Page 52 of Storm Warning

Despite having already examined the branch, Andre walked with his friend to the tree in question. Another pair of eyes on a problem was always wise. Usually, Elias saw things from a different perspective. He remained silent while his friend examined the branch and the area surrounding the tree.

Elias crouched and studied the ground. “Look at this.”

Andre bent and examined the area Elias showed him. A tactical boot print. His stomach tightened into a knot. “Fresh prints?”

“Has to be. Christiana had rain last night, so this print can’t be over eighteen hours old.”

“The boot print doesn’t match the tread of Fortress tactical boots. Our people didn’t leave this print behind.”

“Could be a neighbor or a hunter.”

“It’s possible.”

“But not likely.”

“Nope. Sorry. Do you want to move her?”

Andre was silent as he considered the problem. He shook his head. “Not yet. I think we’re secure for the moment, but we should stay alert.”

“Copy that.”

They returned to the cabin and reset the alarm. Andre glanced at his friend. “Need coffee?”

“Definitely. The shift will be a long one if I have to do it without caffeine.”

“I hear you.” Andre prepped the coffeemaker again and turned on the brew cycle. In less than a minute, the scent of coffee filled the air. “Need a snack too?”

“Wouldn’t turn it down.”

“Check the pantry while I look in the refrigerator. We’ll put together a hodgepodge of snack food guaranteed to keep us fueled up.”

As the brew cycle finished, they placed their chosen food on a tray that Andre carried to the security room. “See anything?”

Riley was studying the computer screens. “Not really.” She frowned and pointed to one of the camera views. “Did you see something off in this quadrant? You and Elias seemed to be very interested in something there.”

“Broken branch along with a fresh tactical boot print. And before you ask, the tread doesn’t match the ones issued by Fortress.”

“Do we need to move?”

“Not yet. We need to remain alert, but I think we’re safe enough for the night.”

She turned the chair to face Andre and Elias. “If this is a threat, who is the target? Second, how did they find us? Fortress doesn’t advertise the addresses of safe houses, so what magic did this person work to find us?”

Elias gave a slight nod. “Those are excellent questions we don’t have answers to yet.”

“What do we do, Andre?”

“Stay put until the sun rises, then reevaluate. Unless something convinces me otherwise, we’ll move to another safe house tomorrow morning. If our location is compromised again, I’ll find a safe place for us to stay outside of the Fortress safe house network.”

“That will mean Fortress has a leak, putting all ops in jeopardy.”

CHAPTER TEN

GREAT. JUST GREAT. Riley scowled as she turned away from Andre and Elias and stared at her computer screen. The last thing Fortress needed was a leak. So many missions in progress would be compromised if the leak turned out to be real. But nothing else made sense. Members of Artemis and Echo units weren’t blabbing the information to anyone. So that left Fortress.

But to accuse Brent or Zane of being careless with mission security was beyond stupid. That conversation would likely end with her walking papers in hand as she left the boss’s office. Besides, both men were Navy SEALs. They understood the importance of mission secrecy. Brent and Zane would never endanger the operatives. So what did that leave?

Riley drew in a deep breath. One thing at a time. At the moment, they were secure. If the worst happened and they were outnumbered and outgunned, Rod’s cabin also housed a safe room. Embarrassing though it would be to run and hide, that was better than standing their ground and dying if the odds weren’t in their favor.