Chapter 9
Shadow Pines, Tennessee – New Safe House
Code Name: Raven
Jade’s heart threatened to pound from her chest. Had the person chasing her tracked her down again? The new safe house should’ve offered sanctuary while they investigated. But now? Doubt clawed at her. To stop the insanity, they had to find the person responsible and shut him or her down—hard.
“From what we can tell, the tracker stays off until we activate the sensors. I haven’t found a remote access. But I’m still looking into that possibility.” Rafe dragged his fingers through his hair, leaving it standing on end. “You know we won’t leave any stone unturned.”
“I do. I’m just…frustrated.” The color had returned to Liam’s face, but the pain hadn’t left his eyes.
“Then it’s time for me to get busy.” Jade patted Liam’s thigh. “Rest for a bit longer. Rafe and I will narrow down the who.” She moved to the dining room table and woke up her computer.
She dove into each suspect they’d identified so far. Rafe ran a tracing program in the background to discover where the signal of the sensors originated while he joined her in the search for the person who’d started all of this.
Except for the clack of keys, quiet filled the space. Xander sat on the floor, continuing to take apart the equipment out of an abundance of caution, and Boone had excused himself to relieve Dax on patrol.
“You got anything on your end?” Rafe asked.
“Maybe.” Jade studied the information on her screen. “Every time I trace Echo’s GPS breach back to Vanguard Data Systems, the original designer of the new tech, the signal diverts. Like someone’s steering me away from the truth.”
Rafe chuckled. “So, smoke and mirrors?”
“More like smoke and government signatures.” Jade leaned closer to the screen. “See this timestamp? That’s when the comm data for Echo went dark. Guess whose server lit up thirty seconds later?”
“Vanguard,” Rafe guessed.
“Bingo.” She zoomed in on the stream of access tags. “Except here’s the kicker. It wasn’t one of their engineers. The access came from a top clearance oversight account. Above Vanguard’s paygrade.”
Rafe went quiet. “Meaning someone higher on the ladder.”
“Exactly.” She glanced at her second monitor. “Vanguard Data Systems might’ve built the tool, but it’s not who sold out our soldiers.”
“Who are we talking about?” Rafe asked.
“I’m not sure yet.” She typed faster, chasing the next thread. A shadow of a smile crossed her lips. “Well, well, well, hello there.”
“What did you find?” Liam pushed to his feet, slowly moved across the room, and collapsed into the chair next to her.
“Every time I get close to uncovering a detail that will point us in the right direction, Evan Rhodes’s signature surfaces. Almost as if he’s guarding the file.”
Rafe’s head jerked up, and he met her gaze. “You mean Mr. CIA is in on this?”
“Possibly.” Jade opened another hidden file. “He pushed the Department of Defense to use Vanguard Data Systems for ‘security upgrades.’ The same upgrades that made it possible to track Echo Team.”
Jade let the information sink in. Turning it over and over in her mind.
Could Evan have betrayed US soldiers like that?
Her gut said no, but could she trust it?
“What I’ve found says he’s involved. But here’s the problem.
I know this man’s signature. It’s not his on the last access. Someone else used his clearance.”
“So, what, somebody’s framing him?”
“Or maybe he’s just good at leaving someone else holding the explosive when the thing detonates.”
Rafe let out a low whistle. “That’s twisted.”
“Look here. Rhodes file ID cross-references the director’s. Director Voss authorized every project tied to the data encryption. And guess who reviewed the financials?”
“Rhodes again,” Rafe muttered.
She nodded. “Checks and balances. However, I had no idea that Rhodes had his hands in the STRIKE task force. That surprises me. Whatever the reason, it shows two people with knowledge. But why would either one of them do this?”
Liam rubbed his eyes. “There are usually three reasons for any crime. Love. Money. Revenge.”
“Love doesn’t make sense. Revenge is possible. But I’m voting money.” Rafe shrugged.
“I agree with your conclusion.” The longer she stared at the screen, the more her stomach turned. The lines of code felt less like data and more like fingerprints—prints she couldn’t quite match to a name.
Liam’s hand rested on her arm. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure. These lines of code. They feel familiar, but I can’t place them.”
“Not Rhodes?” Rafe asked.
“I don’t think so.” She bit her lower lip and stared at the screen.
Rafe cleared his throat. “So, where does that leave us?”
“In trouble.” She dragged her hand through her hair. “If whoever’s behind this is still inside the system. They’re watching me look.”
“I plan to continue with the email threats soon. Do you want me to start reviewing possible players now?”
