Claire nodded. “He’s coming, isn’t he? He’s going to get me.”
Wolf’s jaw tightened. His eyes met hers. Steel and stone and something that looked like a promise. “He’ll have to go through me first.”
CHAPTERFIVE
Garrett gave himself twenty minutes to secure the compound before the Countdown Killer made his next move. Just in case the bastard was actually close by.
The command center was three floors down—monitors covering every angle of the compound, security feeds from perimeter cameras, thermal imaging, motion sensors. Lynx was there when he arrived, fingers flying across keyboards, pulling up data faster than most people could read.
“Show me the post,” Garrett said.
Lynx brought up a screenshot on the main screen from a dark web forum. It was timestamped eighteen minutes ago.
Found you, Claire. Montana looks good on you.
Garrett’s jaw tightened. The stalker wasn’t just taunting her. He was announcing his next move. Trying to make her believe the compound wasn’t safe anymore.
“How’d he find her?” Garrett asked.
“Working on it.” Lynx didn’t look up from his laptop. “But Commander, this location is classified. The only people who knew she was coming here were the Feds and us.”
“Then we have a breach. Either in the Bureau or here.”
“I’d stake my life it’s not here.” Lynx pulled up the compound’s security logs. “No unauthorized access. No unusual communications. We’re clean.”
Which meant the leak had to be inside the FBI.
The door opened. Grizzly came in, tactical vest on, weapon loaded. “Perimeter’s secure. Hawk’s doing a thermal sweep now. You want me on Paperclip’s door?”
“No.” Garrett moved to the weapons locker and started loading magazines. “I’m with her. You’re at the main entrance. No one gets in this building who isn’t vetted by me personally.”
“Copy that.”
The radio crackled. Hawk’s voice: “Hawk to Wolf. Perimeter sweep complete. No thermal signatures within five hundred yards. We’re clear.”
For now.
His blood thrummed with anger. “Understood. Maintain patrol. Report any movement.”
“Copy.”
He turned back to Lynx. “Pull everything we have on this predator. Geography. Timeline. Methods. I want to know how he operates.”
“Already compiled for Dr. Montgomer.” Lynx pulled up files. “Agent Dawson has months of research on this guy. She’s been hunting him since before he went after her.”
Garrett knew that. Which was precisely why he needed her in this briefing, even if every instinct screamed to lock her in her room where nothing could touch her.
The conference room door opened. Claire walked in, dressed in jeans and her FBI sweatshirt, weapon holstered at her hip, credentials clipped to her belt. Not a protectee trying to hide. An agent ready to work and establishing her role with him and his team.
His chest tightened. She looked exhausted—shadows under her eyes, tension in her shoulders. But her spine was straight. Her jaw set.
He moved toward her. “Agent Dawson?—”
“Don’t give me thatAgent Dawsonbullshit, Wolf. I need to be in this briefing.” Her voice was steady. Not asking permission—stating a fact. “I know this man better than any of you in this room. You need me.”
She was right. Damn it, she was right.
Garrett looked at Grizzly, then Lynx. Both were watching the exchange carefully. Waiting for his call.
