Copyright © 2026 by Lisa Phillips

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

eBook ISBN: 979-8-88552-333-2

Paperback ISBN: 979-8-88552-334-9

Edited by: Christy Callahan, Professional Publishing Services

Published by: Two Dogs Publishing, LLC. Idaho, USA

Cover Design by: Deranged Doctor Design

Sola Scriptura

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Author’s Note

The Story Continues…

About Lisa Phillips

ONE

Frankfurt, Germany

It didn’t matter what her name was. It never did. The only thing that mattered was whether she got the job done.

In this expansive hallway on the west side of the Congress Center Messe Frankfurt, she weaved her way through the crowd, heels clacking on the tile floor. Dark hair tied back in a bun. Glasses on her nose. Her whole outfit was meant to blend in. Just a nondescript pencil skirt, blouse, and suit jacket with a nametag on the breast pocket that read DR. ELIZABETH SCHMIDT.

The only part of the ensemble that belonged to Stephanie-Jo Davis hung down from her throat—the necklace that had been her prized possession for years.

Snatches of German, Dutch, and French drifted past her as she made her way along the hallway, a wall of glass windows on one side. A few small round tables occupied by conference attendees. Steph spotted the man she was looking for fifty feet away. Talking to another man, both of them sitting at one of the tables. Easing over as if her feet hurt, she slid into a seat close enough she’d be able to overhear what they were saying.

She set her purse on the chair beside her, then fished out a cell phone and the little case with her earbuds. Angling it in the right direction gave her enough of a signal she could pick up their conversation on the receiver. The phone would transmit the audio in real time back to a room at Langley with a crowd of analysts who would translate the conversation if necessary. They’d go over it and over it, ad nauseum, discussing what it meant. Finally, a summary would be sent up the chain and land on the desk of someone who had far too many of those summaries on their desk, along with a whole lot of other duties to attend to.

Meanwhile, she was the one out here with no gun, making decisions on the fly.

They should’ve made her code name “Expendable.” But this was the deal she’d made. The one her father had made.

Richard Baxter, a British national with two PhDs, had thinning dark hair and a heavyset frame, his back almost completely to Steph. He leaned closer to speak to his colleague. “I’ve been asking everyone I can find. No one knows where he went.”

You and me both, mate.

The man across the table was Chinese but lived in Portugal and was one of the world’s leading experts in biomechanics. In fact, just yesterday Dr. Runchu Jian had given a speech on how the future of medicine would be led by advances in AI.

“Very strange.” Jian shook his head. “Someone else will have to give his keynote address tomorrow.”

Baxter shifted in his seat, then smoothed down his tie. “You don’t think we should—I don’t know—call the police or what? He could be in danger. Maybe he was kidnapped!”

Jian didn’t seem overly concerned by the idea. “I’m sure his wife would know. She’d have received a ransom if this was a kidnapping.”

More importantly, Steph would have heard about it. If a kidnapping had occurred, one of their wiretaps on the missing man would’ve given them something. Dr. Sebastian Warrington had a wife and two children who lived just outside of Reykjavik, not that he was there much. Aside from them, the person he was closest to would be Steph.

“The police will find him.” Baxter nodded. “I’m certain they will.”

Jian sat back in his chair. “Warrington probably just ran off with a mistress. Now everyone is talking about it, thinking he might be in danger. It’s probably all a ploy to get attention for his ideas.”

“I’m really worried. Unless he shows up tomorrow to make a spectacle, I’ll still believe he really is in danger.” Baxter barely paused before he said, “When did you see him last?”

Jian shrugged. “Not since the conference in Edinburgh, I think. Certainly not recently.”

Steph had met with Sebastian twice in Edinburgh, trying to nudge him ever closer to turning into an asset for the CIA. After the conference, he’d stepped on a plane bound for Heathrow, where he should have changed to a flight that would take him home to Iceland. Instead, no one had seen him.

Baxter leaned forward a little more. “How did he seem in Edinburgh? Was he agitated at all, or was he distracted? I’m trying to find someone he spoke with.”

For a moment, Steph didn’t move. She kept staring at the screen of her phone, keeping herself from reacting to a line of questioning that sounded a lot like Baxter was a cop interviewing a witness. Then she gathered her purse and stood, stumbling two steps later and almost colliding with Jian. “I’m so-o sorry,” she said in British-accented English. “These heels.”

With her off hand, she angled the phone and snapped a photo of Richard Baxter.

“So sorry.” She straightened and sauntered away, leaving Baxter behind without letting him get a good look at her face.

Steph slipped the phone in her purse and made her way to the lobby, where far too many people stood in line for a caffeinated beverage.

Where are you, Sebastian?

She slowed to join the flow of people making their way toward the exit doors, where the sun shone on the glass building. The convention center probably gleamed in the light. Steph would get to experience it for a few moments as Dr. Elizabeth Schmidt, then she would be back in the shadows.

A white van screeched to a stop at the curb of the circular driveway. Between her and the vehicle were a number of people, and flags flying on a collection of tall masts.

The van door slid open, and two men in all black, wearing black masks, rolled a body out onto the ground.

Someone screamed.

The van door slid closed, and the vehicle sped away as quickly as it had come.

Steph picked up her pace to a run, clipping a woman as she passed. “Sorry.”

Pain thrummed through the outside of her arm, a stinging sensation she dismissed. What they’d done to Dr. Warrington was far worse than an insect bite. She sucked in a breath, catching her knees before her legs gave out beside the man she’d been trying to convert to a CIA asset.

Blood coated his lips and the front of his shirt. Both eyes were swollen completely shut, and several of his fingernails had been removed. The only identifying feature was the name badge from that Edinburgh conference clipped to his shirt pocket.

Steph turned away, and the world swam around her. Realizing something was very wrong with her, she managed to reach up and clasp the necklace she wore. Then she squeezed the buttons on the top and bottom of the vial-shaped device.

Noise buzzed in her ears.

She took a step, her limbs like leaden weights she had to drag along. A vehicle pulled in front of her, far too close. Not the van again. This was a silver car.

The back passenger-side door was opened from inside.

Steph tried to turn away when someone caught her, holding her up. A woman. She smelled like jasmine. No.

The open car door loomed in front of her.

No.

TWO

Undisclosed Location, West Virginia

Noah Rourke took the switchbacks fast, wishing he were on his motorcycle for this and not driving the most boring car in the universe. But the title was clean, and it was registered to him at the address where his business was technically based.

Making sure it was all above board was boring as all get-out, sure. But driving up to the entrance where their security would run his plates, do facial rec on his mug, and probably use some kind of X-ray to see the VIN number of the car—and where the steel pin resided in his spine—he had to have impeccable credentials to get in the front door.

Especially if the whole point was to convince the CIA to trust him.

Later, he could take his bike out for a ride.

“Morning, sir.” The guard stared down at him through wraparound sunglasses. White shirt, black slacks, and a gun on his hip. But Noah wasn’t going to make the mistake of underestimating the⁠—

Noah held out his credentials and did a double take. “Billy Frampton?”

The guard tipped his head back and laughed. “Only frogmen call me Billy.” He snatched the IDs out of Noah’s hand.

“I recognized you on account of your inherent resolve.” Noah figured the guy would remember the operation the USS Harry S. Truman had been on the year his SEAL team were on board for precisely two weeks. Long enough to cause plenty of problems. But they had completed the mission.

“I still gotta run your name.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Noah put the car in Park and waited while Billy went to his guard shack and sat at the computer. Probably should’ve mentioned his appointment with Division Chief Thomas Kraus.

His phone vibrated from the clasp on his dash, and his brother’s name flashed on the screen, backed by an image of Caleb smiling with his wife. It was still odd to see the guy actually smile. Same way it was odd to see someone who looked so identically like Noah with a woman.

Go figure.

Noah slid his finger across the screen. “Hey, bro. I’m at the entrance of you-know-where.”

“I won’t keep you long.”

“He’s running my ID now,” Noah said. Huge black walnut trees flanked both sides of the asphalt lane in front of him, blue sky stretched above them with clouds threatening from the east. Chain link, topped by razor wire. Yeah, this entrance made the place look like an upscale prison. Hopefully, he wouldn’t end up having to Shawshank his way out.

“That why I’m getting flashes of nerves?” Caleb said.

Noah watched Billy at the computer. “As if I’d ever feel that enough you’d get a taste.”

“Not me that’s nervous.”

“Yeah, right. New wife. Baby on the way. You’re terrified.”

Caleb’s low chuckle came through the car speakers. “They’re both good, by the way. Tessa and the baby. Doctor said things are progressing well. Thinks she’s about six pounds now, and it won’t be long.”

“What are you gonna call her?”

“We’re still figuring it out.”

Noah had a few suggestions, but he could put them in an email—to his sister-in-law. “How’s the old man?”

“Aah.” Caleb groaned out the word. “You know, same old. Morgan came over to check out the dog, recommended some labs to check his kidneys are still good. Pops wanted to pick up the old guy and put him in the SUV. Nearly threw his back out trying to heft that mutt in the back of the car. Thankfully, I caught him doing it before he injured himself and helped him out.”

“What about ranch chores?”

“He walks. I doubt he’ll ever quit walking, no matter how long he lives. But these days I try to get to the work before he does.”

Noah looked up as Billy handed him back his IDs. “Thanks.”

Billy smiled. “No problem.”

At the same time, Caleb said, “I got it.”

Billy backed up a step. “You’re clear to enter. They’re waiting for you in building three. Someone will meet you in the lobby. Don’t get lost.”

Noah nodded. “Have a good one.” He waited as the gate rattled open on tiny wheels, then drove through.

“So they let you in?” Caleb asked.

“And you’re surprised? I’m legit, man. People vouch for me.”

Caleb laughed. “We can’t all be a disgraced DEA agent turned rancher.”

“They cleared your name.”

“And no one will ever work with me again. Turns out I don’t care. Ranch life? Family life? You should try it. But there’s a reason I landed here and you’re the one with a meeting at the other other CIA building. The one they don’t show on TV.”

Noah chuckled. “Surprise, that’s just for PR. So people think they know where the secrets are.”

The single asphalt lane in front of him curved to the east, flanked by several four-story structures. One looked brand-new, all glass and shimmering reflected sunlight. The others were of varying ages, and the tiny one that emerged to the left of the collection of buildings looked like it had been here since World War II. Which, given the history of this place, wasn’t surprising.

Caleb said, “You know your GPS just disappeared.”

“I’m surprised it lasted this long⁠—”

Before he’d even finished speaking, the call dropped and his phone beeped. No signal.

Noah found a space in front of the building with a giant 3 on the side, just below the roof. A breeze kicked up as he got out, swishing through the trees and ruffling his hair in a way that told him he needed a haircut. He slipped on the suit jacket he had hanging on the hook behind his seat and headed for the entrance.

Inside smelled like lemon floor cleaner with an undercurrent of soil. A wide reception desk was occupied by two armed security guards, but he spotted a woman in a tan skirt suit and salmon blouse approach him from the right.

“Mr. Rourke, good to see you again.” She held her hand out, reading glasses hanging from the buttons of her shirt. Lines around her eyes, and her light-brown hair tied back.

“You as well, Doctor Peraya.” Noah shook her hand.

“I’m afraid the process of getting you through security didn’t end at the gate and is notably arduous.”

“Of course.” He returned her professional smile.

“However, we’ll be ready for you by the time you get through to the other side.” She clasped her hands in front of her.

“I appreciate your time, Doctor.”

“See you on the other side, as they say!” She waved him to the front desk and stayed on the periphery the entire time. He was divested of his belongings, sent through the scanner—a hallway only big enough for one person to pass through, with glass on the sides that reflect his image back to him on all axes—and finally given a visitor pass, but was told to remain with his escort at all times.

“Understood.” Noah wanted to ask if they meant the doctor should accompany him to the bathroom as well, but figured his humor might backfire with these guys.

“This way, Mr. Rourke.” Dr. Peraya led him to an elevator, where she hit the button for basement level two.

“How is our…guest doing these days? Settling in okay?”

“Wonderfully. Our conversations have proven fruitful.”

“Really.” Noah hadn’t figured Kessler would say much of anything, but then again this was the CIA. He probably didn’t want to ask precisely how they had gathered intelligence from a man Noah and his team had detained in Miami months ago.

“I’m good at my job.” The doors slid open, and they stepped out into a long empty hallway lined with closed doors that had numbers etched into them. At the end, stopping in front of a set of double doors in some kind of dark wood—at least the façade—Peraya slid a key card across a scanner beside the door. A lock clicked, and she pushed the door open.

Noise from inside washed out of a room, which had been set up like a NASA control room. Tiered rows of computers all faced a huge LED wall. Smaller screens filled the walls on either side, and about fifteen people were sitting or standing. Most wore headsets.

Noah gave the screens a quick scan.

“See anything you recognize?” Peraya asked.

“Ah.” Noah cleared his throat.

“Do you?”

Noah pointed at the man pictured on a screen to the left. “His name is Richard Leesbury. When I knew him, he was an SAS soldier working with a European multinational unit outside Djibouti.”

One of the analysts close enough to have heard him unplugged her headset, ran over to a guy at the end of the tier, and leaned in to tell him something. The room started to buzz.

Peraya winked at him. “And you haven’t even been here five minutes.” She continued walking, leading him to a glass-walled room where the division chief sat behind a desk.

“So you’re interested in Leesbury?”

“We’re interested enough we’d like to find out who he is currently—and who he has been. Which you’ve just aided us with.” She shut the door behind him and touched a button on a panel beside the door. “Chief Kraus, this is Noah Rourke.”

The chief leaned back, making his chair creak, and laced his hands over the strained buttons at his middle. “Rourke. You’re the Navy SEAL?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll admit, delivering Nathan Kessler to us gives you some credence. We don’t take kindly to our own going freelance through embezzling US funds and making millions smuggling for cartels and the like.”

Sounded like a Wikipedia bio. And all of that information was the least of what Noah had discovered about Kessler.

“He came after my brother.”

“And so your team scooped him up.” Kraus gestured toward a chair in front of the desk, and Dr. Peraya settled in. “Now you want contracts.”

Noah wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of shifting his weight like he was nervous, but the itch in his spine almost made him give in. He eased into the available seat. Carefully avoiding leaning his back against the chair, but not so carefully they’d know something was wrong with his spine. No one knew. Not even Caleb.

“I know about Division Zero, Chief.” Noah paused. “I know the last two teams you’ve contracted with have proven less than reputable. My team has the utmost integrity. I vouch for every single one of them.”

“We can do our own assessment,” Kraus said. “Give us their names, and we’ll run our own backgrounds.”

Noah shook his head. “Nathan Kessler was surrendered to you in good faith.”

“And now you think you can make a deal? With the CIA?” Kraus started to chuckle, which sounded like a wheeze.

“You wouldn’t have him, or the intel he’s provided—and will no doubt continue to provide—without us.” Noah took a chance and leaned back against the chair, hoping he would look cool and collected and not like he had to go number two. “What’s more, you have an opening for a team exactly like mine. We’ve already proven ourselves capable of discretion. All we need is a real job. A way to convince you we can do whatever you need, leaving you with the deniability you didn’t get with your last two teams.”

“What a cluster that was.” Kraus shook his head.

“My team has never made the news. At least not in front of a federal courthouse where they’re appearing before a judge on charges.”

Kraus didn’t like it, but that wasn’t something he could argue with.

Peraya laced her fingers around her knee, the one she’d crossed over the other. “The truth is, we have looked into your team.”

Noah glanced at her. “And?”

“We have a collection of stories. Rumors, really. Ones that stretch from plausible to the downright impossible. But the bottom line is, no one knows who exactly is on your payroll, and anyone who does won’t talk.”

Noah almost smiled. “It’s for everyone’s safety that they remain anonymous.”

“Of course,” Kraus continued. “It isn’t our business who you have on your payroll, or whether they might be wanted by…certain circles within the US government. Or if they’ve been swept under some rug and intentionally forgotten. What matters is that the job is done.”

Someone knocked on the door.

Peraya went over and let them in. The same young woman who had reacted when he’d identified Leesbury as a former soldier. She spoke low to the doctor, who tensed and then said to the two of them, “I’ll be right back.”

The door closed, leaving Noah with the chief.

He shifted in the chair, turning back to face the division boss. A sharp pain tore through his lower back, and he wasn’t able to hide the wince.

“Shrapnel?” Kraus sat forward, placing his elbows on the desk. The light overhead shone on his high forehead.

“Something like that.” Noah eased out a long breath, trying to push the pain away with it. “I’m sure you already know I was medically discharged from the navy.”

“Now you’re the guy in charge, not the guy on the ground kicking the door in and getting shot at.”

“I have a different role, one that comes with new priorities.” Noah glanced over his shoulder and saw the doctor hadn’t returned yet. “Like asking you a very specific question that I hope you’ll answer.”

Kraus stared at him.

“What can you tell me about Martin and Helen Rourke?”

It was a risk. But with his twin about to have a baby, and Pops’ health becoming more tenuous every week, he had to ask. He needed to know, for all of their sakes.

“Are those names supposed to mean anything to me?” Kraus said, a tiny flare in his eyes.

“You’ve been working for the CIA for a long time. I figure if anyone is going to be able to give me information on what happened to my parents, it would be you.”

And of all the people in the CIA, Kraus was the one whose name had come up over and over.

“Knowing information and being authorized to share it with a well-connected civilian are two very different things.”

“What do you want, Director?”

Kraus’ brows rose. “I’m sure you understand the constraints the government operates under. There’s never enough money to do what you want to do, and barely enough to do what we need to. It’s a wonder the walls aren’t crumbling down around us we’re so strapped for resources.”

The clock on the wall chimed, interrupting the silence while Kraus let those words hang. As if he didn’t have a room full of well-paid employees using state-of-the-art equipment in the next room.

He continued, “If you want to know about your parents, that could be a kind of compensation. Of a sort. A way for you to trade what you have at your disposal for what you want.”

“My team.”

“For information about your parents.”

Noah blew out a breath. “So they were CIA agents.”

Kraus gave him an almost imperceptible nod. “If you’d like copies of files, those of course are the kind of eyes-only papers that don’t ever leave this building.”

But he was going to let Noah read them?

Based on the research he’d done, Noah got the impression that the whole Division Zero program would be shut down if Kraus couldn’t deliver a new team. Which made him feel only slightly better about how this deal was turning out. No one on his team was going to be happy. He’d be better off not telling them what the compensation was for getting CIA contracts, but they didn’t work that way.

“I just want the truth,” Noah said.

“Then you came to the wrong place, son. If you’re interested in an agreement—an exchange of information, for services rendered—there’s hope we might be on the same page. Willing to work something out.”

“You won’t find better than my team.”

“I certainly hope that’s true.”

THREE

Somewhere in the Patagonian mountains, Argentina

“So my whole squad is on this mission in Bosnia⁠—”

“Last time he told this story, they were in Poland.”

“I’m talking now.” Then, “So we were in Bosnia. Deep winter, snow up to your knees, but the night is clear. It’s zero-two-hundred hours, and we’re at this abandoned railyard that’s probably been there a hundred years. Everything is still and silent.”

“It was a goat.”

“So we’re moving through the rail yard, advancing real slow, when this heat signature shows up. It’s moving low to the ground, going between rail cars. I⁠—”

“It was a badger. But the American kind, that looks like it’s on crack. Not the British kind that wants to invite you to tea.”

“I’m telling a story. So my team stacks up behind me, and we’re still advancing. The thing is pacing us. Keeping step. I’m figuring it’s some kind of ground drone, or a remote surveillance unit. Then it comes out from under the rail car, hopping over the tracks. It’s a raccoon, but this thing had a scar down one eye, and it looked at me like it’s done a dime in Folsom and it’s seen some things it can’t forget.”

Someone snickered.

“We’re all crouched, waiting for it to pass, and it comes over. Pats my boot. I try to shoo it away, and it grabs my pant leg. The thing won’t let go. It lifts up and starts digging in my pocket, pulls out this protein bar I had in there. The guys behind me are trying not to laugh. The raccoon backs up and sits, unwraps the protein bar, and starts eating it. We had to wait three minutes until he was done and scurried off before we could proceed. Try explaining that mission delay on a report.”

Adam lay on the cold ground, listening to the team’s chatter on their open comms channel, trying to ignore the rock digging into his ribs. Binoculars to his eyes, staring at the data center in the valley below. “Unscheduled delay due to environmental variables.” He checked his watch and saw it was 02:34. “Time to move.”

“Finally.” Kai huffed.

Adam got up, shrugging on his small pack with the binoculars now inside, and checked his weapon. “Overwatch, we’re proceeding down the hill.”

“Copy that.” Marina’s voice was loud and clear in his ears, even though she was a hundred miles, or three thousand miles, away—no one knew exactly where she was. Adam usually pictured a trailer in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. But she could just as easily be in a hotel room, or on a boat.

The team proceeded out from behind the cover of trees and bushes, working their way down the hill. Sticking to a predetermined path that allowed them pockets of time in blind spots between the sweep of the security cameras on the perimeter.

Getting through the fence would be another issue entirely, given the whole thing had been electrified. Any break in the pulse would signal the security system and alert the two guards inside. Considering there were five of them going up against only those two guards, Adam wasn’t concerned they would meet overpowering resistance inside.

Ice was the first to reach the fence, and the one who had been telling the story. He also went by Ivan. Or his middle name, Calvin. Or some version of those three. They all had so many names that only their team could keep things straight, and that was the way they liked it.

Ice clipped a meter to the chain link. “Still hot.”

“Almost there,” Dan responded over comms.

Adam glanced left, feeling the night breeze on the shaved sides of his hair. The top was long these days, so he’d pulled it back in a small ponytail behind the crown of his head, just to keep it out of his eyes. He spotted Dan down the fence line, where he stopped at a control box and in a few seconds had the panel door open. “Three…two…”

Kai started toward the fence.

“Whoops. Kidding. Here we go… One.”

Kai whirled around and started to stomp toward Dan instead. Adam grabbed a strap of Kai’s backpack and stopped him. “Nope.”

“The reading is fluctuating.” Ice started clipping wires in the fence with a pair of pincers, pausing for a couple of seconds intermittently. He cut an opening and checked his meter. “Kai.”

“Go first,” Adam ordered.

Kai went over to Ice, waiting like Ice was his jump master and this was a HALO op. Something they’d actually all lobbied for on this job, because they’d all thought that landing on the roof and going in hot would be far more fun than sneaking in like they were breaking and entering.

In his ear Adam heard, “Security noted the fluctuations in the fence signal.”

“Go,” Ice said.

Ash was next. He waited for the signal, then ducked through the opening in the fence after Kai. Dan raced over from the panel, waving Adam ahead of him.

“Go,” Ice said.

Adam ducked through the opening. Grass became gravel that would alert anyone with ears to them moving across the expanse between the buildings and the fence line. “Double time.”

Kai and Ash set off, jogging toward the door they’d identified as their entry point, over to the east side and almost at the corner of the wide two-story building. Dan would go with Adam, while Ice remained outside to cover their exit—if necessary.

“Security dispatched an officer to investigate,” Marina said in his ear.

“Copy that.” Adam set off with Dan jogging beside him to the door on the west side.

Ice said, “The team is inside the fence.”

“Inside the fence, copy,” Marina responded. “I’m deploying the virus now.”

Adam had his tiny bundle of plastic explosives out before he reached the door. He slapped it next to the handle and pressed the button.

Dan tucked against the wall on the other side of the door.

The charge snapped, puffing out smoke and the smell of burned rubber. Adam pulled the door open, and Dan retrieved what was left of the charge so they left no trace.

Adam ducked into the hall. “Position one, inside.”

The security system, alerted to his entry, flicked on the lights.

Marina said, “I have control of their system. I’m looping the video feeds now.”

Dan patted the back of Adam’s right shoulder, and they proceeded down the hall at a steady pace.

Halfway down, the security guard dispatched to check the fence turned the corner and spotted them. Before he could grab his radio, Adam squeezed the trigger on his shotgun. The beanbag round hit the security guard high on his chest. The impact knocked him back, and his head slammed the wall.

“Guard one neutralized.” Adam proceeded forward, stepping over the unconscious man.

Over the comms he heard, “Entering the west server room.”

“They beat us.” Adam checked the hall first, then turned the corner. He picked up his pace, expecting Dan to laugh, but then wondered why he expected that. The guy didn’t laugh at anything—or, at least, he hadn’t in a long time.

Adam found the server room, checked the handle, and kicked it open for the sake of expediency. Inside were long rows of racks, all humming and flickering lights. He slid out the device that looked like a cell phone from his thigh pocket, along with the cable he plugged into the port Marina had specified in her “Detailed Instructions for Dummies” lecture.

The device flashed, then went black, and tiny green text scrolled down the screen, too small for him to read.

Adam tried not to tap his foot. “Download in progress.”

“Us, too.” Ash sounded irritated. “But we got in the server room first.”

“Guess we’ll see who makes it back to the fence first.” Dan almost sounded amused.

“Hurry up.” That was Kai.

Ash replied, “I can’t make it go faster.”

Adam smiled to himself, watching the green text quit scrolling. A bar of green swept left to right across the bottom of the screen, then Download complete showed up. He disconnected the cable and pocketed it, motioning with hand signals for Dan to go ahead of him.

The big man—wider, not taller, than Adam—headed to the door, checked the hall, and then signaled to Adam it was clear.

“Phoenix, this is Overwatch. Come back.” Marina sounded concerned.

Enough that Dan froze before going out the door.

Adam relaxed his stance. “Go ahead, Overwatch.”

“You know how the client said that, while testing their security system for weak spots, we shouldn’t take the two downloads from the two intentionally un-networked server rooms and combine them, and that we definitely shouldn’t look at the files?”

“Are you gonna say ‘whoops’ next?”

“I don’t use that word,” Marina said, “because I don’t make mistakes.”

“So what happened?”

“The two programs saw each other and connected on their own accord. As if they’re programmed to do so.”

“Can you stop it?”

“Negative,” she said. “The problem is, this program doesn’t belong to the company that hired us. This is a Starwise Holdings program.”

“And we were hired by Earthnet Unlimited.” Adam frowned. “They’re not connected, or subsidiaries?” That would be the most reasonable explanation, right? “Maybe it only looks like they’re different companies, but they aren’t.”

Dan turned back to him. “Why don’t we go find someone who works here and ask?”

Adam said, “Overwatch, have you been updating our contact at Earthnet on our progress?”

“Not yet. I’m waiting until you guys clear the fence on your way out.”

“If you can’t separate them again⁠—”

“I can’t.”

“Then put the entire program on a separate drive that won’t connect to anything else. Keep an eye on it.” Adam motioned to Dan to proceed. “We’ll do some more looking around.”

“Man.” Kai dragged the word out. “I wanted to be the first one back to the fence.”

“Be my guest,” Dan said in response.

Over comms Kai said, “While you go sneaking around the building? Ash and I need to hang back, in case you need help.”

Dan snorted, making his way down the hall. “We won’t.”

Adam smiled to himself. “Everything good, Overwatch?”

“I’m dealing with it. This thing is…robust. And it’s growing as it knits the two programs together.”

“Is it AI?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ve got it on an air-gapped computer now.” She blew out a breath that rustled across the open comms channel. “No one wants something like this on the internet.”

“Any idea what it is?”

“Some kind of database, designed to knit together in a specific way and also separate in a specific way. It’s meant to be stored as two parts of a whole. The size of this thing… It’s got to run something big. Like a NASA-level simulation.”

Adam hoped it belonged to Earthnet, and they hadn’t just stolen some other company’s property. “Keep me posted on any developments.”

“Copy that.”

Dan pushed a set of double doors open, moving into an open plan office. Looked like a tornado had swept through the place, leaving papers discarded on desks and on the floor. Instead of computers, there were wires left hanging and monitors but no PC towers anywhere.

“I’m still fine by myself out here at the fence, doing nothing,” Ice said. “In case anyone is interested.”

Adam said, “Just keep an eye on the perimeter, yeah?”

Ice responded, “Front cameras show no movement. Nothing in back. Skies are clear. For now.”

“Copy that.” Adam followed Dan through another set of doors. “Lower levels?” He motioned to a sign that pointed down, indicating stairs leading that way.

For the benefit of comms, Dan said, “Moving to search the lower levels.”

Adam needed Ash and Kai to see if there was basement access on their side of the building, but before he could give that order, Marina came back on.

“Ash. Kai. The second security guard is headed in your direction.”

“Copy that,” Kai said.

“Get clear and see if you can access the lower levels.” Adam stepped into an echoey concrete stairwell on Dan’s six and flipped on the flashlight clipped to the underside of his gun.

Their footsteps echoed on the concrete.

At the next level down, one below ground, the comms channel started to break up. “Sounds like we’re gonna lose signal.”

Dan opened the door, and Adam went in first. The hallway had glass on one side and a solid wall on the exterior. The view through the glass offered a look at the bowels of the building, which dropped away from this…rotunda almost. From the circle of windows around the middle, they could watch what was happening down there, like a viewing gallery.

“What is it?” Dan asked.

“Who knows. It’s so dark it could go down for miles and we’d never know.”

“I see a few blinking lights.” Dan sighed. “Shame we can’t just switch more on and take a look.”

“Let’s do a lap around. See if anyone is down here.”

Dan nodded, and they moved quickly all the way around the viewing gallery.

Adam noticed prints on the walls at intermittent points, which looked like generic hotel artwork, except that it all had a space theme. “I don’t think this is just a server farm.”

“Unless that thing down there cools it all,” Dan said. “Like a giant immersion cooler for the servers.”

“Maybe we should turn some lights on.” Halfway around, the windows stopped and an alcove angled out, over the opening in the center. “Here we go.” Adam went to the wall and tapped buttons on the biggest panel, then toggled a couple of switches.

A small screen flashed to life.

System armed.

“All I wanna do is take a look.”

“There’s a port here,” Dan said. “Try plugging in.”

Adam dug the device out of his thigh cargo pocket and slapped it into Dan’s hand. “Knock yourself out.”

“I haven’t been trained on this particular piece of⁠—”

“Just plug it in.”

Dan turned his back to Adam.

Adam slid the small device that looked like an outlet cover from his pocket and slid it into the plug on the wall behind him, the whole move only taking a couple of seconds. A curious person might find it, but would discover nothing.

“Is that why she gave it to you?” Dan asked. “Because it’s easy to operate?”

Adam moved to his friend’s side. “Um, did you just tell a joke?”

Dan’s attention was on inserting the plug. “Don’t get excited.”

“I think that might be cause for celebration.” Adam grinned. “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

“I wasn’t …dead.” He choked on that last word.

Adam winced. Shouldn’t have said that. “I know, bro. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

Adam was about to respond when Dan said, “Since when do you quote the Bible, anyway?”

“My sister keeps texting me whole passages in these long messages.” He rolled his eyes. “Tryin’ to save my soul. Guess something stuck.”

Dan watched the screen of the phone. “We could all use a little saving.”

Adam thought he’d say sometimes at the end of that, but he didn’t. “So what is this thing?”

“The phone has no idea. This is just protocols, but I can’t make sense of it. There’s latitude and longitude coordinates here, and what looks like a flight plan. But then it says, ‘Perform lunar contact checklist.’”

“Are we going to space?”

“I hope not.” Dan glanced at the dark windows. “If this is a launch pad, this entire building would be destroyed when the engines were fired. I still think it’s a server cooling system.”

“For a space shuttle.” Adam liked the sound of that.

Dan unplugged the device. “I’ve got it. Let’s go.”

They jogged back to the stairwell and were almost to the landing between floors when the comms channel broke into violent static.

Adam winced. “What’s going on?”

“…our way to them!” Kai sounded panicked.

“You only have a few seconds,” Ice responded.

“Sitrep!” Adam pounded up the stairs to the ground floor and hauled the door open.

As he ran, Marina said, “Chopper inbound, and they’re hostile.”

An explosion rocked the side of the building, shook the whole place, and sent dust raining down from the ceiling.

“All of you get out of there,” Ice yelled. “Now.”

FOUR

Alexandria, Virginia

Kathryn bit her lip and sat back, her chair creaking. Alone in the darkened office, so late at night, it sounded far too loud. She stared at the screen, trying to figure out the pattern she had noticed.

“It’s not illegal,” she whispered to herself. It was just that the pattern didn’t make any sense. What did she have, aside from an indication that someone was doing something? “Super definitive, Kath.”

But when she’d shown it to her boss, he’d failed to see the point she was trying to make—that none of this made sense.

Her cousin would know what to do with the information. Marina always knew what these things meant, and when Kathryn had been stalked by that guy on the dating app she used to use, Marina went nuclear.

Kathryn didn’t want to know what was left of the guy after Marina had destroyed him online and donated all his money—including his entire 401k—to a cat shelter.

Her phone buzzed.

She tilted it to look at the screen and saw that Marina had replied.

If you think something is going on, download everything to your flash drive. When you get home, send it to me and I’ll take a look at it.

Okay, she could do that.

Kathryn used the flash drive on her keychain, the one Marina had actually given her to keep copies of psycho Carl’s messages. Turned out she’d also set Kathryn up with a way to copy official FCC documents and remove them from the office.

She was going to talk herself out of this if she kept on thinking about how illegal it was to take documents from the Satellite Licensing Division and show them to someone whose work had nothing to do with FCC orbital policy analysis.

Kathryn clicked the mouse and tried not to think about this while she waited for the files to download. She got her purse from the lower desk drawer, stuffed her phone in, and gathered the rest of her things. Stood up and pushed her chair in.

Transfer complete.

Kathryn ejected the flash drive and pocketed her keychain. The dim lights overhead flickered for a second. She logged off, shut down her computer, and headed for the elevator.

Inside, the gentle strains of some pop song could be heard, re-created by stringed instruments. Kathryn sang along for a second. “You came in like a wrecking ball.” Hopefully, that wouldn’t turn out to be some kind of omen.

She shuddered, moving as fast as she could through the lobby with its gleaming floors. “Goodnight, Colin.”

The security guard barely looked up from his novel. “Have a good one, Miss.”

The doors slid open in front of her, and she tried not to run on her low heels all the way to her pride and joy, a brand-new compact that she’d bought three weeks ago when it only had nine miles on it. She checked the back seat for serial killers, because she was a single woman who lived alone and had pepper spray, but not a gun, who also talked to herself too much. Saw too much. Worried too much.

Certain she was alone except for the voices in her head, Kathryn slid behind the wheel and texted Marina before she headed for home with the satellite radio station turned up loud enough to distract her with the “easy sounds of late night with Tricia.”

Kathryn gripped the wheel with both hands, half listening to Tricia talk about her health journey between songs while she headed southwest out of Alexandria.

This was probably all just paranoia because she’d been reading too many thriller novels lately, right?

But something was going on.

“Be definitive.” She let out a long breath. “Okay, something is definitively going on.”

Someone—

No. An “unknown party.” That was better.

“Unknown parties” over the last several months had been quietly purchasing orbital control from small nations. Exchanging use of their allocated satellite space for much-needed financial assistance wasn’t illegal, but a pattern of it gave one entity far too much control of the skies.

Countries in economic trouble—or leaders who used the funds to seize control and had no intention of deploying satellites in their assigned orbital slots—had jumped at the chance to sell. Turned out it was an asset they could exchange for what they needed more—namely, money.

Kathryn hit the gas, flying down the Franconia-Springfield Parkway heading to her home in West Springfield.

The biggest problem was that the sales hadn’t been flagged. She’d noticed them only because it was her job to watch those transactions. When she took the information to her boss, he’d given her that look. The one that said, Why are you bothering me?

Two days later he’d had a heart attack in the hot tub at his house.

One of the international regulators had been signing off on all the transactions.

This wasn’t just one company, or a few people trying to get into the space race or expand communications assets. This was a plan being put into action.

Just not according to her boss.

Sure, each one of the orbital slots had been purchased by a different company, or a subsidiary of some company, and it was all perfectly legal. But if it was what Kathryn suspected the pattern might indicate, then someone was seizing control of huge portions of satellite space for their own use, which was a kind of monopoly that could spell a serious problem if no one looked into it. Someone could at least ask the company—companies—what they had planned.

The dash lights on her car flickered.

“Whoa.” Her speed started to dip, but Kathryn hadn’t moved her foot from the accelerator. She lifted it now, pushing down to pick her speed back up. But she continued to decelerate.

A car buzzed around her, honking his horn.

“I’m trying.” She gripped the wheel and tried to encourage the car to pick up speed again. In a few seconds she managed to get back to the same speed as the flow of traffic around her. But the car kept accelerating. She moved her foot to the brake, pushing down. No response. “What on earth?”

As the car continued to speed up, Kathryn changed lanes to avoid slamming into another vehicle in front of her. She had to use the shoulder to avoid a collision. The car still sped up. She tried to engage the emergency brake, but nothing happened.

“Call 911!”

Instead of the onboard system acknowledging her, the volume on her stereo increased until the level was deafening. Kathyrn whimpered, twisting the dial to no effect while Tricia screamed in her ears. A song started, the music even louder now. Turning it down did nothing.

Kathryn pumped the brake. “Call 911!”

Nothing.

The car careened around a corner, nearly sideswiping another vehicle, and all she could do was hold on. It was supposed to have all these built-in safety features. Was she doing it wrong, or could the system just not hear her over the deafening music?

She reached over and dug in her purse, still holding the wheel with her other hand.

It turned of its own accord. What on earth?

Finally, Kathryn got her fingers around her phone. She shifted back to sit straight, and the car swerved. The phone fell out of her hand and landed in the footwell.

Kathryn looked at it, crying out, “No!”

She needed help.

She needed⁠—

The car bumped off the road, swerving to the side, and slammed into a tree.

FIVE

Argentina

Ice watched the helicopter swing around, rapid-firing at the east side of the building where Adam and Dan had entered. The loud boom of shots echoed across the valley and split the sky with the smoke of violence.

In his ear he heard, “Any indication who they are?”

He shook his head at Marina’s question, mostly because she couldn’t see his face. “It’s not like they have Evil Incorporated stenciled on the side.”

She chuckled over the comms channel, sounding relaxed while the ever-present tension in him hardened like concrete.

“Maybe I’ll go ask.” He figured no one cared if entry showed up on the security system now, so he simply bypassed it since the guards were likely more preoccupied with the chopper firing at the building.

Ice ran down the hill toward the building, sprinting for cover. Not that being up against the white exterior wall would protect him if they came this way. He raced to the corner and spotted the chopper as it set down.

Four guys jumped out. No, six. All of them wore black tactical gear, black masks over their faces that left only a slit of their eyes visible. Rifles in hand. Pistol on the hip. Knives—probably more than one—in different sheaths on their person.

And here he was, with minimal weapons per the instructions they’d been given for this assignment. “You know…” He trailed off, not wanting to finish lest he sound overly paranoid.

“What do I know?” Marina sounded distracted, likely pulled a million directions by the screens in front of her.

“We’re unarmed. These guys are strapped.” Ice watched the woman who jumped out give orders to the men, who raced toward the building. “Seems like this might be a trap. Whoever hired us sent these people in to kill us.”

“Double-cross anyone lately?” Ash asked over the open comms channel. “Because I haven’t.”

“I doubt anyone in my online poker game would come after me like this,” Ice shot back. As if that was the worst thing he could think of. In reality, he had more enemies than he could count. Far better to just live under the radar and let the story that he’d disappeared years ago be the truth people told.

Kai said, “We’re stuck behind a lab door. Gonna work our way around.”

“Listen, just get to Nix and Dan and work your way out together. We have no idea what they found downstairs.” Ice watched a woman climb out and stand there, glancing around with her hands on her hips. As if this was any other Tuesday and she could take a moment and admire her handiwork.

“Copy that,” Ash said.

“No, no, no…” Marina’s muttering trailed off.

“This about us, or something else?” Ice asked her.

A rustle entered his awareness behind him. The brush of clothing. A shift of gravel that indicated a footfall.

“Something else.”

“Work on it,” he said. “We’ll do the same here.”

Ash said, “What are you⁠—”

Ice pulled out his comms earbud and zipped it in his pocket. He strode out from the corner of the building toward her. No weapons. Hands out by his sides so she could see his palms were empty.

Whoever was behind him could make their move.

She whirled around and eyed him. Dark hair, a slim body packed with muscle she could downplay, but was visible in how she moved. The command in her graceful step, and how she held her shoulders. She was deadly and she knew it.

Ice heard the guy behind him. Definitely a guy, given the sound of his footsteps. He took a couple more steps, slower than before, so whoever it was got close enough, then turned. Planted his foot. Twisted his hips. Swung out with a fist, blocked the knife with a swipe of his other hand.

Fire erupted on the front of his shoulder, beside the protective vest he wore. This might be an op that demanded no weapons, but he always guarded his vital organs. He wasn’t an idiot. Except when he got distracted, too in his head, and an elbow smacked it.

Ice’s skull jerked from the blow. Ouch. If he was going to get answers from this woman, he needed to be in a conversation, not a fist fight.

He slammed a punch into the guy’s stomach but faltered as if the blow to his head had knocked his equilibrium askew. The guy capitalized on it, which was good because Ice didn’t know how to make it convincing otherwise.

A one-two hit the wound on his shoulder, and his cheekbone.

Then he was flat on his back, looking up at the Patagonia stars overhead and trying to catch his breath. This guy hit hard, almost as hard as Ice’s father.

The guy landed on him, and Ice could smell his breath. He kicked his legs but didn’t dislodge his attacker.

Panic started to set in, and the plan went out the window. To be fair, the plan always went out the window at some point. Especially when the chilled air tickled over him and blows rained down, and Ice fell back into far too many memories.

On a cold floor. His father standing over him.

A roar erupted from his lips, and he grabbed the guy by the collar, rolling them both. Ice got off the guy, backing up so fast he stumbled onto the ground on his butt.

“Enough.” Her English had an accent that sounded French to him, but it was hard to tell with only one word. He looked at her and saw she had a Sig Sauer, currently pointed at his vitals.

His attacker coughed.

“Go help the others.”

Her order was enough to get the guy moving, off the ground and jogging to the building. Though, not without shooting Ice a dirty look.

“On your knees.”

“Nope.” Ice shook his head. “Not gonna happen.”

“American.” She didn’t seem surprised.

He was just glad the accent stayed intact, but then he’d been using it for so long that the subterfuge had become part of him. Sometimes even he believed he was from Florida.

Ice got to his feet, ignoring the dampening shirt over his shoulder or the sting under the fabric. “What’s that line from The Princess Bride? ‘You’re trying to take what I have rightfully stolen.’ Something like that.”

“You think I’m here to steal from you?”

“I’m sure you’ll take whatever you can find after you kill the three of us.”

She almost smiled. “There are five of you.”

He got the impression she wasn’t quite certain, though. “That you know of.”

That did get him a smile. “How intriguing.”

“International man of mystery. That’s me.”

She lifted the gun, cupping her free hand underneath to steady her grip, and pointed it at his head.

“You’re gonna shoot me, and leave me bleeding out on this grass?” Ice stared her down. “Maybe you could hear me out, and after I’m gone, you could send a message to my mom. Let her know that I’m sorry. ‘Kids being kids’ and all that. You know how it is. I just don’t wanna go without knowing that she’ll forgive me. You’ll do that, right? Pass on a message?”

Behind her the helicopter circled around, and a gunner on board opened fire on the far side of the building where Ash and Kai had entered. Wrecking their chance at exiting the same way they’d gone in.

She lifted her chin. “How do you know I won’t put a bullet in your mother, too?”

Ice shrugged. “You could try, but she’d shoot you first. She doesn’t like strangers on her property.”

The woman let out a laugh, a sharp sound that made him think of shards of broken glass, then walked around him until she was at his back. Don’t like that. He started to glance over his shoulder when she grabbed the top edge of his vest and curled her fingers in. Got a real good grip on him, scratching him with her nails in the process, then jerked him. The barrel of the gun pressed against the back of his neck.

“Walk.”

So the plan was to take him hostage? Probably so she could try to get his teammates to hand over the two programs they’d downloaded.

Ice grunted. “Gotta say, we didn’t expect the security system here was good enough you’d respond so fast, or so thoroughly. That’s one for the storybooks, right? We break in, and the response is you guys and your helicopter. I thought the two security guards were it. We would’ve been in and out by now.”

Except the chopper was doing serious damage to the building, hovering low enough the gunner in the open door had a good angle. Ice didn’t actually think whoever hired them sent her, but every theory had to be eliminated. He figured she worked for a rival company, but he was on a roll spitballing aloud. Wasting time.

“I don’t get why you’d destroy your own building, though,” Ice continued. “Or is this place expendable? Some defunct research lab you guys don’t use now, and it’s scheduled to be destroyed. Why not use it as a training ground for your security forces?”

