Page 76 of Every Last Breath

“Can you run a picture of Novak in the disguise through the program?”

“He kept his head lowered. I’d need a full facial shot, but I can try.”

Maddox stifled the expletives prickling her tongue. “Review the footage for any leads. Also rustle up whatever you can on Kassar. We have details on how Blackburn and Callahan were taken out, but nothing on Kassar.”

“Okay.” Harper hurried from the room.

This was a major hit, but Maddox couldn’t let the setback derail the team’s focus. “This isn’t over. Not until we find Novak and the bioweapon.”

Reece adjusted his cap, propping the bill up with a knuckle. This one read I Drink Coffee for Your Protection. “Harper’s slipup can’t be ignored.”

“Especially in light of your mole problem.” Cole raked dark hair back from his face. “How well do you know her? Is it possible she left her desk to give Novak time to get away?”

“She keeps to herself, doesn’t associate with anyone here,” Maddox said. “Harper was away from her desk at a critical moment, but it was also her idea to modify her facial recognition program to tap into the video surveillance system. And she took it upon herself to access the private security feed of the restaurant.”

Cole removed his riding jacket. “It could be a feint. Distract someone by getting them to focus on one hand while you’re winding up to take them down with the other.”

“Did you see her as she explained?” Gideon took a seat. “That was no feint.”

Maddox didn’t get the sense Harper was faking her jitters either, but the fact remained there was a traitor. A fool with no ethics, no conscience, who was bartering classified information and risking national security but sooner or later was going to get caught.

“Harper could be the leak, or she could’ve made a mistake,” Maddox said. “I lost Novak in the train station. Looking at this case from the outside, I’d be under suspicion too.” Taking ownership of her failure cut like a switchblade. “But Cole is right. It’s a problem.”

“Let’s keep Harper and bring in Cutter or Amanda,” Castle said. “Checks and balances.”

Both were solid analysts, but if Maddox had to pick, it’d be Amanda hands down. She was a crackerjack analyst and a great friend and could be relied on in a pinch.

“Do you want to resource some of this out to Rubicon? I can talk to my boss, Donovan.”

As simple as Cole made the idea sound, it was the exact opposite. One didn’t farm out classified work to noncleared personnel. It would mean allowing them to process highly sensitive information pertaining to national security in a facility that wasn’t cleared to handle classified material. They’d have to go through the proper red tape, which would take time they didn’t have.

One thing for Sanborn to allow a single essential civilian in with a nondisclosure agreement, but there was no way their boss would green-light something of such magnitude under the table. They could all go to prison.

Before responding, she shot Castle a questioning glance to see how he read the idea.

An expression of utter disbelief that she’d consider it washed across his face. “Fuck. No.”

Yeah, he didn’t like the prospect of prison either. “We go with Castle’s idea. It’s the smart play.” Redundancy beat hedging the wrong bet.

“Of course it’s the smart play. It’s my idea,” Castle said.

Cole leaned in, resting a hand on her arm. “Nice to see your brother hasn’t changed.” He flashed a casual, lighthearted smile, as if the world wasn’t about to end.

The warmth in his face caught her off guard, and she smiled back, longing to recover the years they’d been cheated.

Wretched years that had changed them both, for better or worse.

Forcing her gaze from his, she looked at Gideon. “Please tell me you have good news.” She grabbed a bottle of water and took a sip.

“I’ve got Van Helden,” he said, deadpan. “Sitting in an interrogation room.”

Maddox choked, and Cole patted her back.

“How?” was all she managed.

“After Van Helden landed at the helicopter charter company, he booked a private jet to Dubai. The man spent the night in a luxe suite at the Four Seasons. I found him chilling in a posh lounge at Dulles International, waiting to go wheels up in an hour.”

“Holy hell.” She straightened in her seat. “Why didn’t you start with that before we got into the Novak snafu?”