Chapter 34
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
Hudson called his team as he headed down the road.
“Jake,” he said when his colleague answered. “I need backup at Natalie’s address. There’s a break-in. Could be Sigma, could be Ravenscroft’s enemies. Either way, I want eyes on the perimeter.”
“On it. ETA fifteen minutes.”
Hudson disconnected and focused on driving.
Natallie’s limbs shook as she sat beside him.
He understood. Someone had violated her space, her sanctuary. She wanted to confront them, to take back control.
But confronting unknown hostiles without proper backup was how civilians got killed.
He saw her studying her phone as he drove. “Any updates?”
“I’m looking at my cameras, but I don’t see them anymore.”
“Could they have left out the back door?” he asked. “Or a window the cameras don’t cover?”
“Maybe.” She frowned. “It looks like . . . it looks like the rest of my cameras have been disconnected.”
Hudson wished he could say he was surprised, but he wasn’t.
They reached her neighborhood. Everything looked normal, peaceful. No obvious threats.
Which meant nothing. The best operators knew how to blend in.
They pulled into her driveway. Jake was already there and walking toward the house with his gun drawn.
Hudson turned toward Natalie. “I’m not going to tell you to stay in the car because I know you won’t.”
“You’re right.”
“So stay behind me.” Hudson’s hand moved instinctively to where his weapon was concealed under his jacket. He hadn’t been able to bring it inside the office—they had metal detectors—but he’d kept it in his car. “If I say run, you run. Understood?”
She nodded, her face pale but determined.
Hudson prayed she actually listened.
Jake indicated he was heading around back.
Hudson would take the front door.
As he approached, he noticed it was closed. If it hadn’t been for the security video, they wouldn’t know someone had been here.
His instincts screamed danger as he pushed the door open and scanned the entryway.
Silence.
He moved inside.
As they walked into the living room, Natalie sucked in a sharp breath.
The place had been tossed, but not haphazardly. Instead, the intruders had neatly removed and set couch cushions aside. Had taken books from shelves and stacked them in piles on the floor. Drawers had been opened but the contents left relatively undisturbed.
Someone had been looking for something specific.
Or they wanted to make Hudson think that.
Jake finished checking the backyard and joined them in the living room.
“Check for bugs,” Hudson mouthed to Jake.
Jake nodded and began searching.
In the meantime, Hudson put a finger over his mouth, indicating for Natalie to be quiet.
Jake appeared a moment later and nodded. “It’s clear.”
Natalie wrapped her arms around herself. “What were they looking for?”
“I don’t know.” Hudson holstered his weapon, already pulling out his phone to photograph the scene. “But this wasn’t random.”
“Was it Sigma?”
“Maybe. Or your father’s enemies. Or—” He stopped himself before saying your father, but the implication hung in the air anyway.
What if Richard Ravenscroft had ordered this? What if he suspected his daughter knew too much and sent someone to find out what she’d learned?
Or what if he did this to get them out of the office. But why? To watch how Hudson reacted?
Maybe.
“I need to call my father—”
“No.” The word came out sharper than Hudson intended. “Not yet. Let’s think this through first.”
Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t want me to tell him because you think he might have done this.”
Hudson couldn’t deny it. “I think we need more information before we make that call.”
“He’s my father.”
“And someone just broke into your house looking for something. Until we know who and why, we trust no one. Not even family.”
The words were harsh but necessary. Hudson watched Natalie process them, watched her face as she realized the implications.
She couldn’t trust her father. Couldn’t trust Hudson. Couldn’t trust anyone.
She was completely alone in this.
“Jake will stay here and look for clues,” Hudson continued. “But we should go.”
“Fine.” The resolve in her voice deepened. “Let’s get back to the office. I’ll figure out what to do from there.”