“You talk too much.”

“Just trying to get a handle on this assignment. Turns out it’s not as advertised.”

“Unless you have my book, you should shut up.”

“I mean, for starters—” He frowned. “Your book? That’s what you’re after? Why didn’t you just say! My friends and I will help you⁠—”

She used her grip on the back of his vest to drag him backward so she could whisper in his ear. “Shut. Up. Or I put a bullet in your head, and you never talk again.”

Ice lifted his hands, splaying his fingers out and saying nothing.

“Your friends can give me the program. And then our business will be concluded.”

Ice wasn’t so sure about that.

SIX

Adam spotted a guy at the far end of the hall wearing black fatigues and a red bandana tied over the lower half of his face, carrying a high-powered rifle. He ducked back behind the T-bend in the hall too fast to clock anything more than gun.

“All we have weapon-wise is beanbags.” Adam gritted his teeth. “Marina, kill the lights in the whole facility.”

Dan whispered, “Hit him in the face. It’ll incapacitate him.”

The building rocked around them. Static crackled on the comms channel, and Marina came on. “They’re circling again, coming around to hit the building again. Ice is—I don’t know what Ice is doing.”

Ash and Kai swept out a door at the far end of this branch of the hall.

“Marina, the lights?” Adam lifted a hand and signaled that there was one guy to the left, down that branch of the hall. He’d have to look again to see whether the guy was coming or going, or just guarding the door at the end of the hall that was their way out.

Ash nodded once in response to his hand signal, indicating he understood, but still a frown crinkled the dark skin of his brow. “Ice went off comms.”

Kai had Hawaiian features, but there was nothing sun, sand, and relaxation about his demeanor right now. “What is he doing?”

These two were always the quickest to make a joke—when they weren’t under fire. Probably why Adam preferred to pair with Dan, along with the persistent need to keep a close eye on where Dan’s head was at.

All the lights flickered and went out, plunging the hall into darkness. Adam’s backpack shifted behind him as someone dug in there, and a pair of night vision goggles touched his shoulder. He grabbed them out of Dan’s hand, then felt his buddy pull out the other pair.

Adam checked the hall. “I don’t see him now.” The guy could have ducked into a side room or gone back upstairs. “Ice had better watch his back.” No one was out there to do it for him, so Ice had to be cautious and not get himself killed. “Otherwise, I’ll be annoyed.”

Ash flashed him a signal.

At the same time, they swung around opposite corners of the left branch of the hall, ready to fire. Guns up. Shoulder to shoulder almost. Ready to face off with a guy carrying a high-powered gun while all they had was freaking beanbag⁠—

Adam killed those thoughts and started down the hall, Dan behind him. He kept pace with Ash, who had Kai behind him.

The Hawaiian said, “Why do I get the feeling this whole thing was a setup?”

Adam gritted his teeth. The hall in front of him forced him to tunnel vision, killing his ability to see a threat coming from any other direction.

Door to his left.

He squared up on it and swung his gun in first. “Clear.”

They continued down the hall, and the building shook around them. Marina said, “The entrance Kai and Ash used is off the table as an exit.”

“We need to keep searching for the security guards.” Adam had left one in the hall near where he came in, but where was the other? “Once we get them out, we’ll be gone.”

Dan patted his shoulder. Adam let him pass and glanced back to the T-bend in the hallway behind them. Clear. Kai kept his attention on their rear as they proceeded down the hall.

“Stairs?” Dan asked.

“We need to go up one floor,” Adam replied. “It should spit us out close to the security office.” Problem was whether they would encounter serious resistance. They needed to get out without engaging guys who had live rounds. “Any indication whether this chopper team is part of the security exercise?”

Ash shook his head. “Ain’t no way. They’re tearing up the building, taking potshots.”

“Making it look real,” Marina said. “They’re probably trying to flush you guys out.”

Adam frowned. “Let’s get the guards to safety. Then we’ll figure out who these people are and what happened to Ice.”

Dan and Kai cleared the stairs, and they headed up. Even treading lightly, their footsteps echoed up the stairwell.

“They’re in the hall.” Dan kept his voice low.

“Push through,” Adam ordered.

It was a risk, but they couldn’t be stuck here pinned down in a stairwell. They had to make progress, and with the lights out, at least they had an advantage. So long as this other team didn’t have night vision.

Dan grabbed the door handle and hauled it open fast so that Ash had the element of surprise, going through the door first. He squeezed off a shot, and someone screamed. A thud. One down was one less combatant to worry about.

Kai ducked into the hall behind them, and Adam heard the sounds of a scuffle. A gun not loaded with beanbag rounds went off, the triple snap of a semiauto popping like fireworks in the hall. Flashing so that he had to shut his eyes against the light.

Adam swept through after them and squeezed off his own shot. He caught the guy wrestling with Kai in the back of the head, and they both went down. Swung his gun to the left and fired again at another guy in black fatigues, a dark-colored bandana on the lower half of his face. Braids wrapped around his head as he spun and fell to the floor. No time for him to fire.

Ash was across the hall in the security office. “Come on!”

Adam saw him drag the guard from a crouch behind the desk and haul him toward the door. “Let’s go,” he said in Spanish. “We’re getting out of here.”

A flicker of recognition passed in the guy’s expression. Sure, Adam spoke gringo Spanish he’d picked up here and there, not the Spanish more prevalent here in Argentina that sounded almost Italian. But panic was a universal language, as was, Let’s get the heck out of here.

Adam radioed, “On our way out,” and headed for the door at the end of the hall with the others behind him. “Give me a route.”

“You won’t like it,” Marina said.

“Pretend I might.” Far as he could see, there were limited options.

“There’s a woman between you and your exfil. She’s the only one not wearing a face covering. I ran her features through my facial recognition program.”

“So who is she?” Adam stopped at a door marked EXIT in glowing red letters, the only light in the hall. A door with that universal push bar across the middle. Close enough to being outside that he could almost smell the fresh air.

“No hits.”

Adam flinched. “Nothing? How is that possible?”

“The only way is that she isn’t in any database my program can worm its way into⁠—”

“Which is practically every database on earth,” Kai said.

Marina continued, “Neither is her image anywhere on any social media.”

“Because nothing is private,” Kai added.

Adam shot the guy a look. Kai lifted both hands like, Fine, I’ll give it up. “Marina, seriously? In this day and age?”

“Right, let me just run your face through the same program. Hmm, no hits. That’s surprising in this day and age. Probably because I scrubbed your face from every database I found, and that was after the military decided that you suddenly didn’t exist.”

Adam said, “Point taken.”

The last thing he wanted was to discuss anything that concerned how the military had ended his “life” or what would happen if he was caught by a particular subset of the US government. The small group that wanted him either dead, or as good as dead.

Adam rolled his shoulders, trying to rid himself of the feeling of being trapped.

Marina said, “She’s on the other side of that door, waiting for you to come out. And she’s holding Ice hostage.”

“Then I guess we give her what she wants. Get our boy back.”

“Is that a good idea?” Marina asked.

“Is ‘good’ even a qualifier I need to worry about for my ideas? Can I just worry about effectiveness?” Adam paused. “Or do you have another door I can use?”

Ash turned. “Kai and I will find one.”

“You don’t know what she wants,” Marina pointed out.

“So I’ll ask her.”

“And if this isn’t just part of the exercise we were hired for?”

“We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.” Adam took off his night vision goggles. “Count to three and give me lights again.”

“…two…one.”

Adam eased the door open. “We’re coming out!”

He yelled it in English but didn’t know what language these people spoke or who they were. The guy who owned the company they’d been hired by was Polish and only visited this facility once a year—according to what they’d been told. They’d done everything through an intermediary.

Adam emerged into a courtyard with the main building behind him and two long wings on either side, leaving a forecourt in the center lined on the left with a couple of cars and a van.

First thing he saw was Ice, his expression distinctly unhappy. Yeah, Adam wouldn’t be either if he was being used as a hostage.

The woman stood behind Ice, wearing skinny black jeans and a brown leather jacket. Long dark hair with thick heavy bangs that touched her eyebrows. A stud glinted in the side of her nose as she shoved Ice forward a step, toward Adam, a pistol pressed against the underside of Ice’s chin.

She stared at them as Adam kept a steady pace toward her, his gun angled down but ready—and she knew it. Sig versus beanbag rounds? Yeah, this was gonna be great.

He had one member of his team with him. A security guard under their protection. Above them, or behind him—where he couldn’t see without turning to look—the helicopter hovered. Angling its guns at them, probably. He didn’t relish the idea of being shot in the back, but dying alongside his teammates was the best way he could think of to go.

Sorry, Roxie. His sister had been a US Marine, and so had her husband. Now they were feds. They would understand.

Adam stopped a car’s length from her. “You’re in my way.”

Ice got himself into this, and the second Adam showed concern for his friend, this woman would know she held all the cards.

“Yes, I am.” She shifted her weight from one heeled boot to the other. “I’ll take the drives. Everything you downloaded from inside. Then I’ll be out of your way.”

“You have ID? ’Cause we’re not supposed to turn the program over to anyone but them.”

Adam glanced over his shoulder at the chopper, the rotor blades pulsing overhead. The craft was angled to the right, so the pilot and a guy in the doorway—slid open—pointing what was probably a 50-cal at them. He turned back to the woman. “So …who are you guys?”

A tendon in Ice’s jaw flexed, and his hand reached for his pocket.

The woman sneered. “I’m the person who is going to kill you and all your friends if you don’t give me what I want.”

Ice slid out a pen-shaped device and clicked it, pointing it up at the chopper. Adam caught a glimpse of green laser, and at the same time lifted his shotgun and fired at her face—the only clear shot.

The beanbag round hit Ice’s shoulder, and he fell back, along with the woman.

The sound of the helicopter rotors got louder. It swept toward them, and the 50-cal sprayed bullets that hammered the asphalt. Adam rammed into the two of them and slammed the woman’s head on the ground as more heavy rounds pounded around them.

“Go!” He didn’t have time to turn before Dan smacked into him, dragging him up and shoving him along. Getting him out of the line of fire.

Adam got Ice up, aware the guy was now bleeding from two places.

As a group they raced for the closest vehicle, and Adam ducked between them, getting low. But they weren’t going to be out of sight of the gunner on that chopper. The gunner would just spray bullets at the car. Eventually, he’d hit one of them.

Adam called over his shoulder, “The guard?”

Dan ducked down right as bullets slapped the roof of the car over their heads. “Square in the chest. He’s gone.”

Adam hurried around the front end of the vehicle. “We need a way to do more than just distract this chopper, or we’ll never get out of here.”

He kept to the shadows, trying to stay where the helicopter couldn’t get to them, then stopped with his back up against the van’s rear doors.

The aircraft circled away, probably trying to come in for a different angle.

Dan tried the rear door on the van, but it didn’t open. Adam eyed the fire escape against the building—not far but at the same time probably farther than he could go without getting shot.

Ice let out a frustrated cry. “Ouch.”

Adam looked over, and the guy lifted a pistol.

“What? She didn’t need it.”

Dan tsked. “Thou shalt not steal, bro.”

“Tell her the murder one if you get a chance. I don’t think she knows about that one.” Adam took the pistol. “Both of you stay here.”

A woman’s cry, more anger than pain, came from the middle of the forecourt.

“She’s up.” Ice shuddered.

Dan said, “I think you made her mad.”

Adam looked around the back left corner of the van and made a run for it along the side of the building. Glass shattered to his right and a guy in black clothing flew out of a window onto the asphalt.

Kai and Ash jumped out of the window after him, keeping to the wall on that side of the building.

The helicopter flew overhead, but Adam didn’t think the gunner could see Ash and Kai from that angle. The aircraft would have to come all the way around, and right now Adam was in the crosshairs.

Just the way he liked it.

Adam tore up the fire escape, his boots pounding on the metal stairs. At the top he ducked down, waiting for the right moment and taking a second to check the pistol.

When the chopper was close enough, he raced out onto the roof and raised the gun up in the air. He squeezed the trigger over and over, pushing out round after round at the underside of the helicopter, hoping—maybe even praying—that he’d hit the fuel tank.

The gunner swung the barrel around to aim at him.

Adam dove onto the roof and rolled, heard the helicopter engine whine over him, and wrapped his arms over his head.

Bullets hammered the roof around him.

Wind whipped at his clothes, and the scream of the rotors struggling filled the air. The chopper whined through the sky, plummeting fast, and hit the ground in a ball of fire. Followed by a boom that shook the whole building.

Adam rolled to his back and stared up at the stars. He’d died more than once before. Eventually, it would happen for the last time. “Not today, I guess.”

SEVEN

Undisclosed Location, Idaho

Noah hiked his backpack higher on his shoulders and stopped for a second. Four miles in, and he still had no idea how far it was to the house, but he was almost positive some kind of four-legged animal had been tracking him since he entered these woods. The thing was about fifty feet to his right. He couldn’t quite see it, hunkered down in the tall brush. But every time he moved, he would’ve sworn it moved with him.

The sun had set behind the horizon, darkening everything with the orange glow of twilight. In this part of the world, in the height of summer that put the time at close to ten. Hopefully, he’d make it to her house before it was midnight and he wound up stumbling through empty woods in the dark.

Noah glanced at the brush to his right. He didn’t want to run into a hungry animal.

He slid out the phone from his pocket. No signal.

The lane in front of him had to be an old fire road, and to her credit it was maintained. Brush had been cleared from the sides of the road, and the ground between the trees. A wildfire on one side would have a difficult, though not impossible, time jumping to the vegetation on the far side.

That left him walking on barren dirt pocked with gravel and rutted with potholes, wondering if the road would ever end. “Maybe that’s the point,” he muttered.

Great. Now he was talking to himself.

“You did this on purpose.” Maybe she could even hear him. “Anyone trying to reach your house goes crazy before they can even get there, right?”

No answer.

It was another mile at least before the terrain opened up and he realized the road was now a makeshift runway that stretched to the east. On the left side was a huge barn with the doors open, and a small red plane inside. The structure beside it was a small cabin that had to have been there for over a hundred years. Nothing about it looked new. Not the yellowed windows, or the porch with a missing beam.

“Your house is gonna fall down with the next stiff breeze.”

“No, it won’t.”

He spun to see her behind him and watched her crack a smile. Noah didn’t want to consider it the most beautiful thing he’d seen in thirty-four years. And certainly, if he did happen to think that, he wouldn’t say it.

What he needed to tell her and the rest of the team was the change in their situation that’d happened at his visit to the CIA. But for some reason, he couldn’t quite make himself say those words, either.

Noah cleared his throat. “You asked me to come?”

Marina had long blond hair that fell past her shoulders, and right now all of it had a pink tint. She wore black cargo pants and a gray T-shirt with a blue denim jacket over it. Sunglasses pushed up on her head. “They made it to the trucks.”

“Good.” Noah nodded. “Where did you come from?”

There were few people in the world who’d ever been able to sneak up on him, and fewer still who lived to tell anyone they’d managed it. The part of him that had made it through BUD/S, Navy SEAL training, bristled at the fact she could’ve attacked him from behind, but he trusted her enough to know she never would.

Marina smiled wider. “Come on.”

But she stepped to his left and faced back the way he’d come, then let out a series of short whistles.

Noah glanced over his shoulder and saw two Belgian Malinois dogs race out of the woods. One was the animal he’d spotted to his right. “There was a second dog on my left.”

“Platz!” The command was loud, sharp, and higher pitched than the tone she usually spoke with. Both dogs stopped so fast they almost tripped over themselves, lowering with their bellies to the ground. Tongues hanging out.

She raised a brow toward him. “You saw Roscoe?”

“I don’t know that I saw him. More like a sense there was something out there.”

“We’re gonna work on that.” To the dogs Marina said, “Let’s go.” She trudged over the long grass to the open doors of her barn, and the dogs raced past her into the structure.

He followed her in. “That your plane?”

She chuckled but didn’t turn back. “Yes, and I actually have a license.”

“I’ve always wanted to learn.” Noah scanned the terrain, because the alternative was watching her walk. He didn’t need her to look back and see him staring at her. Inside the barn smelled like oil, and something else he couldn’t place. “How do you connect to the wider world from here?”

She led him to a workbench covered with mechanical tools and pointed at a map of the surrounding area on the wall. One specific spot that looked like the top of a mountain. “Defunct military satellite relay station.”

“Sure, that explains it perfectly.” If only he had a simple explanation like that for the fact they were now the Division Zero team. With no pay.

“Probably better if you don’t know the ins and outs.” Marina smiled. “Plausible deniability and all that.”

He returned her smile, but she looked at him funny. “I’m guessing the military conveniently lost track of it?”

“What they don’t miss won’t hurt them.” She ducked through a doorway into a back room, and he followed, trying to forget about the CIA for now.

He found himself in a small office with some dusty papers on the desk and a stack of junk mail next to an aging computer that didn’t look like it had been turned on in a decade. This could be the nerve center for the defunct military satellite, or whatever it had been, but he didn’t think so. It was more like a misdirect for anyone snooping around.

The dogs had disappeared.

Marina touched the mouse on the aging computer, sliding her thumb down the left side. Behind her, a panel in the wall slid back to reveal a tunnel that didn’t belong in a barn. Over her head, fluorescent lights flickered to life. The air smelled clean but not in an artificial way. When the door slid closed behind them, it sealed in a way he knew this place was airtight.

Noah ducked his head and followed her. “Secret nuclear bunker?”

“Something like that.”

Marina wandered down a long hall that descended below ground level, and the air grew colder as Noah followed her. Far enough that his ears popped.

She twisted around. “Now you know where to go when the governments go head-to-head, civilization falls, and we all get caught in the crossfire.”

“I’d say that sounds cynical, but I may take you up on the offer.” They stepped through a doorway into a double-wide shipping container.

“It’s cold.”

“The dogs like it cooler.” She pulled a rolling office chair back and sat at a desk. The computer setup had four monitors, one of which was vertical.

He peered at the screen, which was a satellite image of a vehicle traveling down a barren road. “That’s the boys?”

“They’re almost to the airfield.”

“Good.” Noah looked around.

He spotted a small kitchenette that hopefully vented to the surface, though most of the countertop was behind a curtain that hung from the ceiling. At the far end was a bed with rumpled covers, and a closed door beyond it to the side that would lead into neighboring container, which had been bolted to this one. There was plenty down here that he couldn’t see. What he did leaned heavily toward bookshelves stacked with worn paperbacks and a recliner. He wondered how she’d managed to bring that down here.

“Surprise, I’m secretly a hermit.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Noah said. “I like the trailer in Key West. But this is…” He turned to find her watching him, a look on her face that seemed to be curiosity mixed with nerves. Marina was hard to read over the phone, or the comms channel, but in person it was only fractionally easier. Being expressive wasn’t one of her skills. But she more than made up for that with what she could do.

He had to remember that and not jeopardize it—all because he had a crush on her and he’d made a dumb bargain with the CIA.

“Do you Air BnB?” he joked. “I need a vacation, and this place…” He lifted his fingers, making an OK gesture. “Top-notch.”

He caught a smile on her face before she turned away.

Noah peeked into the second container and spotted the dogs. Side by side on cushy beds, one sat alert with his ears up, watching with an intensity that told him there would be trouble if Noah misstepped. The other lay on his back with his legs in the air, fully asleep up against the wall and already snoring.

He wandered back to Marina, sliding his backpack off his shoulders and changing his mind at the last minute, going to the recliner instead. “Can I check my email from here?”

She leaned back in her chair and nodded. “I can make coffee.”

“That sounds great.”

“Did you swing by and see your family on the way?”

Noah shook his head. “I’m going to try and do that before I go back East.”

“I could fly you. Tomorrow, if you want.” She slid back the curtain, revealing that kitchenette. Not more than a couple of cupboards and a countertop. She poured water from a gallon container into a kettle. Instant coffee. Two mugs. He spotted a small refrigerator under the counter. A compact-sized air fryer beside an Instant Pot on the counter.

“Do you have running water in the bathroom?”

Marina flipped down the button below the handle and glanced over her shoulder. “Composting toilet.”

He lifted his brows. “And if I want to take a shower?”

“There’s a river about half a mile northwest. There usually aren’t many bears, and the temperature of the water is best described as bracing.”

Noah stared at her while she made the coffee, trying to figure out if that was a joke or not.

“So do you want me to fly you to your brother’s ranch tomorrow?” A twinge of nerves had entered her tone.

“That would be great. Thanks, Marina.” He accepted the black coffee she handed him. “And thanks for letting me bunk here on the way to see Caleb, because fitting it all into one day would’ve been difficult.” She’d sounded serious enough he’d asked if she had a spot where he could lay out his bedroll and she’d agreed.

Marina turned back to her computer. “You’re the boss.”

And that’s where it got sticky. Because as she wandered to her chair at the desk, both of them were definitely aware his presence here wasn’t normal for either of them. He doubted he was here so she could show off her impressive security system—the one currently heavy breathing in the next container—or all the bells and whistles in this place. He doubted it was even to offer him an apocalypse escape plan.

Noah pulled out his laptop but didn’t open it. “There was something you wanted to tell me?”

Marina turned on her chair to face him, her hands pressed together between her knees. “I actually need your help.”

EIGHT

Rio Grande, Argentina

Adam sipped from the small china cup, and his brows rose. “This stuff is good.”

“Told you.” Ash nudged his elbow. “Plenty of places in the world with better coffee than Seattle.”

The two of them were at a tiny round table that barely fit their knees under it, in a dining area on the beach side of a lobby that spilled outside onto a patio. Overhead the sun beat down in a blue sky, and traffic buzzed past on the road. Beyond that was a strip of sand, the heavy waves of the South Atlantic, and a view of the Falkland Islands baking in the morning sun.

Adam peered over the top rim of his Aviators. “You look ridiculous in that shirt. We’re supposed to be professionals.”

“How dare you!” Ash ran a hand down the Hawaiian shirt he’d dug up from who-knew-where, laughing. “I’m a consummate professional in these khakis. You’re in shorts!”

“Dress shorts. Nice ones, with pockets. And a shirt without flowers all over it.” Adam sipped his coffee and stared at the water rather than the women walking by. Trying not to tap his foot waiting for the representative from Earthnet to show up. The receiver burning a hole in his pocket.

“Point taken. How was Ice this morning?” Ash bounced his knee up and down under the table.

Adam set the cup in its saucer. “Dan said it’s just bruises. He’ll be fine.”

“You know what book she was talking about?”

Adam shook his head, not wanting to talk about the intel gathered as a result of Ice’s actions. He’d rather wait until Ice’s injuries healed…and then wring the guy’s neck. Not that any of the rest of them would’ve done differently, but that wasn’t the point.

A silver Porche pulled sharply out of the flow of the traffic and stopped at the curb. The driver climbed out, unfolding his tall frame. Nice shorts—with pockets. White dress shirt. Silver watch and flat-bottomed white sneakers.

Tanned enough he’d been here a while, or he didn’t like sunscreen. Light blond hair and a beard along the line of his chin, across his upper lip, and in a vertical line down from his mouth—an extended goatee.

“Here he is.” Adam got up as the guy approached and held out his hand. “Good to see you, Mr. Johannsen.”

The guy slid off his sunglasses and took Adam’s hand, a half smirk on his face. “You as well. The mission was successful?” He shook with Ash.

Adam took the receiver out of his pocket and handed it over.

“Thanks.” Johannsen nodded, and they all took their seats.

“We got what we were tasked with retrieving. Two birds and all that.”

“That’s good.” Johannsen lifted his finger to a server and ordered something that Adam didn’t catch. “They’re definitely up to more than they’re advertising. This will help.” He slid the receiver into his pocket. “You got the downloads?”

Adam slid out the two storage devices. Bigger than flash drives, they were closer to the size of a phone. “If Earthnet wasn’t counting on us not noticing that the information belonged to a company called Starwise Holdings, you’d be wrong.”

Johannsen sat back in his chair, his expression placid. “That’s company business.”

“If you paid us to steal from your competitor, then we’ve got a serious problem.”

Johannsen smiled. “I’m happy to hear you say that, because it means I’m right about you. Even after all these years.”

So this was a test to see if Adam was still a good guy?

Depended on a person’s definition of good. He didn’t think that’s what Johannsen meant, but this wasn’t the kind of place where they could speak openly.

Adam eyed him. “Does Earthnet wanna have a problem with us?”

“Usually, they hire among people whose reputations precede them. Yours does not. In fact, no one I asked could even verify your existence.” Johannsen smirked a little. “They had to know who they were working with, and if that couldn’t be done through references, then it had to be a small job that told them what kind of team you are.”

“Shame you couldn’t be the one to vouch for us.” Ash sipped his coffee, an amused smile on his face.

“Now they know we’re the kind of team who completes the job despite a helicopter and a team showing up to steal these.” Adam tapped the storage drives.

Johannsen’s brows rose, and behind him a toddler started to cry. The mom shifted to bounce him on her knee, trying to interest him in a pastry.

“What’s on there that’s important enough someone else showed up to kill us and retrieve it?” Adam folded his arms across his chest. “That’s the only thing I wanna know right now.”

“Even being requested to carry no weapons, you still got the job done.” Johannsen sipped his water. “Impressive.”

Adam hadn’t agreed to carrying no weapons, but he wasn’t going to point that out right now. Just no live rounds. “We left the helicopter where it wrecked, and the other bodies are still at the facility. The team’s leader ran off when it became clear she wouldn’t get what she wanted.”

“Any idea who she was?”

“I can have my assistant send you an image we captured of her.”

“Obliged.” Johannsen inclined his head.

“So what was the point of all that? You really needed us to go in and retrieve your tech?”

“The assignment was a necessary part of our business. The trouble you ran into was not. I’ll have a team of my researchers identify the woman and her associates, and forensic experts will comb through the wreckage.”

“Appreciate it.”

Johannsen didn’t seem inclined to explain. Or he didn’t have the words to do so thoroughly without breaking the NDA he’d signed, or whatever. “The program you retrieved is one that learns. When your team downloaded it, the program saw what you were doing. Its access to the facility security system allowed it to learn from your actions. Your words. The decisions you made, and how you reacted to additional problems that arose.”

“Like a chopper full of mercenaries?”

“None of us anticipated that.” Johannsen almost seemed distressed. “I can assure you Earthnet did not contract another team. But I’m sure the program will be all the more robust with the data it was able to gather.”

“Good to know you didn’t send them.”

“With that, our initial business is concluded.” Johannsen touched his watch. “I’ve initiated payment, and I have another job for you.”

A server came over. She set a plate down in front of the Earthnet rep. Smelled like a meat and cheese sandwich.

“I’ll have one of those as well,” Adam told the server. He’d probably mangled the Spanish, but she was likely accustomed to tourists in this part of town.

Ash lifted his hand. “Me, too.”

“With pleasure.” She bowed slightly and retreated.

“So what’s the job?” Ash looked in his coffee mug but didn’t pick it up.

Adam clocked two guys doing a slow drive-by and watched them for a second. The woman with the toddler got up quickly and left in the other direction. “Now we’ve proven ourselves, I’m assuming there’s more for us to do.”

Johannsen wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Starwise Holdings is a subsidiary of Earthnet, though you’re unlikely to ascertain that from a simple forensic accounting. I’m still trying to grasp all the ways Earthnet is tangled with other companies they own, or ones they’ve acquired through less-than-reputable means.”

Adam’s stomach rumbled.

“Bottom line is, they need you for another job.”

Adam glanced at Ash, who lifted his brows.

“Starwise recently conducted a test of a new drone system they’ve been working on. There were some problems with the program, and one of the drones drifted off course. Considerably. We’ve managed to track it so far, but it’s shortly going to go down in territory known to be dangerous. What we need is a team who can go into a hostile area and retrieve it before our competitors do.”

“How long do we have until it crashes?”

“A matter of a few hours.” Johannsen dug a flash drive out of his shirt pocket and handed it over.

Adam turned the drive over in his fingers. “Where is the drone?”

“Southern Turkey, far too close to the Syrian border.”

Adam glanced at Ash, and they shared a look. The clock was absolutely ticking. “Any chance it’ll be noticed by someone and shot down?”

“There is tech that’s part of the drone’s system to ensure it isn’t spotted by any radar. It is unlikely to be noticed while it’s flying, but as soon as it hits the ground, we run the risk that someone will discover it. If it’s shot at, or destroyed, we still require the pieces to be retrieved. But we’d much rather have it returned in one piece.”

Adam nodded. “Understood.”

“Your payment will be twice what it was for the job you just did. Per day.”

He didn’t want to react to that, but mere mortals balked at that much money. “We’ll take a look at the specs and let you know our final decision within an hour.” He figured they’d likely be wheels-up by then, but they could call from the plane.

Johannsen lifted his sandwich and wrapped it in a napkin. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

The other sandwiches showed up just as Johannsen was pulling away from the curb, and Adam took a big bite. The hot and spicy mix of meats hit his tongue, and he lifted his brows. “This is good.”

“Eat fast,” Ash said. “If we need to do a full workup on a new mission and loop in everyone, it’s going to take most of that hour.”

“We should order these to go for everyone.”

Ash slid out his phone. “I’ll ask Google Translate how to say that.”

Adam shot him a look. “I can do it.”

Ignoring that, Ash motioned the server to them. He spoke fast, reading off his phone.

Adam didn’t catch much of it. After the server left, he said, “I could’ve done it.”

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Marina. He slid his thumb across the screen and stuck the phone between his shoulder and his cheek. “Hey.” He took another bite of his sandwich and saw the two guys drive by again.

“We got paid, I see.”

“And we got another job.”

“Noah and I will be working something else, so we’ll be out today.”

“Got it,” Adam said. “We’ll be on the plane. Probably headed for Turkey.”

“Copy that. I’ll set it up and file your flight plan.”

The server came back with a white paper bag.

Ash grabbed it, and they were on the move.

NINE

Breckenrow, Montana

Noah watched through the living room window at the lawn in front of the house where Marina chatted with Noah’s sister-in-law Tessa and Morgan, the local vet. The three women watched Marina’s two dogs race around with Jay’s dog Cass and two other dogs that were rescues from a local breeder that Morgan was rehabilitating back to being pets.

Jay tossed Morgan’s daughter, Ava, who he planned to adopt, into the air and caught her as she came back down.

“So weird to see him like that.”

Caleb chuckled, standing beside him at the window. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen? Force Recon all the way to hometown family guy?”

Noah shook his head. “Jay seems happy. I should be happy for him, not bothered that being on the team didn’t give him that.”

“He’s still on the team, and this is a different kind of happy. That was more like satisfaction.”

“Maybe.” Noah didn’t argue with him. “You’re usually not the one who is right, so I’ll give you this one.”

Caleb shoved his shoulder.

“Boys.” Pops shuffled by the archway that led into the living room, continuing out the front door. The screen door creaked, then snapped back on its hinges.

“How does he always know?” Noah glanced at his twin.

Caleb shrugged. “Makes me wonder if he knows more about Mom and Dad than he’s ever said.”

Noah rubbed a hand across his sternum.

Caleb shoved Noah’s shoulder again, till they were facing each other. “Spill.”

“And you wonder how Pop knows?” Noah wanted to roll his eyes. “I should be paranoid that everyone can see right through me, but it’s only you and Pops. Thank goodness.”

“Quit with the preamble and get to the point.”

Noah blew out a breath. When he inhaled again, the scent of coffee left on the burner too long tickled his nose, along with boots worn to do real work and a hint of the cows currently grazing the west pasture.

“You went to the CIA…”

Noah slumped into Pops’ recliner and put one boot on the coffee table. “You ever meet the Division Chief, Thomas Kraus?”

“I doubt it.” Caleb didn’t sit. Sunlight through the wide window lit him from behind, shadowed his face. The edge that all DEA agents had remained in him, even though Caleb had quit the job. These days he was as much of a family man as Jay was turning out to be, and a rancher who helped Pops keep things running—doing what Noah didn’t have the time to do.

Being here would feel far too much like being trapped. Something he’d never done well with—which was the whole problem with the CIA.

“I don’t think they work any other way,” Noah muttered. “Back room deals. Holding what you want over your head so they can get what they want.”

“What do they want?”

“The team is their new Division Zero.”

Caleb shifted. “That’s great.”

“In exchange for information about Mom and Dad, the team works for them.” Noah winced. “Budget cuts.”

Caleb sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “Does Adam know?”

“I need to tell them, but they’re working on their plan to retrieve the drone first.”

“Don’t put it off.”

Noah winced, nodding. “It’s a real good thing they got another job from Earthnet.”

“I wouldn’t have turned down the CIA’s offer, either. I want to know as badly as you do what happened to Mom and Dad.”

Noah glanced at his twin. “But…”

“They aren’t here,” Caleb finished. “Tessa is pregnant. Pops won’t be around forever. Life is moving on without them, and they’re missing it.”

“They’ve been gone so long it has to be because they can’t come back. Because staying away keeps us safe.”

“Or they’ve been gone so long they think they can’t. Like when you build it up bigger in your mind, and it seems more than it really is.”

“You’ve been thinking about this.” Noah would rather just get a file from the CIA and read the truth for himself than try to puzzle out a hundred theories about why their parents left and never came back.

“And you’ve been trying to solve it.” Caleb shrugged. “There’s not much I can do out checking fences and doing chores except think. If you believe the CIA will honor the deal and give us real intel about who Mom and Dad were, and where they are⁠—”

“And why they never came back.”

“—then convince the team.” Caleb wandered over and slumped onto the couch. “But you’ve got to figure out a way to get past it, or you’ll be stuck here forever. Watching them drive away from the ranch. Thinking they’ll be back in a few weeks. Then it’s August and we’re trying out for football. Then it’s homecoming and they’re still not back. Then it’s Christmas and⁠—”

“I get it.”

“Let it go.”

Noah’s phone started to vibrate in his pocket.

“Let it go,” Caleb repeated. Then he got up and walked out of the room.

Noah didn’t recognize the number. “Rour—” A click interrupted him. Noah tried again with the call actually connected this time. “Rourke.”

“This is Doctor Emanuela Peraya, and you’re on a secure line.”

“Understood,” Noah said. This was what working for the CIA was going to be?

“We have a situation here with one of our assets, and we may need the help of Division Zero to pull them out.” Peraya laid out the particulars.

“You haven’t heard from her since?”

“That’s correct. We have a possible location, but even that is flimsy intel at best.”

Noah gripped the phone tighter. “We’ll find her and bring her home.”

“Looking forward to it,” Peraya said. “I’ll email you everything we have.”

“Sounds good.”

The call ended, and Noah stood, dialing Adam’s number as he went back to the window. Tessa and Marina now sat on the porch steps, Morgan and her daughter were using the hose to fill a row of dog water bowls, and Caleb and Jay chatted. Pops was likely watching the whole scene from his rocker on the porch, though Noah couldn’t see him from this angle. The sight filled Noah’s soul, watering the cracks and making him feel more like himself than he had in months.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Noah set aside the thoughts of home and family, and said, “The CIA called, and they need their new Division Zero team to do a job.”

“Serious?”

“There’s more to the agreement I need to fill you in on, but it can sit until later.”

“We’re ninety minutes out of GZT,” Adam said. “I could argue I’ve got time, but I could use some sleep now that we’ve got a solid plan.”

“The CIA needs you to find and retrieve an asset.”

“Any idea where they are?”

“I should have an idea for you before you land.” Noah braced his hand on the frame of the window. “How is Ice?”

“We gave him something to knock him out, so he quit complaining his shoulder hurt.”

Noah smiled to himself.

Adam said, “I’ll keep an eye on him. But if we’ve got two rush jobs on, I might want you or Jay.”

Noah studied Jay. Did the guy want back in the field? He’d been here for a few months, and Noah knew he was planning to propose to Morgan pretty soon. Make this Montana thing permanent the way Caleb had.

Noah couldn’t imagine doing the same. He had to say, he preferred Marina’s bolt holes. Or he just preferred Marina. But he’d always been more nomadic.

First, his parents had moved them around or dumped them here to stay with Pops while they went…wherever they went. Then the navy moved him wherever they wanted, ordering him to one base or another and deploying him all over with his team. As a result, he didn’t really feel as if he fit anywhere geographically. Just that he fit with his twin—wherever Caleb was. With his family. With the team he’d put together.

Finally, Noah spoke. “Marina’s cousin is missing, and she asked me to help her find out what happened.”

“You help Marina. Tell Jay we need him.”

The definitive way Adam said that almost sounded like an order, even though Noah was his boss. That was just the reality of two guys like them working together. Noah said, “Will do.”

He heard Adam yawn.

“Catch you later.” Noah hung up and went outside, striding off the porch and over to the huddle of his twin, his buddy Jay who he’d worked with off and on for years, and the woman who had stopped Jay in his tracks—and her daughter, who had stolen everyone’s heart.

“You want in?” Noah asked Jay. “Adam needs extra personnel.”

“You’re helping Marina find her cousin?” Jay lifted his chin.

Noah nodded. Morgan and Ava shifted closer to the huddle, and Jay looked at the woman and her daughter. “If they need your help, you should go,” Morgan told him.

“Plenty of reasons to stick here.” Jay’s tone stayed even.

Morgan turned to Noah. “Order him to go.”

Noah shook his head. “It’s his decision.”

Jay glanced between Morgan and Ava. “I’m supposed to be here with the two of you. That’s my job now.”

Morgan’s eyes filled with tears. She closed the gap between them, laying her hand on Jay’s chest. “We’re part of your life. But this is who you are.”

He covered her hand with his.

“Go help your friends,” she whispered.

Noah ducked his head, not wanting to intrude on their moment.

Tessa wandered over, and Caleb put his arm around her. Marina moved to Noah’s side, and he glanced at her.

“Okay.” Jay’s voice sounded like gravel. “I’ll go back them up.”

“We can fly you to the closest airport,” Marina said.

“I’ll get my stuff.” Noah stepped away, needing the breath he could only take away from the huddle of home and family. But that put him on a path right to where Pops sat in his rocker. Noah clasped the old man on the back of his neck and leaned down. “Don’t go anywhere until I get back.”

It wasn’t a promise Pops could make, and they both knew it.

Still, the old man said, “I’ll be here.”

One way or another, Noah knew that would be true.

TEN

Gaziantep Airport, Turkey

“All right. Here’s the plan.” Adam trudged down the last few steps and dumped his duffel on the shiny concrete floor of the hangar, trying to ignore the close heat and the way the sun beat through the open doors. It was barely five in the morning.

The plane had taxied all the way into this rickety hangar so they could disembark away from prying eyes. Except it was even hotter in here and he didn’t have shorts on anymore.

Ice turned from a huddle with Ash and Kai toward Adam. “We had a plan, Nix. Then you went to sleep. Now we have a new plan?”

Kai dug in his duffel and pulled out a protein bar, which he held out to Ice. “Once you get your foot out of your mouth, put this in there instead.”

Adam folded his arms. “The CIA wants us to retrieve one of their assets. We’re splitting into two groups and tackling both problems.”

Across the hangar a guy wearing sandals, khaki shorts, and a light-blue polo sat in a plastic lawn chair with a white canvas hat pulled down over his face, ostensibly completely asleep. Newspaper on his lap.

Dan came down the airplane stairs, and Adam shifted out of the way. Dan didn’t even look up from his tablet. “The drone is on the ground and the signal was lost, but we have its last known location.” He looked up at Kai and Ash. “Or…you guys do.”

“Because you’re calling dibs on going with Nix?” Kai didn’t have another protein bar, so he sucker punched Dan in the arm.

Dan didn’t even flinch, but his arm was probably numb now. “I’ll give you the tablet. When you’re close enough, the Earthnet program will connect with the drone and you’ll be able to find it.”

Adam motioned to Ice and Dan. “You’re coming with me.” Then glanced at Ash. “Jay is coming in to meet you. He’ll catch up when he’s on the ground.”

“He gets to parachute into Syria! No fair!”

Ash whirled around to face Kai. “Bro, did you forget to take your meds this morning or what?”

Kai whirled around to punch Ash, who blocked him.

“Cool it.” Adam shook his head. “You should’ve slept more on the plane, Kai.”

“Couldn’t fall asleep.” Kai looked perturbed. “Was thinkin’ about somethin’.”

Ice muttered, “Thinking about a girl.”

Adam sighed. “Maybe take out some of your restless energy on any insurgents you come across, yeah?”

Kai perked up. “Whatever means necessary?”

Adam pointed at Ash. “His call. We aren’t the threat here. In and out. That’s why you’re wearing disguises. We blend in. We try to go unnoticed.”

Stealth wasn’t exactly Kai’s strong suit, but he figured the former marine could pull it off well enough while he was charging into battle at full speed.

Kai’s chest expanded. “I identify⁠—”

Ash slapped him upside the back of the head. “We all know. You identify as a threat.” He grabbed his duffel from the floor and flung it over his shoulder. “Can we go?”

Adam grabbed his duffel. “Anyone else still exhausted?”

Dan glanced at him and almost smiled. “You should’ve slept more, Nix.”

Adam shook his head. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Bye, Phoenix!” Kai swung around with a rifle case in one hand, nearly taking out Ash’s knees. “See you soon, Phoenix!”

Adam just shook his head, then yelled, “Henry!” across the hangar. The guy with the white hat over his face stood abruptly, and the newspaper fell to the floor.

“What?” Henry turned one way, then the other, noting them all and the plane behind them. “Good. Right on time.” To Ash and Kai, he said, “This way,” and led them through a door near where he’d been waiting for them to arrive.

Ice snorted. “Ouch.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Sure you’re up for this?” Adam was fully aware that Ice was nowhere near a hundred percent—but the guy was more of a liability left behind than he’d be while glued to Adam’s side the whole mission.

“Good to go, Boss.” Ice strode after Kai and Ash.

“Ever get the feeling your day is going to turn into a disaster?” Adam glanced at Dan, and the smile dropped away. “Sorry.”

Dan gave a quick shake of his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

Adam winced, watching Dan walk after the others. He flicked two fingers to the pilot in the door of the plane and grabbed the weapons crate and the tech crate, lugging both out the side door of the hangar. Down a hall to the exit where he had to blink against the sun as he emerged outside.

Ice took the tech crate to a rust-colored Toyota pickup truck. “Guess I’m riding in the back.” He hauled the crate in and climbed into the bed, sitting down with his back to it while Dan got in the driver’s side.

Ash slid into the driver’s seat of the other vehicle, an aging Mercedes. Kai looked at Adam over the roof and gave him a chin lift. Good to see he was in operational mode now, and whatever that had been inside the hangar had blown over.

“You have what you need from Dan?” Adam called over to him.

Kai nodded. “Got it.” He lowered into the car and shut the door. A second later, Ash peeled out of the parking spot, burning rubber in a hurry to illegally cross into Syria, retrieve a drone that belonged to a private tech company, and get back out with Jay in tow, watching their backs.

“Phoenix.” The man who’d been asleep on the plastic chair stuck his hand out now, his expression concealed behind sunglasses. Gray stubble on his chin. “Good to see you.”

“Been a while, Henry.” Adam shook his hand. “Appreciate your help. And the use of two vehicles.”

Henry lifted both hands. “I don’t want them back.”

“Understood.”

“We’re square?”

“Sure,” Adam said. They shook again. “Take care of the plane.”

Adam headed for the truck and got in. Dan pulled out slower than Ash had, going in the same direction, passing the guard shack. Where Ice flipped a tarp over his head, and turning the opposite way Ash had gone.

Adam watched them in the side mirror until he couldn’t see the Mercedes anymore.

The window behind their heads slid open, making his hair flicker against his forehead. Adam grabbed a ball cap from his duffel and slid it on.

“That thing didn’t fall apart yet?” Ice practically stuck his head through the window.

Adam tugged on the bill of the dark-green cap. “This thing is family.”

Ice yawned. “Fill us in on this asset we’re going after. Who is it?”

“You think the CIA gave me her name?” Adam shot him a look.

“At least they told you it’s a woman.” Dan gripped the wheel with both hands, driving like he was transporting his grandmother’s soufflé to the church potluck. “Did they provide a way to confirm her identity?”

“She has a pass phrase.” Adam used his own tablet to access the files the CIA had sent, which weren’t much. He navigated to the image and tapped it.

“There’s a quicker way to do that.”

Adam ignored Ice and turned the tablet so they could see the woman’s personnel photo.

“Doesn’t look like she belongs in the field.” Ice’s expression shifted.

“Don’t say it,” Adam warned, cutting him off before he could talk. “Whatever you’re thinking, just keep it to yourself.”

“Fine.” Ice huffed. “What else do we know?”

Dan glanced over. “It’s gonna be a long drive. I doubt what we know will fill five minutes.”

