so fast that Riley wasn’t sure what it was. She knew, however, that a painful thought or memory had gone through Christopher’s mind. He couldn’t hide that extreme reaction. “Do you want a blanket and pillow?”

The boy nodded.

Riley grabbed a pillow and blanket from the overhead compartment and handed the pillow to Christopher. She shook the blanket out and draped it over the boy, careful not to touch him without his consent. “Need anything else, Christopher?”

“No, ma’am.”