Hollace glanced to the side. “Copy that.” He looked at Bear. “Security is about to start their rounds.”
“Let’s go,” the team leader ordered.
Ramon walked with the group to the same stairwell door he had used. He wanted to comment that it seemed like they had a lot of people to steal just one copy of the network but didn’t think that would endear him to them.
On the ground floor, the team confirmed it was clear before heading outside. Ramon said, “I need to get my connector from the exterior connection box.”
“That’s how you did it.” Bear shot him a look. “Hazel was wondering how you managed to spoof their security system. She was hoping to see Maizie again.”
Ramon shrugged. It would be easier if they believed there was a wedge between him and the rest of the Banbury Investigations team. “When did you guys figure out that this company was connected toDominatus?”
Ramon crouched in front of the connection box and retrieved his tech, not wanting anything Maizie had come up with to be left behind. Traced back to her. Stolen by someone else who wanted to re-create the same technology.
Who knew what might happen these days, given all their enemies and the way the president had exposed the team.
All the while, these guys had been doing their own thing.
Former members of Miami Security International, Bear’s team was something much different after their boss had been exposed as aDominatusoperative. They had gone underground, taking control of the research platform off the coast of Alaska.
Bear led them down the street to a van. “It isn’t the whole company. Just one guy whose name is in those files you just copied. That’s all we were after.”
“One guy?”
Bear stopped by the van and nodded. “We only need his name. You can have everything else on the network.”
“Listen.” Ramon ducked his head, as if he didn’t know how to broach the subject. Hearing that they were chasing one specific person was interesting. It seemed as if they might be a few steps ahead of Kenna—not that she was actively seeking outDominatus. Who was the one person they wanted to dig up?
Ramon lifted his head. “You probably already guessed I didn’t come here to get something for Kenna.” He shook his head. “I came here to talk to you guys about joining the team.”
“Things aren’t going well at Banbury Investigations?” Bear studied him.
Ramon had worked undercover plenty of times in his life, and this would be no different. He shrugged. “It’s time for me to move on and work with a team who knows how to get things done.”
Bear slid open the door on the van.
The janitor lay on the floor inside, bound at the hands and feet and with a gag over his mouth.
“You want in?” Bear asked. “Then get in.”
Chapter Six
Ramon climbed from the van and looked at the building, with its peaked roof and smashed windows. Red brick tiles. Overgrown trees stretched up on either side, reaching over it as if trying to cover the shame of the building from viewers.
“Nice place.”
Bear shut the driver’s door, and his boots crunched on the gravel as he made his way around the front end of the van. “It’s just a pit stop. I’m not taking this guy anywhere we actually frequent.”
That was fair enough, but while they hadn’t been able to openly talk about what was going on in the van—where the tied-up janitor would’ve been able to hear them—they could now, right?
“Who is this guy?” Ramon motioned with his chin in the direction of the van.
“You tell me.” Bear folded his arms, making his expansive chest look even bigger. But even if some might consider it to be an attempt to intimidate Ramon, he didn’t see it that way. It was, however, a challenge.
“That’s not how this works,” Ramon challenged right back. “I don’t have to prove myself to you. You all know who I amand what I’ve done. It’s you guys who dropped off the map. I figured you had something going on I could sink my teeth into. Something other than getting ready for the birth of a baby.”
He shifted, as if he was about to walk away.
Bear said, “Fine. You can stick around.”