“True enough,” Adam said. “Her name is Stephanie-Jo. She was on an op in another country, though they didn’t say which. They also didn’t say why they believe she’s in this town.” He showed them the spot, a two-hour drive northwest of here. “Or who took her. Or why. But we’re closer than anyone else the CIA has available.”

Dan shook his head. “I won’t ask how they knew that.”

Ice said, “So what you do know fits on a penny, and that’s all of it?”

“She’s an asset whose life is in danger. She’s believed to be a captive and has been for hours, maybe days. And they believe she’s here.”

“We’ve done more on less.” Dan didn’t seem super put out. His lack of excitement or joy translated to him also having a distinct lack of frustration. The guy never got worked up about anything in any way.

Problem was, that bothered Adam. He’d never been the guy to sit around and do nothing if there was someone on his team who wasn’t all right or had a beef with someone else. Too bad wading in got him involved in the mess of trouble.

TL;DR.

Here he was.

Sure, the story was long and pretty interesting. But none of it was relevant to his life right now. He wasn’t even the same guy he’d been back then. High school football captain. Track star. These days he didn’t even recognize the kid who’d joined the army right after graduation, the one who wanted to change the world and do it carrying a gun. The team leader he was now had the scars of that life, but he also had a new name.

“What did Noah tell you when he called?”

Adam pushed away his morose thoughts and realized he’d been drifting for a while according to the dash clock. Long enough to nap a little and find himself out of the city, in a more rural area where a single-lane road stretched out ahead of them. Farmland on either side, with rundown residences overseeing them.

He shifted in the seat, trying to work out the kinks of not enough sleep. “Marina’s cousin is missing. They’re going to see if they can find out what happened to her.”

“Caleb and Tessa’s baby is good?” Dan cleared his throat. “Everything is all right?”

“Yeah, bro. Everything is fine with that.” Over his shoulder, Adam spotted Ice hunkered down in the back. Probably in the tech crate or getting some more sleep. Adam continued, “Noah told me we’re the new Division Zero team for the CIA.”

“He got them to approve it?” Dan sounded impressed. “Whatever he said to convince them, I’d love to know.”

“Guess we’re doing good this week. Proving to Earthnet that we’re pros. Working for the CIA.”

“Don’t say it.” Dan rolled his shoulders. “Don’t get cocky.”

“Things are in a good place because we’re the real deal.”

“Mmm.”

Adam said, “Anyway, he didn’t have time to tell me much else. Other than about this assignment.”

“I suppose rescuing an asset of theirs goes a long way to showing them how capable we are.”

“Exactly.” So don’t screw it up. Adam looked at the tablet. “We’re almost there.”

“You were snoring like an old dog, so I left you to it.” Dan slowed the truck and took a right turn at a T-junction. Someone had taken the turn too fast and slammed into a low brick wall, which hadn’t been fixed. “We’re coming around from the back, and we’ll have to cross a field. Want to wait until it’s dark?”

Ice stuck his head in the window and nearly took ten years off Adam’s life. Of course, he pretended he hadn’t been startled. Ice said, “I vote we knock on the front door.”

Adam frowned. “You guys smell that?” He grabbed the handle and wound the window down, which squeaked as it descended into the door. “Smoke in the air.”

“Someone burning their weeds?” Dan slowed with the front end of the truck sticking out from behind a hedge that hadn’t been trimmed in a decade. “That house is toast.”

“Burned toast.” Adam peered down the hill to the structure at the bottom, about half a mile away and scratched his chin—the stubble situation was worse than he’d thought. He’d have a full-blown beard in twelve hours.

“That’s where she was?” Dan put the truck in Park.

“According to the CIA.” Adam shoved the tablet back into his duffel, exchanging it for a vest, and zipped the bag. He lowered the vest over his head. “We should check it out. If she died in there, they’ll want confirmation she’s gone.”

Dan pocketed the keys. “Ice, stay here so the stuff doesn’t get stolen. We’ll be back.”

Adam pushed his door open and holstered a pistol at the back of his belt, flipping his T-shirt over it. Dan met him at the front of the truck, and they headed over a split-rail fence that had seen better days. Between sporadic Anatolian black pine trees, they kept to cover and watched the house as they headed that way.

“It’s been burning a while.”

Dan said, “Maybe all night. But no emergency services?”

Adam shrugged, mostly to roll his shoulders and get his muscles to relax. “Who knows why no one came to put it out. Maybe they don’t like whoever lives here.”

He didn’t like jogging down the hill with no weapon in his hands toward two burned-out upstairs windows trailing soot up the exterior walls and a black space where the back door used to be. Something about it just didn’t sit right, but this wasn’t a warzone—it was someone’s neighborhood, regardless of what this house had been used for.

“Barn to the left. That looks intact,” Dan said. “The house is giving off some serious heat. The fire hasn’t been out long. It’s probably still smoldering inside.”

“Let’s go all the way around. Then we can check out that barn.”

The front of the house didn’t look better than the back, except it explained the fire. As he rounded the front corner, Adam whistled. “The whole second floor is gone.” A burned corpse that used to be a person hung out one of the downstairs windows.

“Explosion. Not a fire.” Dan scanned the burned-out hole that used to be the roof and half of upstairs, his gaze avoiding the dead guy. “Gas leak?”

“Someone used whatever it was to destroy the house.”

“Hopefully our asset,” Dan said. “Guess we’ll have to catch up long enough to explain we’re the cavalry—and that’s a good thing.” He headed for the barn, using two hands to pull the door open.

A car turned off the road to their right, with the two of them in plain view.

“I’ll go see what they know.” Dan let go of the door.

“Watch your back.” Adam pulled his pistol and stepped into the barn through the opening. Giving himself a second so his eyes could adjust, he spotted a rusty old tractor that was just an engine and two wheels with a leather seat on top that had probably been in this barn for seventy years.

His feet kicked up straw and dust, which danced in the beam of light. Something skittered along the wall to his left, but that tiny creature had four legs.

She was also here. He couldn’t hear her breathing outside of his imagination, but the sense he wasn’t alone resounded in him like church bells.

Adam lowered the gun slowly and pushed out a long breath.

Two more steps, and she was on him—one arm around his throat to hold him steady, the other pointing a knife at the skin under his chin. No wonder Ice was so moody today. He’d been used as leverage by that woman, the one at the facility. Just like this.

“Steph?”

She clasped him tighter, and his throat closed.

Adam sucked in a breath, feeling the sting of a knife against his throat. It was the scent of her that told him she was the asset they’d come here looking for. “I’m a traveler from the north seeking that which was lost.”

He heard the gasp of breath rush past his ears.

“It’s hokey, but I like your style.”

ELEVEN

Steph slid her arms from around his neck and stepped back, relief shuddering through her.

“Aren’t you supposed to say something back? Finish the pass phrase.”

“If you’re here, you know who I am.” She lowered the knife, her fingers like concrete around the hilt. She couldn’t have given it up if she wanted to. But five minutes ago, the prospect of the blade being pried from her cold dead hands was just fine. Now? She might actually have a shot at getting out of here.

He turned to face her, but she didn’t look at him. Instead, she walked to the wall by the door and peered out between the slats. “That a friend of yours?”

The guy was dressed not too dissimilarly to this one with his bulletproof vest and his boots, but the one outside had a shaved head and a wider frame. He faced off with the two men who’d shown up in a white van. Men who would’ve killed her as soon as they discovered her.

“He’s about to get himself shot.”

Her operator swung the door open and strode out, leaving her in the barn.

“Yeah, makes perfect sense. Invite yourself to that party.” Her hands started to shake. She heard the knife clatter to the floor, and she lifted her palms to look at them. Blood on her fingers. The world swam around her.

They were talking, but she couldn’t hear what they said without going out there. Couldn’t look through the gap in the slats of the wall without…

Not again.

She bent forward and tried to draw in long breaths to stave off the frantic sensation of panic she couldn’t control. Tears filled her eyes. She squeezed them shut and tried to force the feeling away, but that never worked. She had to ride the wave, and it had come again now that there was a prospect of getting out of here.

The first had been the sheer relief of being out of the house, the scent of charred flesh in her nostrils. Now someone was here to rescue her—if they didn’t get themselves killed in the trying. Almost there. Safety was so close she could practically taste it. But knowing that and believing it were two different things. She still had miles to go before she reached real safety. Now wasn’t the time for relief that brought a panic attack in its wake.

Outside someone thudded on the ground.

A gunshot.

Boots pounded the dirt and gravel toward her. She tucked herself against the wall, trying to push the mental images out. Now she could add these two heroes to the mix, and their gruesome deaths. Because of her. This is why I work alone.

It was also why she had found herself in over her head, with no way out except one.

She touched the necklace hanging around her neck. The one she’d refused to give up. I’m never alone.

“Time to—” He quit talking and grabbed her arms. “You good to go?”

Steph lifted her gaze but couldn’t see his eyes in the shadows of the barn. “I’m good.”

No one would believe that, but he snagged her hand and they raced to the back of the barn. The other guy slammed the door shut and barred it from the inside.

Her hero dragged her, far too fast, to the other end of the room. She couldn’t keep up without stumbling and had to brush hair out of her face so she could see. Pain lanced through her temple, and other places she didn’t want to think about.

He let go of her hand to push boards out, and she heard wood splinter. Light spilled in from outside. He looked down. “You don’t have shoes.”

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

He tugged on her hand. “You first.”

So they could shoot her as soon as she crawled out? That would be a better fate than what had been planned before she interrupted their best-laid plan for a fantastic explosion. Nailed it. Nearly took out the whole house, but the message had been communicated loud and clear.

Thanks, but no thanks.

I’m out.

Steph scrambled on all fours for a couple of feet, then tried to get up. Her rescuer grabbed her arm and hauled her upright. “Up the hill.”

She didn’t mean to groan aloud.

He said, “Dan?”

The other guy got under her arm, and the two of them hauled her up between them. Sure, it hurt her shoulders and the bumping wasn’t great, but her feet were off the ground and they were making far faster progress than she’d have managed.

A gunshot cracked behind them, but Steph was the only one who flinched. “I lost my knife.”

“You don’t need it.” Not-Dan angled to the right, and they were between trees. He slowed a little and dislodged her arm from his shoulders with a shrug. “Get her to the truck.”

Dan scooped her up in his arms.

“This is ridiculous.”

He raced up the hill. “I’ll get you a mirror. It won’t seem so.”

“Good to know I look awful.” She tried to look over his shoulder, but it was impossible.

He didn’t sound winded, and he never broke a sweat. Behind them, gunshots sounded like a conversation. A question, followed by an answer.

“Does he need backup?”

Dan only snorted.

“We all need help sometimes. That’s what you’re supposed to say!” She slapped his shoulder.

“The guys are gonna like you.”

Steph frowned. He slowed, stepping over a fence that he sat her on for a second before he lifted her down.

“Good to walk the rest of the way?”

“Yes.” She set off, ignoring the slices of pain in the soles of her feet. Or the tears that still threatened to slide down her cheeks. “My therapist is going to have a field day with this one.”

Dan didn’t seem to think that was funny.

Another guy jumped out of a truck and gave her a bow, then waved to the truck. “Ma’am, your chariot awaits.”

Dan said, “Nix will drive. I’ll ride in the back with you.”

The guy who bowed held out his hand for her to take. She clasped it, and he said, “I’m Ice. Nice to meet you. That’s⁠—”

“Dan. I got that one.” She glanced over her shoulder. “And Nix? You all have three letter names?”

Ice shifted her hand so that it was around the inside of his elbow and led her to the passenger door. “The drive is long enough we can tell you the story.”

Steph pulled in a long breath that broke a couple of times. But she breathed free air and managed to exhale it back out. “I’d like that.”

She eased onto the seat, trying not to wince.

“Hospital?”

She eyed the injuries he had. “I’ll go if you do.”

His lips curled into a smile.

Nix yelled, “Ice!” as he hopped the fence.

“Just introducing myself.” Ice stepped back.

Nix jogged over. “Get in the back.” He slammed her door shut, and the two other men climbed in the back while he raced around the front end of the truck to get in the driver’s side.

Steph watched the fence until they pulled away.

No one followed.

She glanced at him then. “You took care of them?”

“Seems like you did that when you blew up the house.” He gripped the wheel, fingerless gloves on his hands. His tattoo flexed with the tension in his biceps. “But why stick around hiding? You’d have to figure more would show up to find out what happened.”

Steph smoothed her fingers to the knees of the too-big men’s jeans she had stolen. “I didn’t have time to formulate a route out before you came in.”

“You weren’t waiting for us?”

“I’d have been long gone if I had the chance.” If the panic attack hadn’t sent her to the barn to hide and kept her there a prisoner of her own nervous system. “So thanks for making it simple.”

She stared out the windshield but saw nothing.

Trees blurred past. Houses. People. His phone rang, and she closed her eyes, listening to the tone of his voice until she couldn’t make out the words.

Sometime later, she awoke.

The truck was parked on a switchback, tucked against the side of a cliff so close she couldn’t have opened her door. Night had descended, and a canopy of stars were visible overhead out the dirty windshield.

She twisted in the seat and saw them gathered at the back of the truck.

Her three—no, there were four now—rescuers. Looking at a tablet on the bed of the truck, all of them peering at the same thing. Too far away for her to see the screen.

Nix looked up and saw her watching him. He broke away from the others and came around to open the driver’s door. “Sorry, we had to take a detour.” He held out a bottle of water with the cap already off.

She took a few greedy sips. “What’s going on?”

“There’s been a change of plans. It’ll be a little longer before we get you on a plane back to safety.”

She lowered the bottle and glanced around. “Please tell me we’re not in Syria.”

“I’m not the guy who lies to you to spare your feelings.”

Great. “What happened?”

“Some friends of ours are in trouble.”

“And you weren’t there. You were rescuing me.”

A short nod was all he gave her to indicate she was right. He glanced aside. “Med kit!” Then back at her. “Show me the soles of your feet.”

Steph bent her knees and laid her legs along the bench seat.

He hissed out a breath. “I’ll give you something for the pain.”

“I don’t need meds. I just need a phone.”

He shook his head. “No can do right now. First priority is the mission.”

TWELVE

Undisclosed Location, Northern Syria

Two trucks with guys spilling out of the windows and crammed in the back—all of them carrying weapons—raced down the main drag of what probably used to be a town. Dust kicked up in clouds under the wide night sky, obscuring their passage. But the squeal of brakes was followed by shouts. Slamming doors and orders given in a language Ash didn’t speak.

“More of them?” Kai sat with his back to the wall, jiggling his left foot from side to side relentlessly. For hours.

Ash lowered down under the window and ignored Kai’s boot, shifting so his buddy didn’t kick him. “Yes, more reinforcements just arrived.”

Ash glanced around again at the crumbling structure they’d taken refuge in when the situation turned deadly. After yet another patrol passed by them, searching for where they’d gone, they had spotted a gunner on the roof of a building down the street. That’s when they realized Jay couldn’t land anywhere near here without getting shot out of the sky. Thankfully, they’d been able to make contact with the plane and told him to redirect to meet up with Adam and the others instead.

But then they’d been discovered, and had to navigate a mad dash to hide and not get shot.

Ash had seen enough out the window. “The first crew has been holding the perimeter since they spotted us.”

“I don’t like being pinned down,” Kai muttered.

“Does anyone?” Ash fired back, annoyed that Kai was annoyed, but also wondering what had the guy in this mood. “Shame we can’t call for air support, take them all out in a blaze of glory while we make a run for it.”

“Yeah. Shame.”

Ash rolled his eyes. “Adam said stealth, remember?”

“He said ‘any means necessary’ as well.” Kai shot him a glance. “I can’t believe he found the asset before we retrieved the drone.” The left foot quit jiggling, and the right one started up.

Ash said, “It’s not a competition.”

Kai made a pfft sound. “Says you.”

Ash looked at the tablet they’d been given by Earthnet, but he hadn’t moved in a while and neither had the drone, so it wasn’t connected—surprise. “Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you? You’ve been like this since you woke up.”

“One of my cousins sent me a photo.” Kai huffed. “Ailani with some guy from Oahu who runs a surf shop.”

Ah, it was woman trouble. “Maybe they’re friends?”

“You don’t do that with a friend.”

Ash winced. “Sorry, bro. She should be better than that, and it sucks that she isn’t.” Half his awareness listened to the men on the street. “We need to move now that night has fallen. We need to keep going if we’re gonna find the drone before Adam gets here.”

Kai nodded. “I’m ready to fight my way out of this. The situation isn’t going to get better with us sitting here.” He glanced over. “Just a girl like all the rest, right?”

“You’re mad, and cynical doesn’t suit you. But you don’t seem surprised.” Ash lifted up and looked out the window.

The men were concentrated across the street, which was where he and Kai had gone first before circling around—which had taken hours, carefully picking their way through streets and alleys.

He spotted a young guy and two women—one was older—shoved out into the street.

A gunman brought the butt of his rifle down on the young man’s temple and he crumpled to the ground. The older woman cried, while the young one clung to her.

Ash counted the men who’d arrived in those trucks and divided it by two.

No way he and Kai would be able to help, aside from filing a report when they left and hoping someone, somewhere, would send a unit to this area. As if doing that would save innocent people, or make the world better.

“You’re right, Ash. I’m not surprised. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have every right to be pissed. Ailani said she’d wait for me. Plenty of guys have someone at home waiting for them, but mine is getting hot and heavy with some surf shack bro in the front seat of his Jeep? Not cool.”

Smoke drifted through the window on a stagnant breeze.

“No, it isn’t.” Ash scrambled around and peered through the window. “They’re burning houses. They’re gonna try and smoke us out.”

“Makes sense.” Kai sighed. “That’s what I’d do.”

“And if you were them, what would you do to us in return?”

“Is this a quiz? Are you testing me?”

Ash shoved the side of his head, hoping to jog the guy out of his funk. “Get up. We’re moving.”

If it were him, he’d have half the men here searching for what Ash and Kai had come to retrieve, and the other half smoking them out.

Either way, they were very outnumbered. Even setting up a nest on a roof and taking them out one by one wouldn’t solve the problem—and it wouldn’t save these people from the lives they’d been born into.

He lowered the strap of the bag over his head so it rested across his back and checked his weapon. “Let’s go.”

Kai was up doing the same. He nodded once, and Ash went to the door. The far end of the hallway was open to the sky, but a rear room was still enclosed. No windows. No way to check what was beyond the door.

Kai tapped his shoulder.

Ash grabbed the door handle and opened it fast. Kai didn’t fire. After barely a second, he hooked out through the door with Ash behind him. Down the alley. Check the gap between buildings. Continue on. Sweeping all directions, listening for the sound of someone nearby.

Trying not to get distracted with the idea that these men had to have seen the drone go down. Rather than finding it themselves, they were tracking Ash and Kai. No doubt hoping that the two Americans would lead them to the bounty. Probably thought they were active duty military guys, like a SEAL team. Instead, they were going up against two Marine Corps grunts who washed out of their military careers and chose this life instead.

Kai’s chest hitched, and Ash caught him fighting the urge to cough. Smoke filled the air now, drifting between structures. Ash could almost feel the heat of the flames, even though they were on the other side of the street. Definitely trying to burn us out.

A door creaked up ahead. Beyond it, maybe half a mile away, he heard someone scream and the mad scramble of a group of people making a run for it.

Kai slowed to take cover behind a crate. Ash saw them emerge, a woman and two children. They spotted him, pulling up short. One of the kids let out a squeak. All of them carried what looked like pillowcases, bundled with stuff they deemed essential.

Ash checked the next alley between the structures and waited while two guys passed at the far end. He turned back and waved them out, then they moved on—Ash in the lead, Kai bringing up the rear, and the woman and children sandwiched in between.

The woman said something, and Kai responded in the same language, then said to Ash, “She has a car up ahead. Couple of rows down. She said we can’t have it.”

Ash froze, and one of the kids bumped the back of his legs. The woman whispered harsh words.

He lifted his fingers to the side, where Kai would see, and told him two men were coming down the next alley.

Ash prayed the shouts and blazing fires would cover the pop of suppressed gunfire and stepped into the alley, squeezing the trigger and watching the two men hit the ground.

Behind him, Kai said, “No, don⁠—”

Ash spun back to see the woman and kids make a run for it. He glanced at the alley once more, then he and Kai were following her. Making sure she made it to her vehicle—though it probably looked like they were chasing her.

One of the kids took a tumble. Ash got there fast enough to scoop her off the ground. The woman kept running, dragging the little boy with her.

Kai fired behind them, shooting at someone.

The woman ducked between two doors leaning against a structure. When the kid squirmed to go after her, Ash set her down. She scurried in, and Ash followed them, discovering an ancient gray compact car covered with a tarp. The woman climbed into the driver’s seat. Okay, then. He figured they could give her a fighting chance to get her children out of here.

Ash ducked back out into the night, the bright glow of structures on fire lighting the night. Spreading fast.

Inside the garage, the car engine coughed and turned over.

Kai ran to him. “They’re right behind me.”

“Upstairs.” Ash raced at a ladder on the side of a nearby house and scrambled to the roof, then rolled to lie on his back while Kai came up behind him. “We need a vantage point if we’re going to cover their exit.”

“You should’ve given them candy bars and convinced them to take us with them.”

Ash just shook his head and heard a crash. “She drove through the door.”

The car engine coughed again, then caught and sped down a narrow lane between structures. Ash was pretty sure he heard an animal cry as she careened away from here with everything in the world that mattered to her. But the obstructions in the lane slowed her, and the brake lights swerved before she hit something else that sounded like a metal trash can.

Then someone yelled.

“They’re coming after us,” Kai said.

“And she might have trouble ahead of her.”

Ash looked where Kai indicated and got the two men in his sights, aiming down over the lip of the roof. No way would these bad guys catch up to the woman. She was in a car and they were on foot, but if she ran into a big-enough obstruction, they might reach her. He didn’t want to know what they’d do to appease their anger that she’d had the audacity to try to escape.

Kai fired two shots, taking both men down.

Ash spun his aim and saw a pickup truck race from the blazing structures to the lane where the woman was fleeing. He fired at the driver through the windshield. The truck swerved and hit the corner of the makeshift garage where the car had been, breaking through the side in a way that caused it to topple over against this one.

The whole building shook and started to list to the side. “Time to get off this ride.”

Ash clambered to his feet, and a bullet sang past his ear. He ducked down on one knee—no cover to be found—and twisted to fire back.

The guy who’d shot at him fell off the side of another roof and hit the ground with a thud.

“Jump.” Kai ran to the edge of the building and leaped across to the neighboring roof.

Ash heard another shot whiz past him, ducked his head, and followed. Kai fired at the insurgent, whoever he was, then kept firing. Ash skidded onto the roof behind him. Kai spun, running with him to the next roof. They jumped simultaneously.

Ash landed, rolled awkwardly, and came up. “Ladder.”

“Go.” Kai held aim on the alley below, covering Ash while he scrambled down.

Ash returned the favor, and Kai landed beside him. “Up for a run?”

“Yup.”

They raced away to the south, turning a corner every few rows and heading south again on a new path parallel to the first. Zigzagging their way to the far edge of the “town” such as it was. This was where the drone had landed—but where was it?

They couldn’t check every building.

Nor could they go up against every bad guy in the vicinity.

Ash ran to a quiet pocket that seemed like someone’s back patio. The house looked dark and empty, but who knew if there was anyone hiding back here. He leaned against the wall, breathing hard, while Kai kicked a patio chair that wasn’t more than a frame and a few strips of plastic that remained.

“Keep watch.” Ash dug out the phone-sized device and refreshed it, hoping for a connection this time. “You think Earthnet can track us with this thing?”

Kai shrugged. “Long as these guys can’t, who cares?”

But the whole server farm job had been about the program learning from them. What if this was just another task given purely so it could see what they’d do? Playing with their lives like this was a game.

The phone chimed.

Connection established.

Ash’s brows rose. “I’ve got it.” He turned around, watching the screen rotate. Positioning him on a map and pointing the way to the drone. “It’s close.”

THIRTEEN

“Half the village is on fire.” Adam scanned the valley below with a pair of binoculars. “People scattering south. More on the main drag being hauled out of their houses.”

Beside him, Jay hissed out a breath. “Let me go down there. I can slip through a crowd easier than all of us as a group. I’ll find them.”

“I know you would, but we have another convoy coming in. We need a plan if we’re going to go up against this many guys.”

Jay watched the village, shifting like he was about to get up and go no matter that Adam had told him to wait. Jay’s skill set might lean heavily toward going in ahead of everyone else and reporting back on the situation. But that would’ve been helpful a day ago—before they got the assignment.

“They have to think it’s some kind of weapon they can use.”

“Maybe it is.” Adam sniffed. “Either way we have to get it, and Ash and Kai, out of this mess.”

A small engine buzzed to life, the sound like a thousand bees in a swarm.

“Ready.” Dan, on his other side, thumbed a joystick, and the drone lifted off the ground. He guided it toward the village, keeping it high. “You want me to connect with them first, or distract the bad guys by making them think there’s another drone in the air?”

“I want comms.”

“Copy that.” Dan’s resolve hardened.

Jay looked back toward where they left the truck. “You think Ice will play nice with the CIA asset?”

“I think they’re both injured, and neither needs to be traipsing around in this. But I’m not going to tell either of them they could be a liability here.” Adam paused. “She’ll make her call. They’ll both get some rest. And we’ll have a ride out of here if we need one.”

“Maybe he’ll let her drive,” Jay said. “That’d be better than Ice at the wheel.”

“Whoa.” Dan swerved, piloting the drone like he was riding on the thing and not holding the controller a mile away. “They’re taking potshots at my tech!”

Adam couldn’t see the drone in his binoculars. “Got any defensive capabilities on that thing?”

Dan shook his head. “You wanted comms. If you wanted crowd control, that’s a different drone. Both together would be far too heavy, and much easier to shoot down.”

“If you invent a lightweight one and sell the patent, you could make a mint.” Jay cleared his throat. “And we can all retire from eating sand for a living.”

Adam grinned. “You think we’d quit this? We’re living the good life.”

Jay chuckled.

“Who’s living the good life?” The voice came through Adam’s comms earbuds.

Relief washed over him. “Ash?”

“The one and only, and little ole me,” Kai said. “We’re tracking the drone. Almost to⁠—”

Gunshots echoed across the channel.

Soon as it quit, Adam said, “Drop a pin of your location, and we’ll meet you there.”

“Copy that.” Kai muttered something, then louder said, “We’re in the bucket.”

“No kidding. Hold tight until we get there,” Dan said. “The drone pinpointed them. I’m setting down on a rooftop, hopefully out of sight. I’ll guide you in.”

Adam turned his ball cap backward. “Jay and I are on our way.”

“Copy,” Kai said.

Dan echoed him. “Copy.”

“Call Ice and let him know we found them,” Adam said. “And watch your back up here.”

Dan nodded. “Got it.”

Adam slung the rifle strap over his shoulder and pulled the neck scarf up over his mouth and nose. He ran in a slight crouch down the incline, sprinting flat out. Jay wasn’t quite as fast, but they cleared two buildings in as many minutes and made a beeline between structures toward the south. Air all around them was laced with smoke from the fire, quickly gathering steam and racing this direction like a wildfire out of control.

A helicopter flew overhead, the massive rotors kicking up dust.

“Reinforcements?” Dan said over comms. “They’re landing to the north, on the open plain on the other side of the fire. That isn’t any military I’ve ever seen. Probably mercenaries.”

“Am I going in the right direction?” Between buildings now, Adam slowed a little. He had to check around every corner, but a threat could come from anywhere, and clearing every shadow would take too long.

He spotted a guy down an alley, faced away from him. After motioning to Jay behind him, they crept across to the far side and carried on.

Gunfire to the south-southeast echoed over in their direction.

“You guys good?” Adam asked Kai and Ash.

“We’re pinned down. We can’t get to the drone.”

He heard the urgency in Ash’s voice, and the hint of pain that made Adam run faster. “Almost there.”

Jay patted his left shoulder.

“Yep.” He paused a beat while Jay ran off to the left, racing around so the two of them could come at this from opposing angles. “Dan?”

“Take a right when you can. Run to the end zone, then hang a left.”

Adam ducked right, down an alley. He counted the seconds that would get him the length of a football field and stopped at a corner. Men gathered in a group to his left.

“I’m coming in from the north,” Jay said. “The alley is full of guys.”

“Here, too.”

“We have another problem,” Dan said.

Adam ducked back behind the building. “What is it?”

“The helicopter spit out its load. A whole new crew, new team, new chopper.”

“And our unnamed woman from Argentina?”

Dan said, “I don’t see her. These guys are Chinese military, no doubt.”

“Shoot,” Kai said. “Let’s do this fast.”

“Jay?” Adam waited for his acknowledgment, then said, “Dan, you know I love that drone, but I need a distraction.”

Dan was silent for a second, then finally said, “You owe me.”

“Yes, I do.” Truth resounded in Adam’s tone. “Give me something good.”

He couldn’t hear the buzz of the drone from this distance, but the men down the alley reacted immediately. The small aircraft flashed strobe lights, noise like an alarm blared from it, and it spun in the air, moving off to the east.

Several of the men followed it, away from the huddle. The rest geared up.

Adam found some cover behind a couple of barrels and took aim, squeezing off a series of shots that took them out. When he could be sure he wouldn’t get immediately shot in the head, he ran down the alley toward them.

Gunfire on the far side of the building started up and didn’t stop.

The next corner brought him face-to-face with Kai, who lowered his gun. Ash leaned against him, his face way too pale, clutching a slimline drone that looked like alien tech. The thing was a shimmering gray color and at least four feet long.

Adam handed it to Kai. “That’s it?” He grabbed Ash’s arm, and they were on their way out of the structure.

Jay said, “Back the way we came?”

Before Adam could answer, a pained cry filled the comms channel. Adam said, “Dan?”

“Ah, no. That’s mean. They’re destroying—” Dan moaned. “No, Barbara…no-o-o. You were one in a million. Now you’re in a million pieces.”

Kai snorted, ducked out the door, and fired two shots. “Clear.”

Adam walked Ash outside, Jay behind them. As a unit they made their way back to the edge of town. “You got a twenty on the Chinese?”

“Are they our new nemesis?” Ash asked, his voice pained.

Adam muttered, “I’m sure they just want the tech.” Which meant he and his team would be collateral damage.

“Too far away,” Dan said. “They’ll never catch up in time.”

“Tell our ride we’re ready to get picked up.”

They raced out of town, up the hill, moving at a fastwalk in deference to Ash’s injuries.

Adam glanced at Ash. “How bad is it?”

“Caught me square in the calf.”

“Stole Ice’s thunder,” Adam said. “He was so looking forward to being the only injured member of Division Zero.”

Ash grunted. “We are, aren’t we?”

“Plenty still left for us to prove. Which means we’ve got to live long enough for the next mission. The next assignment.”

Dan said, “More fun rescuing damsels in distress. Though, she sort of rescued herself first by blowing that house in half before we got there.”

Adam focused on hauling Ash—not on the asset they’d rescued. At the top of the hill, he spotted the little pickup truck speeding their direction.

Kai said, “You didn’t order us an SUV?”

“We can stop by the car and split up.” Ash limped a couple of steps and pointed to the northwest. “It’s over that ridge. I think.”

The pickup sped toward them, turning in an arc. Ice leaned forward so they could see him through the open window. “One of you call for a⁠—”

“We know.” Dan hauled a crate into the back of the truck. “Just drive. And try not to kill us.”

Adam helped Ash into the back and wound up sitting wedged next to Jay’s boots. He hammered the palm of his hand on the window. “Let’s go.”

Ice hit the gas, and the pickup fishtailed for a second before he got control.

Adam caught the CIA asset looking at him through the window. He couldn’t make out her features in the shadowed cab of the truck but felt the heat of her attention on him. Presumably she’d used Ice’s phone to call her handler, or whoever she checked in with at the Agency. Had she learned they were the Division Zero team?

“We’re all gonna ignore the grinding sound of there being too much weight in the back of this truck, right?” Kai looked around, but no one responded. “Anyone?”

Adam lifted his chin. “You wanna walk?”

Instead of waiting for an answer, he checked the road behind them, and the sky for good measure, and didn’t see a tail. He shut his eyes and ignored the rest of them, and the sight of Dan putting a bandage around Ash’s leg.

Adam awoke on the other side of the border when Ice pulled over and he and Kai hotwired a car they found parked behind an abandoned building. Jay went with them, leaving Dan and Ash in the back of the pickup.

Adam switched to the driver’s seat, the asset beside him. “You good?”

“Sure. Peachy.” She glanced at the back window. “How’s your friend?”

“’Bout as good as you.” Adam headed for the airport, rolling the tension from his shoulders. Appreciating the normalcy of being behind the wheel—even if the danger wouldn’t be over until they were wheels-up and he could report in to Earthnet that they had retrieved the package. “You call your people? Check in that you’re good?”

“Yep.”

Adam waited for more, but she didn’t give him anything. “Great.”

Neither of them said more until he pulled into the private entrance of the airport and he keyed in the code for the gate. The car rolled through behind them, and Adam led the way to the hangar where Henry should’ve already instructed the pilot to be ready to go.

He hit the brakes and when it stopped put the truck in Park.

The cold barrel of a pistol touched the side of his head. “Don’t move.”

Adam splayed his fingers but didn’t lift his palms from the wheel. “Care to explain?”

“You’re going to give me the package you just took from that village, or I’ll kill you.”

Ash yelled, “Guys!” from the back, and all of them closed in, rushing over to see what was going on.

Adam didn’t move. “You think we’re just gonna let you walk away?”

“Unless you want your brains all over the driver’s door.”

The small panel window slid back.

“We aren’t giving you the package. We’re Division Zero.” He couldn’t believe she didn’t know that. “That means we’re on the same side.”

“You have your orders and I have mine.” She slid toward him and grabbed his arm with her free hand. “Open the door slowly and slide out.”

FOURTEEN

Somewhere in Syria

The woman gripped the steering wheel with both hands and hit the gas, spraying gravel as she turned into the compound and pulled up between two other vehicles. Heart still pounding. But it was only a physical reaction to the reality of having many foes.

Today she had succeeded, and they had not.

One of the men turned and headed her way over the dirt, holding his rifle across his front. Looking like a local, even though he was in fact a Polish mercenary. Thankfully, they were an inexhaustible resource. One she was happy to use, so long as the money to buy replacements didn’t run out.

She shoved the door open, grabbing the stuffed pillowcase with her. More than ready to strip off these stifling clothes. In the back seat, both of the kids sat silent and still. Exactly the way she’d ordered them to before she’d warned them she would torch the car—with them in it—if they so much as whimpered.

Until the boy said, “Are you going to pay us now?”

She shouldn’t be surprised that a male in this part of the world didn’t hesitate to defy a woman, even as young as he was.

Vesper dug between the folds of her clothes and pulled out a folded wad of US dollars. “Here.” She tossed the money at the boy, then turned to the man who’d approached. “Drive them to the nearest refugee camp and get rid of them.”

She passed him before he could respond, not caring what he thought about that order. “And radio Ramirez!” she yelled back over her shoulder. “Tell him I want coffee.”

The structure ahead of her was only a temporary base. In this part of the world, everything was temporary—especially people. Money and suffering were the only constants. One you never had enough of, and the other there was far too much of.

Thankfully, the entity bankrolling them had plenty of resources. So long as they succeeded.

“I need to get out of here,” she muttered, carrying the pillowcase bundle to the door. She shoved her way in, ignoring the men playing cards at a small table. “Wheels up in thirty. We have what we came for.”

Chairs scraped across the floor in her wake. She headed for the stairs and found the room she’d claimed a second before she’d ordered them all to stay out of it, or she would kill them.

With the door shut, Vesper peeled off the heavy black fabric and the head covering until she was standing there in her leggings and a sports bra, breathing hard. Trying to get rid of the feeling of being trapped the same way she had rid herself of the outer layers meant to keep her modest—and inconspicuous.

She dumped the contents of the pillowcase on the bare mattress and sat on the edge, turning the mechanism in her hands. Taking the entire drone would’ve been far too conspicuous, so she had simply followed the instructions given to her and removed the guidance chip, rendering the drone itself useless without it.

A smirk slid across her face.

The door opened, and Vesper grabbed the blade off the bed. She held it up toward the man as he closed the door.

“Going to cut me?”

She set the knife aside. “Maybe. The day is still young.”

“Not nearly enough time for that. Wheels up in thirty?” His dark features were as deadly as hers, and so similar that many had mistaken them for siblings over the years they had been together. Despite growing up on the same streets, in the same hellish neighborhood, they weren’t related by blood—only by the shared experience of having to fight for survival every second. Of living and breathing pain and realizing you had another breath in you when you’d thought it was over.

Finding a common cause had set them both free, and now their lives were dedicated to preserving the beliefs they held dear.

She raised up the chip that held the drone’s guidance system. “We have it.”

His lips curled into a smile. “I knew you would succeed.”

“After what happened in Argentina⁠—”

He shook his head, reached out and touched a finger to her lips. “We ensured they would not succeed again.”

She waved his hand away. “I should have killed them for what they did to that team, and the helicopter. Killed them all and taken what we wanted. Instead, I had to let them escort me to the vehicle.”

A chuckle left his lips.

Vesper studied the chip, turning it over in her fingers. “Will this really work?”

“Once we get home, we will ensure it does.”

He sounded so certain, but this time she couldn’t cast her blind faith in his direction. For the first time in her life, she doubted him. Doubted the plan. Needed the reassurance of being so close she could taste it.

Closer than they had ever been before.

“The book is out there.” He settled beside her on the bed, turning her chin so she had to look at him. “We will find it.”

She tried to push away the doubt so it didn’t register on her face.

His grip on her chin was just a little too tight.

“I believe.”

He touched his lips to hers, but all she felt was the pinch of his fingers on her chin. Until he let go and those fingers slid down her throat, enveloping her neck in a loose hold.

“Enough games.” She pushed against his chest, trying to shove him away. They needed to leave. There was no time for⁠—

His fingers tightened around her throat.

She couldn’t draw a breath. Couldn’t bring in the air she needed. Panic she didn’t understand flashed in her mind. All she saw in his expression was a cold resolve that had been on the face of so many who had come at her over the years. She had killed them all.

Vesper pushed against his chest. Clawed his arms. She couldn’t even scratch him through the thick protective clothing. Not you. She fought him with every ounce of strength she had.

He ignored it. “That’s twice now they’ve seen you.”

Her strength started to fade, but she refused to quit fighting. Betrayal hardened like metal that cooled and solidified into a core of steel inside her.

“If this is going to work, which it will, we can’t have you exposing our operation.”

His expression swam in front of her as she fought for air—for consciousness. For the knife. She swept her hands across her lap and around her on the mattress. Finally, her fingers slid across the blade.

She grabbed the hilt, swung it around, and shoved it into his side with as much strength as she could muster.

He roared, and his grip on her throat loosened and fell away. She tried to get up but lost her balance, landing on her hands and knees. Gasping for air. He slammed into her back. Her chin smacked the floor, and she cried out.

He scratched and clawed at her wrist, trying to get the knife.

Vesper got enough momentum to flip him off her and scrambled up. He came at her again with a loud cry and met her knife edge first.

She gritted her teeth, her mind screaming for her to hold.

The blade embedded in his chest. His gaze danced about, and she watched realization ignite in his features. That’s right. I win this round.

“Rest assured, I’ll finish this. In your memory.”

He gasped, blood dampening his lips. “Ves⁠—”

She slid the knife out and stepped back, refusing to entertain his last words. He crumpled to the floor, and she leaned down to wipe the knife blade clean on the fabric of his trousers.

“I will find the book. Alone.”

FIFTEEN

Alexandria, Virginia

“This way.” Dr. Mills limped down the hallway. He had gray hair, a lab coat over scrubs, and sneakers that seemed too white to wear in a place where autopsies were done.

Noah wondered if he kept pristine shoes in his office for occasions like this.

Mills pushed through a set of swinging doors with a single round window in each side.

Marina didn’t follow him right away. She held the door with one hand and looked at Noah for the first time since they left his family’s ranch in Montana.

Noah said, “I can wait out here.”

She shook her head. “Come with me?”

Noah followed her into the post-mortem room. The tables had been cleared, cabinets closed, and the whole place smelled like hospital disinfectant. Not unpleasant, but it served as a reminder of what the medical examiner did here. Only now, things were far too clean.

A single table in the center had been covered with a sheet, the outline of a body underneath. Doctor Mills went to the head and clasped his hands together in front of him, giving off an air that told them he had all the time in the world and nothing better to do with his evening. Marina stood opposite him. Noah hung back.

“We appreciate you coming.” Mills glanced at Noah, including him in the sentiment. “And identifying the deceased for the Commonwealth.”

He eased back the sheet, revealing the victim down to her neck. Stringy hair and a face marred by what had happened.

Marina’s breath caught in her throat.

“As you can see, the blunt force trauma she sustained was significant.”

Noah had seen that kind of injury to the skull before, when an IED had taken out a Humvee. The marine had been hit in the forehead by a piece of twisted metal that almost took off the top of her head.

Marina gripped the edges of the table, her body bowed forward and her head lowered for a second before she straightened. “Her head hit the steering wheel upon impact …and did this?”

Mills’ jaw flexed.

Noah didn’t like the silence. “Doctor, what was the cause of death?”

“The victim’s car hit a tree, traveling at high speed. The police noted there were no other vehicles on the road at the time, and no eye witnesses on scene. So we can’t be sure precisely what happened. However, the result is simple. A tragedy occurred.”

Marina’s knuckles turned white on the edges of the metal table. “Doctor, what was the cause of death?”

“You may believe you wish to know the precise details, but I can assure you that sometimes questions are better left unasked.”

“This isn’t one of those times.” Marina let go of the bed. “She suffered?”

Mills stared at her for a second. Then he said, “There were indications that Ms. Rameski didn’t die immediately.”

“What killed her?”

“The trauma of her injuries⁠—”

“Nope. What killed her?” Marina’s body language tightened.

Noah worried she might snap, but he didn’t go over there, just in case he was the impetus that made it happen. “What we need to know is whether someone did this to her. Because if she didn’t die as a result of the crash, there could be evidence that someone came along and finished the job.”

Marina stood completely straight, staring at the doctor.

Mills shook his head. “The evidence doesn’t support that conclusion.”

“It was important that we ask the question regardless,” Noah said. “We would like a copy of the police report.”

“And Kathryn’s personal belongings. Anything that was found on her at the time of her…death.” Marina’s voice broke on the last word. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cousin’s shoulder, whispering something Noah couldn’t hear.

The ME met them at the door with a clear bag that contained a purse and some loose items. “As there is no investigation, and the report has been filed, all of her belongings can be passed to you. This is everything she had on her.”

Marina took the bag. “What about her clothes? This isn’t everything.”

The ME stared at them for a moment, then went to a cabinet and retrieved a second bag. “Most families would rather not see blood-stained garments.”

Marina swept out without saying anything else.

Noah offered a quick, “Thank you for your time,” then followed her to the door. By the time they reached the street outside, she was practically running. “Whoa, whoa.”

He grabbed her by the elbow. Marina spun to him, and he let go.

“Sorry.” Her expression hardened, as though she was fighting tears and didn’t like it.

“It’s okay to cry. No one will think less of you, and I’m the only one who will see.”

She hugged the bags to her front. “We need to go to her apartment. I can access the network from there.”

Noah stared at her for a second, then nodded. “You have what you came for?”

“I don’t want anyone seeing me look in the bag.”

Neither of them glanced around at the busy street on the other side of the parking lot, or the evening sky darkening to the west with streaks of yellow and gray. A police car, lights and sirens going, sped by on the road.

“Let’s go.” Marina walked toward his rental car, where she tapped an address into the dash screen.

Before he pulled out of the parking lot, he said, “Do you know what you’re looking for?”

“Kathryn sent me a text. She’d noticed some odd transactions at work, and I told her to download everything and save it on a flash drive. That was the same night she was killed.”

“This isn’t your fault, Marina. It isn’t.” He backed out of the parking space, unsure of what else to say. “Do you think your cousin had the flash drive on her when she was killed?”

“I think if we have to fake our way into the FCC’s orbital policy office, we’re going to have a harder time than if it’s just here in her things.”

“Do you think it was something other than an accident?” Noah pulled onto the street, into the flow of traffic. “Because it seems as if there isn’t much evidence pointing that direction.”

“You think I’m seeing a conspiracy where there isn’t one?”

Noah shook his head. “I think we don’t have enough information to draw a conclusion.”

“How political. Keeping it neutral, not causing waves.” She glanced at him. “You should’ve gone into Washington politics.”

