Chapter Seventeen
RILEY STARED AT the screen. Her hand gripped her phone so hard that the plastic creaked. This warning was a direct threat to her and everyone she cared about. That put Andre and her teammates in danger because of her.
She slid the phone into her pocket. What should she do? Riley couldn’t let a threat like this stand, but she didn’t have a direction in which to start her search.
Where did that leave her? Packing a bag. Riley flinched at the prospect of giving up a second family. She swallowed hard. To give up her teammates would hurt like crazy. To give up Andre would shatter her heart.
She couldn’t do it. So, what option did that leave? Her hands fisted. Find this creep and stop him. That was the only option she could live with.
“Hey.”
Riley blinked and focused on Andre. Her lips curved. “Hey.”
“You’ll find him.”
“Maybe. I’ve struck out so far.”
“You also have had little uninterrupted time to work. You’re a whiz on a keyboard, Riley. All you need is a little time to focus. I have faith in you and your incredible computer skills.”
Her eyes misted. How did he always know what to say? “Thanks.”
“Ready to go?”
“Where? Both safe houses were compromised.”
“Hotel. I think that’s our best option for the night. Tomorrow, we’ll reevaluate.”
“If something else doesn’t happen.” Riley shoved her fingers through her dark hair. “This is crazy. How does he keep finding us?”
“That’s an excellent question. If we answer that one, we’ll be one step closer to identifying the person threatening you.”
Threatening? Try torturing. This person knew too much about her. Where was he getting the information?
Perhaps Angie was right. Maybe Nate Berkley was behind all this. But why? What had she done to attract his attention after two years?
“Move it.” Elias scanned the street. “We need to go before the CSIs arrive. Otherwise, we’ll be in their way.”
Riley and Andre followed him and Iona from Angie’s home, then settled into the front passenger seat for the ride to the hotel.
Once Andre drove away from the neighborhood, he called Maddox.
“Yeah, Maddox. Talk to me, Andre.”
“You’re on speaker with my team.”
“Sit rep.”
He summarized the events since they had left Micah Winter’s home earlier in the morning.
“Any Fortress injuries?”
“No, sir.” He glanced at Riley, then returned his attention to the road.
“But?”
Andre tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I think Riley was the intended target.”
She stared. “How? I wasn’t in the doorway.”
“Based on the angle of the shot. I’ll talk to Teagan. She might confirm my theory.”
“Do it. We need to know. In the meantime, take extra precautions for everyone’s safety.”
“Copy that, sir.”
“I want you to think hard before you answer my next question. Are you too emotionally involved to be objective?”
“I don’t have to think about that. The answer is yes, but I’m not standing down.”
Silence followed his declaration.
Elias leaned forward. “We’re on this, sir. I’m watching out for both of them. So is Iona. You can trust us to be impartial when the occasion calls for it.”
Maddox snorted. “Give me a break. I’ve seen how tight your teams are and how committed each team is to the other.
Why do you think I send both teams out on so many dangerous missions requiring more than the standard unit of five operatives?
I need to know if I can trust you to do what’s necessary and exercise good judgment in the process when you’re working together.
If I can’t, I’ll pull the four of you out of Christiana. ”
Andre flinched. “We’re already leaving Christiana, Brent. With two breaches of security, we can’t afford to stay in the area. Do you have any suggestions of where to go next? I’m thinking of getting a hotel room using one of my Fortress IDs.”
Riley tensed. “No.”
“Explain, Riley,” Maddox said.
“I don’t want to think that someone inside Fortress is sharing information with outsiders, but we must consider the possibility.
If the traitor is inside Fortress, any file is vulnerable to hacking, including Andre’s.
” Her cheeks burned. What would her boss think of her next statement?
“I can check us into a hotel with identification secured outside of Fortress. It should be safe.”
“All right. I’ll allow you to do this for now. If things heat up much more, we’ll have another discussion, and I guarantee it won’t end this way. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I better hear from you in six hours. If you’re even one minute late, I’ll assume that you’re under attack and on the run, or the enemy has captured you, and I will respond with force to protect those who are ours. Am I clear, Andre?”
“Yes, sir. You’ll hear from us.”
“Report to your team leader. I’ll send you a list of hotels with good security in Murfreesboro. Choose one of them. We have operatives in the area who can respond quickly if you need them. Maddox out.”
Andre’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Without knowing it, Maddox had confirmed his thoughts on the problem were going in the right direction.
The guy coming after Riley was playing with her for now.
