There had to be something else going on. It wasn’t like she slept around at those conventions, so she hadn’t engaged in pillow talk. She’d heard stories of guys being compromised by having sex with a spy, but she didn’t do that.
How had someone figured out what she knew to be true? And how had they known that she knew it?
Bean shook his head,angry that anyone even suggested that Garnet had to know how the information got out. “She doesn’t know.”
“It’s awfully suspicious,” Krank said.
Krank was Delta, but Bean didn’t work with him on a regular basis. They’d been deployed at different times, and Krank had spent time in Texas and then in California before moving back here to Bragg. The guy was solid, but he was pissing Bean off.
“Take a breather,” Chase said before turning to Krank. “We know it looks suspicious. She doesn’t have any ties to terrorists or any overseas bank accounts. She’s clean.”
“But what if she?—”
“She didn’t,” Bean’s voice was harsh, his words sharp as steel.
Krank rolled his eyes. “Listen, I know you believe her, but I wouldn’t be doing my job unless I asked these questions. We have to know who ultimately wants the information and who is planning on sending a missile to DC.”
“Let’s bring her in here,” Stanley said.
Krank shook his head. “Whoa, hold up. Can we trust her?”
Stanley spoke up before Bean could. “Absolutely. Let’s get her input. Bring her in here and let her talk it through. That’s the only way we’re going to figure anything out.”
Bean could see the doubt on the faces of the four Delta guys who didn’t know Garnet. Krank, Abbot, Ricky, and Dime hadn’t been in Beirut, hadn’t met her or talked to her on the plane. They didn’t see her passion for getting to the bottom of the question of who was ultimately behind her being taken.
“Bring her in,” Bean said after a moment. These guys needed to hear from her. She had to show them that she could be trusted.
When she stepped into the room, he saw the worry wrinkling her forehead and the doubt in her eyes. He wanted to go to her, but he couldn’t. If he did, they would think he believed her because they’d had sex. Which they hadn’t, but these guys didn’t know that.
“We have some questions,” Krank said.
Garnet narrowed her eyes as she stared at the men she hadn’t met. Her study of them was intense, and he could tell they didn’t like it.
“Why are you staring so intently?” Dime asked.
“Because I never forget a face and I wanted to make sure you guys weren’t at any of my talks.”
“Talks?” Krank asked.
“I’ve spoken at three conferences with about seventy people at each session. I think that might be where the person behind this is from. Or it’s someone I’ve worked with in the last few years. It wouldn’t be someone from the first few companies I worked at. It would have to be someone at my current job.”
Chase nodded. “We’re going through the list of people who work in your department. We’re checking to see if they have an overseas bank account or a sudden influx of money.”
Garnet nodded. “I’ve sent a note to the coordinator of the events and asked them if I could have the roster. It might carry more weight coming from one of you.”
“We could hack in if they don’t want to give it to us,” Dime said.
“You can?”
Dime rubbed his hands together and nodded. “Oh yeah, we can hack into their system and retrieve the list.”
These guys were intense,and she was glad they were on her side. With them working on this, they might find the person responsible.
“I could hack in, but I would rather they give me the information. Besides, I’d go to jail for hacking in.” She knew the rules well enough to know what she could hack and what would get her in trouble. Over the years, the hacking scene changed. Now it was about who you knew, which was probably why she’d been targeted.
The guy flashed a huge smile. “It’s national security against a terrorist threat. We have immunity if we’re acting in the scope ofour jobs. So we can hack in, and no one will come after us. They call me Dime. This is Krank, Ricky, and Abbot.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said as she mentally attached their names to their faces. She’d never seen any of them before today, and that made her feel much safer in this room. Whoever was behind her abduction most likely worked for the government, and that scared her.
