Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you two look like shit.”
Saylor laughed as Foster kicked out a chair, then slid onto it, holding his coffee mug as if it were a lifeline.
He took a sip, glancing at Zain. “Didn’t you two get any rest since that showdown?”
Zain scoffed. “Did you? Because I don’t know when we would have had time. Between Greer having us walk her through the attack a dozen times before going over every frame of security footage for three hours straight, there hasn’t been time to breathe, let alone sleep.”
Saylor sighed. Zain had left out the part where he’d been making endless patrols through the woods in case they’d missed a camera or IED — or worse, the assholes had returned. But she didn’t call him out. Not when she knew it was all in an attempt to keep her safe.
To prevent another loss on his watch.
Foster merely nodded, the lines on his face a bit deeper than she remembered. She just wasn’t sure if it was her situation or Mac’s pregnancy behind them. If the threat had struck a new chord.
She nudged Foster, motioning to him. “Hate to break it to you, Foster, but you likely look worse. How’s Mac?”
Foster groaned as he raked his fingers through his hair. “Puking. Again. Who knew making one tiny human could cause this much grief. The fact Jordan seems to be walking around as if nothing’s changed doesn’t soothe Mac any.”
Zain scoffed. “Jordan’s puking, too. But she said compared to all the shit Rook put her through, it’s not so bad.”
“Regardless, if this doesn’t stop soon, I’m worried Mac’ll shoot me in the ass.”
“Aww, I wouldn’t shoot you, Beckett. I’d stab you in the heart.”
Foster looked up at the doorway as Mac ambled through, wearing one of his oversized hoodies and a pair of sweats. Her hair in a messy bun that looked as if it might fall at any given moment.
He stood and pulled out a chair for her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were joining us? I wouldn’t have grabbed more coffee.”
“It’s fine. Coffee doesn’t set me off, anymore.”
“Since when?”
“Last night. In fact…” She wiggled her fingers at him.
He held onto it even after she’d grabbed the handle. “Are you sure? ”
Mac raised a brow. “Do you really want to come between a pregnant woman and what she’s craving?”
“When you put it that way…” He leaned toward Saylor. “I’ve got Chase on standby, just in case she snaps.”
Mac swatted his chest before shaking her head as she focused on Saylor. “I’m sorry I missed the excitement last night. I was in the middle of hurling for the hundredth time, and Foster thought the retching would out us.”
Saylor inhaled. “He didn’t actually say that, did he?”
Mac gave Foster her best stink eye. “Every. Word.”
“I’m impressed Chase isn’t digging a round out of Foster’s ass.” Saylor grabbed her hand and squeezed. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“Still…” Mac leaned back in the chair, taking another cautious sip before handing Foster the mug. “So, any news, yet?”
Zain grunted as he pounded his fist on the table. “Not a damn word.”
Saylor rested her hand on his arm. “Bodie said it could take a few days.”
“Which would be fine if we weren’t in the middle of a damn war.
They tried twice in one night, and it’s nearly dark, again.
We’re running out of time.” Zain stood and paced across the room, leaning against the far wall.
“Not that I want to risk Foster’s sanity, but if we don’t hear something soon, I’ll call Becca, myself. ”
“Jesus, less than twenty-four hours and you’re already replacing me? That’s cold, brother. ”
Zain whipped his head around, smiling at the man standing in doorway. “Nothing you don’t already know.” He walked over and clapped Bodie on the back. “I hope the fact you came in person means you’ve got something big.”
Bodie shrugged, nodding at Saylor. “If the images of the research crew’s big, then, yeah.”
Saylor inhaled, the chair nearly toppling as she surged to her feet. “You found them?”
He placed his laptop on the table, then pulled up a seat. “The fact you asked like that cuts deep.”
“I looked everywhere, but…”
She froze. What if the guy wasn’t there? If she’d imagined everything? The face, the sounds, the lights.
What if she really was losing her mind?
The chair scraped across the floor, then Zain’s arms wrapped around her waist, tugging her against his chest.
He pressed his lips to the soft spot behind her ear, a heated breath soothing that initial punch of fear. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
She nodded, probably looking like a deranged bobblehead, but the simple motion eased the tension in her muscles. Allowed her to finally pry her eyelids open.
Zain pulled another chair over, snugging his up beside hers. “If you’re not up to this, I can take a look. Or Kash. It was dark and we had to leave fairly quickly, but we’re pretty good with faces.”
“No.” She smoothed her hands down the hoodie Zain had loaned her. “I’m fine.”
