Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Neve stared out the window as Shepherd drove down the dead-end road, the last streetlamp illuminating a small patch of blacktop a good twenty meters behind them.
Fog threaded across the area, clinging to the lower branches of the forest nestled behind the private clinic as he maneuvered the truck onto the end of a gravel driveway that stopped at the edge of the encroaching tree line.
The thick canopy blocked out the hint of dawn just clawing at the darkness, lightening the sky enough the trees looked like black monoliths against the indigo sky.
It had taken a bit longer than expected to navigate the series of back alleys and nondescript streets all the way to the site, but they hadn’t wanted Fraser’s team to suddenly appear behind them and open fire if Fraser recognized the vehicle.
Neve bit back the scream that tried to push past the lump in her throat. She’d had Fraser dead to rights — his head in her crosshairs, her finger curled around the trigger. One shot, and she would have brought her teammates a glimmer of closure.
She shoved down the riotous thoughts. The ones that weren’t sure if it had been morality or practicality that had stayed her hand. Both, she supposed because killing him then, with other options on the table, would have made her no better than the men they were chasing.
Would have branded her a murderer, too.
Coulter squeezed her hand. He hadn’t asked her about it, and she’d been happy to sit beside him, his quiet confidence easing the jumpy feeling in her gut. She wasn’t sure what it was about his simple presence that soothed her raw nerves, only that she wanted to spend a lifetime puzzling it out.
The engine cut off, the momentary silence weighing heavy in the still air before Shepherd twisted in his seat. “Are you sure you’ve got enough resources for a stealth mission? This wasn’t part of our original plan.”
Neve glanced at her teammates. “If our combined firepower isn’t enough, we’ll never be prepared. Zadie? Any luck on that jammer?”
Zadie tucked her tablet into a MOLLE pouch on her vest. “I’ve got it configured to block internal wi-fi and cell service once we’re in range. That should prevent anyone from sending out a silent alarm. Keep our federal partners from getting involved.”
“Then, let’s head out. See what Ramsey’s trying to sanitize.”
They poured out of the vehicle, checking their equipment one last time.
Coulter hooked her arm, easing her off to the side as he leaned in close. “You sure you’re up for this?”
Aware he’d see through any attempt at lying, she steeled her expression. “Am I sore? Sure. Can I push through? Absolutely.”
“I know you can man up, sweetheart. I’m more concerned if you should.” He held up his hand again. “How many now?”
She arched a brow. “Three.”
The muscle in his temple jumped a few times as he clenched his jaw. “You’re guessing.”
“Maybe, but at least I guessed right.” She palmed his chest. “I promise to let you or Wynn know if I think I’m compromising the mission.”
“Realizing that when we’re neck deep in a firefight isn’t going to help you much.”
“Then, I’ll just have to be okay until we’re done.” She clapped him on the shoulder. “We’re losing our window.”
He held on for a couple more seconds before releasing her, falling into his anchor position without direction, the captain in him never truly standing down.
Not that she minded. While she’d been the team’s leader for over a year, she didn’t deny he had more experience — had led far more missions into enemy territory than she ever would.
The fact he’d defaulted to her command meant more than he knew.
Scout took lead, weaving them through the underbrush and over to the property line.
It only took a couple minutes to scale the ornate metal fence, time the camera angles, and dart over to the employee entrance at the rear of the building.
Zadie moved into the alcove, had lines of code running on her tablet before a hushed click sounded from the door, the entire unit releasing a fraction.
She tucked the device away. “I’ve bypassed the magnetic lock and jammed the internal systems. Cameras should be offline, along with cell service and wi-fi. I’ll have to temporarily stop jamming if we want to talk to Shepherd.”
Neve grabbed the handle. “Noted.” She glanced at the black SUV parked off to their right at the mouth of the automatic gate leading to the front parking lot. “Everyone notice the Hummer?”
Scout snorted. “You mean the one that screams Ramsey’s already here? Caught a glimpse.”
“Be ready for this to go south in a hurry.”
Neve showed the countdown on one hand then reefed open the door, waving Scout ahead. Her friend slipped inside, cleared the immediate area before taking a knee, rifle snugged against her shoulder, her focus zeroed in on the adjoining hallway.
