His friend snorted. “I promise. As long as you promise to share if you win the lottery.”
“Deal,” Lennox said with a laugh.
That’d only happen if he played the lottery, of course. But it was the thought that counted.
“We have eight mercenary types getting out of the vehicles,” Kyla announced softly, as if she was concerned she’d be overheard, even from three blocks away. “They’re splitting up and doing an exterior sweep of the building.”
Lennox turned on his mic so he could answer. “Copy that. Make sure you’re recording all the audio feeds. Maybe we’ll get lucky and pick up some gossip that will mean something to us while these guys are walking around.”
“Speaking of getting lucky,” Colt said a few seconds later as Lennox turned his attention to the hallway outside the server room, his view a little obstructed by the dozens of servers’ racks they were hiding behind and the partially completed drywall. “How are things between you and Talia?”
Lennox hesitated for a second, listening as Kyla continued to provide details on the scouts’ location outside the building.
“It’s going great,” he said. “It seemed like Talia and I were stuck on the edge of something we wanted, neither of us willing to take the next step, but after the planning meeting at my place the other night, we sort of had a…well…I’d guess you’d call it a breakthrough. I’m not even sure how it happened, but I think we might have a shot at making this thing between us work.”
“By breakthrough, I assume you mean you slept together?” Colt asked, and then immediately held up his hands. “Not that I have a problem with that. But I wonder if you’re letting great sex take the place of an honest conversation. A few days ago, you told me that it seemed like she didn’t want to be involved with a SEAL. Has she suddenly decided that it’s not a problem?”
Lennox grimaced at Colt’s blunt assessment of the situation. But if he was being honest, his friend wasn’t wrong. Since sleeping together the night of the planning meeting, he and Talia had spent a lot of time together, both at his placeand her cottage. Yes, they’d slept together several times since, each time better than the one before. And yes, they’d studiously avoided having any real conversations about the elephant in the room.
“Talia hasn’t said,” he mumbled. “I’ve tried to tell myself that the two of us sleeping together means we’re all good, but I think it’s more of an unspoken agreement to ignore the complicated stuff and live in the moment.”
Colt was quiet for a moment like he was considering that. “Look I’m not trying to sound like some relationship expert here—hell, Kira and I are still trying to figure out things between us most of the time so it’s not like I have all the answers—but do you think it’s a good idea to assume everything is going to work without talking abouthowyou’re going to make it work?”
Lennox sighed, waiting as Kyla informed them over the radio that the scouts had finished the exterior sweep and were moving inside.
“You’re right,” he said. “But it’s not like there are any magic words I can say that will overcome Talia’s fears. I’m hoping that if we spend enough time together, we’ll fall in love, and she’ll decide that being with me is worth it.”
“You’re hoping you fall in love, and it’ll solve all your problems?” Colt chuckled “That’s optimistic, but not the worst plan I’ve ever heard, I guess.”
“It’s the best plan I got,” Lennox grumbled.
He only prayed it worked. Because he liked Talia.
Any other conversation on the subject had to be put on hold as they heard the sound of deep voices coming from the direction of the bank of elevators at the far end of the corridor.
“Okay, guys,” Lennox said into his radio. “This is only the advance team, so everybody stay put unless your position is compromised. If that happens, do what you have to do to get out of the building and back to the rally point.”
Lennox hoped that didn’t happen or this entire op would go down the toilet. If they wanted to find out what the hell was going on, they needed Bogdan and the other people involved in Keller’s plans to be here. And to talk openly about what they were doing.
Heavy footsteps sounded outside the server room, interrupting his thoughts. Lennox held his breath and tightened his grip on the commercial version of his military M4 carbine that Kyla had “acquired” as the door swung open. A flashlight beam swept back and forth across the large room, and he felt Colt tense beside him as the light played across their hiding spot among the racks.
For a moment, the beam stopped moving, and Lennox thought for sure the man had spotted them. But a second later, the light moved on and the door closed as a deep voice called the room clear as the guy walked away.
The advance team continued moving through all three floors of the building, clearing every room and corridor. They were taking this search seriously, which highlighted the theory that the people that’d be here tonight were important.
“Three luxury sedans pulled into the parking lot,” Kyla announced. “Bogdan is here, along with John Fredrickson and Dayton McDaniel.”
Seven other people were with them, most of whom Talia and Katrina recognized. It went without saying that the people were all rich and powerful—two were CEOs of international manufacturing firms, one ran an import-export business that was a front for an illegal arms consortium, and two others were involved in international banking. Kyla was the one who identified the senator from the Select Committee on Intelligence, and the last one who was a crime lord with connections to the Mexican drug cartels.
“What the hell did we step into?” Darwin muttered. “I’d never expect all of these people to move in the same circles.”
“I have no idea but considering how nervously most of these people are looking around at each other—and at the guys with guns—I think it’s safe to say that not all of them are here voluntarily.”
Lennox cursed. “If things go sideways tonight, things could get ugly. Darwin and Simon, you have the best view of the conference room. If you see something that makes you think someone is in danger, then make the call and the rest of us will move in.”
“This just keeps getting better and better,” Colt muttered, his mic still turned off. “What are we going to do if Keller shows up and uses force to encourage these people to do what he wants?”
“Then we stop him,” Lennox said.
