Page 87 of Storm Warning

“But?”

Andre tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I think Riley was the intended target.”

She stared. “How? I wasn’t in the doorway.”

“Based on the angle of the shot. I’ll talk to Teagan. She might confirm my theory.”

“Do it. We need to know. In the meantime, take extra precautions for everyone’s safety.”

“Copy that, sir.”

“I want you to think hard before you answer my next question. Are you too emotionally involved to be objective?”

“I don’t have to think about that. The answer is yes, but I’m not standing down.”

Silence followed his declaration.

Elias leaned forward. “We’re on this, sir. I’m watching out for both of them. So is Iona. You can trust us to be impartial when the occasion calls for it.”

Maddox snorted. “Give me a break. I’ve seen how tight your teams are and how committed each team is to the other. Why do you think I send both teams out on so many dangerous missions requiring more than the standard unit of five operatives? I need to know if I can trust you to do what’s necessary and exercise good judgment in the process when you’re working together. If I can’t, I’ll pull the four of you out of Christiana.”

Andre flinched. “We’re already leaving Christiana, Brent. With two breaches of security, we can’t afford to stay in the area. Do you have any suggestions of where to go next? I’m thinking of getting a hotel room using one of my Fortress IDs.”

Riley tensed. “No.”

“Explain, Riley,” Maddox said.

“I don’t want to think that someone inside Fortress is sharing information with outsiders, but we must consider the possibility. If the traitor is inside Fortress, any file is vulnerable to hacking, including Andre’s.” Her cheeks burned. What would her boss think of her next statement? “I can check us into a hotel with identification secured outside of Fortress. It should be safe.”

“All right. I’ll allow you to do this for now. If things heat up much more, we’ll have another discussion, and I guarantee it won’t end this way. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I better hear from you in six hours. If you’re even one minute late, I’ll assume that you’re under attack and on the run, or the enemy has captured you, and I will respond with force to protect those who are ours. Am I clear, Andre?”

“Yes, sir. You’ll hear from us.”

“Report to your team leader. I’ll send you a list of hotels with good security in Murfreesboro. Choose one of them. We have operatives in the area who can respond quickly if you need them. Maddox out.”

Andre’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Without knowing it, Maddox had confirmed his thoughts on the problem were going in the right direction. The guy coming after Riley was playing with her for now. Soon, he’d grow tired of the game and shift gears into more dangerous stalking. No doubt in Andre’s mind that the endgame was Riley’s death. That would not happen. They’d have to go through him first.

“We have little time,” Elias said from the backseat.

“I agree,” Iona said. “Riley, you know what this creep’s goal is, right?”

“He wants me dead.”

“More than that,” Elias said. “He wants to be the one to kill you. This is personal to him.”

“But I’ve done nothing to deserve death.”

“Someone disagrees. It’s time for you and Andre to walk down memory lane together. Maybe the two of you will help each other sift through the past and figure out who wants both of you dead.”

Andre gave a rough laugh. “Please don’t spare our feelings.”

“Want me to lie?”

He held up a hand. “Sorry. I need you to remain blunt and keep me from missing something important.” Andre glanced at Riley for an instant. “We both do.”