“I’d rather actually make a difference in the world.” Noah blew out a breath. “And I think you know what I mean. I’m trying not to dismiss your concerns, because you don’t need that. The situation is concerning enough, if your cousin’s death wasn’t suicide.”

“There’s no indication to believe it was a suicide. That theory makes the least sense. Why message me and then drive into that tree if she had no intention of living long enough to do anything about what she found?”

“So what are the other options?” Noah checked his mirrors. What if someone was tailing them, looking for the files Kathryn had downloaded? He wasn’t here to take chances. He was here to keep Marina safe. “She might’ve been forced off the road. Or someone in oncoming traffic swerved, and she overcorrected.”

“Both of which amount to an accident. Unfortunately, beyond that the ideas only get crazier from there, but I can’t confirm if they’re valid or not without getting access to the car’s onboard computer.” She opened the bag of belongings, the bloody clothes one by her feet.

“You think that will tell you—what?” He made a right turn onto a street with a park on one side. On the other were storefronts with four stories of apartments above.

“I couldn’t say without actually reading the car’s computer. But it could’ve been tampered with.” She rummaged in Kathryn’s purse. “It’s possible to hack a car, you know.”

“And you think that might’ve happened to your cousin? Over some files she downloaded at work?” An SUV buzzed past them, and he changed lanes behind it. “Any idea what she stumbled on that might have put her in someone’s crosshairs?”

Whoever they were, had this cousin of Marina’s found herself up against someone who would kill to keep their secret? Stuff like that happened in the world, sure. But in the FCC office?

Marina looked at him. “That’s what we’re here to find out.”

“You’re the one who asked me to come. Did you just need dumb muscle that kept his mouth shut?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t have asked you.” She sat back in the chair, pushing out an audible breath. Holding a loaded set of keys in her hand.

Noah kept his reaction to himself, but as far as he could see, she’d made his point for him. They drove the rest of the way to her cousin’s apartment in silence, and when he pulled into the numbered space Marina told him was designated for her cousin’s use, he put the car in Park and turned to her. “Do you think she was murdered?”

She glanced from the window to him with tears in her eyes.

“Sorry, Marina.”

“If she was, I have no way to prove it. And if they’re able to cover their tracks to that extent, then what’s going to happen to me when I start digging into what she found and they get wind of it? I’ll probably end up dead like her.”

“I’m not going to let that happen.” He hit the button that turned off the car and grabbed the keys from the center console.

“You don’t control what happens, so that isn’t a promise you can make.” Marina pushed her door open and got out.

She brought her backpack with her and used a key from the keyring to open the apartment. Inside smelled like vanilla and whatever had been cooking in the Crock-Pot while Kathryn was at work. Now it was a nasty mess crusted to the inside of the dish. Marina pulled out the plug, even though it had long since burned out.

Noah looked around at the open plan kitchen and living area. Piles of pillows on the couch. A low coffee table covered with home décor magazines and several remotes. “Doesn’t look like anyone has been through here looking for something.”

“They didn’t find it if they did, because she had the flash drive with her when she died.” Marina sat on the couch and tugged out her laptop, laying it on the décor magazines.

“So they killed her and took it?”

She waved the keys at him.

Noah went back to the front and locked the door. When he turned, she was twisting something, pulling a lid off. “What is that?”

“Looks like a can of pepper spray. Works like one, too. But inside it’s a flash drive.” She glanced at him. “Personal safety and data storage.”

Noah wandered down the hall, checking out the rest of the apartment. Turned out to be a single bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and a closet on the far side. In the hall he found a linen closet and half bathroom.

Marina stood abruptly and walked away from the laptop. “There’s nothing here.”

“It’s been wiped, or it was destroyed and the data erased?”

“No, the files and reports are all there. It’s just…nothing that anyone would kill a person over. Someone is buying satellite space. If the transactions all trace back to the same entity, or person, then it’s possible there’s going to be a monopoly. But in the end, who will care?”

Noah said, “One person controlling the skies. If there’s a battle over it, that could be worth killing for. To seize control. Or if they’re desperate enough to keep it a secret.”

And her cousin had been caught in it.

“She died in an accident—or so everyone thinks. If we dig, we might find evidence otherwise.”

Noah frowned. “And we’d draw attention to ourselves.”

“We have what we came for. Which isn’t a pattern. And if it was, it wouldn’t be illegal. There’s literally no way to stop a foreign country from selling their orbital rights to anyone they please. It could be construed as none of our business.”

“But it might be the reason your cousin was killed.”

Marina walked down the hall and out of sight. Noah didn’t bother looking at the laptop, because he doubted he’d be able to make more sense of it than Marina. They could find an expert, or pay that visit to her office and speak with her colleagues. One of them might be able to make sense of Kathryn’s death, or Marina and Noah might wind up putting someone else’s life in danger.

He slid the Crock-Pot pan into the trash and tied it off, intending to take the bag with him on their way out. Lifting the bag out of the can had him wincing to hide the pain that echoed in his spine, but Marina didn’t see. He gave himself a second to breathe through the discomfort before she came back, glancing around.

On the front of her fridge, Kathryn had a couple of photos. She and Marina posed together in one from five years ago, wearing sparkly glasses commemorating the New Year. Another was of Kathryn and an older woman on the deck of a cruise ship.

At the top corner of the collection, a postcard had been tucked partially behind one of the photos and the high school graduation announcement for a dark-haired boy. Noah slid out the postcard, immediately recognizing the image on the front side. Not because he’d ever been to Perth before. In fact, he’d never been to Australia or New Zealand, or anywhere that far across the world.

“Hey, what…” She trailed off. “A postcard?”

Noah went to the stove and lit one of the small gas burners at the back. He held the postcard over the heat.

“Noah, what are you doing?” Marina tried to shove him out of the way. “You’ll burn it!”

“No, I won’t. We need heat to see.”

“Heat to see what?”

The paper on the back side of the postcard began to brown, forming letters where the note would be written. A secret message sent to Kathryn. Noah read what he saw. “It’s just a series of numbers.”

“Those are reference numbers. They were in the information on the flash drive, all of them account for a licensing agreement.” Marina took the postcard from him. “Someone sent this to her, she looked into these sales, and now she’s dead?”

Noah backed up, getting some space so he could think this through.

“How did you know the postcard would reveal a message under heat?”

He went to the edge of the dining space and stared at the laptop.

“Noah?”

He turned back to her. “Because I’ve received one of these before.”

SIXTEEN

Somewhere over the Southern Carpathian Mountains, Romania

Adam sat on the plane facing the CIA asset, drinking coffee that tasted like it had been brewed too long and like the metal cup it was in. She glared at him from her seat, the tape over her mouth preventing her from saying anything. Every once in a while, she’d look at her hands, bound on her lap. Rub her thumbs together like she could use something to do.

After he’d disarmed her, the guys hauled her out of the car and put plastic ties on her. Adam had tossed her over his shoulder and carried her onto the plane. The loud protesting got her tape over her mouth, but he’d figured it was a front. All she yelled about was her necklace, which Kai had grabbed and brought on the plane with them.

“Found the scanner.” Ice got out of his chair across the way and stood in the aisle.

The rest of the guys were positioned between Adam and the front of the plane. All minding their own business—and listening in case he started talking to her. Frigid air blasted through the AC vents overhead, as Kai always turned the air to maximum anytime they flew.

Ash was still pale, probably too pale, but Dan had him lying flat and hooked up to an IV. Dan had cleaned and stitched the wound in Ash’s calf, so now it was a waiting game to see how Ash would fare.

Ice slumped into the chair beside the asset and lifted her hands, pressing the pad of her fingers and thumbs one by one onto the small square screen of the device he held.

“Go ahead.” Adam drained the last few mouthfuls of his lukewarm coffee and set the cup on the tiny table beside his left knee. “Someone grab me a pair of tube socks!”

The asset watched the screen of the scanner, her face not quite as impassive as she probably thought it was. But then, this seasoned CIA agent probably put on a front about everything. Especially that necklace she had tucked back down the neck of her shirt.

He studied her, trying to figure her out and wondering if he ever would. “Twice now you’ve threatened to kill me.”

Kai tossed over a pair of white socks in a bundle. “Was it something you said?”

Adam lifted one of her feet and put it on his knee, rolling a sock on and checking the cuts and scrapes on the soles of her feet at the same time. Making sure she didn’t have an infection. He did the same with the other, noting that he was right. Her skin was chilled.

She looked at him, a question in her eyes. Probably wondering why he was being nice.

Adam set her other foot down and stared at her, offering nothing. Leaving her off balance and wondering who they really were—and what might happen next—would exhaust her more than anything.

If he kept her awake long enough and frustrated her with questions, she would eventually say something she didn’t intend to say. She’d been through a harrowing experience but had the wherewithal to follow orders and go up against the whole team—pitching their loyalty against them by threatening his life.

She was good. And yeah, she was gorgeous.

Probably something else she used as a tactic to complete a mission. Another tool in her toolbelt, even if her hair was stringy and tangled right now and she wore clothes that didn’t fit. Despite the scratches and bruises, it wasn’t hard to see she’d clean up in a way that would distract any guy with a pulse.

“Whoa.” Ice had returned to his seat across the aisle, a laptop open on his knees. “Got the full rundown. Stephanie-Jo Davis.”

Her expression hardened, but Steph held Adam’s gaze.

Adam shifted in the seat, trying to stretch out the knots in his back without breaking their stare down. “Probably the cover story.”

“I’ll say. Works for a shipping company out of Baltimore. Been there nearly fifteen years and is their top salesperson.” Ice scrolled up the screen. “Social media accounts. Probably all lies made to look like she’s active online.”

Adam glanced at her. “Maybe she is. It’s more suspicious to not be these days.”

“Sure, because if anyone looks her up—like me—they find a woman who likes rom com novels and regularly thanks people for recommendations on what to read next.”

Adam looked at her, trying to discern if she was the kind of woman who read romance stories, then went to work and held a gun to the head of people who were supposed to be on the same team as her.

His phone buzzed.

“Finally.” Adam drew it out. “Keep looking into her. I want everything.”

“Even if it’s all fake?”

“We need to know it all if we’re going to file a complaint or something.” Adam lifted his chin to her. “Does the CIA do that? Guess I’ll find out.” He tapped the phone number Noah had sent him and listened to it ring.

She didn’t need to hear the conversation, or even hear his end of it, so he got up and motioned to Kai. His buddy lifted his chin, indicating that he would keep an eye on her.

Adam wandered down the aisle to the tiny alcove between the galley and the bathroom, then turned his back to her and the rest of his team. He didn’t need the distraction of his enemy, or those he was loyal to, while he played yet another chess match. This time with the CIA.

The call connected with a series of clicks. “Division Zero Operations.”

“This is Zero-One,” Adam said. “We have a problem.”

“Please describe the nature of your problem.”

It was like talking to an EMS dispatcher, but on a much more relaxed scale. “My problem is your asset, Stephanie-Jo Davis, or whatever her real name is. She tried to steal tech from us that has nothing to do with her or the CIA. Under orders, she threatened to kill me and take it.”

“Am I to assume she was not successful?”

“Sorry to disappoint you. You can’t have the drone, and I’m still alive.” Adam leaned back against the bathroom door. “Maybe you should let your assets know there’s a Division Zero team again.”

“Because that makes you untouchable?”

“If ‘untouchable’ means that no one from the CIA holds a gun to my head, then yeah.” The line went quiet for a second, as if he was on mute. Adam gripped the phone. “You still there?”

“Where is the asset now?”

“Tied up.”

The dispatcher said, “You neutralized the threat.”

“That’s correct.” Adam frowned.

“So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is her orders. Given to her by the CIA. Orders to do whatever she deemed necessary to get her hands on tech we were contracted to retrieve.”

“Hmm.”

Then nothing.

The line went quiet again.

Conferring with his manager, probably. If Adam muttered a comment to himself, they’d probably hear it even if he couldn’t hear them.

The door to the cockpit opened, and the copilot stuck his head out. “We’ll be on the ground in thirty.”

“Got it.” Adam shifted the phone away from his mouth and yelled down the plane. “On the ground in thirty!”

The door was barely shut again before the dispatcher came back on the line. “Your orders are to terminate the asset.”

“Excuse me?”

“She’ll be listed as killed while in the field, on a mission for her country. She’ll die a hero.” He barely paused before he said, “Thank you for your service.”

Adam lowered the phone and gave himself a second to be all, What the what? in his head, while outwardly he projected composure.

Kai stood in the aisle, facing Adam, where he was able to see both Stephanie-Jo and the screen of Ice’s computer on opposite sides of the aisle as well as Adam at the end of it.

Dan loaded medical supplies back into a couple of duffel bags, a seatbelt now snug around Ash’s waist.

“He has more color now.” Adam wandered by, holding on to the seat headrests as he picked his way down the aisle.

“He’ll be good.” Dan settled into a seat and belted himself in.

Kai cleared his throat. “What did the CIA say?”

Adam glanced at Kai, then at Steph. “You don’t want to know.”

She stared at the window, pretending she didn’t care.

Adam slid into a seat facing Ice, with the asset across the aisle to his right. “So who is she really?”

Kai fist-bumped him on the way past.

Ice buckled his seatbelt, fixated on the screen. “Found something interesting on a site I’m guessing whoever scrubbed her identity never discovered. An image from years ago. She looks about seven. I could surmise the reasons why the CIA might not have flagged it.” He turned the laptop around.

“Please don’t.” Adam studied the image of a girl in a Halloween costume, holding hands with a man in an army uniform. The patches and pins were just wrong enough to be fake, but they were off in ways that told Adam this guy knew where they really went.

Ice clocked Steph looking at them. By the time Adam glanced at her, she’d looked away again. Ice lifted one brow and turned the laptop back around. “I’m running—whoa.”

Adam looked at her, rather than ask Ice what he’d found. “Who is he?” Beneath them, the landing gear descended.

When she didn’t answer, he said, “Ice?”

“According to this, his name is Silas Ilman. He’s wanted by Interpol and the British government for questioning in matters of national security, which could be nothing or anything. He hasn’t been seen in decades if the age of this stuff is anything to go by. This photo taken might be the last time he was seen in public.”

“So he disappeared.”

“Around the time that photo was taken.”

Adam glanced at her. She flinched at that, just a miniscule movement he almost missed. The plane touched down, bouncing onto the ground before the pilots hit the brakes and they slowed to a nearstop.

Ice peered out the window. “They’re coming to meet us.”

Adam said, “Kai, Dan, deliver the drone.”

“Copy that.” Kai walked down the aisle with the drone on his shoulder, hauling it like a sack of fertilizer.

Dan stopped in front of Adam. “Ash will be fine until he wakes up.”

“We’ll be wheels-up again by then.”

Dan nodded and followed Kai to the door, ducking his huge frame to get out. Adam sat across from Steph, tugged the tape off her mouth, and leaned back. Then he flipped his phone over and over on his knee.

She worked her mouth around and winced, still keeping her attention on the window. “This is France, but we aren’t at an airport.”

“Do you really think I owe you an explanation about anything?” He let the phone tap his knee once more, then held it still. “You owe me. More than you know.”

The skin around her eyes flexed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“What do you think the CIA said when I told them you failed the mission?” Adam lifted one shoulder. “I informed them that you don’t have the drone and I’m still alive.”

“Killing you wasn’t part of the deal. Are you gonna hold that over my head forever?”

He nearly said yes. “Forever won’t be very long.”

That dark gold gaze of hers bored into him, and suddenly she seemed fragile. Something from his ancestors decided to wake up and give him advice about throwing her over his shoulder again and hiding her from their enemies while he went out and slayed everyone who wanted to hurt her.

“You aren’t going to kill me.”

Adam said, “I’m not a murderer, and neither is anyone else on my team.”

“I thought you were Division Zero?”

“We do impossible jobs. But we don’t take contracts and execute people.”

“What if the target was a genocidal maniac or someone who hurts children? Would you do the job then?”

“This isn’t about me.”

She countered with, “I think it is.”

“Because you have no intention of allowing this to be about you?”

That almost got him a smile. “If you let me call the CIA⁠—”

“We’ll see.” Adam twisted to look over his shoulder at the open airplane door.

A second later Kai rushed in. “We’ve got a serious problem.”

Dan came aboard right behind him. “Your buddy Johannsen wasn’t here. He’s out sick, or never showed up for work, or something my rudimentary French skills couldn’t figure out.”

Adam glanced at them. “You handed over the drone, right?”

Kai slumped into a seat across the aisle, facing Ice. “I doubt we’ll get paid since there’s a piece of the drone missing. We didn’t bring the whole thing back intact.”

“The guidance chip was gone.” Dan headed down the aisle to his seat. “Apparently, we should call Johannsen if we want our payment, because they don’t know anything about our agreement with him.”

“They pretty much chased us out.” Kai shook his head. “Told us they were getting ready for a launch. Some big project they had going on that we shouldn’t be here for.”

The ground under the plane started to rumble.

Adam got up from his seat, crossed the aisle, and peered out the window on the far side. The others went to the door. A second later, she appeared beside him. Sliding into the seat on this side.

“I hate to state the obvious…”

Adam had no problem doing that, especially if it sounded like an order from the team leader. “We might want to get our wheels up. There’s a rocket launching across the facility, and the smoke is headed this way.”

Kai stuck his head back in. “Can’t we sit here and wait until⁠—”

“We’re leaving! Right now!” The copilot rushed down the aisle. “Move. Move. Get the door shut!”

Dan and Kai ran to their seats, close to Ash. Ice slumped into the chair where Adam had been sitting, while Adam reached over and buckled Steph in.

“I need a phone.”

The airplane engines roared. Under them the ground rumbled so hard the plane wheels bounced off the asphalt enough to shake him into his seat.

“We’ve done this already.” He’d told her to wait before, that they had other priorities. “You always pick the worst times to need something?”

“So this would be a bad time to tell you I need to pee?”

Adam barely got his seatbelt buckled before the rumbling engines got them moving, gaining speed and lifting off the runway. The plane shuddered into the air, just as a plume of superheated smoke washed over the ground and hit the spot right where they’d been only seconds ago.

He gripped the sides of the seat and the plane took off, trembling as it climbed sharply into the air.

SEVENTEEN

Langley, Virginia

Simon scrolled down the dossier that had popped up as soon as the voice recognition program identified the caller. He adjusted the headset, waiting for a response on the internal instant message app.

His contact finished typing, the three flashing dots finally replaced with text.

Confirm the order was received.

Simon wanted more coffee, but refilling the empty mug on the edge of his desk would have to wait. Besides, Cherise, who worked three cubicles away from his, wouldn’t be fetching more for another twenty-six minutes. If he waited and didn’t go now, he’d be able to get more coffee when she did. She would smile at him, and he’d be able to make small talk. One day he’d ask her out, but for now he was planting seeds. Convincing her that he was a nice guy.

He typed out his reply,

Received and understood.

DZ will eliminate the asset.

If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be the Division Zero team for much longer. Not the shortest stint for a group of contractors in that position, but up there as a contender.

Simon rolled his eyes at what came up. He’d been speaking to Adam Russell Helton, US Army veteran with Special Forces detachments. Commendations. So many missions Simon’s eyes crossed, and he decided this was one of those Captain America golden boys. Football captain. The guy who always got the girl. He hated guys like that.

At the bottom of the dossier, he found a link to a mission report that listed Helton as killed in action. Now he was a ghost.

And that was the thing about ghosts like Helton and his team. Like the asset. When they were killed for real, no one even blinked. No one really noticed.

He kept scanning through what the CIA had on this guy, wondering that it seemed a little too sanitized. An homage to some guy who gave his life for his country. But what was the real story?

His screen flickered, the way it frequently did these days. Glitchy power cord or whatever.

A message popped up in the thread.

There can be no mistakes.

Simon didn’t want the conversation to get into how this guy—he assumed it was a guy, but he had no idea—was counting on him, so of course he would deliver. Or any of the $237,000 worth of reasons why Simon had no choice but to comply, which meant he had no choice but to comply. He didn’t need a lecture to remind him of the situation he was in.

I haven’t forgotten.

If this guy publicized what he knew, Simon would go to jail.

A notification popped up at the bottom corner of his computer. An incoming call was being routed to him.

Thanks to his contact, the network on this floor would reroute all relevant traffic to his computer. His phone extension.

A second later, the base on his desk flashed and he heard the ring on his headset.

Simon glanced around, ensuring no one was listening to what was going on in his cubicle. He was only one in an ocean of cubicles belonging to low-level analysts. Why would anyone notice him?

But the contact had. Somehow, he knew everything.

Answer the phone.

Simon rolled his eyes and only complied because the ringing was annoying. Not because he’d been told to do it. “This is Morris.”

“Hi… Oh.” A female voice on the other end. Stephanie-Jo whatever-her-name was. “You’re not who I was expecting to speak with.”

“I was tasked with receiving all calls, as the team is currently unavailable.”

“If I can’t speak to my supervisor, then I should just call back later.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Simon sat back in his chair. This wouldn’t be a call that required him to log anything more than whatever he made up later.

Fine. Whatever he was told to make up later.

Kind of like when she’d called in hours ago, a day ago, whenever that was. He’d used voice augmentation and had the conversation with her as her “supervisor” ordering her to retrieve the drone by whatever means necessary.

Now Simon said, “State your passcode.”

She rattled off a series of letters, symbols, and numbers, and he established that it really was her. Voice analysis confirmed. “The Division Zero team was ordered to kill me.”

His screen flashed. Her dossier appeared—along with a new note at the bottom.

OPSEC COMPROMISED. ASSET UNCONFIRMED.

“I’m afraid you have a bigger problem than that.” Simon paused. “I guess you don’t know.” He figured his contact had added this note to her file. The one that now flashed with another message.

FURTHER CONTACT SUSPENDED.

“Don’t know what?”

“We only have a few seconds before this call will terminate. You’ve been burned.”

“What? That’s insane.”

He scrolled down the notes on her file. Division Zero had been dispatched to retrieve her. Exfil confirmed. She called in and was ordered to relieve them of tech they had. The why wasn’t really relevant—she only needed to do as ordered. “Thank you for your service.”

“Are you…kidding?” she sputtered. “This can’t be⁠—”

The call cut off abruptly.

On his screen, lines of code popped up. His mouse arrow moved across the open database as if someone else had remotely logged into his computer, and now text scrolled down her personnel file.

SUBJECT CONSIDERED DANGEROUS.

ELIMINATE ON SIGHT.

He grabbed the mouse and tried to click out of the file, but nothing happened. Three dots popped up on the messaging app in the corner of his screen.

Do not interfere.

Simon stared at the words. Whoever she was, Stephanie-Jo now faced a ticking clock on her life. She wouldn’t last much longer in this world, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. As soon as she showed her face in public, someone would take her out. The last thing he needed right now was an attack of conscience. In this business, ruthlessness was the only currency people respected.

Whoever this was on the other end of his internal messaging, they were going to do whatever they were going to do, and Simon would most likely be finished as well when it all went down in flames.

He needed a way to contain the fallout.

When it seemed they were done augmenting the files he had open, Simon grabbed his mouse. Watched the chat. Nothing. He clicked over to the Division Zero file and added a note that they had failed to follow orders.

If he was going down, everyone else was going with him.

EIGHTEEN

Undisclosed Location, France

Steph tossed the phone back at the Division Zero guy and walked off the plane, more than ready to get out of this confined space. At least he’d cut her hands free. Now her fingers itched to wrap around her necklace and play the only card she had left.

Her eyes widened and she about tripped off the last step, drawing the attention of these Division Zero guys.

A wide stone structure towered over a lake to the right of where she stood. In the expanse of land between, an open strip had been graded into a runway that ran down the center. To the left was a wall of tightly packed trees that probably left the ground between each towering spruce in near darkness. Not a place she wanted to get lost in, even if she wanted to find a way out. But she might not have a choice if they’d simply brought her here to get her to let her guard down so they could kill her.

The dense trees circled everything, even the far side of the lake at the base of the hill where the castle watched over everything, an impenetrable moat of foliage that would prevent anyone from stumbling on this place by accident.

“You guys have a castle.”

The one they’d left her with in the truck in Syria, who told her his name was Ice, tossed a crate onto the back of a Polaris UTV. He grabbed the rung with one hand and swung onto the seat. “Home sweet home.”

The vehicle pulled out, all four of the guys inside—including the injured one.

The team leader, Nix, came down the plane steps behind her.

She spun to him. “Wait. There was another guy before. In Syria.”

“Jay. He made his own way home from Turkey.” Nix stood at the bottom of the airplane steps, arms folded across his chest.

“He doesn’t live here?”

“Are you going to quit deflecting with questions and talk to me about what’s going on?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, and I don’t need to, either. You shouldn’t have brought me here. You should’ve dropped me off somewhere else.”

He stared at her, his face impassive behind a pair of Aviators. “I don’t do well being told what to do.”

“Is that why I’m still alive?” And here, instead of being cut loose at the first sign of trouble. Wherever here was. “You know what, who cares? I’m leaving.”

She set off toward the far end of the runway where a rundown hangar stood, looking like some relic from decades past. The rocks on the ground dug into her feet, and pretty soon she was limping in dirty tube socks. But walking always helped her think.

Nothing about any of this made sense. Not these guys, or the contact she’d had with the CIA since she ran into these guys. The one corollary? These guys.

She turned back and found Nix was far closer to her than she thought. Her foot landed on a sharp pebble that hit an abrasion on the sole of her foot, and she hissed out a breath.

He grasped her elbow. “Easy.”

She shook him off. “Why are you following me?”

“You won’t get far in those socks.”

As if that was an answer to her question. “I doubt any of the guys have shoes in my size. And since you were ordered to kill me, why would I stick around looking for help?”

“The best offer I can give you is to fake your death.”

“No deal.” She shook her head. “I can’t lose my job.”

“Seemed like it was pretty final on the phone. What did they say?”

She glanced at the trees, ignoring the sting of tears in her eyes. “I’ve been burned.”

“Meaning you can’t get your job back? I thought that kind of thing was a done deal.”

She shook her head. “I refuse to believe that.”

“Being part of the CIA means that much to you?”

“Why are you even interested? You don’t owe me, and I don’t owe you. Thanks for ruining my life. Goodbye.” But she didn’t move. A breeze brushed over the tree line, and she might’ve heard the howl of an animal. Nope. “Can your pilot take me somewhere?”

“Not until he does repairs on the plane.”

“Look, Nix…” She rounded on him.

“It’s Adam.”

She frowned. “Adam?”

“You didn’t think I had a name?”

“Other than Nix?”

He snorted. “Phoenix is a codename. Adam works fine, Steph.”

“That isn’t a code name, it’s just a name. Like every other Steph in the world. Nothing special.”

“I’m sure that’s what you need people to believe.” He stepped back and motioned toward the remaining UTV. “How about I give you a ride to the castle? You can see if we have any shoes in your size. Get a hot meal and a shower, some clean clothes. Maybe we could even get you a new ID and a place to start getting your life back.”

“I guess you do owe me for ruining my life.”

“And here I thought you owed me for pointing that gun at me and threatening to blow my brains all over the window.”

Steph found a laugh she hadn’t expected. “Maybe we’re even.”

“One way or another we will be.”

An hour later Steph emerged from a suite of rooms on the second floor, which Adam had brought her to. She had left her wet hair down and loose with no other options for something to do with it.

“Hey.” He stood, setting aside a worn paperback book. The hallway was all gray stone except for the wooden chair and a small table next to it where he had laid the novel.

“Uh, hey.” Steph hadn’t expected him to be waiting for her, but they probably didn’t want the CIA snooping around. Former CIA anyway. Apparently, a seven-minute soak wasn’t enough time to process that and get used to it.

“This whole place is like a fairytale.” She shook her head. “I just took a bath in a clawfoot tub.”

“The CIA doesn’t swing for the fancy hotel rooms?”

Steph laughed. “Not even for the senior sales associate.”

“Mi casa es su casa, and all that.”

As if she was going to believe that offer was for real “Thanks for the clothes. I’m surprised you had anything close to my size.”

“Only ’cause my sister was here a few weeks ago and she left a load of laundry in the dryer.” He set off down the hall, and she went with him.

“How did you guys come by this place?”

“It was built in the seventeen hundreds, owned by a prominent French family, passed down in the early twentieth century to a son with a Jewish wife. In 1934 the local magistrate took it from him by legal but unethical means and gave it to a family who sympathized with the new German leadership. In 1941, the German military seized control, using it as a secret base and a prison for foreign spies.” He glanced over. “So your fairytale has a dark history.”

“The original ones are like that. Before they were turned into popular culture.” But that wasn’t what she wanted to talk about. “How did your team come by it?”

“Illegal but ethical means.”

At the end of the hall, he ducked through a stone archway, stopping at the top of a narrow spiral staircase. “Watch your step.”

She followed him down the steps, her socks sliding on the worn stone.

“We hunted down the heirs of the rightful owners and found they were all deceased, except for a small child who was given to a family who escaped to America before the war. He had no idea who he was. We visited the retirement home in Queens where he lives and told him about the castle, but he wanted nothing to do with it, so we bought it from him. At least—we paid him for it.”

“Why would that be illegal?”

He stopped at the bottom of the steps, where she could hear rock music coming from down the hall. “This place doesn’t exist. We don’t have paperwork that says it’s ours, and neither did he. But that just means no one can find us here.”

“And you brought me inside? Seems like that might’ve been a bad idea. Also, how does this place go unnoticed when anyone can fly over and see there’s a great honking castle down here.”

He snorted. “The only access is by air. The satellite blackout we have going on for one, and other measures you don’t have the clearance to know. But suffice it to say, this is a no-fly zone.”

“Why tell me even this much?” If he was being so free with this information, then what was he hiding?

Adam eyed her. “Maybe I’m just curious enough to want to know what you’ll do next.”

“You mean, what I’m going to do is fix this burned thing and get my life back?” She stared at him, wondering why it seemed like he was as much of a fairytale as this place. The problem with those stories, though? It was usually a trap. Good thing there was nothing innocent or naïve about her.

Adam shrugged. “I figure that means you need my help.”

“Then you figure wrong. Because I don’t need it.” She waited a beat. “But I’ll take it.”

She caught the edge of his smile as he turned away and walked to a wide hall. The kind that would have been lined with family portraits and old medieval armor—or Nazi flags. This one had been decorated with the flags from several states and every US military branch except one.

“No Space Force flag?” She glanced around at all the guys, who were sitting at desks that wouldn’t have been out of place in a police station.

Kai snorted. “No space force.”

The guy who’d been injured wandered in, barely limping. “He doesn’t believe in aliens.”

Adam waved her to the far end of the room, where they had an LED screen that was at least ten feet tall by eight feet wide. “Ice, bring up everything we have since the server farm.”

Steph watched the screen come to life, filling with images, snatches of video that played, transcripts and documents.

She spotted two photos, one of a man beside a document from Earthnet, and another by images of a chopper crash. A woman.

“I know her.”

NINETEEN

The clattering of dishware across the far end of the great hall caught Adam’s attention. He spun to see Winston pushing a dining cart into the room. Sure, he needed information from Steph, but they all needed to eat.

“Gentlemen.” Winston’s gaze found Steph. “And lady.”

“What the…,” Steph muttered under her breath.

“This is Winston.” Adam knew exactly what the old guy looked like. Black suit, white gloves, pristine white shirt, and shined shoes. His jacket even had a tail on it that was as authentic as his impeccable British accent.

“I’d have sworn his name was Alfred.”

“That would make me Batman.” Adam grinned at her. “But I don’t have nearly that much money.”

“Sure, that’s the only thing stopping you.” She wandered down the central aisle and stuck her hand out. “You’re Winston? I’m Stephanie-Jo.” He bowed over her hand rather than shaking it.

“Yes, ma’am. I am Winston.” He said it the British way, even. So it sounded like marm. Followed by, “Breakfast is served.”

Kai jumped out of his seat. “Finally. I’m starved. Smells amazing as usual, Winst.”

Their butler lifted a silver cover off a plate. “Sausage, egg, and cheese burrito with hashbrowns for you.” He handed over a second plate. “No hashbrowns, pico and sour cream for Mr. Firenz.”

Kai took the plates and rushed back to his seat, handing the second dish to Ash.

“Pancakes and blueberry sauce for Mr. Wylder.”

Adam walked the plate to Dan, who barely looked up from his computer but did say thanks.

“A ham omelet for Mr. Ibanez.”

Ice took the plate. “Thanks, Winston.” His phone rang, and he answered in Russian, taking the plate out the way the butler had come in. Tucking the phone between his cheek and shoulder and continuing to converse in Russian as he left with his breakfast.

Steph glanced at Adam, but he didn’t explain.

“One breakfast platter. Bacon, potatoes, four eggs over easy, extra cheese for Mr. Dubkowsky.”

Adam took the plate. “Thanks, Boss.”

Winston’s eyes twinkled. “And for the lady…” He removed the silver dome lid with a flourish. “Salmon eggs benedict with a side of mixed salad greens.”

Steph looked at the plate. “How did you know that?”

“It’s my job to know.” Winston slid a tray of mugs from a lower shelf on the cart.

“Come on,” Adam prompted. “Let’s sit down, and you can tell me about this woman.” He nudged her, and she got moving.

Winston set the stainless steel carafe on the conference table, along with a mug for everyone and a pitcher of milk, plus another of cream. He set the sugar in front of Kai.

“A butler. Really?” She watched Winston leave, settling in her chair.

“Long story. Eat first, then tell us about the woman, and then I’ll explain where Winston came from.”

She took a bite of salmon smothered with hollandaise. Paused. Looked at her plate.

Across at his desk, Kai said, “Right?”

She ate several more bites, he poured her some coffee, and he gave her a moment to eat while he checked his phone. Couple of newsletter emails he would look at later, because he needed new running shoes. A funny GIF from his brother-in-law. The verse of the day from the Bible app his sister had put on his phone.

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

He almost went into his settings and toggled off the notifications but didn’t. Adam stared at the words. He wouldn’t have said he was the guy to “fret” about stuff. Plenty of stuff to worry about, though. And it said, “don’t fret” rather than “try not to worry.”

Easier said than done if you asked him.

Nothing new from Noah since he’d sent the phone number for the CIA. The Division Zero contact person hadn’t been anything like what Adam expected. He jogged his knee up and down under the table, trying to convince himself that this assignment could be what he made it. Not whatever was going to be forced on them by a guy he already didn’t like.

Steph lifted a brow. “Dubkowsky?”

Adam swallowed a bite of food and sipped his coffee. “That’s not one of the things we need to talk about.”

“Is it really your last name?”

Adam leaned in the chair and dug out his wallet, sliding a California driver’s license out. “Angus Dubkowsky.”

“That’s your alias?”

Kai snickered. “Or it’s his real name.”

Dan typed on his laptop and ate, without looking up.

“Sure.” Steph shook her head. “Pretty sure I’m the only one in this room going by my real name.”

Kai just grinned.

“How about you tell us that woman’s name?” Adam pointed with his fork to the LED wall and the woman’s picture.

“Tell me.” Steph looked at Kai and lifted her chin. “You took the drone to whatever that company was, and the guidance chip was missing?”

“That’s right.” Kai frowned.

“She took it.”

Ash snorted. Kai shook his head and said, “No way.”

“Did you see a woman at all when you were in that village?”

Adam saw on Ash’s face that they had. “What happened?”

Ash didn’t like it. “A woman and two kids. We helped them get from their home to a vehicle, and they left.”

“It was her.” Steph sat back in her chair.

The guys didn’t agree. Even Dan looked up from his laptop, his jaw set. Ice came back in, carrying his phone and an empty plate. They filled him in, and he slumped into his seat. “No way. How’d she even know we were there?”

Steph just shrugged.

“How can you be sure it was her?” Adam could tell she was certain, but was it only what she wanted him to see? He liked to think he could read people. But it wasn’t a foolproof science.

“She took your guidance system. Doesn’t matter if she knew you were there or not.”

Kai said, “She must’ve been there before us anyway. Chasing the drone, one step ahead.”

“You’ve met her before?” Adam watched her features tighten.

“What I know is from personal experience, yes.”

“But it’s classified?” Adam figured they could argue about who had higher clearance later. “Who is she?”

Steph set her fork on her empty plate and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “If I still had access, I’d be able to pull CIA files and show you what I know. But it’ll all have been revoked. Like access to my funds and any property I have that the CIA secured for me.”

“But you have money and a place to go outside of what they provide, right?”

“It’s complicated.” She grasped the small vial, a cylinder, hanging from her necklace.

“We can help you,” Adam said. “If you need help. I figure we can work together on this, share information. When it’s done, we could work something out?”

“If she has a name, I don’t know what it is. Most people in the intelligence community call her Vesper.”

Ice typed on his computer, and the LED wall displayed the search results for the name “Vesper”—including news articles on a bus bombing in Silicon Valley a few years ago.

“She’s part of an anti-tech group. True believers fighting a holy war type of thing, like ecoterrorists, but they believe that AI will destroy the world. That the more we hand over our decision making to a computer, the worse it will get. That we’ll eventually realize we’re being controlled.”

Adam said, “A few years ago there was a group that tried to destroy fiber optic cable in the ocean, with this massive explosion.”

“That was their group,” Steph said. “Any indication the drone you guys were tasked with retrieving was connected to artificial intelligence?”

“Maybe in that guidance system she took.” Adam remembered something Johannsen had said to them. “The system at the server farm learned from us. The point of it was to see what we did so it could understand humans better.”

He explained about the job they’d done in Argentina, and how they’d met this Vesper.

“There’s no way she followed us here, right?” Steph glanced around.

“If Marina was at her computer, we’d know for sure,” Ice said. “But other than that, no. I’d say there’s no way she followed us. We have security protocols, and safeguards, and the skies are clear.”

“Ice, she said to you that she was after a book?”

Adam glanced at Steph. “That means something to you?”

“I need my CIA files.” She lifted her mug, looked inside, then set it back down. “There’s a rumor⁠—”

“In the intelligence community?” Kai saluted with his coffee cup.

“You have your world, and I have mine.” She almost sounded sad.

Adam shot him a look, and Kai turned back to his plate. “What’s the rumor?”

She shifted in her chair to look at him. “That there’s some kind of manifesto floating around about a global network. That’s probably what she was talking about.”

Yeah, there was definitely more to that. But she didn’t elaborate.

“Huh.” Dan sat back in his chair. “Got a sec, Nix?”

Adam nodded.

“Johannsen is totally off the grid,” Dan said. “Hasn’t shown up to work, hasn’t used his credit cards. His phone isn’t pinging off any cell towers. He’s completely disappeared, and he’s not responding on any of the channels we’ve used to talk to him.”

Ash glanced at Adam.

Steph caught it but didn’t say anything.

Adam needed more coffee. “Where’s Jay? Can he reroute and go check it out?”

Dan nodded. “I’ll hit him up. See where he is. We could use some boots on the ground. Johannsen might’ve been kidnapped.”

Steph muttered, “That seems to be happening a lot lately.”

“How are you doing?” Adam took a bite, watching her reaction.

“Does it matter? If someone you know is missing, we could go check it out. Especially if it’s related.” She straightened the silverware on her plate. “She probably took him, like she took Doctor Warrington.” She looked like she was about to say more but caught herself.

Information about a Dr. Sebastian Warrington popped up on the screen, courtesy of Ice.

“I was looking for him when I was taken,” she said. “Warrington works for a subsidiary that has government contracts. I don’t totally understand the intricacies of what he does, but it equates to AI talking to other AI and how they communicate without one absorbing the other or one finding dominance. It all has to happen on this dedicated server that’s like a meeting space for programs like that.”

“Says here that Warrington hasn’t been seen in weeks.” Ice scanned the screen of his laptop. “But his wife and kids are fine at home. No press conferences or calls for him to be returned, though.” He frowned.

Adam told Dan, “Contact Marina. Find out if what we downloaded from the server farm had anything like that on it. The program has to be tied to a physical server, and if it is, that could give us a location to go check out.”

Dan nodded. “Jay is rerouting from Frankfurt to check out Johannsen’s apartment.”

“If this Johannsen is missing, and Vesper is involved, then he’s in serious danger.” Steph paused. “Warrington has probably been buried somewhere no one will ever find him.”

“I’m not going to believe that’s what happened to Johannsen until I’ve exhausted all the other options.” Adam needed her to know that.

“He’s your contact at Earthnet?”

Adam nodded. “That’s right.”

She wandered over to the LED wall to look closer at the articles about Vesper, and the ones to the left of the screen about Warrington.

Adam let her have a moment to herself. Ash glanced at him, a question on his face. Adam shook his head because the answer was no and he didn’t want to talk openly about it. “What about the rocket launch? What do we know about that?”

Kai said, “Apart from the fact it was so awesome it nearly killed us?” He snorted. “Nothing official in the media online about a launch in that area, so Earthnet is keeping it pretty quiet. Only some local footage of people who were surprised to find their windows suddenly shaking. But that was a couple of miles away.”

“Any idea what was special about the drone?” Adam took his coffee to look over Kai’s shoulder.

At the desk perpendicular to Kai’s, Ash studied the screen of his laptop. “Without looking at it, we can’t know, but the design wasn’t like anything I’ve seen before. There’s nothing like it online. It was compact. Streamlined.”

“It traveled pretty far.”

Ash nodded. “Maybe it has greater range, and a more powerful engine. That would be worth a lot if someone figured out how it works, getting the motor in such a small space. I’d be interested to know what it runs on.”

“It was solar, bro.”

Adam patted Kai’s shoulder. “You saw that?”

“Panels on the top. Greater range. Maybe it will run for hours, or days.”

“You could send it anywhere.” Adam sipped his drink.

Ash tapped the corner of his desk.

Adam looked at him, and Ash tipped his head toward where Steph stood at the screen. He mouthed, Talk to her and, She just lost everything.

As if Adam didn’t know that?

Technically, she hadn’t “died”—but being burned as a spy wasn’t so different than being captured, held for months. Tortured. Having his life threatened and finally finding rescue. Being offered a way out.

Adam wasn’t going to be her savior. But he figured he could help.

He wandered to where she stood. “Up for a field trip? I’d like to see if we can find Johannsen.”

Even if Jay could find evidence of what happened, and a conclusion could be drawn as to his fate, Adam’s oath meant he still had to do whatever he could to find the guy.

Steph tapped the screen on the corner of the woman’s image. “If she’s involved, he’s in real danger.”

“You think she might be gunning for Earthnet, trying to stop what they’re doing?”

She turned to him. “What are they doing?”

“I wish I knew.”

She flushed. “Maybe you should find out.”

“That wasn’t the job, but since they stiffed us on the final payment, I guess we could find out now.” He glanced over his shoulder at Ice.

“I’ll call Marina.”

“Thanks,” Adam said. “You wanna stay here and get some rest while we do this?”

“I do!” Ash called across the room.

Adam waved the guy away with a hand but didn’t take his attention from Steph. “Your feet probably still hurt.”

She shook her head. “If this is all connected to why I was burned, I want to be there to figure out what’s going on.”

“And if we have to go up against this Vesper?”

Determination flashed in her expression.

“You’ve got a bone to pick with her?”

“You could say that.” She put one hand on her hip. “But first, I seem to recall you promised to explain how it is that you guys have a genuine British butler in your French castle.”

Adam grinned, scratching his jaw. “I did promise that, didn’t I?”

“So spill.”

He’d rather find out how far she would go to get him to talk. That could be interesting. “Winston sent his résumé.”

“You advertised for a butler?”

“Nope. We told no one we…acquired the castle. Three days after we moved in, he contacted us and offered his services.”

“Someone knows you own this place.”

“He convinced us that only he knows.” Adam shrugged. “And he makes the best pad Thai you’ve ever tasted.”

TWENTY

Zürich, Switzerland

Steph knew where they were as soon as they dipped below the clouds and the plane descended to land at an airport an hour outside the city. From the plane they’d split into two groups, Ice and Kai going in one rented Mercedes while she and Adam got in the other. Of course, he insisted on driving.

“Because our insurance covers employees only.”

She clipped her seatbelt and looked up at him. “Sure, it is.”

This guy wasn’t like any special ops, military guys she’d met before—even if he had thrown her over his shoulder. That part was pretty typical. But the rest of Adam, aka Angus Dubkowsky, aka Phoenix, was different.

Of course, the timing was horrible even if she was interested in a relationship, which she wasn’t.

She was more interested in what they’d given the officials at this airport and if she had been claimed as an employee of their company—the one that owned the jet. No wonder the CIA had opted to have these guys be the new Division Zero team. Why waste resources setting up a team of their own when they could farm the work out to people who already had the infrastructure to move between countries? Budget cuts and all that.

