“A bunch of high tech firms, a lot of very expensive houses. Maybe they’ve got some kind of safe house,” Cade replied.
“Finn didn’t say anything about another location being mentioned, at least not to me.” Drew ground his teeth. “What else?”
“North of that is the Umstead State Park, then the airport.”
Suddenly a light dawned. “That’s it! The airport! Finn said the guy claimed they had a private plane at the airport, and threatened to ditch it right on top of Hercules Security HQ. What if that was a lie, but the plane is real? Maybe that’s how these guys got into the country to begin with, or at least got to Raleigh.”
Cade nodded. “I think you’re right.” He stopped the SUV at the front of the hospital and unfastened his seatbelt. He reached into a pocket and tossed Drew a key fob. “You go, I’ll send reinforcements. And I need to debrief Finn completely and see what other information he has that might be critical.”
“Got it.” Drew took the fob and then released his seatbelt as well. “Have the reinforcements keep back, okay? I’d prefer to handle Joe myself. I have a better idea about his headspace than the rest of you do.” He paused, drawing in a breath. “He’s skirting the edges of going dinky dau, Herc. You know what that means.”
Cade raised a brow at Drew’s use of the old military slang term for someone on the verge of losing it. “Joe’s the last person I would expect that from. He’s a rock.”
Drew shrugged. “With enough pressure, even rocks can shatter, and he’s had a lot of pressure, believe me. I don’t know about all of it, but I can guess. He’s carrying guilt and anger and jealousy and pain, and I think he’s close to the breaking point. So let me handle him, at least for the moment. If I can’t talk him down, I’ll conk him on the head and we’ll get him back that way.”
Cade nodded slowly. “All right, Joker. You’ve had a hell of a lot of experience with PTSD, so I’ll defer to your judgment in this. Just… take care of him, okay? Finn’s not the only one who values him.”
“Yeah.” Drew wasn’t sure of how much Cade knew about the triangle of he, Joe, and Finn, and what it was costing all of them, but he didn’t feel the need to elaborate. Not yet, at least. “Don’t worry, Herc. I’ll keep him safe. I promised Finn.”
“You do that.” Cade nodded and then got out of the SUV. A minute later Drew was heading out of the parking lot and toward the airport, hoping that he’d get there before Joe did something drastic. Not that Drew gave a damn if Joe rendered Jalal Emani into microscopic bits if it made him feel better. The torturer deserved whatever he got. Drew wasn’t going to try to save Emani’s life—he was going to try to save Joe’s. Because there was no way Drew wanted to face Finn again without Joe safe and sound beside him.
