Silence filled the room after everyone sat back. He could feel their eyes on him before they stood and moved to stand behind him.
Bean highlighted the IP addresses, hoping the guys saw it. A collective gasp went through the group.
“Okay, let’s work with that,” Chase said.
Bean got up and grabbed water before moving back to the spot where he’d been working. This was the breakthrough they needed.
His team focused on their guy, Garnet’s colleague, searching deep for any tie other than the IP address. They looked for aliases, children’s names, spouses’ names, anything that could prove this bastard was the one who had greenlit the abduction of Garnet.
He should warn her, but first, he wanted to make sure they had the correct man. It wouldn’t do them any favors to tell her the wrong name. Once they were sure, he would call her.
Garnet movedto the door of Ansley’s office, wondering if she was overreacting. She was debating disturbing Ansley when she saw her friend in the kitchen. Ansley slowly turned around, concern filling her face as soon as their gazes met.
“What’s up?” Ansley asked.
“I don’t know if this is concerning or not.”
Ansley moved to her. “What happened? Your skin is naturally pale, but you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Maybe I’m overthinking this, but someone I work with wanted to meet. He asked me to give him an address and said he would come here. I felt odd. Like everyone I work with knows that I was abducted in Beirut. They know I’m not coming into the office.”
“He wanted to come here? I hope you told him to fuck right off.”
Her lips tipped up in a small smile. “Maybe not those words, but I told him I wasn’t meeting with him.”
“Good.”
Garnet shook her head. “Not really. He said he knew I was in North Carolina. He knew I was in Fayetteville. I mean, Iknow we’re right outside of the city proper, but he guessed close enough to worry me.”
Ansley clutched her arms. “This is bad. We need to call the guys right now.” Ansley grabbed her phone from her pocket. “I’m calling Link. He needs to know right now. That man could be on his way here.” Ansley punched the screen, and Garnet wondered if she should call Brady. “The guy will see the MPs outside. He’ll?—”
A loud bang rocked the area shocking them both. Garnet yelped, and Ansley’s eyes grew wide. The sound of Ansley’s phone dialing filled the area.
“We need to get somewhere safe,” Ansley said as the front window in her office exploded. They both screamed as they dove for cover.
Chapter 32
A phone rang,and Bean glanced around, seeing Link answering his phone. “Hey, babe, what’s?—”
Link didn’t finish his greeting, and they all could hear screaming coming over the line. Bean stood, his muscles clenching.
They could hear Ansley telling Garnet to run. There were pops that sounded like gunfire, and that was all it took for Bean to make a dash for his car. He had his keys in his pocket and his phone with him. The MPs would call for backup, but backup might not get there in time.
Stanley was beside him, pulling ahead. “I’m driving your car. Get in the passenger seat.”
Bean knew he was right. There was no way he should drive right now. This was an emotional thing, and he would make bad decisions. “Fine. You drive. Get us there safe and fast.”
“You got it.”
Stanley had the car out of the parking space, and they were headed out to save Garnet and Ansley. They had to drive the speed limit on base, but once they were on city streets, they took off, moving quickly.
The worst possible scenarios flitted through his mind. He would be devastated if that bastard shot and killed Garnet. He clenched his fists, worry and fear filling him. Garnet had escaped death already this month. Could she escape it again?
Garnet followedAnsley into her bedroom and ducked into the closet. They were trapped with no exit. It was better than being outside with all the shooting. The guy hadn’t made it inside, but he was headed their way.
She hoped the MPs outside were okay. She hadn’t heard anyone scream. That didn’t mean anything, though. If the shooter hit them just right, they may not have screamed.
Another window shattered. What did that mean? Were they coming in, or was that just another random shot that hit the house?
