Chapter 11 #2
She spun and spotted the offerings. Wow, when did that happen?
“Thanks.” Buying herself time to think, she grabbed a bag of nuts and a bottle of water.
Ideas swirled in her mind as she chewed.
Her best bet was to drop in code that Rafe would pick up on and pray he ran scans of the dark web.
A risk? Yes. But she had to come up with a plan before it was too late.
Once she wrote the initial program, any computer expert could finish it off.
Assuming she could figure out that final piece.
Plan in place, she threw the snack bag away, dusted off her hands, and took her water to her computer. Now, to place the breadcrumbs without anyone noticing.
Code flew onto the screen, but beneath it, she hid a string of her own. Fragments buried. A digital trail she prayed Rafe would find and inform Liam of.
Evan hovered over her shoulder. “You’re making good progress.”
“Yeah, well, this part’s not hard, just time-consuming.” She brushed off his compliment, hoping he’d leave her alone.
After Evan settled back at his workstation, she added another clue.
God, please let them notice.
Hours passed. Her eyes grew heavy, and her fingers hurt from all the work. She turned and raised an eyebrow at the guard. “Can we stop and get some sleep?”
The man radioed her request, and a few minutes later, she was back in the underground room by herself. She washed up in the tiny bathroom and collapsed onto her cot.
Sleep didn’t come right away. Every sound had her jumping.
A whisper through the vent above her grabbed her attention. “How is she progressing?” Breana’s voice spiked her anger. How could Jade not have seen it? All those conversations. The trust she’d placed in the woman—shattered beyond repair.
“She’s working faster than I anticipated,” a man responded.
Jade strained to make out the male voice.
“I told you she’s a genius. Keep playing your part.”
“Anything for you, my love.” The small bit of accent laced his final word.
Jade’s chest constricted. Evan and Breana together in this insanity? He called her his love?
“Once she completes this program, we’ll transfer her to the secondary site and sell her brains.”
“And if she can’t develop the program?” Evan asked.
“We’ll lose a fortune, but her brains will bring a nice, hefty amount.”
“Then you and I can live our happily ever after on a secluded beach and never have to worry about money again.” Evan’s words made her sick to her stomach.
Jade covered her mouth, and the room tilted.
Evan’s bruises, his warnings—they really were all part of an act. He and Breana were a couple, in on her abduction, together. The betrayal stung. First her psychologist, then her coworker. Two people she’d trusted in her life.
The more she thought about it, the more determined she became. Not to break free, but to stop Breana and Evan from killing innocent people.
The next morning, she sat at her terminal, adding code to the program they’d demanded she build.
Not clues for Charlie Team this time, but a self-destruct sequence, the first time someone tested the system. She was signing her own death sentence, but no way would she be responsible for the slaughter of the men and women who protected her country’s freedom.
Her thoughts drifted to Liam. She’d loved him from the first mission they’d worked together.
But what did she have to offer a man like him?
Anxiety disorders that swarmed inside her.
A winning combination for a relationship—Not.
If she survived this nightmare, she’d work harder on her fears, and she refused to hold back her feelings from the man who’d given her the hope of normalcy.
God, I’d appreciate it if you’d send Charlie Team to save me so I can have a future with Liam. But if that’s not part of your plan, please let my death be quick.
Shadow Pines, Tennessee – Safe House
Monday – 0800 Hours
Call Sign: Charlie One
Liam rubbed the grit from his eyes. He pushed back from his computer and stood.
Legs wobbling, he gripped the table and blew out a breath, giving his body time to find equilibrium.
His injuries had begun to heal, but his head still gave him fits now and again.
Once they found Raven—and they would find her—he’d take a couple of weeks to recover.
Until then, he’d focus on the mission to find the woman he’d slowly fallen in love with over the past few years.
“I think I have something.” Rafe jutted his chin toward his screen. “Assuming my eyes aren’t deceiving me, because, hello, staring at my screen for hours, but I believe Raven is leaving us breadcrumbs.”
“Where?” Liam moved behind Rafe and peered over his shoulder.
“The Dark Net is my new friend. Not a fun place to be, by the way. Anyhoo, I came across an interesting offer called NightEcho GPS. It had a sample code. Most of what is here has been done before, but the seller explains the final product.” His second-in-command pointed at several lines of code.
Liam mentally rolled his eyes. Why had he asked? His skill set didn’t involve writing or reading computer code. “What am I looking at?”
The others had gathered around, waiting for Rafe’s big reveal.
