“For now,” Reed agreed. “But WATCHDOG is finished, which means his leverage is gone. He’s got nothing left to sell.” He shrugged. “Plus, I made some calls to a contact at the FBI, and we’ll be working with them to track him.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
“I’m helping.”
“No.”
“Yes. Plus, I want to know his plans.”
“You think he’ll be re-grouping already?”
She nodded. “Re-grouping and re-planning how to build it all again.”
Reed sighed. “Fine.”
Truth be told, Elena was nervous to work with any government, but she trusted Reed. “He’ll be desperate,” she warned. “Dangerous.”
“He doesn’t deserve to live, but … we need to do this the right way.” Reed’s expression hardened.
Elena leaned her head against his shoulder, exhaustion finally catching up with her now that the adrenaline was fading.
Thank You, Lord,she prayed silently.Thank You for helping me.
CHAPTER 16
Reed stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the STAR Enterprises conference room, watching the Seattle skyline fade into the gray afternoon light. Two days had passed since they’d pulled Elena off that jet in Vancouver, two days of debriefings and strategy sessions and sleepless nights spent analyzing every scrap of intelligence they could gather on Marcus Webb’s movements.
The virus had worked. Elena’s brilliant, desperate gambit with Webb’s phone had succeeded beyond anything they’d dared hope. WATCHDOG was corrupting from the inside out, its surveillance capabilities crumbling like a sandcastle against the tide. But Webb himself remained free, and that knowledge sat in Reed’s chest like a stone.
He turned as the conference room door opened, and his pulse quickened at the sight of Elena entering beside Walker. She looked better than she had in Vancouver—the shadows under her eyes had faded slightly, and she’d borrowed one of Sarah’s blazers for the meeting, which gave her a professional air that reminded Reed of their early days at the facility. But he could still see the tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes swept the room automatically, cataloging exits and threats.
She caught his gaze and offered a small smile that made his heart clench. They hadn’t had much time alone since the rescue. There had been too many urgent matters demanding attention, too many pieces still in play. But every stolen moment, every brush of fingers when they passed in the hallway, reminded Reed of what they were fighting for.
James and Terrel filed in behind them, James moving more carefully than usual to protect his healing shoulder. The wound was mending well, but Reed had noticed his youngest brother wincing when he thought no one was looking.
“The FBI liaison should be here any minute,” Walker announced, checking his phone. “Security just cleared him through the lobby.”
Reed nodded, but his attention was fixed on Elena as she took a seat at the conference table. She was reviewing something on her tablet—probably the latest data on WATCHDOG’s deterioration—but her leg bounced nervously beneath the table.
The door opened again, and Reed felt a jolt of recognition that nearly made him laugh out loud.
Vince Quinn walked into the conference room like he owned it, which was how he walked into every room Reed had ever seen him enter. The man was built like a linebacker, with close-cropped dark hair showing the first hints of gray at the temples and a face that bore the weathered look of someone who’d spent too many years in too many hostile environments.
“Well, well,” Vince said, his deep voice carrying a hint of amusement. “Reed Star, running his own corporate empire. Never thought I’d see the day.”
Reed crossed the room and clasped Vince’s hand, pulling him into a brief one-armed embrace. “Vince Quinn, working for the FBI. Never thought I’d see that day either.”
Vince laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Yeah, well, even old SEALs have to find somewhere to land eventually.Turns out the Bureau pays better than I expected, and they let me chase the really bad guys.”
“Like Webb.”
The humor drained from Vince’s expression. “Like Webb. That’s why I’m here.” He glanced around the conference room, his sharp eyes taking in Reed’s brothers and lingering on Elena. “This the team?”
“This is the team.”
Reed made the introductions, watching Vince assess each person with the same tactical precision Reed remembered from their deployment days. They’d served together for three years in some of the worst places on earth, and Reed had never met anyone he trusted more in a firefight.