They were probably cleaning house, giving work to contractors they could pay less than officers the CIA had recruited and trained. Moving into a new era where intelligence was gathered with computers.

Losing it all could be seen as a blessing, if she focused on the fact she was now free of all of her obligations. Except for one thing.

“It’s a drive to Johannsen’s flat.” Adam started the car. “Wanna tell me about the book?”

Steph didn’t even have a phone to stare at, and her spiraling thoughts weren’t a good place to be right now. “Why not?”

“I appreciate you humoring me.” He pulled out of the airport onto a quiet street in the countryside with trees on a deep-green berm on either side. The two-lane road had a strip of grass and then another asphalt lane beside it, presumably for bikes.

It almost sounded like he was amused.

He wouldn’t be when he found out that Vesper was the one who’d dumped the doctor and abducted her in Germany, because she thought Steph had the book—or knew where to find it. All because she’d been sent to deliver that envelope to the bookseller in Paris.

Another mystery she didn’t have the means to solve.

“The book is a philosophical blueprint for a network. A computer system that will span the globe. Connect everyone. Control everything. The guy who wrote it was way ahead of his time, and everyone thought he was a crackpot.”

The CIA had to have someone going after the book, which would’ve been Steph ordinarily. Maybe she could find out who had been dispatched to retrieve it. At one time she’d believed Dr. Warrington actually had the book—but that would mean Vesper had it weeks ago, when clearly she didn’t.

“So it’s more like a journal, or a notebook?”

“Written over a period between 1937 and 1943 by a German high-ranking officer. Konrad Voss. He was a scientist, not a military guy, so the position was honorary. They kept him tucked away in a research facility in Tarnopol. It was part of Poland back then. When the Russians invaded, he apparently fled and no one knew where the book ended up. Voss was reported to have been killed trying to escape the city, but no one really knows.”

Adam glanced over. “What does this have to do with drones and anti-AI terrorists?”

“Doctor Voss was working on ballistic trajectory computation for automated guidance systems. He dabbled with early cybernetics concepts and pattern recognition programs to predict outcomes for the war.”

“Did they predict defeat?”

She almost smiled. “The guy was brilliant, which means the whole thing is completely terrifying.”

“If it was lost, how does anyone know what’s in the book?”

“Torn pages have surfaced. Copies of pages have been sold on the black market over the years. We know enough to understand what it would mean to have it. But at the same time, it could be best that it’s never discovered.”

Would he and his team be willing to destroy the book?

She’d seen a whole lot of loyalty between the guys on the Division Zero team, and that loyalty might extend to the CIA if they were ordered to find the book and turn it over.

If Steph found the book first, she might be able to trade it back to the CIA in exchange for her life.

“The nation that surrenders decision-making to computation will never regain it,” she quoted.

“Something Voss wrote?”

She nodded. “I saw a page once. He predicted automated warfare, UAVs, and drones that act independently. Orbital oversight. The guy was obsessed with satellites. He dreamed of a worldwide network that was the ultimate in control over people’s lives, but his version was effectively a weapons platform and a way to control the airwaves. And then after all that, he actually argues why it’s a bad idea. Why that kind of control isn’t something we want.”

“Now we have the internet, and free society.”

“You can change what people believe without them even realizing. How free are we really?” Steph shook her head. “The book could be used as the basis for a worldwide satellite network. Most people don’t believe anyone is crazy enough to do it, though. It would be a massive undertaking. And then Voss turns out to be against the whole thing, which was probably why they shipped him off to Poland and told everyone he was crackpot.”

“I’m sure someone out there is nuts enough to want to try, despite his warnings. What about Vesper?”

“She wants to prove it’s a bad idea and then destroy the book. She’s about the ideology and enforcing her belief that we should all be sent back to the Dark Ages. Which isn’t much different than trying to control what people see, what they hear, what they know, and what they believe.”

“I’d rather think for myself.”

“Any belief system is an ideology that, if you really believe it’s truth, should govern your life. But it has to be something you choose for yourself, not something forced on you.”

Steph, of all people, knew what it was like to live every day in a situation she hadn’t chosen, but which had been put on her. She’d done her best, but it had been years and she was tired. Would he understand?

“Anything else I need to know?”

Steph nodded. “There are rumors online that the book explains a theoretical weakness in the system. So it’s not just an argument about why control is bad, even though Voss was the one who thought of it. The book might also tell us how to disrupt the network if someone has managed to construct it.”

Adam tapped his index finger on the steering wheel, easing off the gas to join the line of traffic. “Drones, rocket launches. Artificial intelligence. Who knows. You think the CIA wants the book?”

“Everyone in the world should be concerned about an AI program evolving beyond its original programming. If someone has achieved this already, or they’re close to control? The CIA will want it, or they’ll want to destroy it.”

Soon enough he pulled over outside a four-story building that had likely been standing on this street for over a hundred years.

“Johannsen’s place is on the fourth floor.”

Steph unbuckled her seatbelt and got out. When Adam, Ice, and Kai huddled up to make a plan, she slipped away in the split second their backs were turned, disappearing into the sea of passersby on the sidewalk.

She ducked between a couple and an older man, brushed past a lady with a stroller, and hurried around the corner of the building. Down an alley. On the back side was a promenade that stretched the length of the river.

A short distance down from Johannsen’s building, she hid in an alcove. With her back to the wall, she pulled the device free of her necklace and stuck it in her ear, well aware that she looked like Uhura in the old Star Trek TV series, even if this was more like a tiny cylindrical vial. It always took a second to boot up, but the tradeoff was that it otherwise appeared to be inert and never transmitted.

When she had grabbed it in Germany, at the point she’d realized she was being kidnapped, it had sent a distress signal. A ping of her location that was transmitted to the one person in the world who actually cared what was happening to her. The only person, and the one who could get the CIA to send someone to rescue her.

She listened to the ringing sound over the connection. As soon as the call connected, someone at the CIA would know where to find her—and Adam’s team. Whatever had stopped her from exposing the location of their castle didn’t factor here in public. But there was probably a limited time before someone from the agency showed up.

The call connected.

“This is your last opportunity to use this device,” a man said. “When this call ends, the service will be suspended.”

Service? Steph curled her hands into fists by her sides. “Who are you?”

“The agreement you had was predicated upon your employment with the CIA. Since that is no longer the case⁠—”

She cut him off. “I did nothing to merit being burned. I kept my end of the deal. Now put my father on the phone.”

The man on the other end of the line chuckled for a second. “The only person speaking with him will be me, and you’re in no position to make demands. I’m certain we will have many chats over the coming weeks. Months. However long I feel it necessary to keep him alive. After I’ve exhausted all the knowledge he possesses, I’ll tell you where to find his body.”

Steph could search the world, but she would never find where they had him. She knew, because she’d tried many times.

“I can get you the Voss ledger.” The words spilled from her mouth.

“Are you in possession of the book?”

“I can get it.”

“In that case, I’ll leave this line active and await your call.”

“And my father?” A shadow crossed in front of her. Steph looked away, finishing her call.

“His fate is up to you, as it always has been.”

The line went quiet.

Steph tugged the device from her ear and connected it back to her necklace, so it hung in front. Under her jacket.

“That didn’t show up on our scans.” Ice peered at it, his stare far too intense.

“It’s proprietary tech. It only works when I activate it, so it wouldn’t show up on your scans.”

Adam looked like he wanted to tear her head off.

“I didn’t activate it at the castle.”

“You could’ve told me what you were doing.”

“I’m not part of your team.” Steph didn’t like the huddle with her at the center, and all of them staring at her. But she could’ve left, started walking and not stopped. “I only wanted privacy for a moment.”

“So you could offer the book to…who?” Kai had a serious expression on his face, and she didn’t like that she had put it on the lighthearted man’s face.

Steph didn’t answer right away. “I have my own thing. It has nothing to do with your thing.”

“And your father?” Adam asked. “What was that about?”

She shook her head. “I can’t talk about it.”

“Eventually you’re going to realize you can trust us.”

“I doubt I’ll be here long enough for that.”

TWENTY-ONE

Adam’s phone buzzed in his hand. He looked at the screen and saw it was a text from Kai, who stood beside him in the elevator.

We should ask Marina about Steph’s father

Adam nodded.

Kai ducked his head to his phone. Three dots popped up in the thread on Adam’s phone and then a message.

I already sent her a text

Of course, he had.

“It’s pretty obvious you’re having a conversation behind my back.” She didn’t look over her shoulder, just kept staring at the doors.

Dan, who stood by the buttons, said, “We’re just curious about you. And it’s important to us to protect each other, which means knowing who we’re working with.”

Ice was to the left. Kai stood back with Adam. She would have protection, no matter what she’d just brought down on herself. Or they’d be able to guard anyone else from her if it came to that.

Adam didn’t know what else he could do right now except manage the situation. Find out what he could. Help her, then cut her loose. “She waited until we were away from the castle to make her call. Which means she didn’t want to allow anyone to know her location when she was there.”

“It wouldn’t have worked anyway.” Ice folded his arms.

The elevator doors opened.

“Didn’t I say that?” She stepped out and turned to them. “I haven’t done anything that would put any of you at risk.”

Adam lifted one brow.

“Except that. And I was under orders, okay? There wasn’t much I could do except get the job done, and that meant pointing a gun at you.”

He considered that. “There’s plenty you can do when the job is something you don’t want.”

She scoffed. “You guys were in the military. You followed orders, didn’t you?”

Kai chimed in, “That might be why we’re not currently in the military.”

“Speak for yourself.” Dan glanced at Steph. “I never enlisted.”

Kai shrugged and headed down the hall to Johannsen’s flat, which was most of the way down to the end. Number 23. “My man, Jay!” The two shook, hugging it out in the hallway like this was a social call.

Jay’s attention settled on Adam. “Apartment is clear. Your buddy isn’t here.”

Adam nodded.

“Next stop, local hospitals. Police station. Morgues. That kind of thing.” Jay tucked his fingers in his jeans pockets. “He doesn’t have next of kin.”

“Call Marina. See if she can do some poking around for you.”

“Sounds like they’re in the thick of something.” Jay sent a questioning glance at Steph.

“We’ve discovered mutual interests,” Adam said. “For now.”

Jay nodded. “I’ll catch up.”

“I’ll go with,” Dan said. “The three of them are good here.”

“There are four of us.” Steph put a hand on her hip. “Adam, Ice, Kai, and myself.”

“Right.” Dan looked at Adam. “Later.” He headed back to the elevator with Jay.

Adam tipped his head. “Let’s take a look at the flat.”

Kai picked the lock, and Ice drew a weapon.

“Didn’t Jay already check the place out?” Steph asked. “Or is Ice the paranoid one of the group?”

Kai grinned. “Definitely paranoid. Surprised he doesn’t wear a foil hat.”

Adam said, “Go clear the back rooms.”

Kai snapped a salute. “Yessir.”

Adam let out a sigh, trying to decide if he should apologize for the guy or if she thought Kai’s antics were endearing.

“Never a dull moment?” She stepped into the flat.

“Problem is, a dull moment sounds nice.” Adam closed the front door and looked around. This wasn’t anything like what he’d expected from Johannsen. But then again, he wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. Certainly not chrome accents, white vinyl furniture, and a gray couch. The artwork on the wall was textured white.

“Pretty sure we could all use a vacation.”

“I’d think the CIA has rules about that,” Adam said. “So you don’t get burned out.”

She didn’t follow him, so he glanced back and found her biting her lip. “I’m pretty sure by now you realize I might not be on the usual ‘officer’ spectrum of CIA employees, assets, and agents.”

“Wanna tell me about that?”

“I’m not accustomed to…sharing.”

“Or trusting people?”

She laughed. “You might as well ask me to eat broccoli.”

“Not a fan?”

She made a face that told him enough of how she felt about broccoli.

Regardless, Adam moved closer to her. “I need you to tell me about that thing around your neck, and the phone call you needed to make.”

“I couldn’t have borrowed a phone for that call.” She didn’t look guilty over this.

“I heard you offer them the book.” He figured he may as well say it. “Giving it to the CIA in exchange for your career and your life back isn’t a bad idea. If that’s who you were talking to.”

“I don’t know who was on the other end of the line, but I can guess.”

“Not a friend of yours?”

She winced. “I was trying to talk to my father. I’m surprised it worked actually. I figured they’d have disconnected it.” She lifted the necklace over her head and held it up, the small vial thing dangling from the end of the chain. “It’s a communication device.”

“I figured that out.”

She flushed, smiling. “It’s for me to communicate with my father. I can also call for help, if I squeeze both ends.”

“Better lifeline than a phone. Even if you can only call one person.”

There was more. Just like when she’d been talking about the woman, Vesper, he got the sense she was holding back. Seemed like sharing even what she had shared was huge for her. He wanted to know everything because he needed all the information, and he was curious about her, but he wasn’t going to be pushy about it.

“You’re right. It is a lifeline.”

“Is your father all right?”

She shook her head. “There’s nothing I can do about it without finding that book.”

“I don’t think it’s here, but looking is a start.”

She glanced around. “Whatever we’re looking for, I’m not sure we’re going to find it. This place looks like a bolt hole. Is this guy with the CIA?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Come on.” She waved a hand. “His ‘home’ has all the personality of a hotel room.”

“It’s where he lived.” Adam shrugged. “Check those drawers.” He sent her to the rolltop desk in the corner, which had no cables or even a pen. Just a chrome lamp.

“Are you worried about Johannsen?”

“It’s suspicious he just up and disappeared. We’ll be home by dinner. What’s the harm in looking?” Adam didn’t need to oversell being here, but he needed to see the place with his own eyes.

“Just seems like maybe you care about him more than just some guy who hired you for a job.”

Which meant he needed to be careful. “If Johannsen is wrapped up in this, he’s in danger. That’s what you said. And if he’s in danger, then finding out what happened and where he is could provide a lead.” He turned to her. “Assuming you don’t know where to find this Vesper?”

She shook her head. “I’d love to know what happened to Doctor Warrington, but I have no way of finding him, either. Unless we somehow capture her and ask her where he is.”

Adam frowned. “Is she the one who kidnapped you in Germany?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I think it might.”

“Well, that’s too bad because I found something. The only thing in here that’s not part of someone staging the place for potential buyers.”

“You found something personal?” He wandered to her.

She had a postcard in her hand, addressed to Johannsen at this address. “Uh, that’s what I said. I found something.” She handed it over.

Maybe it was more like, he took it from her.

Kai wandered in. “You guys fighting already?” He ducked his head back down the hall. “Mom and Dad are fighting!”

Adam was gonna knock the guy into next Tuesday. “Kai⁠—”

Behind him the wall of windows in the living room blew inward. Adam slammed into Steph, tucked her under him, and rolled. She cried out, and the sound rang in his ear.

Gunfire hammered the wall above their heads.

Over the rat-tat of the rounds, he heard the whir of a drone before it swept into the apartment, along with a breeze from outside.

The drone hovered for a second, then rotated to point two pistols at them.

“Gun!” Adam scrambled up, dragging Steph with him.

She swung around, a gun in her hand, and squeezed off a series of shots. Adam reached for his weapon…

It was in her hand.

The drone sparked and the engine sputtered. It fell to the floor and shattered.

Adam said, “Wanna give me my gun back?”

Another drone flew into the room. Then a second, and a third.

“Let’s go.” She shoved him from the room. “We need to get out of here!”

TWENTY-TWO

Washington, DC

“The building is under fire.” Marina slid over to her second screen, rolling the stool along the floor of the van so she could rapid-fire type on her keyboard. “Jay and Dan called in. They’re doubling back to render aid.”

“Good.” Noah eased the earbud in. “Sure you don’t want to go with me?”

He’d rather be at an apartment complex in Zurich getting shot at than doing this, but that wasn’t the point.

Marina turned on the stool seat, rotating around until she faced him. “There are people over at his house.”

“It is Saturday afternoon. Some people entertain. They barbecue.”

Marina shuddered. “Sounds like a suburban nightmare.”

Noah said, “Are we good?”

“You’re going to sit there until I say yes, aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer that. Instead, he grabbed a Sig Sauer pistol and holstered it at the small of his back, flipping the tail of his shirt over it.

“When you were in the SEALs, did you ever think you’d be going on an op wearing cargo shorts?”

Noah figured that meant they were good. “We need answers. For all of it.”

“If your parents are involved somehow⁠—”

“If there’s a postcard, they are.”

“And if they set my cousin on that path…”

“Then it was a path that cost her life.” Noah set his forearms on his knees. “They’re going to have to answer for it, no matter what the circumstances are. They had to know how dangerous this could be, and yet they still sent her the card with those reference numbers on it. They knew what she’d be walking into.”

Marina brushed back a strand of hair, tucking it behind her ear. Blond rather than pink today because she’d washed the color out last night and let it dry wavy. It wouldn’t take much for her to look like a completely different person. “Do you think that because she’s my cousin, and I work with you…that’s why they chose her?”

Noah wondered if she would grieve for her cousin later, when she was alone, or if she simply processed loss differently. “If they did choose her because of our connection, they might’ve wanted us to put the pieces together. They may not have believed it might cost her life.”

“Then I guess that’s what we’re going to do—put the pieces together.”

“Starting with a clandestine op at an afternoon barbecue.” Noah nodded. “If you hear anything, I want an update.”

“Got it,” Marina called out. “Enjoy!”

Noah slid the van door open and climbed out with a grin on his face. He wandered down the sidewalk to the house. A wide road with mature trees shading the street and perfectly manicured lawns.

Set back from the street lined with cars, the circular drive had been turned into a parking lot for high-end vehicles—BMW, Mercedes, or Audi. He even spotted a Corvette and a Land Rover. Would’ve been a great spot to park his motorcycle if these were his people. But they weren’t.

His people wore dirty boots, work gloves, and carried a thermos of coffee out with them no matter what time of year it was. They weren’t CIA division chiefs, or even agents who ditched their twin sons and left to save the world. Who never came back and only communicated with people through vague messages and secret notes on postcards.

The home where Thomas Kraus lived with his second wife looked like an old white farmhouse, with bushes lining the front either side of the big dark wood door that were slightly overgrown. Giving it a wild appearance, like an English country cottage.

Inside the front door, kids ran down the hall, racing through the house. People had gathered in the living room and a sitting room. Music played throughout the house on what had to be a wired-in sound system with speakers in every room. Some ’70s rock song nearly everyone could sing.

Noah stepped out the back door and spotted Thomas at a table with several other older men, one of whom was the secretary of defense. A guy in a Hawaiian shirt manned the grill, built like a US Marine or Secret Service agent—probably on the White House detail. An above-ground pool was filled with kids splashing each other, and people hanging around watching.

“Were you invited?”

Noah glanced over his shoulder. Don’t like this guy. “I just need a moment with Thomas, that’s all.”

“Hmm.” The guy had a white shirt on over gray shorts and held his hands in front. One fist, the other hand holding his wrist.

“You the one collecting the cover charge for the party?”

The bouncer had a scar just above his ear, as if a bullet had skated into his hair at one point. His attention drifted to the side, then he said, “To talk to Thomas.”

Another man from the wings, dressed in black shorts and a white shirt, strode over and approached Thomas and his table of friends. To the right side of the yard, a bar had been set up under a gazebo, and the women seemed to be congregating there.

After the man bent and spoke to him for a second, Thomas got up, then motioned to the far side of him. Indicating for Noah to follow.

Behind him he heard, “Five minutes.”

Noah looked over his shoulder at the guy but didn’t respond. Not your call, bro. He followed Thomas toward a shed in the corner of the yard, tucked against the house. Facing the expanse where the grass tapered down a hill and the golf course behind his house began. A couple of women climbed into their golf cart and set off.

Thomas hit keys on a number pad at the shed door and let Noah inside. Tools lined one wall, and the center was taken up by a recliner. TV on a low sideboard. Minifridge. Air-conditioning unit. Not much room to turn around, but he could see the appeal.

“Cozy.”

“What do you want?” Thomas went to a toolbox and slid open a drawer, pulling out a bottle of whiskey and pouring two fingers into a mason jar.

“Things have become complicated.”

“Way I figure, it’s the job of Division Zero to uncomplicate things.”

“We must’ve missed that in the orientation briefing. You know, where you bring us to Langley and explain the ins and outs of the job.” Noah folded his arms. “Like how we’ll occasionally—or frequently—be asked to execute CIA operatives who have stepped out of line.”

Thomas knocked the drink back. He wore khaki shorts, and at some point had dripped BBQ sauce on the pocket of his Hawaiian shirt. “Sometimes it’s part of the job.”

“You may want to look into this one and the reason she was burned.” Jay had given Noah and Marina the state of play on Stephanie-Jo as they drove here. “Seems like it’s not that cut-and-dried.”

“Never is.”

“Who gave the order for her to steal private tech from Division Zero?”

Thomas frowned, midpouring himself another drink. “What tech?”

“A drone we were tasked with retrieving on behalf of Earthnet.”

He knocked back another. “Right. I’d heard you were doing that job. I’ll find out who gave the order.”

“Is there a kill order on her? I need to know if the CIA is targeting my team just to get to her.”

Thomas swirled what was left in his glass. “What’s going on?”

“Someone is shooting at them right now. It’s connected to the Earthnet job and a foreign asset, Vesper.”

Thomas coughed. “Stephanie-Jo is caught up in that?”

“And Division Zero.”

“Set up a meeting. We can discuss what is known and how to proceed.”

“I’ll have my assistant send you an invite.”

“I meant in person.”

Noah shook his head. “There’s no way they’ll go for that.”

Thomas studied him. “You think we’d let you walk into a trap?”

Noah had held the attention of scarier people than this guy who had socks and brown sandals on. “I think a video call has less logistics.”

“I have something for you.” Thomas pulled out a drawer in the tool box and lifted a file folder from inside. “This is a dossier. Guy used to work for us, long time ago. He was a psychologist who treated a lot of agents, counseled assets and staff at Langley.”

Noah took the file but didn’t flip it open. “Who is he really?”

“A psychologist,” Thomas said. “He knew your parents. Counseled them together and separately, which of course is privileged information. Most of it was destroyed years ago, or drives were corrupted. If you want information about them, talk to Doctor Haserford.”

Noah nodded. “One more question.”

“Shoot.”

“What is there to know about Stephanie-Jo’s father?”

Thomas set the glass down. “That’s above both of our paygrades.”

The door behind Noah opened, and Bouncer Guy said, “Time’s up. Now you leave.”

TWENTY-THREE

Zürich, Switzerland

Adam ducked his head and raced through Johannsen’s apartment. Ice appeared in the bedroom door, a pistol in one hand. He drew another and handed it to Adam, who spun and fired behind them over Steph and Kai’s heads.

She looked back as well but didn’t fire his gun. He figured he was probably never gonna get that back.

The drone behind them spun. Barrels on the back side of the drone spat small caliber rounds at them.

“Forward guns were disabled,” Kai said. “Go!”

Adam spun to the bedroom, where the thing was gonna box them in. But what other choice did they have?

Something sliced across the outside of his arm. He ducked to the side and dragged the others into the room before he shut the door. Ice fired a series of shots at the last second, stumbling back two steps right as the door slammed. Sounded like the drone hit the door, then backed off.

Adam looked at his bloody sleeve, then at Ice. “You good?”

Ice rubbed his shirt, right over his sternum. “Stings like a BB gun.” He lifted the edge of his shirt and showed Adam the bulletproof vest underneath.

Kai said, “Paranoid much.”

“Except I’m not paranoid. Because I did get shot.”

Steph said, “He has a point.”

“We need a way out.” Adam scanned the sparse bedroom, all decorated in the same white furniture, gray fabrics, and chrome accents as the rest of the flat. Steph was right—this place was completely impersonal. But with the waning light of evening casting an orange glow across the floor, it was pretty nice.

Still seemed more like a showroom.

Adam headed for the window. In front of it, a space of bare floor snagged his attention. He crouched and ran his fingers over a groove in the wood. “Tripod.”

He pulled back the sheer curtain that hung between the drapes and looked out at the river behind the building. An old barge had been anchored across the river on the far bank, some time ago. What, or who, had Johannsen been doing surveillance on?

This place wasn’t a bolt hole. It was a vantage point for gathering intelligence.

“There’s a smudge of blood in the closet.” Ice was still wincing and rubbing his sternum.

Bullets broke through the door, but the small caliber and the density of the wood meant they lost momentum quickly and didn’t hit the far wall.

All of them backed away from the door, fanning out far enough the bullets wouldn’t hit them.

“Show me the closet.” Steph headed for Ice, and both of them went to the tiny room on one side. Beside that, in the corner, was another door that led to the bathroom.

Adam rushed to it, staying out of the line of fire. Kai could handle anything that busted its way into the room.

Outside on the street, sirens became audible, the sound getting louder as local first responders arrived on the scene.

Adam scanned the bathroom and saw the window would be impossible to exit, plus going that way would lead to them dying on the pavement four stories below. He dragged out his phone and sent a message. The postcard. Johannsen’s disappearance. All of it indicated something was going on, and whatever it was they needed to know.

After he’d fired off the text, he dug out the small case with his comms earbud. With one in, he rushed out and to the closet.

“Definitely a bolt hole!” Steph’s words carried out of the small space. She pressed the back wall, and the panel pushed away from her, swinging open like a door. “Bingo.” She glanced back, her face bright with adrenaline and a smidge of victory. “Let’s go.”

Adam turned back. “Kai!”

“Right behind you.”

Ice ducked into the space behind the door. Adam said, “Get your comms in.” Then, “Steph.” When she turned, he handed her an earbud. “Put this in.”

“Marina, you copy?” The question came from Ice. “We could use an assist.”

Adam ducked into the space, considerably darker than the bright home. Two feet in front of him another wall, stacked breezeblocks, made a narrow walkway that stretched left and right. Ice and Steph were on his right now, making their way along the walkway.

“I read you,” Marina said. “But not clearly.”

“Copy that.” Adam started his shuffle down the tight space. “You have our location.”

“Jay and Dan are doubling back to assist.”

“We need a way to take out armed drones.” Preferably one that didn’t get civilians caught in the crossfire. “We should grab one so we can see who sent them to kill us.”

“They have to be nearby,” Marina said. “Maybe Ice can find their signal.”

“Sure,” Ice said. “Just as soon as one isn’t trying to kill me. Oh, and also, I left all my tech in the car.”

“Did you get shot?”

Adam’s lips curled up. Of course, Marina would immediately peg the reason that Ice was being surly.

Ice said, “Nix got shot more than me. He’s bleeding.”

“We’re all fine.” Adam didn’t need them getting derailed with things that weren’t relevant.

Steph said, “By the time we get outside, our car will probably be blocked in by the cops. It’ll be hours before they clear the scene and we can leave.”

“I’ll come back for the stuff later,” Ice said.

Adam figured that was a good call. “We need to draw the drones away from people. It was busy outside, and someone could get hurt.”

Kai ducked into the space. “You think he got out this way?”

Ice was almost to the end. Steph, next in line after him, said, “If he smudged the closet with blood, he was either injured and on the run or he was leaving a message for whoever might come after him looking to find out what happened.”

“Pretty risky move,” Adam said. “Letting everyone know where he went.”

“It was a clue, but who knows whose blood it even is.” Steph let out a tight breath.

“Did you get hit?”

She fired back, “I’m not the one bleeding.”

Adam looked down at his arm, which stung and was getting stiff. Also, now he was the one smearing blood on places, and it would be his DNA left at the scene. If anyone found this secret exit, that was.

“Stairs,” Ice called back from the end of the hallway. “I’m heading down.”

“I’m in traffic cams and building security.” Marina’s voice crackled with static. “Police are out front. The drones are too small to see on this feed, but I think there’s one hovering on each side of the building.”

“The cops will probably try to take them out,” Adam said.

“The drones will return fire.” Steph looked at him, concern on her face.

Marina said, “Steph?”

“Yes.”

“It is you.”

“It is?” Steph said.

“Nice to meet you,” Marina said.

“You, too. Though, I have no idea who you are.”

Steph turned away from Adam and reached the opening to the stairs, ducking in to follow Ice. Adam headed down the stairs after her and heard Kai behind him. The stairs were pine wood and had been crudely hammered together, descending steeply down four stories and leaving the narrow hall empty except for the shadows above them as they went down.

Had to be a hall inside the exterior wall on the side of the building. Probably a long hallway leading to apartment doors or the elevator, then a vacant space between that and the apartments themselves. With views of the street or the river behind the building, he doubted anyone realized there was a vacant space all along this side of the building. Or that it had likely been here for a hundred years.

Adam reached the bottom of the stairs and almost collided with Steph in the dark.

“Got it.” Ice twisted the handle and got the door open, swinging it wide into the mad scramble of people running. He ducked out into the crowd, and the rest of them followed.

Adam spotted a drone up in the air to their right, almost at the level of the fourth floor.

As they rushed out, the drone rotated to face them, bringing the barrels to bear on their group. With far too many people nearby to allow it to fire.

“Target practice!” Adam pointed Ice’s pistol at the drone.

Ice fired before him. Steph actually hit the drone.

He got a couple of shots to impact the body, and it started to drop. The others finished it off, and the drone crashed to the cobblestone between buildings.

Two police officers rushed around the corner.

“Anyone speak Swiss?”

Steph twisted to Adam. “It’s a collection of German dialects that vary by region. No one speaks Swiss except the Swiss. They’ll know we aren’t from here!”

Another drone flew around the building.

An older woman stumbled and fell. Ice helped her up so she could continue hurrying to the back of the building.

Two uniformed cops yelled, racing their way.

“Time to go.” Adam motioned them left toward the river. “Hustle.”

In his ear Marina said, “Go to the riverfront side of the building and turn south. In half a mile you’ll find a couple of boats moored in the water.”

“Copy.” Adam glanced around to place the sun and get his bearings, then led them through the crowd and south along the riverfront.

The buzz of a drone got louder behind him. He expected gunshots, but they didn’t come. Instead, the drone followed. Flying low over the crowd.

“We need to shoot that thing.”

“It’s herding us.” She gasped a breath, and he wondered if her feet were hurting.

“Ready, break,” Adam said. “Steph, stay with me.”

Her hand slid into his and he clasped it, glad she was on board and sticking with him. There was no time to explain the principles of the plan. Ice and Kai replied back that they copied. Adam waited until they were at the street between the next buildings and said, “Break.”

Ice and Kai dashed off to the right, racing toward the road that ran parallel to the river. They would likely break off again and go in separate directions.

Marina said, “Ice, double back and get one of those drones. Kai, the cars are clear.”

“Is my best option still the boat?” Adam kept his head on a swivel.

Steph said, “We’ll be exposed.”

“If we draw out a drone on the water, away from people, we can take it out.”

Whether she agreed or not, she kept her mouth shut.

Marina said, “The railing up ahead, there are stairs down.”

“That might be good enough.” Adam tugged Steph to go ahead of him and glanced back.

The cops were almost to them now. One lifted his pistol and fired at the drone but missed. It descended rapidly in response to the shot. Which meant whoever piloted it was close enough they could see everything, or they had cameras.

Adam crouched at the rail. His right hand shook, and pain radiated up and down his arm. He switched to his offhand and let the injured arm fall to his knee. Squeezing the trigger left-handed, he corrected his aim through the first two shots and the third hit the drone.

It didn’t go down.

In fact, it seemed more like he pissed the thing off.

It swung low, flying toward him. Adam ducked and crouch-ran down the stairs, stumbling at the bottom. The engine of a boat revved to life, Steph behind the controls. “Let’s go!”

He ran to her, jumping in half expecting to get shot any second. Again, the drone didn’t fire at them. “You’re right. It’s herding us.”

“Let’s see it try to catch up.” She shoved the power lever to max and steered them away from the dock, navigating them around another boat.

Someone yelled from the dock.

Their boat scraped the other, and Adam tried to look apologetic. The older man shook his fist at them. “We owe that guy a boat.”

Marina said, “I can find out who it’s registered to, but later.”

“Any way to remotely disable the drone?” Adam watched it lower, following them about fifteen feet above the end of the boat. Like a wild animal, staring at them. About to pounce. “I wanna shoot it, but we’ll never fish it out of this river.”

Wind buffeted his clothes as they picked up speed.

He held on to the rail.

“I vote you destroy it anyway,” Steph said. “That thing will kill us.”

“Or you’ll move out of range of whoever is controlling it,” Marina countered.

Ice jumped in. “Drone retrieved.”

“I got the car,” Kai said. “I’m picking up Ice.”

“Jay and Dan can grab Steph and Adam.” Marina paused. “I’ll find you a place to dock, and they’ll pick you up.”

“Thanks.” Adam turned to Steph and caught the shift in her demeanor. “What⁠—”

She swung the boat around in an arc, cutting a wide swath across the river, in front of a dinner cruise boat. When everyone on deck yelled at her and the boat horn blasted, she waved her apologies.

“Where are we going?”

“To confront whoever is controlling these drones.” She pointed to a rusty ship moored on the far side of the river that looked like it hadn’t moved in years. The same ship that might’ve been what Johannsen was looking at from his apartment.

The drone lowered, firing at them. Following the arc of their trajectory.

“It thinks we’re going the wrong way.” Adam used the last rounds in his magazine, but he took the drone out. It splashed down, dead in the water. He got a fresh magazine from the pouch beside his holster and switched them out. “You’re sure about this?”

She pointed at the rusty ship. “Look at the antennas. And that satellite? Out of place.”

“Take us in, Skipper.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Steph powered down the boat, slowing their approach, but there was no way to come in close to the barge without bumping it and alerting everyone inside that they were here. Redbrick warehouses with smashed windows lined the bank on this side, and the boardwalk was deserted. Across the river, chaos still reigned as people ran from the scene even though the drones had been destroyed.

“We need to approach with a little more stealth.”

Steph glanced at Adam. “Yeah, I know.”

“So you have a plan?”

She eased up to the bank on this side of the river. Not the promenade of the opposite side, over here was far more industrial. “I’m accustomed to coming up with one on my own, yes.” She slowed to a stop.

“Not exactly what I asked, but fair enough.” Adam jumped from the boat.

Steph thought she heard someone chuckling over the comms channel in her earbud. She stuffed it in her pocket, shut off the boat, and followed Adam, clasping his hand when he offered it to her to aid her off the boat. When she let go of his hand and drew his gun from the back of her waistband, she realized he hadn’t moved. “We should go.”

He nodded, then turned away. Leaving whatever he’d been thinking unsaid, and the space between them full of too many secrets.

After his reaction to that postcard, she knew he was hiding something. Probably as many things as her.

Steph had to admit the guy was intriguing. She wouldn’t mind getting to know him, hearing his story. Sitting on lawn chairs at the castle with a cold drink, talking the day away. But the dreamlike quality of that idea told her everything she needed to know. It needed to stay an idea when there was far too much for her to focus on—like rectifying the situation with her father.

Which meant finding that book.

Two men approached from the far side of the boat, coming around the corner of a warehouse with a lot of smashed windows. Dan, who’d come to Switzerland with them, and the other guy who’d shown up in Syria, Jay. Both had wide, thick shoulders, where Adam was leaner and a couple of inches taller.

All of them were the kind of warriors who lived with shadows in their eyes and yet still maintained the ability to set that aside and work as a team. Their respect for one another was obvious, as was the natural way they let Adam set the tone—and make the final call.

Jay handed Steph a vest, which she lowered over her head at the same time as Adam, who put on the one Dan gave him. “Extra magazines.”

Steph said, “Thanks.”

“Let’s go.” Adam took the lead, and they jogged up the gangway to the ship, yet another reason why she didn’t think this thing was deserted. Just the deck at least, and the pilot house that looked down on them from the central tower.

The boat seemed bigger from here. And a little too quiet.

Adam found a door on the back side of the central tower and kicked it open. His boots pounded each stairstep on his descent. Steph turned, taking the steep set of stairs facing the rungs so she could move fast and watch his back on the way down.

Through the rungs she spied a long corridor with multiple doors on either side. “It’s going to take forever to clear this whole place.” She hopped off the bottom stair and turned to Adam, who had waited for her to catch up.

He headed down the hall. Gun up in front of him, shoulders squared. He moved in a way that told her he’d been doing this for so long it had become natural. Operating for him was like putting on a second skin. He probably struggled with shrugging it off. Someone like Kai, with his more relaxed demeanor, likely helped them all cut loose a little and blow off steam.

In a sense, she would never be part of a group like this. Not without changing what they were into something new. For the sake of giving up her independence? Steph wasn’t sure she was prepared for that kind of an exchange, even if she wouldn’t mind living in a castle and working with a team.

“On your left.” Jay eased up beside her in the narrow hall and took the left fork into another corridor that bisected this one.

To her right, a man crossed the end down that way. Steph instantly recognized him and took off running. The guys called after her, but they had a job to do and so did she—and despite Kai’s crack about “Mom and Dad,” none of them needed to get used to her being part of their unit.

The door had been left ajar.

Steph went in, gun first. “Sebastian.”

When she entered, he sat at a desk, a frown creasing his brow. The guy had to weigh thirty pounds less than the last time she’d seen him, and he’d grown a beard. The clothes he wore, a pair of jeans and a gray cotton shirt, seemed grimy.

He looked over at her through bloodshot eyes. “Stephanie.”

“I’ve been looking for you.” Steph shook her head. “You were thrown out of a van in Germany.”

“That was just a decoy.” He shook his head, easing back in his chair as if trying to escape but unable to make much progress in his aim. “You shouldn’t have come.”

She crossed the sparsely furnished room, probably reserved as the captain’s quarters when the ship was in service. Now the shelves were broken, books had tumbled into a heap at the bottom of the bookcase, and the seams of the couch were coming apart. Apparently, someone had destroyed the coffee table’s glass top but had cleaned up, leaving only the frame.

Steph went to the desk and crouched by the corner so she could see his face. He looked at the gun in her hand and winced. She spotted a web of scars on his neck, above the shirt collar. “Sebastian, let’s get out of here.”

“I can’t leave.”

“It might seem like that, but you can. We can go together. I’ll take you back to your family.”

He shook his head. “They’re dead, and no. I can’t leave.” He pulled up his pant leg so she could see the tracking device on his ankle. “If I step off the ship, this thing will kill me.”

Steph set the gun on the floor and took a look at it. “Are you sure it’s not just a tracker, like an ankle monitor?” If they’d lied to him about his family, then they’d probably lied about a lot of things.

He tucked his leg back under the desk. “I have a lot of work to do.”

“What are you working on?” She went to the window and looked out, running her thumb across the grip of the gun. Thinking. Needing him to talk while she figured out what this was. “Are you controlling the drones outside? They’re hurting people, Sebastian. I know that’s not what you do. It isn’t something you’d ever be a part of.”

“We’ll be getting underway soon, so I’m sure you’ll be here long enough to see what they have downstairs. It’s amazing really.”

Steph turned back and spotted Dan at the door, his back to her. Standing guard. She thought about putting her earbud back in but wasn’t used to working with constant chatter, and the conversation was a distraction she didn’t need right now. “Sebastian, who are you working for?”

It would take time to convince him to go with her. Faster probably to knock him out and have Dan carry the doctor over his shoulder, off the ship.

The distant sound of gunfire on board told her that Jay and Adam had met resistance.

She faced Sebastian. “Will they come back?”

He shook his head. “They only come to bring me meals. Other than that, they leave me to my work.” His tone indicated she should do the same.

“So we have time for you to explain this to me.”

A shadow crossed his expression. “I’m sorry, but I’m unable to do that.”

Steph went to the door. “Dan.”

He turned just slightly, only a fraction to let her know that he was listening—and watching the hall. “We need to go search downstairs.”

“It’ll take too long to unscramble what he believes.” For all she knew, whoever took Sebastian had tortured him for days before bringing him here. “We need to subdue him and get out of here.”

She’d spent weeks talking to him, cultivating the asset. Now she had swooped in and undone all that work, leaving him with no free will and even less hope that his situation would ever change. Later she could cry over the unfairness of it, but that sentiment had no place in the job she did. This had to be Vesper’s doing.

Steph said, “Sebastian, you can’t stay. We have to get out of here.”

Dan turned to her, stepping into the room. “Okay, here’s what⁠—”

His eyes widened. Steph spun, but it was too late. Sebastian snatched the gun from her hand. She tried to keep hold of it and wound up in a tangle that twisted her index finger. She wasn’t sure who squeezed the trigger, but it went off, the barrel angled to the underside of Sebastian’s chin.

His head flung back, and he fell to the threadbare carpet, dragging her with him. His life splashed around him. His eyes were unseeing now, and his heart would eventually be cold. He would never know that his family were alive and waiting for him.

Steph let out a cry.

Dan wrapped one arm around her waist and dragged her back, tucking her against the wall beside the door. He spoke, but she didn’t understand the words.

She wasn’t supposed to care about assets. But then, every rule they’d taught her she wore like ill-fitting clothes. All of it not quite right. A bargain she’d never wanted, and a life she had to live regardless.

Maybe it was just her that didn’t fit.

Dan jostled her against the wall. “Put your comms earbud back in.”

Steph did as he ordered, trying not to look at the body on the floor. She dug in her pocket, stuck the earbud in, and broke away from Dan.

“…almost there.” That was Ice.

“Wherever here is,” Adam replied. “I’m heading down to a lower level, but it’s sealed with a polycarbonate door and a keypad. Looks like a lab.”

“I’m almost to the bridge,” Jay said. “I haven’t seen the woman, Vesper. So far it’s been just men. The kind who work for whoever is willing to pay them, and they’ll do it without asking questions.”

“Same here,” Adam said. “But there are scientists down here. The lab is bigger than the size of this ship. It has to be bigger below the water.”

Marina came on. “The boat is registered to an LLC out of Greece. No connection to anyone we know, but it’ll take me some digging. See if you can figure out what’s down there.”

Steph rustled through the pages and pages of technical papers on the desk while gunshots echoed to her from somewhere else. Scanning hand-drawn diagrams and notations Sebastian had made in the margins of a report about network connectivity of something called Polaris. She looked at the computer screen, scrubbing her hands across her cheeks. “They were holding Doctor Warrington here, and he was working on something. He killed himself.” Her breath hitched. “Whoever is behind this, they built this place under everyone’s noses. How is something like that even possible?”

“We’re all really sorry—” Adam’s sentiment cut off as more gunshots rang from elsewhere on the ship.

Dan swung out of the room and fired two shots down the hallway.

Steph scanned the papers and what was on the screen. “I’ll bring all this with me. It’s some pretty advanced computing. Maybe you can make sense of it, Marina.”

Dan appeared back in the doorway.

“I’m on the bridge,” Jay said. “There’s no one else up here and no sign of Vesper. I don’t think she’s on board. If she ever was.”

Adam didn’t respond. Silence filled the comms channel.

“Nix?” Kai, maybe. “You read us, Phoenix?”

“I read you.” Adam coughed. “I’m good. I’m through the lab door, but the scientists scattered.”

Marina said, “Steph, is that computer connected to the internet?”

She checked the desktop. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“Probably intentionally air-gapped.” Marina paused. “Does one of you have a flash drive?”

Marina’s question got a few scattered answers.

Steph checked the desk drawers and found only a couple of paperclips and a broken pencil. “Nothing here.”

“Grab what you can. It’s time to go.” Dan switched sides, leaning against the wall on the far side of the doorway.

Steph gathered up papers and followed him out the door.

“On our way to the bridge,” Dan said. “Unless you need help, Nix?”

Adam didn’t respond.

“Is someone coming?” Steph glanced back over her shoulder, but the hallway was clear.

She had the gun, and an armful of papers, but there would be no rescuing an asset today. Sebastian had taken his own life because he’d believed it was the only power he had left. The only control he had left to exercise over what happened to him next.

“Don’t like it.” Dan glanced both ways down a connecting hall. “Something is off.”

“Is that like intuition?”

“You could call it that. Some folks call it discernment.” Dan ducked to avoid the bulkhead and stepped through a doorway. “I choose to follow the Lord and yield my life to Him. In return, He provides me with wisdom. Strength. Everything I need to not just survive this world but to find some peace.”

“I think Sebastian could’ve used some of that.” As for her, nothing could alter the course of her life. Not even the God she had prayed to, a long time ago. One she had lost faith in.

After all, nothing ever changed.

Dan reached a set of stairs. “I’m going down to the lab to back up Nix. You head up and get to the bridge.”

Over the comms, she heard, “Coming aboard now.” Ice paused for a few long seconds. “Nix, you read?”

Adam never responded.

Steph wanted to know what had happened in the lab, but she’d agreed to Dan’s plan of him going down and her going up.

Being belowdecks did feel a little like being trapped, and she wanted air.

Steph raced up the set of stairs to the main deck, where night had fallen outside. The clouds in the sky reflected the city lights back, reassuring her with the close proximity of aid if they needed it. But how would they explain their presence here?