“See this line right here.” He scrolled down. “And here?”
Dax folded his arms over his chest. “I see it, but I have no clue what it is or what it means.”
“I’ve studied Raven’s work. Elite coders, good or bad, have distinct styles. A signature, if you will. She created a hint for us. Between her coding and the reference to Echo, I think she’s trying to tell us where she is through her Wi-Fi connection.”
“Do you have a location?” Xander asked from Liam’s left.
“I’m trying to decipher it. Raven’s given me a partial IP footprint that I’m attempting to trace.” A few minutes later, Rafe twisted to face the team. “Dax, pull up a map of Cold River, Alabama.”
“On it.” Dax hurried to his computer.
“I’m getting our transport lined up.” Xander dug his phone from his pocket and started working on their travel arrangements.
“I’ll prep our gear. We’ll be ready to spin up as soon as you have that location pinned down.” Boone tapped his fist on the back of Rafe’s chair, then disappeared into one of the bedrooms.
Liam placed his hands on the table and stared at the image of Cold River, Alabama. “Are you sure this is where she’s being held?”
“No, but it’s the best I got. I’m not sure Raven knows. They are probably keeping her in the dark. But she figured out a way to reach out, giving me an electronic pathway.” Rafe ran his fingers through his hair. His second in command looked exhausted.
Of course, they’d all hit the wall and needed rack time soon. But they’d push through if it meant rescuing Raven.
“Then how did she tell you?” Dax asked.
“I recognized her fingerprint in the code. From there, I traced the upload paths and relay nodes.”
“Yeah, okay, whatever.” Dax rolled his eyes and muttered, “Computer nerds.”
Liam couldn’t disagree with him. “So, where did it lead you?”
Rafe pointed to an area outside the small town of Cold River, Alabama. “Somewhere in this vicinity.”
“That’s a lot of territory.”
“It’s the best we’ve got.”
“I’ll zero in on the search radius. That should give us a few locations to focus on.” Dax cross-referenced the zone with structures in the area.
“Charlie One, Charlie Five. Ready to roll when you are.”
“Copy that.” Liam watched and waited as Dax and Rafe worked together to narrow down Raven’s possible location.
“Got it. At least I think.” Dax zoomed in on the map. “There are a couple of other possibilities, but they hold a high risk of exposure.”
Liam squinted at the odd cluster of buildings. “What is that place?”
“A decommissioned TVA substation. Tennessee Valley Authority has built dams and power plants across the South since the ’30s. When a site is shut down, the houses, substations, and tunnels are abandoned. Perfect places to disappear if you ask me.” Dax leaned back and exhaled.
Liam counted buildings on the screen. “I see eight. No, wait. Nine structures.”
“That’s my count as well,” Rafe confirmed.
“Save that info. We’ll make a plan on the plane.” Liam straightened and held back a groan. “Charlie Five, Charlie One.”
“Go ahead, Charlie One.”
“Probable location is a go.”
“Copy that. Firing up and plotting a course.”
“ETA to the bird, ten minutes.” Liam turned to Rafe. “I pray you’re right about this.”
“Me too, brother. Me too.” Rafe packed up his laptop and any other necessities.
They’d leave everything else and come back once they had Raven. And they would get to her. He couldn’t lose her now.
After taking off from the small airstrip and devising a plan to find Raven, he’d ordered everyone to power down until landing. His men needed to be at the top of their game—Raven required them at their best.
Twenty minutes later, X-Man’s voice jolted him from a catnap. “Buckle up, boys. We’ll be on the ground in five minutes.”
Liam rubbed his eyes and sat up. He glanced around the plane, confirming his team had awoken at Xander’s warning.
Boone rolled his neck side to side while Dax stretched his arms above his head.
Rafe stayed quiet, but Liam could see his second in command mentally running through their op.
“Did we miss anything?” Liam asked.
“I don’t think so.” Rafe’s gaze met his. “We will find her and bring her home.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
The plane landed and came to a stop, and Xander exited the cockpit. “Ready to find your girl?”
“More than.” Liam wouldn’t deny his feelings. He joined his team at the door.
Boone lowered the stairs, and the group hurried to the baggage compartment to gear up.
An SUV that X-Man had arranged earlier sat on the edge of the runway of the small, out-of-the-way airport. The team piled in and headed to the TVA abandoned site.
Liam prayed the entire way for a smooth mission. The most important mission of his life.
They parked a mile from the substation and moved on foot to the first structure on the list.