Chapter 8 #2
“The vests are clean. I’ve cleared our extra comms. I’ll trade those out with the ones we’re using and check those in a bit.
I double checked Raven’s phone. It’s off and clean.
We left most of the perimeter sensors at the ranch in Colorado, but there are a few in the kit. I’ll tear those apart next.”
Boone waltzed in like he didn’t have a care in the world and handed Liam a cup. “Here.”
The idea of coffee made his stomach churn. “No thanks.”
“It’s soup, Dude. I wouldn’t give you coffee on top of that concussion. I’m not stupid.”
Liam chuckled. Nope, he wouldn’t say a word.
“Not funny, boss man.”
He took the cup from Boone and sipped the warm liquid. Surprisingly, it didn’t upset his stomach. “Thanks.”
“Sure thing. I think I’ll go grab a couple of hours of rack time, then relieve Dax. Drink that.” Boone set a bottle of water on the end table next to him and sauntered off. The man was as chill as they came, but took care of his friends like a momma bear.
Liam didn’t argue. It took a while, but he finished his soup and downed half of the water.
“Huh.” Xander squinted at one of the sensors.
“What’d you find?”
Xander held up the device. “Someone tampered with them. A GPS locator and a blind spot built in. Once we activated them, the ping went live. No wonder they found us in Colorado and evaded our first line of defense.”
Liam’s chest clenched. Sabotage? How? His mind flipped through possibilities, but none made sense. He employed a solid team. He’d vetted each one to the moon and back. Had gone on a harrowing mission with them. No. The problem didn’t lie within his organization. But where?
He tapped his comm instead of raising his voice. “Rafe, double-check where we purchased our latest gear?”
“I see where you’re going. Hold on.” The clack of keys echoed from the dining room, filling the otherwise silent cabin. “Chris Danville. He supplied the tech, not the weapons or body armor.”
Liam closed his eyes. “I can’t believe it’s him. He’s a decorated Marine. Loves his country.”
“I’m not sure it is him.” Xander’s comment made Liam open his eyes.
“Continue.”
Raven strode over, lowered onto the couch next to him, and clasped his hand. Her support meant everything to him.
His gaze drifted to her, wondering if he’d read too much into the gesture. But her sweet smile told him no. She really was interested.
“If you two love birds are done.” Xander arched a brow.
“Shut it.” He scowled at the man, but it only made Xander’s smile widen.
“How am I supposed to shut it and tell you what I found?”
He was surrounded by idiots. “Just tell us. We’re talking about Raven’s life.”
The man sobered. “Sorry. Old habits. I dissected one of the sensors. It’s not ours. Ours must have been replaced at some point.”
“Before or after we found Raven?”
Xander pointed a piece of the sensor at him. “That I can’t tell you. Our gear is rarely out of our possession.”
“Bring that thing to me. I’ll hunt down where the signal is coming from.” Rafe held out his hand and wiggled his fingers.
Xander mumbled something about Rafe being bossy as he rose, sauntered to the dining room, and handed his teammate the device.
Rafe examined it, then his fingers flew over the keys. “Searching now. If whoever piggybacked the feed left so much as a fingerprint, I’ll find it.”
Raven sat beside Liam and lay her head on his shoulder. She hadn’t stopped working with Rafe since they’d landed.
“I’m glad you’re taking a break.” Liam leaned into her.
She sighed. “It’s been a long couple of days. I don’t want to stop, but I need to rest my eyes. I’m starting to see double.”
“How are your ribs?” The visible bruises had churned his stomach and made him want to go all alpha male on the men who’d used her as a punching bag.
“They’ve been better. But the wrap Xander put on helps.”
“Good. If you need to lie down, ignore these yahoos and do it. They tend to work themselves silly.” With Raven’s life at stake, the team wouldn’t compromise their alertness and stay up for hours on end, but they’d push hard to find answers.
“I’m okay. I just needed to get away from staring at the screen for a bit. I can still brainstorm.”
Liam understood that. “All right then, let’s come up with ideas. You’ve worked with a lot of agencies and contractors. Who all are on the list?”
