Chapter 35
Will
“Security breach?” Brie turned her jeans right-side out and hauled them on. “Structural damage from the hurricane?”
“Ronnie said the center didn’t even blink when Dorian blew through.” I grabbed my shirt from the floor where one of us had thrown it.
Brie straightened her T-shirt and donned her glasses again. She pushed them up her nose and gave me a half-smile, timid and coy. After everything we’d just done, everything we’d just said to each other, she wasn’t feeling awkward, was she?
I pulled her to me and kissed her cheek. “No regrets?”
“None.” She smiled, and my soul could have flown.
The faux window on our wall stopped flashing, settling at a bright blue, with the Code Blue listed.
“We should check with Rav,” she said, pulling on her ID badge. “Maybe sneak over to his room?”
“Good idea.” I picked up my phone, thumb moving to the Mnemis app. “See if he knows what’s happening.”
But the app didn’t fully load. Instead, bold blue text consumed the entire screen: COMMUNICATIONS RESTRICTED - CODE BLUE PROTOCOLS IN EFFECT
I closed the warning and tapped on the messaging link. It was disabled. “Bloody hell. They’ve locked down comms.”
Brie had her phone out too, receiving the same denial. “It’s not just comms. I can’t access the facility map either. If they’re blocking employee—”
Our front door lock clicked. The lock unbolted.
Ice splintered through my veins.
Oh fuck.
The door burst inward.
Two figures in black tactical gear charged through, rifles raised, red laser dots zeroing in on our chests. “Hands up! Now!”
My hands flew up, and I shifted my weight forward, putting myself between Brie and the rifles.
More bodies crowded the doorway. Black helmets, face masks, headsets, every inch of skin covered except their eyes. These weren’t Mnemis security guards.
This was something else.
And they were wet. Wet?
“What’s the problem?” I asked as calmly as possible.
“On your knees,” the lead man barked. “Lace your fingers together behind your heads.”
I lowered myself, not risking a glance over my shoulder to ensure Brie was doing the same. But if I led the way, she’d follow me. “You obviously have the wrong room. My wife and I were—”
Claire walked into the room, stopping between the two men with rifles. Her grin made my stomach drop. She didn’t express any surprise. No concern either. No, that look was pure satisfaction. Malcolm had been right when he told Brie we needed to be careful around her.
“Will and Brie Stone.” Claire’s voice echoed the smugness in her eyes. “Or should I say, John and Jane Doe?”
“Claire, what’s going on?” asked Brie from behind me, her voice pitched higher than usual. She took a shaky breath. “Is this about the hurricane? Did something—”
“Save it.” She said over her shoulder, “Secure them. Separately.”
The armed men remained motionless, while Derek Moss—the head of security!—joined us in the room. He yanked my hands behind my back and lashed them with zip ties. The thin plastic bit into my skin.
Behind me, Brie let out a tiny sob as they did the same to her. Rage flashed through me so hot and sudden I almost did something stupid.
I craned my head to snap at him, “Be careful with her.”
“The protective husband.” Claire came closer to me. “I have to admit, you play that role well. But I saw her crying earlier this evening. I know you forced her into this.”
“What?” I nearly spat at her. What was she talking about?
Claire looked at Derek, while the two men in black flanked her. “I want them in the interrogation rooms. One of my colleagues will speak with them there.”
“We’ve only got two holding rooms,” Moss said. “Tremblay’s going to be in one of them.”
Tremblay. Fucking hell. They had Rav.
Moss continued, “And we need space for Ken and Ronnie, too.”
Jesus, what was going on?
Claire’s mouth tightened. “Fine. We need to keep them isolated for now. Will’s the mastermind.” She pointed at me. “Take him to one of the holding rooms, and put Tremblay in the other. Where can we put her and the others?”
“Claire, please.” Brie’s voice was shaky. She’d handled herself well through everything we did here, but that wasn’t fake. “Whatever you think we’ve done—”
She cut off with a sob, and I turned to see Moss forcing her to her feet.
He said, “We have enough security break rooms to house them, and my security team can act as guards.”
“Thank you, but we’ll post our own guards on them until we’re ready.” Claire gestured for me to stand, which I did. “Percival?”
One of the armed men responded, not taking his eyes or his sights off Brie. “Bag their tech. Sweep the room.”
“Will do.” He shifted his rifle so it hung from its strap and pulled a few plastic bags from his tactical vest. He moved toward my desk, dropping my phone into the first bag.
We’d been caught.
Wait, Will. If we’d been discovered by Mnemis security, why was Moss the only one here? Why the men with guns? Where the hell had they come from?
The man with the gun trained on me stepped to the side and jerked his head toward the door. “After you.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” I said.
“Spare me.” Claire’s tone turned sharp, and she stepped out of the way as well. “Out.”
The automated voice continued from the hallway, reminding us that we were under a Code Blue. Voices came from somewhere down the hallway, and a sharp voice ordered them to their rooms. There must have been more of this crew waiting for us.
The one collecting our things, whom she’d called Percival, said to her, “The team’s setting up in Moss’s office. I’ll bring these things when I’m done.”
Brie headed for the door, pausing before she passed me.
Our eyes met.
Two decades of friendship, all those late nights together, missions we’d supported from a safe distance—none of it had prepared us for this. I tried to tell her without words: Stay calm. Don’t panic. Trust the plan.
But which plan?
We didn’t have the intel we needed. Was it time to pull our pen tester card? Confess we were under Tremaine’s orders?
Confess the lie, you mean?
Or could we talk our way out of whatever the hell was going on and then keep our heads down long enough to get what we needed?
That’s it, Will. Don’t cave unless you have to.
“We’re innocent of whatever’s going on,” I said to Claire.
But before I could say more, Claire grabbed Brie and hauled her forward.
“Get your fucking hands off her!” I lunged toward them and was immediately slammed against the wall.
Percival’s arm pressed across my throat—not quite cutting off air, but making the threat clear. His voice was disturbingly calm. “If you’re innocent, I’d recommend the vocal approach instead of the physical one.”
“All right.” The words came out roughly. I couldn’t turn my head to see Brie, so I raised my voice as much as possible. “Just— Stay calm, Bug. We’ll sort this out.”
Moss took over from Percival, gripping my upper arm. “You remember where security is?”
I nodded.
He pushed me out the door and into the corridor, where the pulsing blue lights filled the space. The Code Blue message repeated, but not as often and at a far quieter volume.
Brie was walking away. Two of the black-clad men walked on either side of her. She looked over her shoulder, nearly tripping over her shoes.
In that glimpse, I saw everything I needed to see. Fear, yes, but also determination. She was working on the problem. She was not about to give up on saving her father.
So neither was I.