Chapter Forty-Six
Phoenix
I beat them to the college campus.
Four minutes later, the old woman pulled right up next to me.
Neither of them noticed me in the SUV or Judas as he slowly drove past and pulled in three cars down.
Lincoln got out of her sedan and hiked a heavy backpack over his shoulder that was nothing like the tactical pack with ten grand cash that I’d rifled through last night. Then he paused to lean back into the still-open passenger door.
I lowered my window.
“Thanks for the ride, Gram.” His tone took on the same excitement I’d heard in the kitchen when the old woman had mentioned the drive-thru. “I got one of the practice studios for two whole hours today, which is, like, really rare. So, um, I didn’t want to miss my entire time slot.”
She said something I couldn’t hear.
His expression and voice immediately turned to dejection. “Yes, ma’am.” He shut the door, hitched the worn backpack higher, and dropped his head as he started walking.
My hand was on the door handle. I was poised to get out. I was ready to meet my son.
My son.
But his excitement over the practice studio, then whatever the old woman had said to him—I was momentarily halted by a state of being I didn’t engage in. Indecision.
Judas spoke through comms. “Sitrep.”
I couldn’t bring myself to extract Lincoln. Not yet. I didn’t want to take those two hours away from him.
“Nix?”
“I’m here.” I watched as the old woman pulled away.
“New plan. Lincoln has a practice space reserved for two hours. You’re close protection detail.
I’m perimeter.” It was leveling me not to follow and protect my son, but I wasn’t going to risk him spotting me in that capacity.
When we met, it would be head-on. “Same protocol. Sitreps every ten minutes.”
“Copy.” Judas got out of his rental, then expertly fell in behind Lincoln, ten paces from his six. “Practice for what?”
“Music. He plays piano.” And I wasn’t going to hear him this time.
“On a college campus?”
“Yes.” How he’d facilitated this was only one of the many things I wanted to ask him about.
I’d run his entire background—did a deep dive over the past two months—but it’d been almost as sparse as Isla’s.
Lincoln wasn’t registered at any schools in the state.
He wasn’t registered at any traditional high schools either, only an online one that he infrequently logged into.
But he came to this campus six days a week.
“Roger that,” Judas replied. “Sitrep in ten.”
“Copy.” I watched first Lincoln, then Judas disappear into the Performing Arts building.
Then I grabbed my burner and made a call that was hours overdue.
Cypher picked up on the fifth ring. “I texted and called.” He grunted with exertion, then held the phone away and issued someone an order.
“Left bank means left fucking side. Keep it upright.” He addressed me.
“Yes, we took occupancy. Yes, I’m still setting up.
Yes, I know our main servers are currently offline.
Shit. Hold.” He held the phone away again and yelled, “Chaos! LEFT SIDE.”
Chaos yelled back, “There’re six fucking rows of servers. All of them are on the left side of the room!”
Cypher cursed under his breath, then addressed me. “Where the fuck are you? Virginia still? This would go twice as fast if you were here. Three times as fast if Chaos wasn’t.”
Chaos was brute force. Lethal warfighter, infamous interrogator, he could build an engine from the ground up or fix anything mechanical. What he didn’t care about, unless it was related to his superbikes, was technology.
I didn’t disagree with Cypher’s last comment. “How’s the building?”
“Besides the security that’s up and running, no idea. I’ve only walked through the lobby, used the elevators, and been in the command room on the twenty-ninth floor. Talk to Chaos if you want a sitrep. He walked the site after we took occupancy.”
“Copy. Garage secure?” It had gated access, but I wanted to upgrade to high-impact roll-up doors.
“For now. Chaos parked one of the Denalis parallel with the gate, blocking any vehicle entry. Did you get the email I sent with your security access codes?”
I quickly checked. “Affirmative. Building locked down?”
“Yes, and I wiped all the previous security codes. You’ll need the new ones I sent to get in.”
“Good copy. What about access for the others? Did you get a hold of everyone?”
“The software and equipment were already on-site to make card keys. Those are done. Biometric and digital security access will have to wait until I get the new servers up and running. As far as the others, Chaos, unfortunately, isn’t leaving.”
“Heard that,” Chaos yelled in the background.
Cypher ignored him. “Helios and Ares confirmed. Saint and Church are en route. Judas, I haven’t heard from.”
“Judas is with me.” I glanced at my watch and calculated flight time. “Assuming no delays, we should touch down at Executive by seventeen hundred.”
“You and Judas. In Virginia,” Cypher stated with no little irritation.
“Affirmative.” I scanned the main quad of the campus.
Cypher exhaled. “This sounds like something I need to be read in about.”
“Later.” He’d know soon enough. All of my team would.
“Later isn’t denial, so I’m going to remind you. We’re offline. Don’t do anything that’s going to require overwatch, backup, or a sweep team.”
I hadn’t required two of those in a long time, and the third was one of the main reasons I was coming in. It was why Cypher was in a new high-rise in Miami Beach. “I won’t need a sweep team.”
“Famous last words.” Cypher hung up.
Judas spoke through comms. “Sitrep. All clear.”