“Jay, how do I get to the bridge?” Steph heard something behind her and turned.

A dark figure rushed at her, and the tackle sent her to the deck. Hard. Pain eclipsed everything and the weight of the other person settled on her. Fingers grasped her neck. The papers scattered, and the gun slipped from her grip.

“You got away once,” a woman said. “That won’t happen again.”

Steph brought her hands up between her assailant’s arms and shoved them out, dislodging the hold on her neck. She rolled, pinning the person with her legs.

An elbow swung out and hit her in the side of the head, and then she was flat on her back again. The woman’s face swam in front of her.

Vesper.

Steph heard a crackling sound, then everything flipped like a switch. Lightning ignited her body, and she felt her head loll to the side. Her arms and legs tingled.

Stun gun. A second later she was facedown on the deck. Then she was moving, being dragged. She tried to get control of her limbs, but nothing would cooperate. Whatever kind of stun gun that was, she’d never felt like this before. Her head banged something hard. She cried out, but it was only a gurgle. She reached with her fingers and tried to grasp hold of something, anything that would halt her movements.

Her body rolled up and over and then she was falling through the air.

Steph hit the water with a splash.

TWENTY-FIVE

Adam stared the old man in the face for a long second before the guy turned and hurried out of the room. He knew that face. Had seen it somewhere, but he just couldn’t put together where he’d seen the guy before.

Not when…

Adam stumbled back and sat hard on the white tile. He looked down at his hands, covered in blood. Looked at the knife discarded on the floor where it had fallen after the old man swiped out and cut him.

The door had slid closed. He’d thought the old man was another captive, until the first slash of the knife. Turned out he was the captor. Now he was gone.

This whole space was wider than the boat upstairs. A single-story lab under the surface of the water, with rows of counters across the room, cabinets on the far wall, TVs above them with constellation maps on the screens. Data and lines of code he couldn’t read from this distance. Windows to the right that let him see the dark waters that surrounded this structure.

Adam’s whole body shuddered, and he looked at the horizontal slashes across his torso. Hissed out a breath between clenched teeth. Get up. But he didn’t. Not just yet.

They’d come aboard this boat to look around and find the person controlling those drones. Instead, a man was dead by his own hand and Adam was bleeding all over his shirt.

Adam slid across the floor, leaving a trail of blood where he set his hand down to brace himself, but made it to his earbud. He stuck it back in. “Who copies?”

“Dan. I’m almost to you.”

A second later someone slammed on the sliding door behind him. He twisted around, which hurt, and spied Dan. His buddy tried the door. Hammered on the thick glass with the butt of his pistol, then fired at the locking mechanism. “This thing won’t open!”

Adam said, “What’s going on upstairs? Someone give me a sit rep. I’ll see what I can get from this lab.”

“Your girl tussled with Vesper,” Jay said. “At least, I think it was her. She went overboard into the water. Vesper has a rigid inflatable boat, and her guys are fishing Steph out of the water, but I don’t think she wants to go. I’m rendering aid.”

“As am I,” Ice said, his tone deadly and determined.

Dan hammered on the door. “Adam is hurt.”

He wanted to argue with that assessment, and he would. Just as soon as the shock wore off.

Adam managed to stand, trying to bite back the urge to cry out and have everyone hear him. “He caught me off guard.”

“Who?” Dan asked. “Where is he?”

“It’ll come to me.” He grabbed a rolling stool and used it to stay upright, sitting on the seat and rolling himself over to a computer terminal. Across the room was another door.

“Is he in there with you?” Dan demanded.

“He fled.”

“I’ll try to find another entry.” Dan rushed away from the sliding door.

Adam frowned at the monitors on the wall, trying not to think about the three long slashes from that razor-sharp blade. “Marina, what’s Polaris?”

“I want a sitrep from you first.” She sounded worried.

“He cut me across the chest a couple times. It isn’t deep, but it stings.” As long as Adam stayed sitting at this angle, Dan wouldn’t see the blood and freak everyone else out. “Later, get into the Kremlin’s computer system and get me an image of every former Spetsnaz… No that isn’t right. Why am I thinking about Earthnet and the guy who runs it?”

“The billionaire guy? He’s the one crazy about rockets.”

Adam winced. “And drones, I guess. And underwater labs.”

“He stabbed you?” Dan asked, but Adam couldn’t see him through the window.

“What about the billionaire?” Marina asked.

“I’ll figure it out. Just as soon as my head stops spinning.”

In his ear, Marina said, “Was there something on the blade that cut you? Like poison?”

“I hope not. I don’t have time for that.” Adam hammered the Enter key on the computer terminal. “I need a way to get into this system.”

The screen didn’t turn on, but the webcam lit up. “Someone is watching me,” he muttered. “Jay, did you get to Steph?”

“Working on it,” Jay said. “But Vesper is still on the ship.”

“Why would she be here, and the head of Earthnet is here?” Adam wasn’t sure that made sense. The world was starting to tip to the side, and he wasn’t sure he could keep it all upright. “Should’ve called me Atlas,” he muttered.

Dan said, “Okay, so the head of Earthnet was holding Doctor Warrington hostage, and Vesper is here. Has to be so she can rescue the guy, right? Too bad he shot himself. That, or she’s here to…” His voice trailed off. “Kai, find her before she does something crazy.”

“Like record a TikTok video on the lido deck?”

“No,” Dan said. “More like blow this whole ship sky-high.”

“Yeah, that would be crazy.” Kai almost sounded serious. “On it.”

“Adam, come over here and try the door from your side. See if you can get out.”

He looked at Dan through the glass. “We need to get into the system.” That wasn’t the right word. “Their network.” That was it. “Find out what this lab is, and what’s Polaris.”

“Buddy, you’re bleeding. I need you to wheel that stool over here, and we can open the door,” Dan said. “It’s time to go, and there’s no other way in.”

“Marina can get into the Polaris system.” He shifted, and pain lanced through his chest. “I can’t believe he caught me by surprise.”

The world blurred around him. He leaned his elbows on the countertop. “What am I working on?”

“We’ll figure it out together.” Dan sounded almost sad. “Help me get the door open, Phoenix.”

That name.

The sound of it echoed through him, busting through the confusion like a figure emerging from the smoke. “Sometimes I think about quitting and fighting wildfires instead of bad guys.”

“Phoenix.”

“Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

Adam glanced over at the glass. “Look at me.”

Dan shook his head. “Doesn’t matter how good you are, there’s always someone in the world who is better. That’s why we’re a team.”

Adam stared at the computer, trying to remember what he was doing. “Is Steph out of the water yet?” If he looked out the windows, would he see her floating in the river like that dead doctor? He could…

His thoughts stuttered, and the screen drew his attention. A flashing cursor.

“Identity confirmed. Adam Russell Helton. Deceased.” The electronic voice was so loud it was probably audible over the comms channel.

“Yeah, we know that.” Adam watched his biographical details scroll across the page, followed by the timeline of his military service—including some missions that were so classified there should be no record of them. The final lines detailed how he had been killed in action.

More cursor blinking.

Then he saw more reports flash across the screen, signed by Colonel Alan Montrose.

Adam shuddered.

Page after page scrolled left. Then it shifted to psychology reports about a patient, John Smithson. Lengthy reports on his mental condition.

A notice that the patient had escaped.

Death certificates for the nurse, orderly, and the doctor who’d written those reports. Statements from hospital security, addressed to Colonel Montrose.

The screen went black.

Adam tried to absorb the fact he’d just seen the destruction of his entire life flash across the screen.

Cursor blinking.

“Conclusion: the Lazarus Protocol.”

“Adam, listen to me. You need to come over here and help me open the door. You’re bleeding on the floor, buddy.”

He stared at those two words on the screen.

“Later we can talk about what the Lazarus Protocol is,” Marina said. “Because I’d like to know.”

No one else responded.

Adam needed them all to focus on the mission. “Where’s Steph?”

“Communication detected.”

“Whoa.” Marina dragged the word out. “My whole system just flickered. I think there’s a worm that… What? This makes no…oh, no you don’t.” The comms channel crackled with static. “There’s a worm in my system. Gotta go.”

Adam couldn’t take his gaze from those two words. “The Lazarus Protocol.”

“Whatever it is can wait, Phoenix.” Dan’s tone drew his attention to the glass, where he watched his buddy. “Hey, there you are. Can you help me get the door open? Adam!”

The pain in his chest had turned to a heat that gathered steam now, blossoming in a way that didn’t feel good. “What’s going on?”

“We have Steph,” Ice said. “All good up here. I’m coming to you now, Dan. I’ll bring something to open the door.”

“Copy that,” Dan replied. “Hurry, because he’s fading.”

Adam blinked at his friend. “No one is supposed to know what it is.”

“Whatever you’re worried about doesn’t matter right now.”

Adam touched a hand to his chest, his fingers sliding through the blood. “What did he do to me?”

“He messed with your head, but we aren’t going to let that lay you low. We’re gonna get you out of there. Okay?”

Adam shook his head but didn’t know what to say. “Where’s Kyle?”

Dan said, “Who is Kyle?”

“I’m not supposed to say.”

Ice appeared beside Dan, biting off a curse. “That doesn’t look good.”

“There has to have been something on the knife. He’s been poisoned. He’s acting loopy.” Dan turned to Ice. “Can you get him out of there?”

“Always know you will.”

Dan looked over at Adam. “What’s that?”

“Get me out. All of you. ’Cause you’re my brothers.”

“You know it.” Dan nodded.

“That’s why I can’t tell you. Ash can’t tell you.”

Ice said, “Any idea what he’s talking about?”

Dan shook his head, maybe. Adam’s vision was blurry now. “The Lazarus Protocol.” Adam didn’t say more, because he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone what it was, how it worked, or how they’d saved his life and given him a fresh start that let him keep doing what he did best.

They wouldn’t understand.

More people stood at the glass. All of them staring at Adam.

“You should go. I’ll be okay.” The exhale flared hot pain in his chest. “I usually am.”

“Blow the door,” Steph said. “Do it now.”

Jay said, “Kai, status.”

“Found an explosive device in the hold of the ship. It’s behind the engine room,” Kai said. “I’m working on disarming it.”

“Coming to you,” Jay said.

Good idea. “That sounds bad.” Adam nodded. “You guys should…do stuff.” His upper body tipped forward, but he caught himself.

“He’s fading.”

Adam grinned. “You worried about me, Steph?”

Ice said, “We need to get all of us off this ship before a bomb goes off.”

“Today wasn’t a good day.” Adam shook his head. “Didn’t think it would go this bad.”

His face smashed something hard and cold. He blinked and heard them yelling in his ear.

“Guys.” Adam couldn’t lift his head. He wasn’t even sure that word had come out of his mouth, so he tried again, “Guys.”

A pop cracked off like a firework in the room. He didn’t have the strength to see what it was. “Probably that old man with his poison knife again, back to finish me off.”

“Sorry, just us.” Steph rolled him to his back.

Adam stared up at her face. “You’re prettier.”

“I bet you say that to all the CIA agents you meet. Former ones.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Not your fault I was burned. We’ll fix it.” She moved out of her spot, replaced by Dan.

“Not as pretty.”

Dan stuck a needle in Adam’s upper arm.

“Ouch.”

“We’re moving, and it’s gonna hurt. You go to sleep.”

“’Kay.” Adam’s eyes drooped closed and everything went black.

Steph backed up, completely soaked but barely cognizant of that fact. Adam had blood all over the front of his shirt, the shallow cuts bleeding profusely. The way he’d been acting indicated there had definitely been something on that knife.

Her mind wanted to catalogue the poisons she knew of, and their symptoms and treatments. Something like this was old-school spy craft.

Dan folded Adam on his shoulder and stood.

“I’ll hold the doors.” She raced ahead of them. “Kai, we need an update. Jay? What’s the situation with the bomb?”

Could they get the bomb back down here, into this lab? Surely, the density of the glass, and the fact the room could be air pressurized, meant that it might also protect the city from a portion of the blast.

“This is Jay. I’m in the hold, but Kai isn’t here.”

Steph frowned but didn’t stop moving. “And the bomb?”

Jay stayed quiet for a second, then said, “I don’t see a bomb. I don’t see anything that shouldn’t be here.”

“We’re working our way on deck.” Ice paused. “Is this thing gonna blow or not?”

“There’s no bomb here,” Jay said.

“Then why did Kai say that!” Ice ran up the stairs.

“When I catch up to the van I just saw them throw him in, I’ll ask!”

TWENTY-SIX

One hour south of Zürich

“You still see them?”

Ice nodded, gripping the steering wheel. “Did you get all that?”

Steph looked at the tablet on her lap. Never mind that she’d asked him for an update on their pursuit. The van up ahead that had both Vesper and Kai in it that they’d found and managed to follow from the ship. “I got it.”

“Press Enter.”

She watched the circle that popped up swirl around. “It’s processing.” A few long seconds later, it finished. “No signal.”

Ice bit off a curse in Russian.

“So then don’t lose them, all right? We don’t need the tracker to get him back.”

“He could be dead before we catch up.”

“If she wanted him dead,” Steph said, “she would’ve killed him on the boat.”

“I just don’t get why he said there was a bomb when there wasn’t.”

She’d been thinking about that. “What if it wasn’t him, it was just made to sound like him?”

Ice gave her a quick glance. “Who else would it be?”

“Whatever program Adam was looking at. The one that wormed its way into Marina’s system. Polaris.” But Vesper hated AI, so why use it to mimic a man’s voice? It could have been the same program, but run by those who set up that lab. But why? To see what they would do, and learn from their actions?

Ice glanced over. “You know something we need to know?”

As if she was going to just tell him. Steph was more interested in how she managed to get here, speeding down the highway south, toward Italy. “What are we going to do when we get to the border?”

“You have your passport, right?”

She glanced at him. “Was that your idea of a joke?”

“One hurdle at a time.” He cracked a smile. “How ’bout we catch up before the Italian border and get my friend back?”

“Fine by me.”

Ice pressed his foot harder on the gas pedal and she felt the car speed up. “Tell me about Polaris.”

“Adam asked what it was, and that got me wondering, because it could be the system he was looking at.”

“Okay, so we assume Polaris is…what? Some kind of artificial intelligence?”

Steph shrugged. “Maybe it’s the same AI program that learned from what happened at the server farm.” They’d told her all about that. “And who is Kyle?”

“No idea.” Ice rapidly changed lanes.

Steph shifted in her seat, which just reminded her she was still soaked. The heat coming out of the car vents on her side wasn’t going to do much to warm her, but it was better than being wet and shivering.

She dipped her head to the tablet and looked up the CEO of Earthnet while Ice worked to catch up to the van. He’d made it to the deck in time to see two men and Vesper shove an unconscious Kai into the back of their van.

She got the feeling Ice wasn’t ever going to quit chasing the van. Regardless of national borders, or the potential to get caught by local law enforcement for exceeding posted speeds. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who cared about that in the face of losing his buddy—his brother.

The CIA had sent their new Division Zero team to retrieve her when she’d been captured. Getting to know them only showed her what she didn’t have and never would. Her life was about doing her job and keeping the agreement she’d made with the CIA that kept her father alive. He would never be free, but what he’d had before she was burned was far preferable to the situation now.

One she had to rectify.

Steph needed to find that book, but that mission would come after this one was completed.

She reached up and curled her fingers around the vial on her necklace, because it made her feel close to her father. Right now, it was all she had.

Ice changed lanes again, closing the gap between them and the white box van in front. “Why would she take Kai?”

Steph figured he didn’t need a lecture about how sometimes things happened in life and there was no explanation that would satisfy. Instead, she said, “She’ll hit you where it hurts. Vesper is ruthless, and if she wants something to happen, she won’t quit until it does.”

“Sound like personal experience.”

She watched as they passed a red Fiat, going slow. “It doesn’t matter how I know.”

“What does matter?” Ice shrugged. “Like this Lazarus Protocol thing.”

“You think I know about that?”

“I think you know a lot, but what you’ll actually tell me is different.”

Steph eyed him. “And?”

He didn’t respond to that.

“I’m not part of your team, and I never agreed to full disclosure.”

“And yet you’re in this car with me, helping me go after my friend.”

“The others needed to focus on helping Adam. Besides, I’m no good with medical stuff.”

“Or it’s too real to see someone you might care about hurt, or incapacitated.”

“Sounds like personal experience,” she shot back.

Ice almost smiled.

“So we agree.”

“Fine,” he said. “We’re here because we’re better at this than feeling helpless when someone’s hurt.”

“Works for me.”

He glanced over at her. “What do you know about the Lazarus Protocol?”

“Not much,” she said. “Most people in the intelligence community think it’s a myth. Like some old-school spy craft kind of…” Huh. Not the first time she’d thought that today. Before it had been about poisons. “Nothing about this adds up to anything that makes sense.”

“Yet,” he said. “Do you plan to let it go and walk away?”

“Not if I want to get my life back.”

“Then we’ll figure it out. So start with what you do know,” Ice said. “It’s a myth?”

Steph nodded. “A way forward for someone who has been compromised to such an extent they have to fake their death. Special Forces, tier one type guys. Intelligence assets. Traitors. The rumor is, you don’t contact them, they contact you. Like they just know that you need to fake your death and get a new ID.”

“Wouldn’t work for you, right?”

“Not really. Though, I haven’t been contacted.” She bounced one knee up and down. “Someone like Adam? I don’t know what he was into before he was declared dead, but there’s got to be a reason he seems to know what it is.”

“That old guy in the lab was probably going to question him about why he was there, but then he realized the whole team was on board.”

“And Vesper,” she said. “But where did he go?”

“I don’t like not going after the guy who cut Adam any more than you do, but our team is the priority.” Ice changed lanes again, right behind the van now. “Hold up the tablet.”

“You guys really have trackers?”

“Assuming he has his comms earbud on him, we should be able to determine if he’s in there,” Ice said. “And if it’s functional, we can switch it on remotely and listen to what’s going on inside the van.” He glanced over. “Isn’t that how your necklace works?”

“Nope. It only activates from my end. They can’t use it to track me unless I turn it on.” She lifted the tablet like she was about to take a picture with the device’s camera. “That’s impressive tech the CIA would probably be interested in.”

“Then they should make me an offer,” Ice said.

“It’s scanning.”

“The tablet uses satellites that belong to a range of companies, and countries, and bounces off different ones so it’s untraceable.”

“He’s in there.”

“We knew that.”

Steph said, “Let me try and⁠—”

The rear door of the van swung open, and a man in black with a black ski mask clung to a handle with one arm and lifted a rifle, pointing it at them.

“If I swerve, they’ll hit⁠—”

Bullets spat from the rifle and hammered into the hood.

“—whoever is behind me.”

She dropped the tablet between her feet and grabbed the pistol she’d borrowed from Adam. “If you don’t, they’ll hit us!”

She hit the button on the window, and it descended excruciatingly slowly. Not the time to wish for a handle to wind it down, but there it was.

The windshield cracked, and the popping sound of gunfire got louder.

Around them, horns honked and people swerved to get out of the way. She heard brakes squeal and the unmistakable crunch of metal as two vehicles crashed into each other.

Steph stuck her gun hand out the window, and Ice yelled, “Don’t hit Kai!”

As if she would? Even under duress she had better aim than that. She squeezed off a series of rounds and hit the shooter in the shoulder, causing him to fall back into the van, where he landed on Kai. The Division Zero team member lay unmoving, and she had a great view of the soles of his boots but not much else.

Another guy in black with a ski mask took the shooter’s place.

Steph didn’t let him bring his gun up. She nailed him in the chest, and on the side of his neck. Blood sprayed out. He fell forward, hitting the hood of the car before they bumped over him. Her forearm slammed on the open window.

“You good?”

She hissed. “Yes.”

In the open door, she spotted Vesper. Steph fired two shots in the woman’s direction, certain that whatever happened next, later she would wish she’d reacted fast. So she did.

The shots missed her target, who lifted Kai and put a gun to his head. Vesper had to hold his chin to keep his head up. Kai’s eyes were closed. He had no idea he was being used as a bargaining chip.

Ice yelled, “Don’t hit Kai!”

“Back off, or she’ll kill him.”

Vesper had to have read Steph’s lips, because she nodded slowly.

“Back off, Ice.”

He let out a cry of frustration and eased off the gas. Behind them on this stretch of busy motorway, flashing lights and sirens could be heard.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

“Live to fight another day? That’s all you’ve got?”

Steph’s fingers flexed on the gun. “You’ve got the comms tracker. That’s going to be enough.”

“We can’t find him unless we’re in range.”

“Right now, we need to get out of range of these cops coming up fast behind us, or we’ll end up going to prison in a foreign country and starting an international incident.”

“Nah, we’ll be shivved before that. Both of us have enough enemies.”

“So let’s not get caught!”

Ice hit the gas again, and they sped up to the van—both vehicles already going at blistering speeds. He rammed the van.

“What are you doing?!”

The van swerved, and Ice fought to keep the car straight and not lose control. Vesper shook her head, but she didn’t kill Kai. Thankfully.

“That was reckless. She won’t hesitate to kill him.” Steph was careful not to move her lips enough and give away what she was saying.

Ice did the same. “She wants him alive. Now we know for sure. She isn’t going to kill him.” Then louder he said, “Hold on.”

Ice swerved across three lanes, cut off a small SUV pulling a camping trailer, and just made it to the off ramp. Leaving a spread of honking horns behind them, he hit the brakes and eased to the end, where they had to wait for the light to turn green.

She glanced over. “Live to fight another day?”

“I don’t like that option any more than you do. But we have no choice. The question is, why did she take him?”

“Because she knows you’ll do whatever she demands in order to get him back.” Steph blew out a breath. “And after that, she knows exactly how far you’re willing to go.”

Ice turned into the flow of traffic heading for a town with a tall redbrick church in the center. “What I want to know is why she looks like you. Not a lot, but there’s a noticeable similarity in your features.”

Twisting around to look out the back window, Steph saw local first responders stream by on the motorway. She waited until she could be certain they hadn’t been followed before she faced front again.

“Steph?”

“Vesper is my half-sister.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Raleigh, North Carolina

“I’m gonna have to purge my whole system and reboot.” Marina sat back in the passenger seat, running her hands through her hair, and stared at the laptop on her knees.

Noah looked over at her. The traffic around them wasn’t going anywhere at this time of the morning. “Anything I can do to help?”

She shook her head. “I’d rather be back in Idaho. My setup there is more robust, but if this program had gotten into that system?” She blew out a breath. “That whole setup would have been toast.”

“You work on separate networks?”

“Want me to explain it?”

He half smiled. “I’m good.”

“I compartmentalize what I use to connect with the team, and we have our data spread across multiple servers that don’t talk to each other. That way no one gets all of it. They’d have to hack each separate server. It’s a longwinded way for me to work, but it’s more secure.”

“Good to know.”

She slammed the laptop down and lifted her phone out of the cupholder. “Dan has Adam back at the castle. He’s gonna get him stitched up. Ice and Steph went after Kai, but they haven’t checked in yet.”

Noah glanced at the GPS map on the dash screen. Forty minutes, and they’d be at the house—the last known residence of Matthew Haserford. He’d studied the file Division Chief Kraus gave him cover to cover, and there wasn’t much there beyond a basic dossier. The guy was a CIA psychologist for years. Since Noah didn’t even know if his parents really had been agents, he wasn’t even sure they’d known each other professionally.

They could’ve been neighbors, or Matthew Haserford could’ve been his father’s college roommate. Noah intended to find out which it was.

Marina glanced over from her phone. “Did you tell your brother we’re going to see this guy?”

Noah shook his head. “If I find out anything, I’ll pass it to Caleb. But it could turn out to be a wasted trip, so there’s no point getting his hopes up.”

“He didn’t seem as interested in finding them as you are.”

“He hides it well, but he doesn’t want Tessa to get her heart broken. She wants a big family. Grandparents for their baby, not just her dad and Pops, but whoever she can pull together.”

“I like that for her.”

Noah heard an almost sad note in her tone. “We’ve worked together nearly seven years now. I don’t think I know anything about your family.”

Marina put her laptop on the back seat and grabbed the paper cup of coffee from the cupholder, sipping it even though it was probably cold by now. Noah’s was long gone, and he was ready for another.

“What’s to know?” she said. “My parents live in Key West. My cousin was killed in a suspicious accident. I don’t have siblings.”

“Do you get to see your parents much?”

“I’d have to want to see them.” She sighed. “They aren’t bad people, they just like their life. Soon as I moved out for college, they cleared out my room and turned it into a meditation space. My dad sends me an email occasionally, but other than that I don’t hear from them.”

“I didn’t see Caleb for a long time, and last year was the first Christmas I had at the ranch in years.”

“So why try to find your parents so badly if they don’t seem to care about you?”

“I’m not convinced they don’t,” Noah said. “I think they can’t contact us or it’ll put everyone at risk, and I’d like to know enough to understand the threat.”

The GPS filled the silence, instructing him to take a right up ahead.

Noah continued, “I guess part of me is still the little boy who watched them drive away so many times.”

“That isn’t a bad thing. They broke your heart. I know what that feels like.”

“I guess we’re destined to be sad together.”

“Speak for yourself.” She chuckled. “I hope you find them, but I figured out early on that I’m nothing like my parents and they’re never going to understand the difference. The sad truth is that they don’t care enough to try. They just want to go to the country club and vacation in Tuscany with their friends. The housekeeper would make me sandwiches. Eventually, I proved I could make them myself, and no one bothered me until I hacked a government server when I was twelve. After that, I was offered an um…internship. I went legit, and I’ve been trying to prove I’m worth noticing ever since.”

“On that we can agree.”

“I’m not neurotic, I just want to be impressive enough that people appreciate me.”

Noah chuckled. “Why do you think I went to BUD/S?”

“Pretty punishing exercise that leads to an anonymous career, where most people can’t know what you do. How is that being noticed?”

“The right people know what I can do.”

“You could always get a Navy SEAL tattoo. Then everyone would know.”

“Are you going to get a tattoo that says ‘I hacked the US government’?”

She grinned at him. “How do you know I don’t already have one?”

Noah cleared his throat. “Call me intrigued.”

“Hi, Intrigued. I’m Hungry.”

He shot her a smile. “We ate breakfast.”

She shrugged. “I was distracted. Now I’m peckish.”

“We can stop for something after this meeting.”

“Yeah, the grocery store. I want sushi.”

He made a face. “Sushi in the morning?”

“Sushi is good anytime.”

Noah pulled into the driveway of a farmhouse—not that he could see it, but he’d looked up the street-view map online. Set back from the street behind a swath of tall oak trees, the grass all brown and dry. The gravel-and-dirt trail overgrown with weeds.

“This place looks uninviting. Kind of like my house in Albuquerque.”

“How many places do you have?”

“Five. No, six. The seventh is fluid and too complicated to explain.”

Noah turned the car left and parked in front of the house. “And you think I’m not going to want to ask any further questions?”

“Ask him questions.” Marina pointed to the ramshackle house. “Isn’t that why we’re here?”

Noah sighed and climbed out of the car. Getting to know her better was proving to be more of an exercise in frustration than anything else. She had gone beyond being hard to read. Though, he thought maybe he understood the range of her moods better now.

The two-story house had a porch that started halfway across the front and stretched right around the corner of the house, with the garage on the left. Peeling white paint with red accents that had faded to a peach color. Cloudy windows and white net drapes.

The unmistakable ratchet of a shotgun had him ducking down before he even realized what he’d heard.

“Find cover, Marina.” Noah slid the pistol from the holster on his hip and spied the open front door, the occupant of the house in shadow behind the screen. Holding a shotgun.

“What do you want?”

“My name is Noah Rourke.” He walked around the back of the car, moving slowly, motioning for Marina to get back in. “We spoke on the phone.”

Instead of doing what he’d told her to do, she tucked herself behind him, grasping his hips and moving with him.

“That supposed to mean somethin’?” the man inside said.

Noah stopped at the edge of the porch steps. “Years ago, you knew Elaina and Mitch Rourke. You worked with them, or you were friends with them, but they disappeared. Nearly twenty years ago now.” He froze, and for a moment it felt as if his whole life was riding on this conversation. “I’m trying to find out what happened to them.”

The man on the other side of the screen door said nothing.

“You’re Matthew Haserford, the CIA psychologist.”

“Did they send you?” he called out. “Are you here to kill me?”

Marina’s hands tightened on Noah’s shirt, gripping the material over his hips. Still behind him. Trusting him to protect her. He wanted to believe it was some kind of gallant, knight-in-shining-armor moment that could turn the tide of what wasn’t yet happening between them. But he was pretty sure it was more about the fact he was big enough for her to hide behind him—and he would be out an overwatch officer if he lost her.

He just needed her to not explore too much and discover the scars on his lower back.

“No one is killing anyone. We just wanna talk.” Noah lowered his gun. “Put the shotgun down. I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Got nothin’ to say. I’m not part of that world now.”

He hardly sounded like an Ivy League government psychologist these days, but maybe that was the point. Even psychologists had lives after the CIA. The further a person could be from who they’d been, when they were in their retirement years, the less they’d be a target of anyone turning over rocks they shouldn’t.

“I’m not interested in who you are now,” Noah said. “That’s not what this is.”

Kraus had given him this guy’s information. That meant the CIA knew he lived here. If Haserford knew anything about Noah’s parents, the CIA probably did as well or they wouldn’t have sent Noah. That meant the CIA weren’t looking for his parents, but they did know more than anyone had told him.

Question was, had Kraus sent him here so Haserford could kill them?

“Elaina and Mitch Rourke are my parents. Years ago they left and never came back. I’d like to know what happened to them.”

“Rourke?”

“You remember them?” Noah felt it then. A flicker of hope like a candle igniting.

He stood at the bottom of the steps of this ramshackle house, wondering who he would be when he left here. And if the person who felt so close he could almost reach out and touch them was who he had always been meant to be.

Who he was now would be a thing of the past, and hereafter he would be a man in possession of the thing he’d always wanted to have—answers.

The shadow behind the screen door shifted. “I remember them.” After a few seconds of silence, Matthew Haserford said, “You should come in.”

Noah got the sense he’d moved back, deeper into the shadows inside the house.

He took half a step and realized Marina still had a hold on him, and it didn’t seem as if she was coming in. “You’re staying?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Noah waited until she lifted her chin. “I’ll be right back.”

He traversed the steps and eased open the screen door, wondering if this was going to blow up in his face, literally and figuratively. He’d hardly put it past this guy to have his front door booby trapped with C4. Could be the exact reason why Haserford didn’t come outside.

Noah stretched the screen door wide. When it didn’t explode, him along with it, he stepped inside.

The stale air in the house accompanied the dust that had collected in the corners. Threadbare furniture in the living room and pizza boxes on the coffee table. Wallpaper that was likely put up a generation ago, and carpet just after—now it was all faded.

“It ain’t much, but it’s home.”

Noah followed the voice into the kitchen, which he found tidy, even if it was as dated as the rest of the house. “Nice place.”

“You’re thinking it’s some kind of cover, or a double blind.” Haserford had a distended belly, over which he had buttoned a blue denim shirt. Jeans with oil stains, boots, and a comb-over. His eyes had dark shadows, and his skin was clammy. “But I hate to disappoint you, this is it.” He laid the shotgun on the tile counter.

“You think I came in here to judge where you live?”

“No, you want information.” Haserford huffed.

“You probably treated a lot of patients at the CIA and talked to a lot of people during your time there. I’m not interested in any of them, except my parents.”

Haserford shifted, the movement barely visible.

Noah should’ve lifted his gun, but he left by his side. If finding out what happened to them cost him his life, he’d rather go like that than any other way. He’d survived war, multiple deployments, missions he could never discuss. Dying in a rundown house in North Carolina hadn’t been part of the plan—ever—but he was okay with it if he got the answers he wanted before he went.

His one regret? Leaving Marina outside to deal with the aftermath.

Yeah, that told him a lot about how he felt. But now wasn’t the time to get sidetracked.

Kind of like he shouldn’t get sidetracked trying to figure out if this was some kind of poor-investments thing. Or a case of Haserford leaving his finances with no margin for when life happened, and then it had.

“You wanna know about the Rourkes?”

Noah nodded, trying not to think about how much was riding on the answers he got here.

“Whoever told you where to find me…” Haserford shook his head.

Noah wasn’t drinking anything if this guy asked him to stay for tea.

“The Rourkes disappeared a long time ago.” His gaze drifted, and he seemed far away. “Sometimes the past is best left there.”

“They worked for the CIA?” It had never been confirmed, not officially. “Were they agents, or contractors, or what?”

“So you really know nothin’.”

Noah shrugged. “Help me out.”

Haserford almost smiled. “Careful what you wish for.” He took a breath, then said, “They were agents. They were some of the best a long time ago. And like a lot of things, present reality is a harsh truth up against the memory of what used to be.”

“I’m not leaving without an answer.”

“You think I’m pining for better days? You think I hate this life, and I want to go back to work?”

Noah gritted his teeth.

“Because I don’t. People like the Rourkes think they can do whatever they want. They think they can control nations, and destroy lives, whenever they want. Take money from the CIA and use it for their own gain. Meanwhile, those of us who follow the rules and obey the law get stiffed. I got so sick of listening to their problems. Finally, I realized the CIA is a farce. Bunch of people who do whatever they want, pretending they’re noble. Take ’em to court and they’d be tried and convicted.”

“You have evidence to back up what you’re saying?” Noah stuck his thumbs in his pockets because that brought his hand close to his gun. He could squeeze off a shot before Haserford fired.

Kessler, who he’d turned over to the CIA for questioning months ago, had been stealing resources and using it for his own criminal empire. His parents had helped him and Caleb take them down—why would they do that if they were the same as him?

“Of course, I don’t have evidence. Why do you think I’m still alive?” Haserford crossed to the fridge and pulled out a beer, leaving the shotgun on the counter—now out of reach. “I know what I know, and I’ve got no recourse.”

“Where can I find my parents?”

“How should I know?”

“I’m supposed to accept they were part of some corrupt system? Seems more like you fell on hard times and it made you jaded. Now you’ll ruin the reputation of my parents just because it makes you feel better.”

Haserford slammed the cap of the beer onto the edge of the counter and used his hand to pop the top. “That’s rich.”

“I came here in good faith.”

“Even richer.”

“So the CIA sent me here for nothing?”

“The CIA sent you?”

“Thomas Kraus told me all about you,” Noah said.

Haserford barked a laugh. “Probably figured you’d kill me and I’d kill you. End of two problems.” He lifted the beer. “Welcome to the club.”

“Where are my parents?”

“I’m guessing Kraus didn’t tell you about the Lazarus Protocol.”

Noah said, “What does that have to do with my parents?”

TWENTY-EIGHT

Undisclosed Location, France

“You should be resting.”

Adam didn’t bother responding to that. Mostly because Dan was right, but also because it would take energy he didn’t have. “I want an update.”

He was determined to make it to the great hall under his own steam. When he got there, he could rest.

“Thank God,” Dan muttered.

Adam realized what that was about when he turned back in time to see Winston come up behind him with a wheelchair. He moved so fast Adam didn’t have time to react before the butler’s momentum took out Adam’s knees from behind and he sat hard in the wheelchair. Adam let out a groan, and even though he wanted to touch a hand to the bandages over his chest, he didn’t. The burning sensation didn’t get better if he touched it. In fact, it got remarkably worse.

“Lift your feet.” Dan grabbed the handles.

“This is ridiculous.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dan pushed the chair forward. “You’re like an oak tree that got struck by lightning and keeps growing even though it’s been split halfway down the middle.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Hey, tell me something.”

“You’re only trying to change the subject.” Dan turned down the west hall where the storage rooms were, and the door that led to the garage via a tunnel and a secret door. “But what?”

“Why did the verse of the day say ‘don’t fret’ like it’s an order. Like just don’t, okay? Rather than a suggestion.”

“If you believe, if you follow God, then why can’t He give you orders?” Dan stopped outside the great hall. “You really want to know?”

Adam nodded.

“As humans, we are going to fret. It’s a given that we worry. So why wouldn’t it be a given that we’re told not to?” Dan tipped his head to the side. “What are we not fretting about?”

Adam unlocked his phone and pulled up the screenshot. “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.”

“Good advice,” Dan said.

“Like, worry about what you can control?”

“Or accept the fact there’s plenty you can’t control, give up the worry as well, and trust that God has it all in His control.”

Adam wasn’t sure how that stacked up against the state of the world, and the horrors he’d witnessed. “I’m gonna have to think about that.”

Dan pushed him forward, into the hall. “Are you going to explain to us all what that was in the lab?”

The others looked over. Ice wasn’t here, and Adam needed an update. Kai was gone. Jay and Ash sat at their desks. Jay should be back in Montana, with his fiancée and his new life, but instead he was here and one of their own had been captured.

Adam touched his chest before he realized that wasn’t going to do squat to relieve the ache. He dropped his hand to his lap and groaned.

Jay leaned back in his chair. “Is that supposed to make us want to let you off without explaining what’s going on?”

“If you don’t wanna be here, go back to Montana.”

Jay’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not leaving until Kai is back.”

Adam looked at Dan. “Where’s Ice at?”

“We’re waiting for him to call in. But from what we can see on the trackers, he caught up to Kai but backed off for some reason. Now he isn’t answering the phone.”

Not that they had phones, per se. The phrase was more of a catchall when a team member was incommunicado. Which didn’t happen often and usually wasn’t a good sign.

Especially not with Ice. “We need to find him.”

Ash said, “Ice or Kai?”

“Both,” Jay answered.

Dan pushed Adam to the edge of his desk, resituating the chair so he could sit in it and immediately raising the seat. Adam shot him a look. “Mess with your own chair.”

“Quit stalling and talk.” Dan laced his fingers across his stomach. “Or I’ll give you a sedative that will knock you out for a week.”

Adam wasn’t going to admit that a week-long nap sounded pretty good. “Some old guy caught me by surprise and went all Bruce Lee on me with a knife.”

Jay said, “Does that even make sense?”

Adam didn’t think his buddy was talking to him. “I can’t remember his face. But I know I saw him.”

“You were talking about the CEO of Earthnet,” Dan prompted. “And you were asking Marina about Spetsnaz, like we can just pull up a list of current and former Russian Special Forces soldiers.”

“I figured she might be able to.” Adam just couldn’t remember why the information was relevant. “Maybe looking at an image of the CEO would jog my memory.”

“Maybe it would, but you need to tell us about Kyle first,” Dan said. “Who is he and why do you need to find him?”

Adam caught Ash’s attention.

Dan twisted to the guy. “You know?”

“We’ve been working together too long,” Adam said.

“Because I can read you,” Dan said, “or because I’m hypersensitive about people I trust keeping secrets from me?”

“It’s not like that. It isn’t.” Adam lifted his hands. “This predates us, and this team. It wasn’t relevant to what we do, and I can’t talk about it even if I wanted to.”

“You sign an NDA or something?” Dan asked.

Ash said, “Or something.”

“It’s ironclad.” Adam didn’t like keeping secrets, but it wasn’t as if they sat around on chairs outside, wiling away the day with stories from their pasts. The team was about getting the job done. “And it’s all history.”

Overhead, high on the wall in the corner, an alarm sounded. A couple of loud Klaxons. Then a voice said, “Incoming aircraft detected.”

TWENTY-NINE

Baltimore, Maryland

Simon checked his mirrors constantly the whole way home, half expecting someone to open fire on him. Or leave him in his car burning in a ditch.

So paranoid.

But what else could he be when everyone at Langley was looking sideways at him. No one talked to him, but the glances? His attempts to find the person who had his life in a vice and was constantly turning the dial up, squeezing the life out of him, had turned up nothing but more questions. Eventually, it would all pop and his entire existence would explode. What a mess.

He pulled into the drive that ran alongside his house, to the back where the garage was. Busted lock. Busted door. He pulled up so the front of his car almost touched the door and got out, bringing his work backpack with him.

So stressed out he’d forgotten to pick up dinner on the way home, and there was nothing in the house except coffee. He’d have to order in.

Stupid…whoever they were. He was done.

He slammed his car door, frustrated that his attempt to get out from under this had gone unanswered. He’d messaged the internal account over and over again throughout the day.

This whole thing has gone too far.

You can’t expect me to compromise my position like this.

I don’t care what you know about me.

It’s over.

Sure, it sounded like an angry breakup text, but Simon wanted nothing to do with Division Zero, or Stephanie-Jo whatever-her-name-was. None of it. Not anymore. He was done risking his career for whoever thought they could hold his indiscretions over him.

He was going to return the money. Call his bank tomorrow and tell them that the deposit in his account was an error and it should be transferred back to whoever had “paid” him. That would kill their leverage over him. And if they retaliated by telling the government about the gambling debts he’d racked up over the years…so be it. He might get fired, but at least he’d be free of it.

Simon ignored the neighbor dog barking through the fence, snarling like he was an intruder, and headed for his sidedoor to the kitchen. Inside still smelled like this morning’s coffee, and he needed to take the trash out.

He dumped the backpack on a chair and went to take a shower. Six minutes later he pushed the curtain back and fished around for his towel. It wasn’t on the hook. The bathroom was completely steamed up, but he wasn’t blind.

“Where’s my towel?” he muttered.

The door swung open.

“Looking for this?” A blond man held his towel from one finger.

Simon needed a weapon, but he wasn’t a fighter and this guy was huge. “Give me that.”

“Sure, provided you answer some questions.” The guy tossed him the towel. “Don’t worry, I’m not one to stare at another guy’s…”

“Thanks.” Simon wrapped the towel around his middle. Wait. Why was he thanking this guy? “Get out of my house.”

Blond Guy leaned against the doorframe. Jeans, boots, and a T-shirt with a dark jacket over it. Bulges that were probably weapons in his pockets. A menacing expression on his face. “Not until I get what I came for.”

“And what is that?” Water dripped down his spine, but Simon just stood there.

“I know about the Division Zero team, about the agent you just burned for nothing. Lives you’ve destroyed.”

“So? You some kind of do-gooder here to right a wrong?” Simon snorted. “We all do what we’ve gotta do.”

The guy just stared at him. He had that holier-than-thou air that all cops had. Probably a fed fishing for information because he knew he had nothing. Otherwise, Simon would’ve been arrested by now.

Simon went on, “You’ve never been backed into a corner before?”

“Tell me who forced you to do this.”

Simon shook his head. “You think I’m gonna narc.”

“I think you’re a weasel. But it’s not my job to hand over what’s coming to you.” Blond Guy crossed his arms. “Unless you don’t answer these questions to my satisfaction.”

Simon almost laughed, but the look on the guy’s face made him swallow and keep his mouth shut.

“Have you told anyone what you know about Adam Helton?”

Simon said, “What?”

“Adam Helton.” The guy lifted his chin, staring intently at Simon. “The terminal you work from identified him using a voice recognition program. Who have you told?”

“No one.” Simon let out a frustrated sound.

“Who were you messaging with? Did you tell them who Adam is?”

“I don’t know who it is,” Simon said.

Blond Guy frowned. “Have you ever spoken to an actual person?”

“Who does these days? It’s all online.”

“Like your debts?” The guy barely paused before saying, “Any idea why the ‘person’ giving you orders wants Division Zero taken out and Steph off the agent roster?”

“I didn’t ask.”

Blond Guy didn’t move. He just stood there blocking the doorway.

“You gonna buy me dinner now?”

“That’s not what this is.” He shifted off the doorframe. “You have no idea what you’re mixed up in.”

“Long as it’s over.”

Blond Guy shook his head. “Only way it’s over is if you’re out of play. And if you’re not dead, it means you’re still useful.”

“You here to kill me?”

The guy just stared at him. “You told no one about Adam Helton?”

Simon shrugged.

The guy lifted a pistol and fired two shots that hit Simon in the chest, one in the head. He fell back, hit his head on the rim of the toilet, and was dead before he hit the floor.

THIRTY

Noah strode into the great hall, Marina right behind him. He’d needed her to fly him to the castle, but to be honest he wanted her here with him. After what he’d discovered, he needed an anchor. It felt as if his whole world had shifted under him.

“You’re here.” Adam glanced up, his face pale. Sitting in a wheelchair with bandages under his T-shirt. Shorts on, and a beat-up pair of sneakers. He’d tied his hair back, but the guy looked awful.

Noah might’ve felt sorry for him, but he had more pressing matters. “I’m here for an explanation as to why you know all about the Lazarus Protocol, and about my parents, and you never breathed even one word of it.”

He crossed the stone floor and stood in front of Adam, who had to look up at him, which wasn’t normal for them. Usually, they stood at similar heights. Right now, Noah appreciated standing over him. “Explain.”

Ash slid from his chair as if he was gonna leave.

