His instincts intensified, just like every time he jumped from a Black Hawk into a planned operation. He’d been blessed with a sixth sense when it came to reacting to the unknown. Made his reflexes spot-on. This time, instincts told him there was more to this assignment than her being used as leverage against her dad. What if this case were reverse psychology? That would mean…what?
What the hell would that mean?
The fact CT had sent such an all-out message back at the safe house on Captiva flashed to the forefront of his thoughts. What if they knew about his house? Knew he’d brought Liz here. Knew…what? What else did they know? That all depended on the identity of the snitch. The rat. The one pinpointing OPAQUE’s moves.
OPAQUE had never been read like this before. Why this time? What was different?
Had this plan been in the works for weeks? Or months? Worse yet…years? And what tied Liz to all of this? Why did CT need her as the target? The bull’s-eye of the case?
He drew a wagon-wheel sized circle in his mind, put her in the center. People she’d encountered floated on the outskirts. Gradually he pulled them in. One by one, he placed them on the rim of the imaginary wheel. Himself…Drake…her dad Russ…Josh…Reese…the bank…her publisher, make that ex-publisher…the thugs on Captiva…Cat…Keith…and yes, her mother, too. As an afterthought, Mitch added Stealth and Joey to the rim.
Staring at the picture he’d formed in his mind, he realized again, just like back on the boat—OPAQUE was the biggest group on the wheel. Who was really the target?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mitch sat straight up, eyes wide open—he jumped off the pool atrium’s round chaise, grabbed his swim trunks, and darted for the computer. Bypassing the one in the atrium, he rushed to the kitchen. The alert beeped faster and faster, louder and louder. Clicking on the button, he glanced at the time in the corner of the screen. Eighteen hundred. Three hours since last he’d signed off.
He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Evidently, he had. “Yeah? Let me get fully awake.” He raked his hands through his hair as he picked up a computer panel and walked to the fridge. He grabbed a power juice then chugged it down. “What’s the problem?”
Only Josh showed on the screen. “Thought you should know. Drake texted the main OPAQUE system yesterday. Used today’s authorization code. But it got hung up in channels.”
That shook the final vestige of sleep from Mitch’s brain. Fast. “Send me a copy.”
“Already did. You should have it any second.”
A screenshot of the text popped on the panel.
Got a reliable lead on Russ’s location. I’m headed to the Keys. This photo doesn’t look like CT has him. Will stay in touch. –D
There was also a photo attached of Russ sitting at an outdoor café, holding a newspaper. He appeared to be eating breakfast.
“Did we do a zoom and verify on the paper?” Mitch asked.
“Yep. It’s the Key West Citizen, their daily newspaper. Got yesterday’s date on it.”
This changed nothing. Until there was verification from Drake that he had Russ in hand, Mitch’s position as Liz’s protector stayed the same. And, if he was right about Liz being the original target, she’d be a lot safer then, also. There’d be no one to hold against her as leverage.
Mitch flinched as the house security tone alerted someone was keying in on the garage pad. He glanced at the outdoor perimeter camera. There was Reese in his open-air Jeep pulling a trailer with two good-looking PWCs onboard. One a double seat. One a single.
Mitch keyed the intercom. “Lock up down there fast and get in here. We’ll unload later.”
Reese gave his two-finger salute and headed for the stairs.
“I still want the follow-up on Liz’s publisher, Josh. And see what else can be tracked down on those Power of Attorney Finance fakes,” Mitch said. “Liz is still our assignment. And, in my opinion, this whole thing may have been about her all along.”
“Such as?” Reese asked as he stepped into the kitchen.
“Could be the publisher. Could be a rogue employee. Could have something to do with her assignments. I’ll know more once she finishes the timelines and thoughts on her former employer.”
“Has she gotten very far on that?” Josh asked.
“No. She’s sleeping.” He stared at his teammate, daring him to say anything.
A long stretch of silence filled the air, then Josh raised his eyebrows. “I’m not a fool, Mitch. I noticed that nudge you gave her earlier. The one telling her to be careful what she said about…swimming. Do you know what you’re doing?”
Now that was a good question. What was he doing with her? Didn’t matter in the long run. They’d both gone in eyes wide open, they’d end the same way. “You take care of your business and I’ll take care of mine.”
For once, Reese didn’t give a quick smart-ass comeback. Instead, his expression blanked as he leaned back against the counter, staring downward. “As long as you keep your objectivity and don’t endanger any of the team, I don’t give a rat’s ass what you do.” Reese looked up and focused his stare on him. “But the second you’re not thinking with the right head, I’ll call you on it. Agreed?”