“No.” Her voice came sharper than intended. She softened it. “Sorry. Not yet. You’ll only make your head worse. Let me analyze this data before we point fingers. Not everything is as it seems. Of that, I’m certain.”
She tapped another command. A fresh line of text appeared. “Well, that’s interesting.”
“What is it?”
“A ghost ping.” She tilted her head and studied the screen. “It’s probing for access to my system.”
“Block it,” Rafe commanded.
She stared at the line, her instincts warring. “If I block it, they’ll know I saw them. If I let it through, they’ll think I’m clueless.”
“Raven—” Liam warned.
“I know.” She inhaled. “I’ll let them think they’re in undetected.” She typed fast, adding code to trace the path.
“You sure?”
She finished the process and smiled at Liam. “Not even close. But I’d rather they underestimate me.”
The notification blinked once, twice, then disappeared like a door closing quietly in the dark. Jade sat back, heart hammering. “They took the bait.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning they think they got in unseen. I’ll see everything they do. And when they attempt to cover their tracks, I’ll see which direction they run.” She pressed her lips together. “If it’s Rhodes or the director, I’ll know. But something tells me someone else is pulling the strings.”
Rafe sighed. “With this fake breach you lured the person into, you could be placing a bigger target on your back if whoever it is figures out what you’ve done.”
“It’s a chance I have to take. This person has to be stopped from exposing our soldiers.”
“Your life matters too.” Liam’s words warmed her heart.
“Thank you. And I’ll be careful. But this time, Liam, I’m not hiding behind a screen. Besides, if they come for me again, I have you to stop them.” She trusted these men with her life. Good thing too. Because she wasn’t sure she’d survive without them.
Shadow Pines, Tennessee – New Safe House
Friday – 1900 Hours
Call Sign: Charlie One
Liam rubbed his forehead, careful not to touch the gash on his temple.
Raven trusted him. Trusted his team. The worry of not living up to her expectations bothered him.
If they failed, he’d lose Raven. And not just in the relationship sense.
As soon as he could look at the screen without puking, he’d lend his limited computer skills.
The two Tylenol had yet to kick in and dull his headache.
In another ten minutes, he should be good to go—kinda.
“Charlie Four and Five, status.” He itched to work, but the stupid bullet had scrambled his brain. At least he could check on the patrols while he waited.
“Charlie Four, clear.”
“Charlie Five, stand by.”
What had Xander found to give him pause? Liam drummed his fingers against his leg.
“Five, clear.”
“Charlie Five, explain your delay.”
“Thought I saw movement at my twelve. Negative contact. Probably wildlife.”
“Copy.” The glitch concerned Liam. He refused to ignore it. “Charlie Five, maintain eyes on that area.”
“Copy. Maintaining overwatch.”
“You think something’s wrong?” Raven’s question yanked him from the spiral of everything that could go wrong.
“I truly don’t know. Xander’s thorough. Sometimes too thorough if you ask the guys. It’s the pilot in him.”
“Then we let him do his job and focus on ours.” Raven clutched his arm and squeezed.
“You’re right. Now that my head isn’t ready to explode, I’ll work on those threat emails some more.”
She nodded and returned her attention to her screen.
Liam opened his laptop and logged in. He cringed at the light and tapped the brightness down.
“Here, boss.” Rafe handed him a pair of sunglasses.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nah, man. Give it a try. It’s better than an ice pick to the brain.”
“I can’t argue with that.” He slid on the glasses, and an instant groan of relief slipped out.
Rafe and Raven chuckled, but neither said a word.
Silence followed as the small group continued the online search for who had targeted Raven.
“Do you think we’re making a leap?” she asked.
Rafe peered over his monitor. “What do you mean?”
“Lumping my abduction and Echo’s equipment tampering into the same crime.”
Liam studied her for a moment. “My gut says the sale of the code and you flagging the inconsistencies are connected. But you’re right. As my grandma used to say, we shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket.”
“You and those old sayings.” Rafe shook his head. “You’re right, though. So, Raven, where else should we look?”
The creases in her forehead deepened. “As you’ve figured out, I don’t leave my house much.
I don’t work at an office, so no personal office issues.
I’m not rude to the people who make deliveries or the shop owners around my small town.
My life centers around the STRIKE task force and everything that revolves around that. ” She shrugged.
“We’re deep diving into all things computer with the black market. How about we look at those involved with STRIKE?”
“Each person on the task force comes from different agencies. I can’t see anyone wanting to do harm, but then again…” Raven let her words hang.