Noah pointed at him without turning. “Sit back down.”

“Can’t do that, bro.” Ash turned to them, his shoulders tight. “Breach of security has to be immediately reported.”

“To my parents.”

“I’ve never met them,” Adam said.

Ash said nothing.

Noah turned to him. “Ash?”

The silence went on long enough that Marina broke it by walking to Ice’s desk and sitting down. Drawing her laptop out of her backpack. “It was a long trip, and we’re exhausted, so maybe you guys can explain so we can get on with finding Kai.”

Noah turned to Adam. “What is the Lazarus Protocol?”

Adam lifted his chin. “Why don’t you tell me what you know, and I’ll fill in the rest?”

“No chance.” Noah dragged over a chair and sat. “Start talking.”

Adam shut his eyes. “I didn’t know it was your parents. But I know what the Lazarus Protocol is, because they gave me this.” He opened his eyes and waved a hand. “Not the castle, the team. Friends. A life.”

Ash sat on the edge of his desk. “It’s a clean ID for someone whose identity has been blown. On a global scale. I was on a team who were sent in to kill a Chinese guy. Marine Force Recon, loaned out to the CIA for the use of a specific skill set. A plan we had devised that we’d proven worked.”

“So you went in and killed some Chinese national?” Noah couldn’t believe that was a sanctioned mission, but without the particulars it was impossible to understand. Something like that would’ve been months, maybe even years, in the making.

Ash said, “He had an island out in the Philippine Sea. He was stockpiling missiles and trafficking men, women, and children as slaves. He was working on a plan to kill both the Chinese president and the US president at a joint meeting.”

“I get it,” Noah said. “He was a bad guy.” He probably would’ve jumped to be part of that mission when he was part of the SEALs.

“He was a very bad guy.” Ash nodded. “The mission went wrong. We cleared out his island, but he got away. The CIA has been looking for him since, and everyone involved? Our identities were leaked on the dark web. Sold and resold. Three of the guys on my team were killed within the first few months.”

Adam said, “So the military declares you dead, and the Lazarus Protocol provides you with a new identity.”

Noah looked at him then. He still looked awful, and given everything going on, he was probably going to push it and try to get back to work. Noah planned to order him to stay here while the rest of them found Kai—even if it seemed like punishment for not admitting he knew Noah’s parents.

“Mine was delivered by messenger. It’s always someone within the program who makes contact.”

Ash cleared his throat. “I was requested last fall. I picked up the packet from a trash can in Chicago and delivered it three days later just outside of Anchorage.”

Noah didn’t take his gaze from Adam. Jay and Dan, and Marina, had been silent through this entire exchange. “And you?”

Adam stared at him.

“You can’t tell me.” After the psychologist had told Noah that his parents had found it necessary to go underground and ensure the twins—him and Caleb—were protected, they’d evidently set up the Lazarus Protocol as a way to keep doing what they did best.

“The NDA says that if we talk, we’re out. Like a spy being burned, we’re left in the cold with no resources and no way back.” Adam shook his head. “But if it’s really your parents behind it…”

“According to what I was told, it is them.” Noah looked at Ash.

“I’ve seen them,” Ash said. “But it was a long time ago. At least six years.”

“I was with the teams then.”

Ash nodded. “I’ve been out a long time. Long enough I started to forget the danger. But the guy we went after is still out there, and there’s a contract on me that’s never going to expire. He has a network of smugglers across the world. I’ve been targeted in Budapest and in Pakistan in the mountains, miles from anywhere. I won’t ever be safe for the rest of my life.”

Noah sat back in his chair. “You guys never would’ve told me if I hadn’t found out they’re the ones who created this…exit strategy.”

“They saved my life,” Adam said. “And that’s not something I take lightly.”

THIRTY-ONE

“In a lot of ways my story is similar to Ash’s.” Adam looked at his hands, and the tattoo on the inside of his wrist. The one Ash had noticed the day they’d met. “Different country. Different bad guy. Same result.”

Noah shook his head. “We need more of an explanation than that.”

“Telling you puts you in danger. Kind of like saying it out loud makes it more real.” Adam winced. “It’s been so long you’d think some of the details would be fuzzy, but I remember every second of it.”

“You were captured.” It wasn’t a question, because Noah knew. They all did.

Why hide the scars when he had so many? “The army didn’t want the scandal. They wanted it all to disappear.”

Noah stared at him. “Why not just give you a couple million to keep your mouth shut?”

“It was your parents who did that,” Adam said, “and in the process they gave me my life back.”

Still, he’d have to explain. “We were on special assignment. Turned out it was about endurance research. Our endurance. It was a secret base. Small detachment. Eighteen of us went in, and two of us came out. The other guy killed himself later, and…” He couldn’t even say the name. “It was the base commander, the colonel in charge of the installation.”

Sickness roiled in Adam’s stomach.

“He should’ve been locked up.”

“You were tortured by an army Colonel?” Noah said.

Adam heard the tone in his voice. “I know how it sounds. But no one rang the doorbell and did spot checks to see how things were going. Montrose reported in personally on his trips to Washington, and the assignment called for no communication for the length of the deployment. No phones or internet.”

“So you were trapped there.”

“Under the authority of a psychopath who demanded the highest security clearance for his so-called experiments and had enough autonomy that the brass left him alone.” Adam swallowed back the sickness threatening to come up. “He wanted to better understand human endurance, and we were the soldiers he used to find out what a person can handle.”

“That sounds like something from centuries ago, or darker times when there weren’t checks and balances.”

Anger flared in Adam. “I know what it sounds like!” He gasped. “I tried to tell anyone who would listen, but Colonel Montrose told them all I’d lost my mind on the deployment. That the isolation got to me, and I’d cracked. He had me committed to a mental institution. And then he visited me.”

Noah flinched.

“I escaped. With a little help from some friends.”

Ash walked over to him and held his hand out. Adam clasped it, trying not to hold on for dear life, but it was close. A hairsbreadth from a bro-hug, they stuck like that for a second. Because Ash knew that he couldn’t get through this story without human contact that had nothing to do with pain.

“You don’t have to finish,” Ash said. “They’ve heard enough, and you don’t have to convince anyone.”

“He’s still out there. It won’t ever be over.”

Ash nodded and stepped back, letting go of Adam’s hand. “Not unless you give me the word. He slips and falls in the shower. Or his car goes off a cliff.”

Adam didn't know what to say. Part of him wanted to take his friend upon the offer.

Ash said, “I’m keeping tabs. He’s dormant. For now. But the guy is a psychopath. Sooner or later, he won’t be able to avoid his nature any longer. Someone will get hurt.”

Adam squeezed his eyes shut for a second.

“No one believed you,” Noah said, backtracking a little on Adam’s tale.

Adam wanted to shrug but couldn’t. “Turns out one of his buddies at the Pentagon is actually his brother-in-law. Knew all about the colonel’s proclivities toward torture and human experimentation in the name of advancing research. Even lauded the results he came up with. Championed him so much the guy became untouchable.”

“I know who you’re talking about.” Noah’s mouth tightened. “You should’ve told me. I’d have put a bullet in him myself.”

Adam stared at his hands. “Even a former SEAL can’t get that close to him. He believes he’s untouchable…because he is.”

“How’d you get out of the facility?”

“Killed three orderlies and a doctor, and escaped.” Adam lifted his chin. “I met this guy on the highway. He picked me up when I stuck my thumb out—perfect timing. Said his name was Kyle and he had an offer for me.”

Adam shook his head, thinking back on his reaction before he continued, “I tried to kill him, too. But he convinced me he was legit. Dropped me at a homeless shelter with fresh clothes and a hundred bucks. After the second attempt to capture me failed, he came by again. Offered me a new ID, new name.”

“The military didn’t want anyone to hear your story.”

Adam shook his head.

“They were gonna bury you.”

“And let Montrose continue his ‘experiments’ in the process.” Adam drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “I didn’t win, but now I’m free. Thanks to your parents.”

“You would’ve taken their secret to your grave.”

Adam nodded.

Noah scratched his chin. “I wish you’d told me. But I get it.”

“I get now why you’re overly sensitive about one of us getting captured,” Jay said from his left.

Dan, over on his right, nodded.

Marina swiped a tear from under her eye.

“Don’t cry for me, Marina.”

She sniffed. “Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll cry if I want to.”

God knew Adam had shed plenty of tears. “The Lazarus Protocol gave me a life. A new ID. I can’t have the life I had before, but I like this one. I’m not giving it up, and I’m definitely not willing to let this team fall apart because I didn’t tell you something I swore not to.” He let go of a little of the tension he’d been feeling now that the story had been told, and he knew the team would stick with him. Not that he’d been worried, but with the truth out, he felt a little less like he was lying.

Noah nodded. “I’d love to know how to find them.”

Adam stared at his friend, knowing exactly what missing family felt like. He had his sister back in his life, and he even kind of liked her husband. “I’ll give you the number I have. It’s an emergency contact.” He’d reached out to them in the apartment when it was clear Johannsen was missing. Sent a text they had yet to respond to.

“What about Kyle?” Dan said. “You mentioned him before.”

“Johannsen.”

“Wait. He’s a Lazarus Protocol…person? Enrollee?” Dan got up to pace. “He works for Earthnet, right? He was y’all’s contact getting the job.”

Ash said, “He’s the one who hooked us up with it.”

Noah glanced around. “Seems like my parents might be in more of this than we knew. If they’re drawing the team into Earthnet business, they’ve got a man on the inside⁠—”

Marina cut him off. “And they contacted my cousin.”

“It could all be connected,” Adam said. “But how does it help us find Vesper and get Kai back?”

Ash disappeared out the side door, and if anyone noticed, they said nothing about it. Per protocol he’d be reaching out to their contact. Noah’s mom or dad, or someone else entirely.

“The Phoenix Network.”

Dan turned from his pacing the length of the room. “That’s where you got Nix from?”

“The Phoenix Network,” Noah echoed.

Adam winced. He’d really said that aloud? “They said I could use it.” He looked around. “Marina, any idea who sent those drones to kill us in Kyle’s apartment? It looked to me when we were there that he was using it to surveil the ship where they had that lab.”

Dan sat on the edge of a desk. “So he infiltrated Earthnet to find out where their lab was, then he was reporting back to whoever sent him in?”

Adam figured that was close enough.

“My parents are still in the game.” Noah’s tone had a note of awe in it.

“You’re glad about that?” Adam said. “Even if it means you never see them?”

Noah shrugged. “I have to come to terms with it all, but if they’re saving people like you? People like Ash who thought they were serving their country and found their lives destroyed because of their choice? I think I’m going to be okay with it. Eventually, at least.”

Marina turned in her chair. “Earthnet sent those drones to kill you guys.”

Adam nodded. “They were herding us away from the lab, but Steph knew there was something on that ship. She’s the one who turned the boat around to go look.”

“And as a result of boarding that boat, Kai was captured.” Jay leaned forward in his chair, forearms on his knees. “That’s why I didn’t say no when she took off with Ice to chase after them.”

“Kai being captured isn’t her fault,” Adam said. “Earthnet is up to something, and whatever Vesper is doing, she needs to be stopped. We need to know what happened.”

“And we need to get Kai back,” Jay said. “Before this Vesper woman does something we’re going to have to kill her for.”

THIRTY-TWO

Baltimore, Maryland

Dr. Emanuela Peraya slid out of her car into the rain, raising her umbrella before closing the car door. Police and crime scene technicians had long since vacated the premises. The body had been carted away.

Division Chief Thomas Kraus met her at the end of the front walk. He raised the crime scene tape on the front door, and they stepped inside the small house that had belonged to Simon Gaines.

“What are the odds the police will actually come up with a suspect?” Emanuela looked around at what remained of Simon Gaines’ life.

Kraus made a noncommittal noise in his throat and pulled out his phone. Well, a phone. Not his personal one.

This wasn’t a job they could entrust to anyone else at the CIA. Not when the stakes were as high as she believed they were. “You really think that tip from the Division Zero team was correct?”

He turned in the center of the living room, allowing the scanner time to find a signal.

“Are you going to answer any of my questions?”

Kraus had shadows under his eyes, but they didn’t have anything to do with grief. The man didn’t feel a thing, and rarely got tired. She’d long ago decided it was good that he worked for the CIA, because if Kraus’ loyalty was to their enemies, she’d be terrified.

He shook his head and started toward the kitchen. “You think it’s a good idea to have an open conversation in a room that’s not secure?”

“If Division Zero is correct, then nothing is secure.” Emanuela looked around. “Help me out here. I’m a psychologist. I have no idea what I’m looking for.”

Kraus only made that huffing sound in his throat. “The scanner found a signal.” He moved from the kitchen to the hall and stopped under the light fixture. Living room behind him. Kitchen to his right. Front door to his left. Bedrooms in front.

Maybe the device needed line of sight to as many parts of the house as possible.

Kraus dragged in a chair from the kitchen and climbed on it.

The wood creaked, and Emanuela made a face, picturing the chair collapsing under him and her boss falling to the floor, where he would probably break his leg. That would get her at least a few days to run the office before he was back, cranky and barking orders once again.

Probably not worth it to push him.

Kraus rotated the round light fixture and lowered it, revealing the inner wiring behind the lightbulb. Another device, small as the palm-sized serving of plain chicken or fish she was supposed to be eating if she wanted to stick to her diet.

She put her hands on her hips, wishing they were slender. But that was one in a long list of wishes she was never going to realize. Like running her department out from under Kraus. “That’s it?”

He set the light fixture cover on the chair and plugged the phone into the device. “Audio and video. If he was murdered, we’ll be able to see who did it.”

“And if it was one of the Division Zero team?”

Kraus ducked his head to the device, looking at the screen. Apparently, he was going to watch the footage and not even tell her what he saw. If he didn’t like it, he’d probably delete the surveillance the Agency had installed in Simon’s house and claim it was corrupted.

She moved next to him, smelling the awful tang of garlic and red onions from his lunch. Trying not to breathe through her nose while she peered over his arm. “Well? What if it is one of them?”

“I suppose we’ll have to suddenly care who’s on the team, rather than using that knowledge to our advantage later.”

“You’re playing a complicated game.” But the bottom line was, Kraus could have Division Zero destroyed at any time and no one would know they’d ever been part of a CIA strike force.

“It’s the nature of the business. Don’t forget that.”

“I’m a psychologist. I remember everything I’m told.” Like how he was going to leave his wife for her. How he loved her. How much he valued having her at his side.

Now? Emanuela wanted to be sick thinking about it.

She wanted to request a transfer and go work in intelligence gathering somewhere as far from Thomas Kraus as she could get.

“If it’s one of them,” Thomas said, “then I guess we won’t be able to deny we know who they are any longer. Or that we know which of them are wanted, and which were flagged as assets for foreign entities.”

“And if they piss you off, you’ll turn them over to whoever wants them? That’s as good as signing their death certificates.”

“You’re right,” Kraus said. “It would be more expedient to shoot their plane out of the sky and call it a tragic accident. I don’t want Colonel Montrose owing me any kind of favor.”

She swallowed. “Just tell me who killed Simon.”

“It was probably the AI that infiltrated our whole system.” Kraus sounded amused by that but didn’t smile.

“You don’t believe the tip is correct?” Several members of their team were working on who the tip had even come from, but evidently someone connected to Division Zero had reason to believe they’d been infiltrated by a worm.

“We both looked over his terminal,” Kraus said. “There was nothing in his activity to suggest someone else was feeding him orders.”

“We should loop in more of the team. Task a couple of them with going through his financials, looking for inconsistencies in his online activity. Anything that might indicate he was being contacted.”

Kraus straightened. “You do it, if you think it’s going to get you a result. But don’t come crying to me when you come up with nothing.”

“So you flat out don’t believe it? You think there’s no way an AI program could slip into our system as a worm and infiltrate our network without us knowing?”

“What do you think our safeguards are for? We run checks for that kind of thing regularly, scanning all our networks for intruders.” Kraus shook his head. “It’s impossible.”

“One day someone will invent something so advanced we can’t find it.”

“You really think that’s what this is?”

Emanuela didn’t answer right away. “What I think is that it bears investigating. Because if our anonymous tipper is correct, then we have a serious problem.”

“Follow the trail, then. Pull on the string and see what happens.”

She knew then that he planned to cut her loose if anything “happened.” Kraus wouldn’t hesitate to burn her if things turned into a situation where someone needed to take the fall. He’d tell everyone that she should’ve seen it, and that she was the reason Simon had betrayed them.

He slid a thin stylus out of the corner of the phone and tapped the screen, clicking through a menu. “There was motion-activated footage from shortly before the time of death.” He hit Play.

“Looks like he’s in the bathroom.”

“That tracks, since he was found dead in a towel. Soaking wet.” Emanuela shuddered. Not a way she would like to go.

Kraus scrolled back. They watched Simon walk down the hall and go into the bathroom, and moments later another man followed him. The killer left the door open. The two conversed, and the killer lifted a pistol to shoot him.

Kraus paused the footage at the point when the killer turned toward the camera to leave. He grabbed an image of the man’s face. “We can run this. Find out who killed Simon.”

After they identified him, it would be Emanuela’s duty to surmise why Simon had been killed. He’d discovered something he shouldn’t have or got too close to exposing an entity who didn’t want to be revealed. Then again, it might have nothing to do with his work at the CIA. His death might be revenge for some slight, or a money deal gone bad.

One way or another, they were going to find out the truth.

She just had to keep Kraus out of the loop long enough to decide what to do with the information.

THIRTY-THREE

Milan, Italy

Ice pulled over, tucking the vehicle up against an industrial building before he grabbed the tablet. The silence of the empty car threatened to set his thoughts spiraling, but right now music would be a distraction he didn’t need.

Better to sit alone and focus on finding Kai’s signal.

He tapped the icon and started the scan. “Come on, come on.”

After tracking the comms earbud all the way across the Italian border, over to Milan, it had finally stopped. He’d seen the white van enter this warehouse. If they’d brought Kai here, then this was the place Ice would bust in and get his friend back.

No matter what.

“Bingo.” The location icon for Kai’s earbud showed up on the map, fifty feet away maybe. Northwest of where he’d parked on a narrow street between two buildings. Hemmed in was a risk if anyone decided to shoot at him from a window—or a roof. But it also meant he was out of the way.

His phone rang.

Ice snatched it out of the cup holder and answered, “Yeah?”

“It’s Noah. You’re on Speaker and everyone is here.”

“You finally answered the phone?” Jay called out from the background.

Ice said, “I had to take care of something.”

“Update,” Noah said.

Definitely an order. “How’s Adam?”

“I’m good.” But he didn’t sound it. Adam also sounded far away from the phone, his voice strained. “I’ll be good.”

“Glad to hear it.” Ice wondered if his friend would still be good after he heard this. “Stephanie told me that Vesper is her half-sister.”

“Seriously?” That was Noah.

“She said that?” Dan asked.

Ice wanted to see Adam’s face for this. “That’s what she told me.”

“Where is she now?” Adam said. “Is she with you?”

“I dropped her off. We don’t need⁠—”

“You did what!” Adam roared across the phone line.

“—that complication. This is about getting Kai back and squaring things with Earthnet. It isn’t about Stephanie, and whatever family squabble she’s got going on.” When no one responded, Ice continued, “I tracked the signal to Milan. I’m about to make entry.”

“We’ll meet you there for pickup,” Noah said.

“I’m not sitting on this for three hours waiting for you. Not when Kai could be dead by then.”

“We know,” Noah said. “We’ll be there.”

Ice heard noise in the background. Chairs scraping, chatter he couldn’t make out. “I’ll get him out, and we can all bring him home. Then we need to have a chat with Earthnet about what’s going on.”

“Agreed,” Noah said. “Keep us posted.”

“You need backup?” Jay asked.

“Not badly enough to wait for it.” Ice probably had an associate or contact who lived close enough to pitch in and help him out. But that would only end up with him owing someone a favor, something he didn’t want to have to worry about. “I’ll check in when it’s done.”

Ice ended the call, grabbed the weapons he wanted, and exited the car. He could hear the steady buzz of local traffic. A police siren. But all of it was a street or two away from here. If Vesper had chosen this place ahead of time, she either controlled the space because she’d bought the building, or she knew it would be empty.

He picked the lock on an entrance designated for employees, according to the sign beside the door, and stepped into the warehouse.

Ice slid a knife from a sheath that was sewn into the pocket of his pants and looked around. Down a hall to a door with a small circular window that gave him a view of the main warehouse floor.

A lone woman sat in the center of the room, on a wooden chair. Waiting for him.

Ice pushed the door open and walked to her, his senses working on whether her goons were somewhere around here waiting to kill him. He didn’t hear anyone else. When he stopped fifteen feet from her, he got the impression they were alone.

“Vesper.”

She lifted her pointy chin. “So you know who I am now?”

“I knew enough before,” Ice said. “I don’t really do messy family drama. Not my thing.”

“Interesting.”

She might think she knew who he was, or anything about him, but no one did. Not really. Ice shifted his stance, holding out the blade so there was no mistaking what was happening here. “Where’s Kai?”

“That’s his name? Hmm. He wouldn’t tell me.” She lifted her hand, the comms earbud between her fingers.

“Figured out it’s a tracker? Good for you,” Ice said. “Now give me my friend back.”

“I know who you are. Which is why it surprises me that you show up here, acting like you care about some American.” Vesper sneered. “Men like you don’t have friends.”

“So you know just enough you believe you understand me.”

“I could make life difficult for all of you, but I haven’t.”

Ice was supposed to thank her for that? “What do you want?”

She’d tried to kidnap Stephanie, shoving her over the side of the ship so her people could pick up the former CIA agent, fish her out of the river, and take her with them. When that didn’t work—because Division Zero stopped her—she’d taken Kai instead. Scrabbling for any angle she could get. Picking up whatever cards were put down in front of her so she could see what she had and formulate a play.

He stepped closer. “Seems to me like you’re working with Earthnet, not against them.”

She nearly launched out of the chair. “How dare you!” But caught herself and cleared her throat. Shifted in the seat.

“The enemy of my enemy?”

She actually laughed at that. “No deal.”

“Like I said, what do you want?” Ice let silence hang for a second. “Kai for that book you’re after?”

“Steph gave it to you?” Vesper shook her head. “That waste of space.”

Interesting that she assumed Steph had the book and would’ve turned it over to the team. Ice said, “Why keep trying to kidnap her?”

“Try?” She scoffed.

“So that was you in Turkey.”

They’d rescued her from Vesper, or men who worked for her, and brought her back. Then her half-sister tried to take her again. Probably a good thing she wasn’t here right now.

Vesper shrugged one shoulder. “She refuses to do anything but stubbornly cling to loyalty to that piece of trash she calls ‘father’ and will not give me what I want.”

A rustle behind him interrupted his train of thought, but Ice was pretty sure the sound came from a small animal. “I guess you just weren’t persuasive enough. Maybe you should try harder next time.”

Vesper laughed, but there was a shadow to it. “Do you want a job? I could use a guy like you on my team.”

Things weren’t going well for her. “I already have a job I like.”

A woman like this would never understand a man with a dark past and his need to do work with good people so he could feel clean. Live right.

Sure, he skirted the gray areas and kept to the shadows, but that was only to aid the cause.

Ice let out some impatience in his tone and his body language. “How do I get Kai back? Because I don’t really care about your sister, to be honest.”

“Don’t call her that. She’s not my blood.”

“You think I care?” Ice glanced around, then roared, “Where’s Kai?”

She didn’t flinch.

“Why did you take him?”

“Because I could,” was the only answer she gave him. “Too bad someone else wanted him more than me.”

Ice’s stomach clenched. “Where is he?”

“Not with me.”

“What happened?”

The skin around her eyes contracted. Almost a wince, but not quite. “Someone took him from me. Killed all my guys—the ones who were left.”

“They didn’t kill you?”

“I’m not that easy to take out.”

Ice said, “Who were they?”

She only shrugged.

“Kai is gone?” Ice stared at her, trying to figure out if this was just a game to her.

She knew more than she would ever tell him, even if he spent weeks torturing the information out of her—which he didn’t have time for. Besides, the man he wanted to be didn’t do that anymore.

Vesper represented a whole different kind of temptation. Coming here had been a mistake, but not for any of the usual reasons in a situation like this. She was a slippery slope, an invitation to things he didn’t want. The past, and what he’d done, and who he could be instead—as long as he chose a better path.

Vesper studied him.

Ice’s jaw tightened. “You hung around just to tell me Kai was abducted by someone else?”

“‘You’re trying to take what I have rightfully stolen.’ Isn’t that what you said to me in Argentina?”

“Cute.” Too bad he wasn’t amused.

“You know what? I might’ve considered working for you. But I certainly don’t need the hassle of being your enemy. Neither of us has time for that.”

He flung the knife before he fully recognized what she was doing. She’d already hit the trigger on the weapon she pulled from her jacket.

His knife made impact, because he heard her scream. At the same time, twin barbs embedded themselves with hooks in his chest. One in the vest he had on, the other in the skin of his neck.

Lightning flashed through his body, and he fell to the floor.

“You and I might not be enemies⁠—”

He managed to make out her face swimming in front of his. “—but if you hurt my sister, I’ll kill you.”

She touched her lips to his, ran her thumb across his lower lip, and then she was gone.

Ice didn’t know how long he stayed there on the ground, trying to wait out the sensation of getting zapped. She’d done something to that taser, because it wasn’t like any other time he’d opted to ride the lightning.

He was just sitting up when the door behind him opened and someone else came in.

THIRTY-FOUR

Paris, France

Noah walked around the car and held the door for Marina. “Parking lot is full.”

She glanced around, her hair blond and straightened today. There hadn’t been much time to prepare, get ready, or do more than change clothes, but she’d spent most of the time they’d been airborne in the tiny plane bathroom. “This is the main headquarters for Earthnet. I’d expect someone to be here. Unless the whole company is a front for…whatever it’s a front for.”

He wasn’t going to tell her she was cute when she was angry. He wasn’t sure that would go down so well. “You look the part.”

“International inspector come to tour the facility?” Marina set off for the entrance to the main building of this campus.

Noah kept pace with her, smoothing down his tie and hoping their security didn’t have invasive scanners. “Something like that.”

“It won’t last long if their security has any kind of facial recognition.” Marina glanced over. “They’re probably reading our lips right now.” She kept her lips together, speaking in a muffled voice.

“One way or another, we’ll find out what we want to know.” Right now that was a list, and Noah wasn’t leaving here until he’d asked every question on it. “But I still think we should’ve created fake ID badges in their system and pretended we worked here.”

“If they have an AI in their system, you think it won’t flag that?” Marina said. “It knows us. I’m pretty sure at this point it knows everything about us.”

“Because it did facial recognition on Adam and found out everything about his history?”

“Then wormed its way into our system through the connection between our comms radio channel and my laptop. And spoofed Kai’s voice to make us believe there was a bomb on the boat.”

“When you say it like that…”

It actually seemed kind of farfetched, but considering the possibility that Marina’s cousin had been killed because her vehicle was hacked, Noah was inclined to believe it was possible.

Given his parents were both alive, and involved in this, part of him figured things would only get more outlandish before it was over. Right now, the team was fractured. Kai was missing. Ice hadn’t checked in since the last call. Adam was livid and wanted to go get Steph back, like that was the most important thing right now.

Give him an M4 and a door to kick open, and things would certainly be a whole lot simpler. But with his injury that wasn’t in the cards for him.

The doors slid open in front of them. Three suited men who looked official sat to the right in waiting area chairs. Two security guards were behind the desk, one a woman. Above the first floor the hallway was visible so that anyone going about their business on the second floor could look through the glass and see down into the lobby.

Noah approached the desk. “We’re here for a meeting with Mr. Bradleigh.”

The female security guard lifted her penciled-on brows. “Is zhat correct?” she asked with French-accented English, which always managed to sound snooty even if the person wasn’t.

He turned to Marina. “Log that staff here were inclined to be belligerent.”

“Yes, sir.” She managed to sound snootier than the guard.

The guard rolled her eyes. “One moment.” She picked up the phone and spoke in rapid-fire French, having a back-and-forth conversation. Her gaze flicked to them for a second, and she spoke again into the phone. Finally, she hung up. “IDs.” She held out her hand, motioning with her fingers.

“I’m sure you already know who we are.”

“IDs.”

Noah dug for his wallet, sliding out his actual driver’s license for once. The ID Marina handed over had the name Anne Barnes on it. The guard took their IDs to a printer and lifted the top, laying them on the glass. He turned his back to the desk and surveyed the lobby like he had every right to be here.

Security cameras in the corners, probably also in hidden places he couldn’t see. The guards had nine-mil pistols on their hips. Over by those waiting area chairs, one of the suited men went to a water cooler and got himself a drink in a laughably small paper cone.

A second before the guy tossed the cone in a trash can, Noah caught a decent glimpse of his face.

Richard Leesbury.

Former British Special Forces, a person of interest to the CIA.

If Noah contacted Emanuela Peraya and informed her he had eyes on the guy, would that endear the CIA to them? His team could use all the goodwill they could get right now. Especially when Noah was about to ask them for everything they had on Colonel Alan Montrose so he could look the guy up, pay him a visit, and put a bullet in his head.

Noah pulled out his phone and messaged her that Leesbury was here before tucking his phone away again.

“Someone you know?”

Noah slid his gaze to Marina’s and nodded slightly.

“Wear it at all times.”

He turned to the security guard and took the badge. “Thanks.”

“Go that way.” She pointed a manicured finger with red polish at the door to their right. “And stay with your escort at all times.”

Funny, the CIA had told him the same thing. “Even the bathroom?”

She didn’t think that was amusing, going so far as to sit back down in her chair and turn away from them to converse with her colleague in more fast French. Actually, maybe it was normal speed for a French person. It just sounded fast to him.

The door on the side of the lobby opened, and a guy in a black suit stood there holding it open for them. Noah glanced at Leesbury, but the guy didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything but getting more water. He’d probably recognize Noah if he looked over here.

Marina went first, holding her messenger bag with one hand, even with the strap over her shoulder.

The man stepped back, admitting them through the door. When it closed behind them, he said, “I’m Jean-Claude Petrice, head of security.”

He had a squat head that looked like someone had sat on it, giving him creases on his forehead and a flat-top skull. The guy couldn’t be more than five nine, so Noah towered over him.

“Nice to meet you.” Noah didn’t try to shake his hand. “I’m Noah Rourke, and this is my associate, Ms. Barnes. We really do need to speak with Mr. Bradleigh.”

“He’s a busy man as you can imagine, running a multinational corporation.” Petrice waved them down a hall. “This way.”

He escorted them to a conference room with sparse furnishings and uncomfortable chairs. Petrice sat across from them and laced his fingers together on the table.

“I’m sure you can understand our concerns,” Noah began. “Earthnet hired my team to test security on one of your facilities and retrieve sensitive tech from a hostile area. We’ve incurred considerable expense, suffered injuries, and risked our lives. Yet Earthnet has declined payment for our services.”

Microexpressions of surprise and a little belligerence crossed Petrice’s face before he schooled his features. He wasn’t quite the poker player he thought he was. Marina would’ve made a better spy, in fact.

The head of security sat back in his chair while the clock on the wall ticked away the seconds. “Do you have a contract that outlines your assignment, and the compensation this company is required to pay you?”

“It was all arranged with an intermediary. I’m sure if you contact him, this will make sense.”

Petrice shrugged. “We have a lot of staff. Whoever took it upon themselves to contact you might not work in this building.”

“But Mr. Bradleigh does, so if we could speak with him, I’m sure this whole thing can be straightened out. After all, he probably wants to know that he has rogue staff members making deals with private security teams to fix embarrassing problems.”

The skin around Petrice’s eyes contracted.

“We know you’re looking for this staff member also,” Noah continued. “In fact, when you went after him in Zurich, it was my team you were firing at. So you could say I have more than questions for Mr. Bradleigh. I’d like to know what he was doing in that lab in Zurich—the one under the water in that rusted-out boat. I’d like to know why your drones tried to kill us.”

“I can assure you Mr. Bradleigh has not been in Zurich,” Petrice said. “You only have to watch the news media to know he has been in France for three weeks preparing for a launch, and tonight he’s heading to Florida.”

Noah figured a guy like Bradleigh was the type to have body doubles, or all kinds of scenarios and lies concocted to account for his whereabouts. Alibis. People paid to lie for him. Others paid to spin public relations and make him look like a benefactor who only cared about his charitable giving and not a money-hungry bazillionaire whose only concern was the bottom line.

“Do you have proof?”

When Adam had been winged by one of those drones and cut by whoever attacked him in the lab? Noah said, “I have an injured team leader, cut by a knife with poison on it.”

“Seems far-fetched.”

“That’s why it wouldn’t make sense for me to lie about it.” Noah paused. “What I’d like to know is what computer system your company had in that lab and how it was able to obtain classified information.”

It was risky letting them know that Noah was aware they had the information. Even if Earthnet planned to use it against them, they weren’t going to admit as much to him. Still, he had to at least bring it up.

“Earthnet and its subsidiaries are at the cutting edge of a number of fields in technology. I’m the head of security. You think I understand what they can do? These people are physicists, engineers, and software architects.”

Petrice, on the other hand, was probably ex-military just like Noah.

“One of their state-of-the-art drones drifted into Syria.” He waited a second while Petrice absorbed that, trying to gauge if the guy was aware. “My team was tasked with retrieving it, another incident that resulted in one of my people being injured.”

“Maybe you need better people.”

“What I need is answers.” Noah motioned to Marina, who slid a paper file from her messenger bag. “I need to know where to find Johannsen.”

“Who?”

He was really going to feign ignorance? Noah resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “His apartment in Zurich overlooked the lab you have on that ship. Had. Guess it’s been burned now. Johannsen was spying on the lab, probably logging everyone who came and went.”

“Or his job was to ensure no one approached the vessel without us knowing.” Petrice lifted his brows.

“Then why send drones after us?” Noah leaned over and tapped the paper with his index finger. “This guy is missing.”

“And it’s out of the kindness of your hearts that you’re informing us?”

“It certainly is a courtesy. But more of a chance for you to settle with us before we take this to the justice system. I’m sure there are international regulatory bodies who would be interested to know some of the things Earthnet has been getting up to.”

Petrice leaned back in his chair, a smug look on his face.

“For example”—Marina turned her laptop around so he could see the screen. She leaned forward and tapped it—“the data storage facility in Argentina.”

Petrice’s eyes flared, but he said nothing.

“I’m assuming you cleaned up the scene after several people were killed on the premises.” Marina motioned to the back of the laptop. “As you can see, we have evidence that bodies remained on Earthnet property. I’m sure there are plenty of law enforcement agencies who’d be interested to know that was covered up.”

“What did you do with the bodies?” Noah said. “Because the online activists who think Bradleigh is a corrupt poison who only cares about money and scientific advancement might be interested to know he covers up murder.”

Petrice sneered. “No one would believe it any more than they believe other lies told about Mr. Bradleigh.”

“You sound like a true believer.” And yet Vesper was supposed to be the one labeled a terrorist. The distance from her ideology to what this Bradleigh guy did wasn’t as far as people liked to think. “You’re bought in to Mr. Bradleigh and his plan to…what, conquer the world? Put a space station on the moon, or on Mars?”

“Or is his goal to create a worldwide network to connect every person on the planet,” Marina said.

“Considering how many people in the world don’t have access to free information, wouldn’t that be a good thing?” Petrice asked.

Marina pulled out another file folder. “Kathryn Remeski worked for the FCC. She discovered someone has been purchasing satellite space⁠—”

“Not illegal.”

“—buying up a monopoly on orbital slots so they can launch satellites and create a global network.”

Noah thought she would keep talking, but she didn’t. She stopped abruptly. “Marina?”

“I figured it out.” Marina slammed shut the lid of the laptop, swept it off the table, and stood. “Earthnet murdered my cousin.”

Noah didn’t think those two statements were necessarily related. He stood as well, pushing his chair in when Marina didn’t leave right away.

“You can prove this?” Petrice lifted his brows.

Marina stared him down. “I don’t need to be able to prove it. Because there’s no way that a court is going to file murder charges against an artificial intelligence program, are they?”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at.”

“Playing dumb is probably the best play you’ve got,” Marina said. “But it won’t help you forever.”

Petrice shook his head, as if he didn’t understand what she meant.

“I know what Bradleigh is up to, and I know how to stop him.”

Petrice seemed amused by that.

“It’s a book, written by a German scientist.”

The other man’s eyes flared. That definitely made him mad.

Noah said, “We know you launched something the other day, and that it wasn’t reported anywhere. Your company is in possession of technology that can infiltrate governments and destabilize nations. Something the CIA will be very interested to learn.”

In fact, that’s probably why there was a British intelligence agent in the lobby. Either working for Earthnet, or part of an attempt to stop them.

The door flung open, and the female security guard from the lobby rushed into the room. “There’s been a breach. Someone has accessed our network.”

Petrice looked at Marina.

“It wasn’t me.”

Noah and Marina had decided she wouldn’t try to hack their network while they were here. Doing so would only alert the company to the fact that she was in their system.

“Of course it wasn’t us.” Noah stood. “We came here in good faith. If you want us to retrieve your guidance chip, as a further show of good faith, then we can come to an arrangement.”

The head of security pulled out a pistol. “No deal.”

Noah reached for his because he couldn’t have done anything else.

“Don’t,” Petrice barked.

The other guard had a gun out as well now, pointed at Marina. Noah shifted her behind him and held up his hands. “There’s no need for this.”

“You don’t dictate what happens here.” Petrice looked at the woman. “Put the inquiry in. Find out what we’re going to do with these two.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Davos, Switzerland

Adam turned slightly as he went through the turnstile in the train station. He resisted the urge to groan in front of a bunch of strangers going about their day in this mountain ski town. Dan followed him through, bringing up the rear, more concerned about Adam’s physical state than any dangers that might be around them.

His phone rang.

Adam slid it out and put it to his ear. “Dubkowsky.”

“It’s me,” Ash said. “I’m at the hostel, waiting for contact.”

“Keep your head down. Something is going on, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of what it is.” Adam eased between two guys and headed for the platform.

“I will. Don’t worry.”

“We should be more worried about…” Kyle. Johannsen. Same guy, even if it amounted to two guys with two different problems.

“I’m thinking yeah. There’s scuttlebutt on the message boards that he went Stateside for something. No idea what. His orders were about protecting you.”

“He’s the one in danger.”

Ash said, “I’m all for finding him and checking in, but I’d rather be out looking for Kai.”

“I know.”

“If it was me, he wouldn’t rest until I was back. I’m out here…” Ash didn’t finish.

“I know. Jay is looking into it. You know he gets more results solo, and when he has something, he’ll check in.”

“What are you doing?”

“Getting Steph back. Ice dumped her off on a train because he didn’t like what she told him.” Just saying it out loud made Adam angry. He’d been so livid he busted half a dozen stitches open when Ice had told them over the phone. Now he wasn’t even picking up? “I’m gonna knock the guy into next week when I see him.”

Dan glanced over at him.

Ash said, “Because…”

“She didn’t deserve that!”

Dan smirked, but Adam ignored him. Ash said, “So you’re gonna go apologize for your friend, and make up for getting her burned.”

“That wasn’t my fault.”

“And you’re gonna try and convince us all that you don’t have a thing for her?”

Adam said, “Let’s just focus on the mission, okay? She has skills, and we can use them to find Kai.”

Ash said, “I might not wait long. Not that I want to skip out on our duty to the Phoenix Network, but Kai is missing.”

“Jay will get a lead.”

“I might duck out on this and hook up with Jay to give him a hand. I don’t like sitting here when Kai is…”

“I know.” Adam couldn’t argue with the guy. “Do what you can to warn our friend. Then go help Jay get your boy. We’ll do the same.”

“Thanks, Nix.”

“As if you need to say that.”

“Shut up.”

“You shut up.” Adam hung up the phone, feeling wiped already and they hadn’t been away from the castle for more than two hours.

“Sure you’re up for this?” Dan had a backpack on and held a laptop to his front. Tech support and a medic all rolled into one.

“I’m fine.” Adam glanced at the sky, but the afternoon sun was a little too bright. Pain thrummed through his head, but only because he’d fallen asleep awkwardly on the short plane ride here.

“So we’re just ignoring your physical condition?” Dan shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking like a mother hen about to pounce and take his temperature.

“I wouldn’t say I’m ignoring it.”

“Just strategically avoiding the subject.”

Adam smiled at his friend. “Did you come with me just so you could be annoying?”

Dan opened the laptop and folded it back on itself. “The train is incoming.”

“And she’s on it?”

“That, or she’s walking down the track. And at the speed she’s going…”

“Fine, I get it.” Sure enough, the train came into view, heading toward this station on the tracks. Adam didn’t think about how it felt to hear Ice explain what he’d done after Steph confessed her personal connection. Or what drove him to find her and make it right. Nor did he want to think about the team’s reaction and what they thought that meant.

He didn’t have a thing for her.

And if he did, it wasn’t like that was an option for him. She had a job, and he had a life. Those two didn’t mix.

Dan said, “Ice is paranoid about people lying, and I’m not sure I blame him.”

Adam shot his friend a look. “Even though he lies all the time?”

“He just doesn’t want the situation to become sticky with someone whose loyalty we can’t be certain of.”

Not something Adam would necessarily argue with. But when it was Steph? Yeah, reason had gone out the window. At least he could blame it on the pain meds.

Dan shook his head. “I get it. We all do. But can I just say, I don’t need your permission to look up this colonel you tussled with and have Marina worm her way into his entire life and then systematically destroy him for what he did to you.”

Adam said nothing.

“But you don’t want him destroyed?”

“If I go after him, the risk of me exposing myself to people who will lock me up again, or kill me, is too great. And I know I’ll only be getting revenge thinking it’s going to fix the problem. It won’t.”

“You’re sure he isn’t doing what he did to you to someone else?”

Adam shook his head while the train brakes squealed and it came to a stop. “He’s on a…watch list. I’m restricted from being involved, but there are people whose job it is to make sure he’s not hurting anyone. I get reports.”

“That’s how this thing you’re in works?”

“Yes,” Adam said. “I’ll get an assignment, and it will be on behalf of someone else. No one knows who they’re working to protect, but we all pitch in when we’re called.”

Dan said, “Do not fret because of evil people?”

“Something like that, I guess.” Plus, Adam didn’t want anything to do with Montrose, and would rather not go to prison for multiple counts of what would be labeled murder. Or wind up in a facility again.

Dan continued, “So we’re here, retrieving Steph, because no one retrieved you. No one saved you, and you can’t stand the thought of someone falling through the cracks.”

“Just as long as we get Kai back.”

A guy went ahead of them, pressing the button on the outside of the doors. They swished open, admitting the man and then Adam and Dan.

“Left,” Dan said. “She’s in this car.”

“Got it.” Adam scanned the seats, wondering how accurate this thing was. Checking every face. Making his way along the aisle. “Here we go.”

She sat slumped against the window, her eyes closed and a hood up over her hair.

He took the seat opposite her, and Dan sat across the aisle. Adam settled in, adjusting his jacket and trying to avoid tweaking the stitches on his chest. He lifted his foot and rested it beside her on the chair to hem her in. “Steph.”

She didn’t move or open her eyes. He reached over and squeezed her knee.

She woke a second later, her eyes glassy. Focused on him and sucked in a quick breath, looking around. She nearly fell out of her chair. After she’d caught herself and sat back, she reached for the necklace. “Where is it?”

Adam frowned. “I don’t have it.”

If Ice took it, he’d left that part of the story out in the telling. Which meant Adam needed to follow up about it. Their first priority was Kai. After that, the situation. Then they’d worry about her necklace/communication device thing.

“How did you find me?” She tipped her head one way, then the other. “What did Ice do to me? I feel like I’ve been asleep for a week.”

Adam reached over and took her hand, running his fingers over her wrist until he could feel her pulse.

She stared at their hands, her expression obscured, till he let go of her hand. “Whatever he gave you, there won’t be any lasting damage.”

“Oh. My pulse.” She nodded. “Right.” She spotted Dan across the aisle. “Hi.”

The big man said, “We come in peace.”

Steph stared at him for a moment. “So your buddy Ice drugged me and dumped me on a train, and he has my necklace. Did he tell you to come and pick me up?”

Adam shook his head. “Tracker. In your shoe.”

Steph frowned. “He dropped me off, and you’re picking me up? What is this?”

Adam shrugged his shoulder. “Far as I’m concerned, this is an all-hands-on-deck situation.”

“You look terrible.” Her head tipped to the side. “Should you even be up?”

Laughter bubbled up in his chest, and across the aisle Dan chuckled without looking up from the laptop.