Soon, he’d grow tired of the game and shift gears into more dangerous stalking.
No doubt in Andre’s mind that the endgame was Riley’s death.
That would not happen. They’d have to go through him first.
“We have little time,” Elias said from the backseat.
“I agree,” Iona said. “Riley, you know what this creep’s goal is, right?”
“He wants me dead.”
“More than that,” Elias said. “He wants to be the one to kill you. This is personal to him.”
“But I’ve done nothing to deserve death.”
“Someone disagrees. It’s time for you and Andre to walk down memory lane together. Maybe the two of you will help each other sift through the past and figure out who wants both of you dead.”
Andre gave a rough laugh. “Please don’t spare our feelings.”
“Want me to lie?”
He held up a hand. “Sorry. I need you to remain blunt and keep me from missing something important.” Andre glanced at Riley for an instant. “We both do.”
Iona stared at her phone. “Maddox sent a list of approved hotels.”
“Any preferences?” Elias asked.
“I’ve never been to any of these. However, I know a couple who stayed at The Rosewood Hotel. They raved about the accommodations and the service. I know we’re interested in the safety measures, but no one said we couldn’t enjoy the surroundings while we’re resting.”
“What do you think, Riley? Does The Rosewood sound good?”
“After that endorsement by Iona’s friends, I can’t resist seeing the hotel for myself.”
Andre remained alert throughout the rest of the ride to the hotel. Fortunately, he saw no signs that they were being followed. When he stopped turning squares in Murfreesboro, they were six blocks from the hotel.
When he parked in front of the hotel entrance, he sat behind the wheel, staring in amazement at the view. The Rosewood Hotel was a fully functioning castle complete with a working drawbridge.
Andre shook his head. “This is….” At a loss for words, he stopped.
“Weird,” Elias muttered.
“Amazing,” Iona corrected.
“Stunning.” Riley stared out her window. “We have to bring the rest of Artemis here for lunch sometime, Iona. They would enjoy this.”
“I hope it’s not as drafty as the original castles were.” Elias climbed out. “Wait until I grab our gear, Iona.”
“But….”
“Don’t waste your breath.” Andre opened the driver’s door. “He won’t change his behavior. It’s a classic move for him to thumb his nose at his childhood.”
He headed to the cargo area of his SUV and slid the duffel bags onto his uninjured shoulder. Although he’d never admit as much to Riley, the extra weight on his shoulder didn’t feel good.
He opened Riley’s door and held out his hand. Together, they walked into the lobby and approached the front desk.
Riley smiled at the clerk. “We’d like a suite, please.”
The desk clerk checked her computer. “You’re in luck. A guest canceled his suite reservation at the last minute.” She glanced up with a sheepish look on her face. “It’s the honeymoon suite. Do you mind?”
“It’s fine.” Riley handed a credit card and identification to the clerk.
The woman ran both pieces of plastic through scanners, then worked her magic with her laptop. “Welcome to The Rosewood Hotel, Ms. Delko. If there’s anything you need, please let us know. We love our customers and do our best to accommodate them.
“Thank you.” Riley smiled at the young woman. “We’ll remember that.”
As soon as the elevator doors slid shut, Elias groaned. “The honeymoon suite? Really? Come on. You know we’ll be the butt of jokes for a long time over that one.”
“Tell them no other suites were available,” Iona said. “They’ll understand.”
“I doubt it. They’ll enjoy embarrassing all of us.”
Andre snorted. “You’re tough. You can take it.”
“No sympathy?” Elias scowled. “Some friend you are.”
Andre chuckled as their elevator reached the fifth floor. He stepped out with his hand wrapped around Riley’s. At Room 551, he swiped his key card through the reader and opened the door.
Once their teammates were inside, Andre held up his hand and signaled for them to spread out and search the suite for unwanted electronics.
The search took a few minutes, after which they regrouped in the living room. “Find anything?” Andre asked. They shook their heads.
Excellent. He’d guessed right. Whoever was tracking them hadn’t found them fast enough to plant bugs and cameras. Wouldn’t last, but he’d take the brief reprieve for the night, especially for Riley’s sake. “Iona, you and Riley choose the room you want.”
“Doesn’t matter which one we get,” Elias said. “Andre and I won’t be using it much.”
“We’ll take this one.” She motioned to the right room.
After distributing the duffel bags to the rooms, the operatives met in the living room. “So, what’s our next move?” Elias asked.
“Events moved so fast this morning, we didn’t discuss people with axes to grind.”