Boone made his presence known and leaned against the door jamb, running his fingers through his sleep-mussed hair, listening to the conversation.
“The FBI, of course. Some joint ops with the DEA. And the CIA on occasion, specifically with Evan Rhodes.”
The mention of Rhodes’s name caught him off guard.
Xander’s head jerked up from the dismantled equipment. Boone straightened. Even Rafe’s fingers slowed on the keys.
Liam narrowed his gaze. “Rhodes. As in CIA golden boy Rhodes?”
“He and I have partnered on several cases. He’s brilliant. But I haven’t worked with him in a couple of years.” She glanced around, making eye contact with each of them. “What’s wrong?”
Liam cringed at the implication of her partnership with Mr. CIA. “He’s a legend but has a harsh reputation. I hate to think of you putting up with his attitude.”
“Well, yeah, he’s not easy to work with. He’s a genius and struggles to relate to others. But he’s great at his job.”
“From what I understand, you’re being too kind.” Boone moved into the room and plopped into the recliner.
She shrugged.
“What else did you discover during your search?” Liam asked.
“Your friend Derek, who owns the Colorado safe house, is clear. He’s had quite the military career. And for the record, I don’t believe what that General said about him.”
Liam tensed. That information was classified. “How do you know that?”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “Analyst and computer genius, remember.”
“You mean hacking at its finest,” Rafe mumbled.
“Whatever.” Raven glared at his second in command.
Okay then. Liam chose to drop that line of conversation. “What about Gunther Scott, the agent who sent us to Mexico?”
“From what I found, he followed orders.” She held up her hand.
“Before you ask, I haven’t peeled back that onion to reveal who gave the order.
But the timing is suspicious. Plus, Rafe traced the email with the picture back to him.
Maybe he’s the brains behind it. But I don’t think so.
If he is, I can’t figure out why. Besides, why would he make himself visible? ”
“Deputy Director Karen Walsh’s office is where Raven’s report reached a dead end. Doesn’t mean she’s responsible, but it shows where the trail ends.” Rafe continued to type. “CIA operative Noah Stone came up in the search as well. I’m still deep diving into him.”
He squeezed Raven’s hand and leaned forward, ignoring the ache that spiked behind his eyes. “Run them down. One by one. I’m sorry I can’t help.”
“Don’t, Liam. Take the time you need. I’ll work with Rafe. It’s my job.” Raven tugged on his hand.
“But you’re hurt too.”
“That may be true, but even with the bruises on my face, it’s not affecting my ability to research.
You, on the other hand. There’s no way you can focus on a computer screen with that concussion.
Not yet.” She shifted to face him. “I’m okay.
I won’t overdo it. Don’t stop me from doing what I do best.”
“I’d never hold you back. I’m just worried about you.”
“And I appreciate that.” Raven cupped his cheek. “Get some rest. Let us have your six for once.”
“She’s right, boss man,” Boone interjected.
Liam’s gaze drifted from Boone back to Raven. They were right. Time to give up control and trust his team to take care of business. “Okay. Go do your thing.”
Rafe’s low whistle grabbed Liam’s attention. “Got something.”
He leaned back and maintained his grip on Raven’s hand, hoping she’d stay with him a little while longer. “What’s that?”
“I traced the pathway on the sensors. It didn’t come from outside.”
Liam squinted, trying to make sense of Rafe’s words. “My head hurts too much to decipher what you’re saying. English, please.”
Rafe’s mouth twitched. “The code that flagged our location was pre-programmed code in the firmware. That’s not amateur hour. That’s high clearance.”
Boone muttered something under his breath from the recliner.
“Can you trace where the signal surfaced?” Raven asked.
“Three hops. The last hop was Denver. The one before, D.C. The origin…” Rafe tapped the screen and shook his head. “I haven’t found it yet. Give me time.”
“So, we can’t narrow it down.” Liam couldn’t help the disappointment in his tone.
“Not yet.” Rafe leaned back, folding his arms. “But it proves someone with some serious smarts and access is involved.”
Clarity hit Liam for a split second. “Did we stop the access in time, or do they have our location again?” He stared at Rafe. “Is Raven safe?”