Bright fluorescent lights bathed the corridor in a blinding white glow, the scent of antiseptic and lemon floor cleaner saturating the cool air. A hum sounded in the distance, the rhythmic beating noise raising the hairs on the back of Neve’s neck.
She crouched beside Scout, feeling more than a bit exposed. “I hate being out in the open like this. We need some cover before Ramsey saunters by.”
Scout moved forward, body skimming the wall, weapon trained at the end of the hall.
The rest of them fanned out, Zadie and Wynn following after Scout while Neve and Coulter crossed to the other side.
Coulter slipped in front of her, jaw set, his gaze straying to her neck then back to the hallway, and she knew the bruising already darkening her skin irritated him.
Had his protective instincts working overtime.
Warmth spread through her chest. He’d always been fiercely vigilant over his teammates, but she couldn’t deny he’d taken it to a whole new level since she’d dragged his ass out of the fray at Blackridge.
Since he’d admitted he wouldn’t survive burying her, again.
Scout stopped at the end of the hallway, glancing down both sides before turning left toward that humming noise. Hushed voices sounded from deeper in the building, the whoosh of a door opening and closing drifting to them.
They reached the next connecting hallway, turned right and stopped. A floor polisher had been tipped onto its side, the pad still oscillating against the air. Blood drops trailed away from it, what looked like twin scuff marks marring the surface.
They bolted ahead, weapons at a high ready, Neve half-focused behind them in case one of Ramsey’s men tried to ambush them. The droplets disappeared beyond a closed door, the edge of a larger puddle just visible beneath it.
Scout grabbed the handle, counted it down as Coulter readied himself. He stepped forward when Scout tossed it open, avoiding the blood as he swept the room, leaving enough space Wynn could dart inside — check the man heaped on the ground.
She crouched beside the guy, fingers pressed against his neck before she shook her head.
Coulter moved back into the hallway. “Guess we know how far Ramsey’s taking his sanitation mission.”
Wynn sighed. “I hope he’s the only person who was on shift.”
Neve rolled her shoulders, easing the tension straining her muscles.
“All the more reason to find Ramsey, secure his ass so we can link him and Blackridge to Finch. End this whole ugly mess.” She motioned down the corridor.
“Any idea which way the record room is because I bet my ass Ramsey’s in there, grabbing all the files. ”
Wynn pointed back the way they’d traveled. “Offices are usually at one end. Since they don’t seem to be on this side, I’d suspect they’re the other way. Patient files should be somewhere close.”
Coulter stepped out as Scout took point, looking as if he wanted to lead before pursing his lips, waving her forward.
Neve stopped next to him. “If you’d feel better leading…”
He glanced at her, his gaze once again dropping to her neck, then back. “Scout’s our best tracker, even if this isn’t a forest trail. Just old habits…”
“Or maybe, it’s a few new ones.” She gestured to the hallway. “Are you going in front so you can challenge anyone who jumps out at me, or covering my ass?” She smiled. “Same reason.”
He snorted. “I’ll go in front. Save your neck from another thrashing.”
He followed after the others, the lights in the hallway flickering a few times before they winked out, a set of blue LED light strips switching on. What Neve guessed must have been some kind of preprogrammed night setting.
Scout continued along the hallway, checking every doorway until they crossed the main lobby, found a door simply labeled “office”.
They gathered around the entrance, weapons trained on the door as Scout showed another countdown, then swung it open. Deep shadows laced the room, a large, wooden desk centered near the back wall, the blue light from the monitor casting the chair in an eerie glow.
Wynn headed for the filing cabinets as Zadie sat at the desk, messing with the computer as Coulter cleared the rest of the room before standing guard at the door.
While he didn’t move as stiffly as before, she noticed the way he favored his left side, despite it being his dominant one.
Another trait they shared, and as silly as it seemed, somehow, both of them being left-handed had felt like a sign that they belonged together.
Coulter paused, scanning the hallway, then glancing back across his shoulder at her.
He furrowed his brow, silently asking if she was okay, before she smiled and nodded.
Lingering a moment longer, he then resumed his vigil, looking incredibly intimidating with his massive shoulders blocking the doorway, his tactical vest adding a few inches to his chest. His brown hair sat in a tousled mess, a manicured beard giving him a rugged, warrior vibe.
Zadie cleared her throat, drawing Neve’s attention. “You might want to see this.”