Zain shook his head. “Stubborn.” He moved in beside her, his thigh touching hers as he looked over at Bodie. “Is this secure enough? I recall your place has jammers and special film over the windows.”
“We’ll definitely be meeting there if I can scrounge up intel on that classified mission and the chip you guys removed from that drone.
” Bodie sighed. “But for this, I thought Saylor might be more comfortable here, all things considered.” He reached into his bag and removed a small unit.
“I brought a portable jammer, though, just in case.”
It took Bodie a few minutes to get everything set up and his laptop humming as the rest of Zain’s teammates ambled in, grabbing seats before Bodie slid the computer over to her. “I separated them so there’s only one per page. That way, you don’t have to hunt for him. Just, take your time.”
A deep breath and a pep talk not to lose her shit, and she clicked on the first image — quickly moved on to the next.
Then, the next, each face tightening her chest a bit more until it took all her focus just to suck air in and push it out.
She paused on the last picture, tears burning her eyes, those familiar dots starting to close in as she pushed the laptop away, praying the floor miraculously opened up and swallowed her.
She palmed her forehead, that eerie tone echoing around her. “He’s not here.”
Bodie frowned. “Are you sure? You can look, again.”
“I’m positive. None of these men are the one from the salvage ship.”
Her breathing kicked up. Shallow, gasping pants that had the room dimming. The table starting to tilt left and right .
Zain squeezed her hand. “Easy, sweetheart. You’re fading.”
“Wait.” Bodie clicked on some keys, his voice drawing her back. “I missed one.”
He shoved the laptop back over, the image filling the screen. Dark hair, a square jaw, with narrow set eyes, the resemblance stole what little breath she’d managed. Had the room spinning for a different reason.
“Saylor?”
Zain’s voice sounded distant, as if he’d wandered into another room. She glanced over at him, mouth slightly open, nothing but a frantic rasp making it past the lump in her throat. She stared at the photo, then back at Zain, praying he put it all together.
Zain nodded, then focused on Bodie. “That’s him, Bodie. Who is he?”
Bodie reclaimed the computer, breaking that invisible hold the photo had over her as he tapped on some keys.
“Eric Vasquez. Graduated from MIT with an Electrical Engineering and Computer Science degree. Went on to get a masters in Ocean Engineering. He’s worked for a number of research companies, but there’s not much on the surface for the past few years before he popped up on the Vigilant .
But now that I have a name, I can dig deeper. ”
Saylor stared at the table, the guy’s name ringing in her head. She hadn’t imagined it. He’d been on the ship. Which meant, all those flashes were likely real, too. The men. The footsteps. The gunfire — that sound.
Zain squeezed her hand. “Saylor? Are you okay?”
She managed to lift her gaze. “I… ”
The chair shot back as she pushed to her feet, Zain catching the arm before it clattered to the floor. He dragged it to the side, following her when she took a few hurried steps back.
He moved in close. “We’ll figure this out.”
“How is he alive?” She glanced at the image over Bodie’s shoulder. “How was he on that salvage ship when he died a year ago on the Vigilant ?”
“I don’t know, but we won’t stop until we have the answers. I promise you.”
“The Vigilant went down.”
He merely nodded.
“There’s no way it didn’t sink. It was dead in the water. There were waves crashing over the bow. Massive downflooding. Hell, the welds on hull were singing.” She pushed her fingers through her hair. “It was only a matter of time before it cracked.”
Zain tilted his head. “You remember?”
The memories came hard and fast, tripping over each other as they slammed into her head. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to grasp onto one coherent thought, but it all faded beneath the echo of that sound. The punishing weight of the truth.
She let her head tilt back, exhaustion eating at her resolve. “It’s gone.”
“Don’t push it. The fact you remembered more is promising.”
She shook her head. “I can’t… What if he’s not the only one? What if others made it off that ship?”
Zain took her hand in his. “Between what you remember, and the fact Vasquez was alive and on that salvage ship, suggests a much darker scenario.”
She glanced around at his teammates, reading the same dire expression on their faces. “You think someone sank it on purpose.”
“I think you were never supposed to survive.”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “This is insane.”
“But you’re not.”
She smiled at the way he grinned at her. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I could still be batshit crazy.”
Kash chuckled as he placed his elbows on the table. “You fell for Zain. That’s a given.”
Zain rolled his eyes. “Ignore him. He’s grumpy when he doesn’t get his beauty sleep.”
She sighed. “So, what’s next?”