Chandler cursed—low, hard, and a little too civilian-like for the secretary of defense. Something told me he had a clue as to what those ring-keys unlocked, and he had no plans to tell us. At least, not now. “This changes things,” he muttered. “I’m pulling in backup. Echo Team. This needs to stay off-book.”
“Assign the op to Delta Shield.” Ryder said what was storming through my mind as well. “Bring in Wyatt, Gray—the whole damn alphabet of operators, for all I care. Just don’t sideline us.”
“You told President Bennett’s guy in Wyoming you don’t need a full team,” Chandler shot back. “That you just track people and assemble target packages, right?”
“This is different and you know it.”Way to throw that back in our faces.“The guy we’re tracking may have faked his death twice now. We’re the only ones with a chance at finding him.”
Ryder brought the phone closer to his mouth. “If it was your daughter in danger, would you stop your son or her husband from protecting her?”
After a beat of silence, he finally answered, “No, they’d hog-tie me if I tried.”
“Sir?” Audrey’s soft voice cracked through the tension in the room. “They don’t just want the key; I think they want me, too.” She rested her free hand on her chest. “That means my son needs to be far away from me.”
I shot Ryder a quick look to get a read on how he’d respond to her, assuming we’d be on the same page ofHell no.
Ryder’s jaw flexed. “You’re not offering yourself as bait. Not happening.”
“Sounds like we need her one way or another,” Chandler said steadily. “I’ll tell you everything once you’re in a secure location.”
“Does that mean you’re tasking us to lead the mission?” Ryder asked, his spine going straight as he waited for the only acceptable answer.
“Just protect the assets. Retrieve the second band. Find what the rings unlock. And locate who’s behind all this,” Chandler ordered.
“She’s not an asset.” The words barreled out of me, tight and controlled. No room for interpretation. My message: Audrey was to be protected only, not to be used.
“Seems to me Audrey may be the only one who can draw this asshole out,” Chandler responded in a heated tone. “So if you want this op, she’s part of it.”
Audrey’s eyes met mine, red rimmed and resolved. Like she was about to beg us to follow the admiral’s orders and not protest.
I’d keep quiet for now. Not rock the boat to ensure no suit in Washington or someone with a badge tried to take her away from us.
Audrey spoke up, loud enough for the secretary to hear her. “Trevor needs to take Chase somewhere safe. Somewhere no one can find him. I’ll do what needs to be doneifhe’s safe.”
I had to give it to her—she was tough. Bold in standing up to the man and making her own demands. Not that I’d allow her to place herself in danger, but I could understand and respect a mother’s mission to protect her child above all else.
Ryder closed in on the two of us, eyes fixed on her. “You should be with your son.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. “You saw what happened here. I have a target on my back.”
Ryder lowered the phone, shaking his head. “Then we have to find a place to take you that no one knows about.”
“I have two locations in mind,” Chandler offered. “My son-in-law’s cabin in Boulder for your team. And for Chase ... Michael Maddox has a secure property in the state. Not sure if you’re familiar with him, but he can be trusted. I’ll call his sister to confirm it’s empty. Her husband is part of Echo Team.”
“We’ll draw the heat and be the decoy so Trevor can escape with Chase,” Ryder said on an exhale, and I knew it was killing him that Audrey would be with us as part of that decoy. But what choice did we have if we were to keep her son safe?
Audrey focused on me, a glimmer of hope cutting through her panicked state. “Well, you’re good at disappearing people. So you’ll be our Houdini and make my son vanish, right?”
I was good at making myself disappear. The only time others went missing when I was around was because I’d killed them. I wasn’t about to run with that thought, though, so I nodded instead.
“As long as my brother’s team is in charge, then I’ll do whatever you need, Mr. Secretary,” she said after a quiet moment had passed.
She was giving another demand I could get behind, minus the “do whatever you need” part.
I closed my eyes, the weight of all this sinking in.
“Mitch—or whoever that was—said they’ll be in touch.” At Reed’s words, I forced open my eyes. “They’re watching us and waiting. They have to be. And anyone who hits a Tier One operator’s property in broad daylight is aware of the risks and willing to do it anyway.”
“Yeah, well, a hundred bucks says the men we laid out didn’t know what they were walking into, but our guy tied up in the pantry did, which is why he’s still alive and breathing,” I muttered.
