Siren listened for a moment before continuing. “I’ll send you copies of everything. If something happens to us, the evidence survives.”
She ended the call and looked at Reed. “We’re going to New York.”
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Siren’s burnerphone rang with Diana’s number as she drove down a deserted Ohio highway in the darkness. Reed was asleep in the passenger seat.
She answered. “What’s happening?”
“Two men in expensive suits came to my office today.” Diana’s voice was tight. “They asked about financial research I’d done. They didn’t mention anything directly, but it’s safe to assume they know what I’ve been working on since Simon’s death.”
“What did you tell them?” Siren asked.
“Nothing. I said I do forensic accounting for divorce cases.” Diana’s breath was shaky.
“Did they threaten you?”
Reed stirred beside her.
“Not directly. But the message was clear. Something must have tripped a wire.”
“You need to take cover,” Siren said.
“I’m leaving Omaha tonight. I have a place no one knows about.”
“We have enough evidence to take them all down,” Siren said, one hand on the wheel.
“I’ll go dark until this is over.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I’ve been waiting twelve years for someone to actually do something with what I built. Just finish it. For Simon. For all of us.”
“I will.”
“Be careful, Siren. If they found me, they might be watching you too.”
The line went dead. Reed was watching her from the passenger seat. “What was that about?”
“They found Diana.” Her hands tightened on the wheel. “She’s going dark until we end this.”
Siren drove through the night, pushing east through Pennsylvania. She needed to get to Kate before Vanguard caught up.
But at 2 AM, her tank was getting too low to continue. She needed gas. She stopped in a two-pump station on a county road with a hand painted sign advertising live bait and lottery tickets. There were no other cars in sight.
Siren scanned the area. There were empty fields in every direction. A few houses down the highway. She pumped the gas, and when the pump clicked off, she hung up the nozzle.
That’s when the black SUV closed in on them fast from the south. A truck came from the other direction, blocking their exit.
Two men emerged from the SUV, and a third climbed from the truck. They moved purposefully toward the van. Reed came out of the station with a liter of soda and a package of beef jerky.
“Get behind me,” she said, drawing her weapon.
They were cut off. There was nowhere to run. One of the operatives from the SUV came in fast. She ducked beside the van and fired twice. Her second shot caught him in the shoulder. He grunted but kept coming. He must have been wearing body armor.
She adjusted, aiming for the legs. He dove behind the SUV and returned fire. The bullet punched through the air; inches from her head. She dragged Reed around the other side of the van.
