Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ty
White, T-Rex, Ty, and Rory made their way back over to the van.
Hands on hips, Echo shuffled away from their targets to form a tight ring so they could be brought up to speed.
“Good news and bad news,” White said as Echo focused on her.
“Good news first,” Nitro said, “because I just had to kiss Phossy Jaw to get him back breathing, and there’s not enough whiskey in the world that’s going to numb that sensation. That shit’s going to seed my nightmares from here to kingdom come.”
“Above and beyond,” White said dryly. “I’ll see if we can’t get you a special accommodation for that act of valor.”
“The good news is that when Ty and Rory retire from the services in May,” T-Rex said, “they’ll both be hanging around the Cerberus Training Center.”
The team didn’t roar their approval; they were still on a mission. But fists were raised in the universal sign of victory, and mouths opened wide to show the silent huzzah.
Ty’s face was set in a warrior’s mask.
“What’s going on, Ty, you changed your mind?” Havoc asked.
White reached up to squeeze Ty’s bicep, a sign that she’d take control of the information rollout.
The team was stone-faced and focused as they learned what happened to Kira.
“We’ve got her, brother,” Nitro said. “This is what we do. We’re what two hours away on White’s plane?
We’ve got our kit. We hook up with the airport officials and plan the best place to have the Davidson jet set down for public safety without drawing undue attention from the pilots. In. Out. Kira’s back in your arms.”
Ty nodded. He desperately wanted to believe that.
But off the plane didn’t keep Kira safe.
No one said what was on those audio files that Iniquus found and translated.
Ty didn’t know why the FBI and CIA had decided to go to the State Department.
This wasn’t a business transaction that might get exposed.
This wasn’t a crime committed on foreign soil, which would be held tight to the intelligence department’s vest so they could apply force on the pressure points, causing enough pain that they had well-placed moles.
Uh-uh.
And the timing. The timing was problematic. Nadir hadn’t sought to figure this out over the almost two years that Kira had innocently been working on her project, and Fatima had left sleeping dogs lie.
Something changed.
Did it have something to do with the war, or was it despite the war?
“Boats coming up,” White said. “I’ve got someone in my ear with the right open sesame. They’re ours.” She lifted a flashlight and sent a set of flashes.
There was a shift as the team assessed the boat, then ranged out, eyes in every direction.
“Hey, Ty,” Nitro’s voice was only loud enough to carry as far as his team and no farther, a particular trick when they were so close to water.
“You think the timing’s suspicious that Iniquus kept you on ice since December, then Kira gets in, and there’s suddenly a contract in the mail, and you’re one of the family? ” Nitro asked.
“Lynx is in the mix.” White’s voice held a smile. “Sounded like she got called into Command a few days ago.”
“That doesn’t explain the timing,” Nitro said.
“No?” T-Rex asked. “It makes perfect sense to me.”
“Did you know General Elliot used to be in charge of the U.S. Galaxy Project?” White asked.
Jeopardy flicked a glance over his shoulder. “What’s that?”
“You’re just a young pup. This was before your time,” T-Rex said. “The military did a foray into psychic spying decades ago when it was a hot topic with the Russians.”
“You believe in that shit?” Nitro asked, stepping closer to the van when one of the targets moaned.
“Me?” White asked. “I don’t know enough about it to have an opinion.
I’m just saying that sometimes Iniquus Command does things the split second before they’re needed.
And when they do, Lynx is often involved in that conversation.
This might be one of those times. It amuses me as a thought experiment. ”
“That makes the hair stand up on my arm,” Nitro whispered.