“Ouch.” Adam didn’t rub his hand across his chest. “I’ll be good as new before you know it.”

Steph shook her head. “Is Kai okay?”

“We’re working that. The team will get him back.”

“Ice, and the team? Guess he didn’t need my help, so he got rid of me like I’m extra baggage.”

Adam said, “Forget about that. He and I will figure it out. What do you need?”

“What do you care?”

“Pretend I do.”

She rolled her eyes, then patted her pockets and found a wad of cash. “Two thousand Euros. Your friend Ice didn’t leave me destitute, so I guess that’s something.”

“He isn’t a bad guy.”

She didn’t respond to that.

“I asked what your plan is.”

“Because you care so much that you tracked me down to ask me?”

“Doesn’t mean I disagree with what Ice did. He had his reasons,” Adam said. “But it seems to me like working together might benefit both of us.”

“I can’t help you get your friend back.”

“Because you need the book to save your father?”

“Vesper doesn’t want anything to do with me. She thinks my entire existence is a joke, and she’s the last person I would ever give that book to. Even if it saves your friend.” Steph looked almost sad. “I know you have to be confident in your abilities, but you don’t know her.”

“I’ve gone up against people much worse than her.”

She bit her lip. Turned to watch the mountainside blur past them.

“You’ll just have to trust me.”

She glanced at him. “I need the book to get my father back. You need it to trade with Vesper for your friend. I think that puts us on opposite sides of this.”

Adam wasn’t convinced they would need the book in order to get Kai back, but anything he said would sound like too much bravado. “I know you’re unaccustomed to working with other people, but we can help each other.” He almost said, We’re good together but managed to keep it from slipping out. “You won’t have to do this alone anymore. Not if you don’t want to.”

“Say I trust you, I let down my guard, and in a day or two you prove this is all just because I know where the book is. You steal it from me, and I end up unconscious on a train again—this time without the cash.”

“You think you’ll get burned by everyone?”

“No one has ever proven otherwise. It isn’t worth the risk.”

“It can be,” Adam said. “Sometimes trust is more than worth the risk, and I say that as someone who has been betrayed by people I should’ve been right to have faith in. They took my allegiance and they tore it apart in a way that left me a shell of who I was. It took me three years to put myself back together, and I’m still not certain I’m whole.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“I know.” He recalled what she’d said to him outside the castle. “But you’ll take it.”

The train pulled into the next station.

“Come on.”

Steph got up and followed him. Dan stepped off first, and they disembarked the train after him. Stepping outside into the chill air, and the bright blue sky. Snow-capped mountains all around them, even this time of year.

“You good?”

Adam looked at Steph, wondering if he was. “I didn’t ask for any of this. All I have it in me to do is the best I can. That means trusting someone who has proven themselves to me and trying to make the world safer for good people.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“You were burned because of us,” Adam said. “If my team neutralizes Vesper, I figure that makes us even.”

“What about Earthnet?” Dan glanced between them. “You guys don’t have to keep score and make this about paying each other back for favors. We could all just work together. When it’s over, you go your separate ways, or you…don’t.” He shrugged, then looked at Adam. “I’ll call the pilot.”

Adam nodded, and Dan wandered off into the station office. When he turned to Steph, she had a curious look on her face. “What?”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “Maybe me getting my life back doesn’t matter. Maybe my dad’s fate is sealed, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “Everything I’ve been trying to do for years. All the good I thought I did in the world? Doesn’t matter. In the end, none of it matters. It’s all too little, too late.”

“If all I manage to do is convince you that isn’t true, I’ll be satisfied.”

“Why do you even care?” Steph raised her voice, almost yelling. Drawing some attention to them. “I don’t understand it.”

“I know what it’s like to be alone.” He stepped closer and took her elbow. “I know what it’s like to be trapped and at the mercy of someone stronger than you, unable to get out. I wouldn’t wish that fate on my worst enemy. It was beyond…”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“I’ve been where you are. No options. No way to fix what’s broken. Someone stepped in at that moment and helped me out. They saved my life and helped me save myself.” Adam touched her shoulder, then slid his fingers to the side of her neck, his thumb tracing the edge of her jaw. “I’d like to do that for⁠—”

Gunshots cracked across the platform.

A second later, chaos erupted as people ran screaming.

THIRTY-SIX

Steph spun, putting herself in front of Adam. He was injured, and even if she had no weapons on her⁠—

There.

She clocked the shooter down the platform, between bystanders running for their lives. Right away she knew who it was, and why they were here. She would know that ponytail and the set of his jaw anywhere.

“Come on!” Adam shoved her forward, and they joined the crowd heading for the main station building, a redbrick structure on the side of the road. A small mountain town surrounded by snow-covered peaks.

Any other time she might like to stay a few days. Relax in the solitude, or spend some time with a good man who came all this way because he didn’t like what his friend had done.

Too bad there wasn’t time to think about that.

She ducked inside the building, the crowd a bottleneck of people trying to get out the front doors. Behind her, she heard someone scream and the sound of another person falling. “We need to draw him away from these bystanders.” She dragged Adam to the ticket counter and kicked the door probably only meant for employees.

The wood splintered around the keypad lock, and the door flung open.

On the other side, two women and a man hunkered down under the counter, wide-eyed at the situation. Steph tugged on Adam’s hand, pulling him to a door at the far end.

Gunshots splintered the plastic window separating staff from customers.

She ducked her head. Adam slammed the door shut behind them.

“Someone after you, or are they after me?” he asked her.

“He’s CIA.”

“So either way?”

“Both. But I’ve worked with that guy before. He said his name was Jim, but it was years ago.” She raced down the narrow hall, praying there weren’t more shooters on the far side of the exit door up ahead. She glanced over her shoulder as she ran. “I’m guessing he’s after me because he heard I was cut loose.”

“Charming.”

Steph snorted, slowing at the end of the hall. “Got another pistol?”

“You’re assuming I’m carrying two?”

She stared at him for a second.

“Fine.” Adam drew a .22 caliber pistol from an ankle holster. “Here you go.”

She checked it was ready to fire, safety off. Of course after that apartment in Zurich, he’d figured she would commandeer his weapon, so he’d brought two with him.

“Let me go out first.”

Steph said, “Contact Dan. Get him to pick us up outside.”

She spotted movement behind him, that familiar face and his dark hair pulled back. Jim emerged from the ticket office. She took a stuttering step toward Adam, shoved him back against the wall to her left, and fired two shots. The CIA agent on their tails ducked back into the office.

In a second, he would⁠—

Adam twisted her around, switching places with her. A pale face, and lines of pain around his eyes. He fired twice the second the agent ducked his head around to hit them again.

Steph opened the door and checked outside. When she didn’t see an immediate threat, she hurried out.

Adam came after her, and she dragged a full trash can in front of the door. Wouldn’t buy them much time, but running right into it might slow the agent, if he hadn’t been hit.

They had to get out of here before Adam lost all the fight in him and his injuries forced him to shut down. Adrenaline would only get him so far.

She tipped her head. “Come on.”

“I’m calling Dan.”

“I’ll watch our backs.” She switched places with him, slowing so he could go past her and she could follow.

Glance back.

Keep her attention on the corners of the building.

Each parked car that could have someone hiding behind it, ready to pounce.

The door they’d shoved that trash can in front of…

“Cover!”

Adam dashed between two cars and ducked behind one, holding his phone to his ear. She crouched beside him, breathing hard, and looked back over the hood as agent Jim dashed out of the door. To his credit, he only clipped the trash can, but the unexpected caught him off guard.

She ducked back down. “He’ll find us.”

“Not if we take him out.”

It sounded like a question. “There will be no going back if we kill an agent.”

Steph understood the gravity of what she was saying, tying their fates together. As if they were a unit and she really was part of their team. A team that worked for the CIA.

Yeah, that wasn’t going to get sticky.

“You wanna run, or you wanna take him out?” Adam’s attention shifted. “Yeah, where are⁠—”

Whatever caused him to cut off what he was saying, Steph ignored it. She braced her arms on the hood of the car and fired two shots, hitting agent Jim square in the chest. He fell back against the trash can, surprise washing over his features as he tumbled to the ground.

“We’re coming to you!” Adam nudged her, rising to his feet.

“Go.” She nudged him back.

He ran through the parking lot, threading through pedestrians who had ducked down when that last round of shots rang out. Someone tried to rush them, a guy in a suit who looked like a commuter headed for work in an office. She lifted her gun just enough to dissuade him and said, “Back off.” He’d grasp the intention even if he didn’t know English.

Adam kept going.

“Where is he?”

“There!” Adam indicated ahead of them, over at the area where rideshare drivers would pick up passengers. It looked like a bus stop with two benches and a sign post, an island in the center of the parking lot, away from the entrance.

A dark van had pulled up at the stop, and she spotted Dan in the crowd. His arms pulled back behind him by one guy. Another punched him in the stomach.

Adam yelled, “Hey!”

One of the guys turned to them.

Steph broke away to the right, so she didn’t get Adam in her line of fire, then skirted around a car and squeezed off a shot. She’d be out of bullets in a second, and if the sirens in the distance were anything to go by, the local police would be here around the same time.

One man fell back, stumbling to the open door of the van. Another took his place, and two of them shoved Dan toward it.

Dan planted his feet and swung out at one of them, taking the guy off his feet with a powerful blow to his chest. Then rounded on the other guy and caught a right hook to his jaw that had him shaking off the surprise.

Adam fired at the man to Dan’s left and caught the side of the van when the guy moved at the last second, shoving Dan forward.

She aimed at the front right tire and hit.

The van engine revved. It pulled away before the door was even all the way closed.

Steph spotted a guy hiding behind his Peugeot taxi and ran to him, tugging the money Ice had given her out of her pocket. “Follow that van!”

The guy stared at the money.

She tried again in German and managed to get the point across. She opened the back door behind the driver, and Adam got in on the other side.

“Go!” she yelled to the driver.

He peeled out like this was the NASCAR starting line, and Steph and Adam leaned back in their seats. She looked at Adam. “You good?”

“I will be when we get Dan back.”

“Awful lot like when Kai was taken.”

Adam flinched. “You think it’s the same people?”

“Vesper?” Steph shook her head. “Maybe, but she’s more hands on. Why wouldn’t she be here? Unless she’s in the front seat of that van.”

“I’m gonna kill her.” Adam glanced over. “Sorry.”

The driver followed the van around a sharp corner.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“She’s your sister.”

Right. Ice had probably told them all what she said. “Guess that’s a reason to dump me off on a train.”

“You mean leave you to die? You’d have woken up drowsy and been shot before you knew what was happening.” Adam lifted his chin. “I’m not choosing sides, but what he did was wrong.”

Steph wasn’t ready to defend Ice, pointing out that he’d probably done what he thought was right.

The driver gripped the wheel with both hands, raced around another corner, and muttered something to himself.

“Guess we found the local daredevil.”

Steph said, “As long as we get Dan back.”

The driver said something. It took her a second to decipher it. “Airport?”

She got a nod, and he repeated the word. “There must be a local small airport up here,” Steph said. “The kind wealthy skiers use to get to their favorite resort.”

“Ever been skiing?”

She shook her head. “I went to an all-girls boarding school in Canada. Lived there from kindergarten through when I left and went to college. The CIA paid for all of it.”

“Seriously?”

“It was the deal my father made with them for providing information they wanted. As soon as I was old enough to be recruited, the deal went out the window. They transferred him to a secure facility I’ve never been able to find and refused to let me see him. I was told that if I didn’t comply, they would renege on the deal to keep him captive but leave him alone, and they would take all the information they wanted from him whether he chose to give it or not.”

“That’s who has him now?”

She nodded. “That’s why I need to make things right.”

“I’ll help you.”

“Seems like you’re the one who needs help right now.” She planned to figure out how to convince the CIA to put him back in his cell and leave him alone. But right now, a life was in danger and she could do something about it.

Steph was about to pat the driver’s shoulder when the van turned onto a single-lane road at the break in an aging brick wall covered in moss.

He hit the brakes at the last second and pulled up to the opening, stopping the car across the lane where the turnoff was.

Adam said, “Guess this is where our ride ends.”

“I gave him two thousand Euros! This is daylight robbery.” She reached for the wad of cash on the dash, but the driver slapped her hand. She pointed his gun at him. “Thief.”

Adam had his door open. “Come on!”

She raced to catch up, leaving the back door open out of spite. The car engine revved, and he sped away. Adam jogged down the lane.

Steph huffed. “We’re completely exposed out here.” Nothing but a rolling hill, a single lane with deep green grass all around. Everything was damp, even the heavy air under the gray clouds. “It’s gonna rain. I don’t even have a jacket.”

She tried to catch up with Adam, who was apparently a faster runner than her in open country, rather than in a short hallway. His pace picked up from a jog to a full-out sprint. He crested the hill, and she managed to get to the top before he set off again like she hadn’t been going full speed to catch up. In the valley below was a white house, surrounded by a short picket fence. Sheep grazed to the left, but the house itself seemed unoccupied.

Behind it, she spotted the tail of a helicopter.

The van raced around the house.

“They’ll take off before we get there!” No matter how fast he could run.

Adam stumbled and fell to his knees.

She ran to him. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer. She grabbed the phone from his offhand and used the camera to get some shots of the chopper, zooming in to try to catch the tail numbers. Just in case the information might help them find their friend later.

The helicopter lifted off the ground and flew away. Too far for them to reach the vehicle, or anyone inside. Too far to help Dan.

Adam gasped. “He’s gone.”

THIRTY-SEVEN

Berlin, Germany

Ash paced the floor between two sets of bunkbeds in the corner room at the hostel. He’d claimed this room for himself and shoved out anyone who tried to come in, finally offering the proprietor extra cash to instruct guests this room was off limits.

He checked out the window which had bars on it. Through the cloudy glass he could see the street below. Never mind that the same red car had circled the block twice. Or that he was pretty sure the same helicopter was circling the area.

None of it mattered more than Kai, or anyone else in his team. Unless whoever took Kai wanted to take him, too? In which case, he’d be fine with it. They’d simply escape together.

Finally unable to stand the waiting, he grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. As he turned to the door, it eased open.

Ash palmed his gun and pointed it at the intruder. “Go away,” he said in German, making sure his accent made him sound like a West African native who’d moved here and recently learned the language.

“Why would I do that, Asher?” The blond guy who entered decided to act all smug about it.

“I should shoot you for taking so long to get here.”

Kyle smirked, closing the door behind him. Ash put the gun away and gave the guy a back-slapping bro-hug.

“Sorry about that.” Kyle flicked his hair back off his head in a move that was so familiar to Ash it was practically a “tell.” He smelled like he needed a shower, which would help people avoid him on the busy streets of Berlin. “It took me longer than anticipated to get back from the States.”

“What were you doing?”

“Plugging a leak.”

Ash tossed his backpack on the closest bed. “Start talking. Because I wanna leave. But before I go, I need the answers I came for.”

“You have something for me?”

Ash said, “Noah wants to meet his parents.”

“I’ll pass it along.” Kyle rolled his shoulders, then moved to lean against the wall beside the small pedestal sink in the corner.

“Talk, then you can rest.”

Kyle nodded. “The Phoenix Network embedded me in Earthnet Industries months ago, with the cover story that I was a consultant. Mr. Johannsen specialized in productivity and dispute management. I was supposed to find out what their endgame is.”

Usually, Ash’s jobs with the Phoenix Network were over in a couple of days, not a deep undercover assignment that had gone on months.

That wasn’t something designed to safeguard a person’s new identity, or eliminate a threat. This was save-the-world stuff. Or there was a major beef between Elaina and Mitch Rourke and the CEO of Earthnet. Was this personal, or professional?

Ash said, “What gave us the idea Earthnet was up to anything?”

“Bunch of things the algorithm connected as being the potential for a threat. One that has Earthnet in control of global communications networks. They dug up an old paper Elias Bradleigh wrote years ago talking about this journal he found from the nineteen forties about creating a global network.”

“He has the book?” Ash lifted his brows, shifting his weight and feeling the pull of the injury in his calf. “Vesper was after it, but if Bradleigh already has it, then the damage is done.”

“It sounded like he lost it and he’s been looking for it since.”

Ash shook his head. “So you were sent in?”

“I copied as many files as I could, and when I discovered the existence of the data center, I called you guys and ‘hired’ you to breach it as a test of their security.”

“For the Phoenix Network?”

Kyle nodded.

“So this whole thing has been the team working for us, not for Earthnet?”

“It wasn’t like I could tell you, even if you knew who I was. We all had to pretend we were someone else.”

“I wouldn’t exactly pass as a guy named ‘Johannsen,’” Ash pointed out.

He could play a few roles well. Most were fundamentalist religious types from West Africa or the Middle East, but it wasn’t as if he could change his skin color. Guys like Kyle and Adam got stuck with the Anglo roles. As a team they could get the job done. Ash wasn’t the guy who went out on his own, a solo spy. He was the guy who backed up his friends, and they all watched each other’s backs.

Kyle chuckled. “I think you’d pull it off.”

“What about Stephanie-Jo…” Ash couldn’t remember her last name, if he’d even heard it.

“She was working something connected to a doctor scooped up by Earthnet and coerced into working for them. She got burned because she was close.”

“Close to figuring out what they’re doing?”

“Near enough to know something wasn’t right. An agent like that won’t just let it go. They’re gonna dig till they get to the truth.”

“That the guy was kidnapped.”

“She was burned because Earthnet has eyes and ears in the CIA’s network,” Kyle said. “One of their employees was being manipulated by an Earthnet program. One that’s far more sophisticated than anyone even knew was possible.”

“The worm that got in Marina’s system?”

Kyle nodded. “It sounds like she warned them it’s there, but the damage is already done.”

Ash couldn’t shake the idea that something was wrong. “I need to get going. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

“That’s why I’m glad you waited.” Kyle’s expression darkened. “I passed those two drives to the Phoenix Network, and the photo you gave me of Vesper. She’s been on their radar as well, but they don’t get involved in that stuff. The AI on the drives was an older version that has some problems and was shelved—segregated into that server farm in Argentina so it didn’t infect anything else.”

“Okay.”

“Adam gave me another drive, which I also passed on. Earthnet got the security report and not much else.”

“Dangerous game you were playing.”

“It’s the job,” Kyle said. “And it’s supposed to keep all of us safe. But Earthnet figured out what was happening and came after you. Came after all of us.”

“The drones?” Ash had been injured before that, sidelined at the castle, but it wasn’t like him being there would’ve changed the outcome. Even if that was what he wanted to claim. “Vesper took Kai.”

Kyle shook his head. “Earthnet took him from her. I think they have Ice, too. I heard some chatter before I got cut off. They found a bug I planted in one of their offices. I think Earthnet is after the whole team.”

“They’re coming after us?”

“One by one.”

Ash palmed his phone and dialed Adam’s number. It went to voicemail before his friend picked up.

“I’m sure he’s good.” Ash swallowed. Tried another number. Dan. Noah. Jay. None of them picked up. “I’m sure they’re good.”

Kyle just stared at him, looking exhausted and like someone about to inform a person their loved one had been in a terrible accident.

“No. That’s not what’s happening.”

Kyle just stared.

Ash shook his head. “You hired us for the Phoenix Network.”

“And you thought Vesper was your biggest problem.”

“Why would Earthnet come after us like this? Just because we’re right?”

“They consider you a potential threat,” Kyle said. “Guess this is what they do to people who might actually be able to stop them.”

“Where’s that CEO guy, Bradleigh? I’ll sort this out.” Ash got all the way to the door before Kyle stopped him.

“They’ll take you, too. Unless you have someone to watch your back.”

“This is insane.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Kyle said. “The Phoenix Network will be behind you all the way. You know that.”

“I lived it.”

“Then trust us again.”

Ash’s phone rang. “It’s Adam.”

“Put it on Speaker,” Kyle said. “We’ll make a plan and tackle this together.”

THIRTY-EIGHT

Davos, Switzerland

Adam sat in the passenger seat, because as much as he’d love to argue otherwise, Steph was far more fit to drive a stolen car than he was right now. Plus, it gave him the focus he needed for this conversation. “You’re both there?”

Kyle said, “Yes.”

“Good to hear your voice, bro. Thought something bad might’ve happened.”

Adam heard a snort across the phone line. “Something bad has happened,” Kyle said. “Earthnet got their program to worm into the CIA’s network, and Steph was burned. Your identity was compromised. We don’t know how far the leak spread.”

“I care more about finding Kai.”

“Far as we can see,” Ash said, “it’s more than just Kai.”

“Dan was taken from the train station where we went to catch Steph.” Adam was still angry that Ice had done it, even though he understood the “why” behind the move. He figured they’d talk it out, and then it would be settled. Until then he’d be irritated, frustrated, tired, and angry all rolled into one.

Ash muttered.

“We need to finish this.” Adam lowered the phone and hit the Speaker button. “Steph is here, too. She’s as much part of this as we are if Earthnet wrecked her life.”

Steph glanced over, then focused back on the road.

“Her team didn’t get kidnapped,” Ash said.

“Maybe not,” Steph countered. “But thanks to what happened, my father’s life is in danger. He’s being tortured for information.”

Adam would love to argue that the US government didn’t do that kind of thing, at least not in a way they’d admit was sanctioned. But he’d lived the dark side of that coin where the shadows were. The top secret facilities, not on any map—or expense sheet.

“What does he know?” Ash asked. “Because I’m all for finding and rescuing him, after we get our friends back.”

“The team that slays together stays together?” Kyle said.

“We’re full,” Adam said. “If we had an opening, it would be offered to Steph.”

“Rude.” Kyle sounded amused rather than offended.

Adam smirked. “I’m sure glad you guys are all right. But it doesn’t fix this, even if there are four of us to work it.”

“We’ll get out of Berlin and come join you,” Ash said.

“We need a target.” Adam needed Marina’s tech skills, Noah’s steady leadership, and the boys and their jokes and the way they didn’t hesitate to grab their gear and head for the plane. He’d been alone far too much in his life, terrified and utterly cut off from help. “We need to get them back.”

Just one of his team members in a situation like that made him sick.

More than one?

“Okay.” Adam scrubbed a hand down his face. “Dan was captured. Kai was captured. Ice is AWOL. Are we presuming he was captured?”

“Good luck to whoever took him,” Ash muttered.

Kyle said, “That leaves Jay, and the Noah-Marina duo.”

“How do you know so much about this team?” Steph asked.

“I make it my business to know, Stephanie-Jo Runnerford. Your father’s name is Walton. He’s been in US custody since he ‘disappeared’ fifteen years ago, after betraying his team. The first Division Zero team, which he ran for ten years.”

She paled. “How do you know that?”

“They were on a mission, going up against a Russian dissident. I won’t bore you with the details, but the dissident ended up in a gulag and your father was branded a traitor. The mission was written up as a failure, and the CIA has been trying to find a stable Division Zero team ever since.”

“Not sure I want the job anymore.” Adam glanced at Steph. “You okay?”

“How does he know that?” She looked over for a second. “Even I didn’t know he was Division Zero.”

“I guess it’s a family affair now,” Kyle said.

Adam needed to rein this conversation back in. “Whether it is or not, we can sort out later.” He took a breath. “Ash, you have a laptop?”

“Nope. You?”

“No. So we don’t have a way to track anyone’s comms. Marina is dark, along with Noah?”

Ash said, “We can keep trying them, but they went to the Earthnet HQ in Paris.”

“Right into the lion’s den,” Kyle said. “So to speak.”

Adam watched the highway blur past, aware they were headed northwest in general, but not if Steph was going in a specific direction. He pulled in a long breath and his stitches screamed, the pain almost blinding. If he didn’t get meds soon it would be debilitating pretty quickly. “We’ll hit a pharmacy and try to get ahold of Jay. He might still be out there, working on this.”

“You want us to go after Ice, or Noah and Marina?” Ash asked.

Before Adam could answer, Steph said, “I could call Vesper. I have a voicemail service I can try using. See if she’ll return my call.”

“And why would we do that?” Kyle asked.

“You got a beef with her, bro?” Ash whispered. “She do you dirty?”

Adam said, “Guys.”

Steph eased off the gas but didn’t slow much. “She might know where Earthnet is holding the team members they have. After all, we thought she was the one who took Kai. Or she was, and they took him from her. I don’t know exactly, but she was in the van. Maybe she has Ice. Maybe…” She shook her head. “I don’t even know. But she can tell us.”

Adam watched her lift a hand from the wheel and swipe at her cheek, brushing away an angry tear.

Because Kyle had disclosed some of her past, things even she hadn’t known, and now she felt exposed?

Adam didn’t blame her. He knew what it felt like to be fileted open and laid bare. Literally and figuratively.

“I say it’s worth a try.” Adam didn’t care if it sounded like he was simply agreeing with her. “We don’t have much else to fall back on to figure this out.”

“I’ll call Caleb. Fill him in.” Ash cleared his throat. “Find out if Morgan has a way to find Jay, or if there’s a way to find Noah.”

Kyle said, “I’ll check in with…you-know-who.”

Of course, Adam wasn’t going to say “the Phoenix Network” over an unsecured phone line. “Understood. We’ll find somewhere to stop, and you can catch up. I’d rather we do this together than work it from other angles.”

“As long as you watch your back until we get there, Nix.”

Adam said, “Will do.”

The call ended.

Steph pulled the car over, parking up against a low stone wall at the side of the road which reminded him of Syria, the day they’d met. Parking so she couldn’t get out, with the truck up against a cliff.

“Gonna hold a gun to my head again?”

She looked at him, the damp of tears in her eyes. “What?”

“I was just remembering Syria.” He shook his head. “Feels like weeks ago.”

“Back when we were young and naïve, and we thought the CIA wouldn’t try to kill us.”

“Speak for yourself.” He reached over and squeezed her shoulder, getting her to chuckle a little. “Call your sister.”

She rolled her eyes. “She’s not really my sister. Not in any way that counts.”

“More like a thorn in your side? I’ll introduce you to my sister sometime. You’ll like her, and she’ll like you.”

Steph held the phone. “Was Ash really serious about finding my father? I’ve wanted to rescue him for years, but I could never locate him.”

“We can try.”

“I’d appreciate the effort.”

Adam nodded. “Make your call.”

She dialed and held the phone to her ear. Listening. “It’s me. I’m not going to pretend you feel any kind of loyalty to me, but I could use your help. All I want is information.” She tapped the screen and lowered the phone, looking around at the deserted mountain road around them.

A light drizzle dampened everything, and the windshield wipers swiped away the moisture. There wasn’t really enough to make it worth the effort.

Adam had about drifted off to sleep when the phone rang. He blinked, sitting up too fast.

“Easy.” She touched a hand to his arm. “It’s just me.”

For a second there, in his dream, she’d been gone and he had been back in that facility. At the mercy of a psychopathic US Army colonel. But it wasn’t real.

“Yes?” Whatever the caller said, Steph flushed and looked relieved. “Tell me where to find them. I don’t care how thin the lead is. I need to know what you know.”

A few seconds later, she hung up the phone.

Adam glanced over. “You have a location?”

“Vesper thinks she knows where Earthnet would’ve taken them.”

“How do we know it’s a good lead? She could be leading us into a trap—or a wild goose chase.”

“We don’t,” she said. “But we’re still going to check it out, right?”

“Of course.” He nodded. “With backup.”

THIRTY-NINE

Punta Sorapis, Northern Italy

The small plane banked to fly in an arc, then set down on a grassy field west of the base.

Steph lowered the binoculars. “Hopefully, no one was watching and saw that.” She made her way from their hiding spot in the bushes back to where they’d left the car so they could gear up. She glanced over at Adam, wishing they had protective vests to wear. “You good?”

He’d slept for half an hour at least in the front seat of the car while she drove here, but he didn’t look any better. She figured that was because he’d told her the short version of what the rest of his team had learned over the past few days—the reason why he had to be careful never to show his face to a security camera in the US. Or, preferably, stay away from the States so the colonel who had victimized him—her word, not his—never found him.

She’d come across a pharmacy in a small town and managed to communicate well enough to get him some painkillers, though he probably needed something a lot stronger.

“Good to go.” He grabbed a ball cap out of his backpack and put it on backward, tucking the ends of his hair into it. The easy way he checked his gun, familiarity and intensity in his movements, told her he was at home in this position. Being an operator wasn’t just a job, it was who he was.

Something she couldn’t say about spy work.

Steph said, “If you fall over, I’ll find a wheelbarrow around here to lay you in so I can get you out.”

Adam chuckled. “Good to know you’ve got my back.”

He flung the trunk of the car closed, and she followed him across a grassy stretch to where the trees stood closer together. Ash and another man, a blond guy. Both of them had gear on and carried weapons.

Once they’d all been introduced, and Ash tried to hug her—which Adam intercepted—they headed for the fence line.

“You think your sister is right about this place?” Adam motioned up ahead about a mile, which they’d already scouted out. The fence wasn’t electrified, and in places it had fallen down entirely. Everything about this spot said it was rundown and neglected.

“I think she knows a lot more than she would ever say, in a million lifetimes. And I think she’s up to something.” Steph kept her eyes peeled on the trees, but aside from a wild animal she doubted they’d see a threat. “She didn’t sound her usual argumentative self on the phone, but who knows what she has going on right now. I usually try to avoid her and take jobs that keep me as far away as possible.”

Ash eyed her. “Not itching for some Cain and Abel type battle?”

Steph shook her head. “No way.” She lifted her chin to the two men. “Thanks for coming by the way.”

“Yeah, she wasn’t sure about going in with me all injured. I’m a liability.”

Steph shot Adam a look, but he just chuckled.

When they came to the fence line, Ash used clippers to cut them a hole. Part of of it had fallen over, a stretch about fifteen feet long, but it now sat in a pool of water that was who knew how deep. He pulled the fence back, and Kyle went in first.

She and Adam went next, and Ash came in behind them. “Now I’m doubting what she said, wondering if this whole thing isn’t a trap.”

Adam said, “I don’t see any guys with vans, or a helicopter, so I think we’re safe from Earthnet for now.”

“So then how is Kai here? Or any of your other friends?” Steph looked around and saw a gravel strip that ran between buildings. “This place looks like a base, not a tech company.”

The wind blew a paper toward a building to their right, and she spotted an old military bunker behind these buildings and what looked like a missile silo. Without going over there, she couldn’t determine if this place had missile ejection doors in the ground.

“Definitely a base,” Adam said. “Looks like it hasn’t been used for years, though. Probably not since World War II, and then it got repurposed during the Cold War and outfitted to launch ICBMs at the enemy.”

“Why did my sister send us here?”

Adam motioned with a tilt of his head. “Come on. Let’s check it out. She might’ve sent us here to give us a clue as to what’s going on.”

“More likely she wanted to go up against them with her people, without us getting in the way, and sent us here to keep us busy finding nothing.”

Kyle stopped. “If we’re supposed to be finding nothing”—he turned to them, his attention on his phone—“then why is this place emitting a satellite signal?”

Steph whipped around, looking at all the buildings for the communication equipment she’d seen on that boat, which would let her know they were using it for more modern means. “It could be a lab like the ship.”

“But is Earthnet really holding Kai and Dan here?” Ash asked. “If he escaped, they’d have gone after him and we’d see people all over the area. Maybe it’s deserted because they cleared out.”

Adam said, “Or this is the AI testing us, learning our decision-making patterns like it did in Argentina.”

If that was true, then it might not have been Vesper on the phone. It could’ve been the artificial intelligence spoofing her voice, the way it had done with Kai on the ship. Telling them all there was a bomb so they left quickly.

“I don’t like any of this,” Steph said. “What do they even want with us?”

Kyle said, “You wanna call the CIA, find out what they know?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been burned. I can’t call them. They’ll have erased the number they gave me from their system.”

“Right.” Kyle nodded, but she got the impression there was something he wasn’t telling her. She didn’t even know this man, so that made no sense.

“All right, we split up into twos and search every building,” Adam ordered, digging in his backpack. “Take these with you.” He gave a radio to Ash, who clipped it to his belt.

Kyle looked at his phone, then said to Ash, “It’s that building over there.” He indicated a low concrete structure with broken windows.

In a place like this, she’d expect graffiti—and for anything useful to have been looted. But maybe the locals knew not to come up here and mess with the base and its buildings. She said, “We do need to find out about the history of this place. Maybe I should try to call the CIA.”

“Better idea.” Adam lifted his chin, indicating a missile silo. “Let’s go check it out.”

Steph wrinkled her nose. “I’m supposed to be a tough, independent woman.”

“Scared of the dark?”

“Isn’t everyone?”

Adam’s expression softened. “I’m thinking…maybe not.”

“Oh.” She cleared her throat. “I’m good. I’m probably just feeling some paranoid aftereffects of whatever Ice dosed me with.” Even though that felt like days ago, instead of just a few hours.

Hopefully, she sounded definitive.

Steph started walking, striding with confidence she didn’t have. Using the fake-it-till-you-make-it approach to international espionage. “That building has some of the same antennae on it that the ship did.”

“So it does.” Adam followed as she picked her way across the uneven terrain.

A cold breeze rustled through the trees and the sky darkened, the sun hidden behind the clouds. She spotted an old axle, the vehicle likely something the size of a Jeep. “Maybe your team should buy this place, if no one knows it’s here.”

“You think we should expand our real estate portfolio?”

“Maybe Ice needs a summer home. This place suits his personality.”

Adam chuckled. “He isn’t taking Winston.”

Steph stood at the door of a squat concrete building with a low roof, barely higher than her head. She pulled out a tiny folding knife from her pocket.

Most of the structure had become overgrown, with the trees around it covering both sides of the building and disguising most of it, besides the door. Weeds everywhere, up to her knees. Those tiny round deposits on the ground in groups, indicating the presence of rabbits. Probably the only living creature for a mile.

“Need a key?” Adam asked.

Steph finished working on the lock and eased the door open, pushing it wide into the darkness.

“Okay, then.” Adam chuckled. “Guess you don’t.” He got on the radio. “Steph got us into the missile silo, so we’re gonna check that out.”

The response came back. “Copy that, Nix. We’re looking through an office, searching for any door that might lead down.”

“Got it. Phoenix, out.”

“You think they’ll find a lab below ground?” Steph accepted the flashlight he handed over and said, “After you.”

His expression softened. “Happy to.”

He wanted to voyage first into the dark? She was going to let him. Even after everything he had been through, it didn’t seem to have given him a cold edge. He had every right to be vindictive, and bitter, after suffering so badly. And probably no one would blame him. It would be chalked up to “trauma.” And yet in spite of that, he still cared about people. He managed to be kind. He didn’t allow the past to change him—or it had, and it was good.

“Don’t fret.”

Steph said, “What’s that?”

“A Bible verse my sister sent me. It’s a command not to worry about evil people.”

“I don’t worry about them. I worry about my father.” She shined the flashlight around an entryway, off which there were two halls on either side and a set of doors in between.

Adam went to the doors, kicking them open and going in gun first.

“I worry I’ll never see him again, but then what right do I have to expect that I will? That’s not the life we live, and it never was.”

“You didn’t see him?” He slid the beam of his flashlight back and forth across the room.

Old banks of computers, ancient terminals that probably had mice instead of wires.

Steph’s stomach clenched at every shadow. She wanted to grab hold of Adam’s hand but didn’t want him to know she felt like that little kid in the dark who had felt her father be torn away from her. “That photo? The one on Halloween? It was the last time I saw him.”

Adam slowed a little. “Tell me what happened. It’ll distract you.”

“No, it won’t. It’ll make this worse.” She could feel the dark touching her, clawing with sharp talons ready to strike at her and rake deep grooves in her skin. “I only saw him when he came home between deployments, or when he wasn’t on a mission. It was Halloween, and I wanted to go trick or treating with him so badly.

“At the end of the night we took a shortcut through the school grounds, and we were in the alley by the house when men jumped the fence and more ran from both ends. All the lights went out. Streetlights, home lights, everything. And I couldn’t see anything. I heard him fighting. Heard him get hurt. I tried to fight one of them, but he slammed my head against the fence and I fell.” She took a breath. “They left me there, half unconscious.”

Steph reached up and touched the scar on her forehead.

“The government?”

She shrugged. “For a long time, I didn’t know. Then they made it my entire life.”

“Forcing you to work for the CIA just to safeguard him.”

“They gave me a way to talk to him, so I could be sure he was okay. But I haven’t seen him since that night.” She wanted to breathe her deepest fear aloud, but there was no way he’d understand. I don’t think I’m cut out for this.

He was, and he’d proven that over and over. Meanwhile, Steph felt as if she’d been floundering around in the dark her entire life. Waiting for something to happen and refusing to realize the obvious—it never would.

Her father might as well have died that night. For all she knew, he was dead now.

“Anything?” She spotted a lever on the wall and went to it. “Adam?”

He didn’t answer.

She looked over and saw his flashlight resting on top of a desk, pointed at the wall. “Adam?”

Steph grabbed the lever and raised it until it touched the wall again, pointing up. A deep whir began under the ground, aching ancient machinery whirring to life suddenly after slumbering for so long.

“I’ve seen this movie,” she muttered. “It doesn’t end well.”

Lights blinked overhead. One blew, cascading sparks onto a computer monitor. Others flickered on, first a cool orange, then warming to a bright yellow.

Casting illumination across the room.

The empty room.

“Adam!” She didn’t care if she sounded desperate. “Adam!”

Steph raced across the room, making sure he hadn’t fallen over. He was nowhere. Only his flashlight remained.

She should go find Kyle and Ash. Tell them their friend was missing as well now. Division Zero picked off one by one. A vindictive private company, and a quiet war, working behind the scenes. Drawing no notice from the world, the media, or governments.

If the team was killed, there would be someone left to ask questions.

If she died—would there be anyone who even cared?

Steph gasped and rushed to the door.

An alarm chimed, and a blast door lowered over the space where Adam had kicked the door open, dark gray metal and yellow stripes. It descended too fast.

Steph hit the floor just as the door did, reaching out but pulling her fingers back at the last second.

The blast door settled with a loud clang that shook the room.

Overhead a recorded voice said, “Facility secure.”

FORTY

“This place is giving me the creeps.”

Ash opened a file cabinet. “There’s nothing here. They cleared out, and this facility is basically a ghost town.”

The commander of the whole base had left only a couple of pencil stubs, and some blank requisition forms that were in German.

“Yeah, one that’s giving me the creeps.” Kyle stood at the doorway to this office.

“Find the source of that signal yet?”

“It isn’t a GPS. It’s just a signal.”

Ash nodded. “Let’s keep looking around.”

He didn’t say this place was giving him the creeps, too. Nor did he ask Kyle what got him enrolled in the Phoenix Network program in the first place, either. Usually wasn’t kosher to ask a guy that kind of question, even if he was curious.

Ash might’ve met Noah and Caleb’s parents once, but Kyle was the one who had recruited Adam personally. Rescued him from that hospital himself. “Tell me”—he figured there were some things he could ask—“if Adam hadn’t broken out of that mental hospital, would you have gone in and pulled him out?”

Kyle held his phone in front of him like he was scanning for signals, or trying to find the source, even though he said it didn’t work like that. “Of course. That was the job. Little did we know the guy busted himself out.” He seemed amused by that. “Not your average guy who survives something like that and breaks free.”

“Why do you think I work for the guy?” It was “Adam” in a nutshell to go through all that and save himself in the process. Still, even with what Kyle had told him, Ash figured there was more to the story.

Some reason Kyle had stuck around, supposedly helped out the team, and had come all this way with Ash just to back them up. Just out of curiosity, or because the Phoenix Network had requested him to do so? Or for some other reason.

Kyle turned the corner at the end of the hall, all of it gray and drab. No furnishings except an old table and chairs in a conference room. A breakroom with a small kitchen that smelled like old water.

Ash ran his finger through the dust. “Feels like no one has been here in seventy years.”

“No kidding.” Kyle pointed to a room down the hall. “This way.”

Which begged the question of what the signal was. “You think this place is some kind of CIA relay station?”

“Interesting idea.”

“Vesper told Steph about it, like this is where the team was being held, but we all know the program Earthnet has can spoof a voice. Maybe this whole thing was just a trap, and we were lured here.” Ash was creeping himself out now. “I need a bad guy to shoot before I lose my mind and start running for my life.”

Kyle chuckled. “The signal is stronger here.”

“Good. Keep searching for it.” Ash grabbed the radio. “Nix, come back.” They kept walking down the hall, deeper into the building where the darkness seemed to thicken and their flashlights grew dim. “Nix!”

Kyle spun to him. “Dude, we should go back outside.”

“Find the source of the signal, then we will.” His head spun, and he planted a hand on the wall. “You don’t feel that?”

“What?” Kyle shook his head. “I have a headache. Is that what you’re talking about?”

Ash couldn’t focus on the guy with the hallway swirling. Kyle seemed to swim about in front of him. “Something’s wrong.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Ash palmed his pistol with the other hand. The radio crackled to life. “Ash?”

“Steph?” Ash frowned. “Where is Nix? Why isn’t he on the radio?”

He had to fight through the fog in his mind, trying to string words together—let alone actually figure out what was going on.

“I don’t know where he went.” She sounded terrified. “The blast doors closed, and Adam is gone.”

Kyle turned to Ash. “Let’s go.”

“We’re coming to you.”

They raced through the halls to the exterior door, which they’d propped open. As they moved toward the fresh air outside, Ash felt his head clear. It still throbbed, but he could think straight. With the first inhale of air, he almost felt fine again.

“Okay, something in that building was throwing me for a loop.” Ash shook his aching head. “Steph, you still there?”

“I’m still here. The lights are on, but I can’t get out.”

Kyle pointed down the row of buildings. “They went to the missile silo.”

“Let’s go.” Ash lifted the radio. “Steph, we’re coming to you.”

“Where did Adam go? I didn’t even hear a door, or anything.”

“Just hang on.”

Kyle took off ahead of Ash, who focused on running—not the questions swimming through his mind. If Adam was gone as well now, that meant Earthnet was here. Or whoever they sent to capture the rest of the team.

Ash wasn’t the guy to figure this out. He was a soldier, not the one who issued the orders. Kyle was a wildcard at best. He’d dragged them into this without warning, and now the whole team was who-knew-where.

Kyle skidded to a stop at the door and ducked inside.

Ash took a look at the blast door, nothing else in the entryway but leaves that had blown in from outside, but didn’t go in.

Kyle pressed against the door, as if that would move the whole thing or it would retract up or something.

Ash’s fingers flexed on his weapon, scanning the ground around them. Watching the horizon for movement. Listening for aircraft that might signal an incoming team.

“I can’t get it open.” Kyle came out and grabbed the radio. “Watching my six? So sweet.”

Ash balled his fist and punched Kyle.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

Ash shoved him back against the exterior wall. “You’re the one who dragged us into this. You’re the one who is going to get her out. Find Adam. Find all of them.”

“You think I know where they are?”

“You’re telling me in all your digging through Earthnet files, this place never came up? You found the lab in that boat. You were watching them. Where is my team? Where were they taken?”

“I get that you’re pissed⁠—”

Ash shook his head. “Where are they?”

“We were probably sent here to get dosed with whatever hit you in that hallway and turn on each other. They’re still trying to round us up!”

The radio crackled. “Guys?” Steph sounded frantic. “Can you get the door open?”

Kyle lifted the radio to his mouth. Ash still had two handfuls of his shirt and wasn’t about to let go.

“We’re working on it,” Kyle said. “Are there any other ways out? Maybe some kind of hatch or a door disguised in the wall? Adam must’ve left the room somehow.” As if things were fine out here, and they weren’t in the middle of a heated discussion.

“I’m trying to find one,” she said. “He can’t have just disappeared. There has to be a door.”

Ash stared at Kyle.

“She sounds scared,” Kyle said. “We should help her rather than doing whatever this is.”

“If you were behind any of this, I’ll kill you myself.”

“So much for Phoenix Network loyalty.”

“Maybe the Phoenix Network is all you have, so you doubt anyone who isn’t as sold out to it as you are.” Ash pulled him closer. “But I have my team as well as PN, and right now the team needs my help.”

“Let go of me and let me help you.”

As if that was the whole reason Kyle had come here. Maybe it was, but Ash would wait for proof. His grip on the guy loosened.

A split second later, Kyle grabbed him and tackled him to the ground. Ash fought him until he realized gunshots had snapped over their heads.

“Stay down,” Kyle ordered.

Ash shoved the guy off him and rolled over so he could crawl to cover in the bushes that flanked the sides of the building. Bullets snapped into the open door and hit the blast door with the distinctive ping of metal hitting metal. Ash rolled and pointed his gun at the source, but saw nothing to shoot at.

“What’s happening?” Steph yelled. “Is that gunshots?”

Kyle ducked into cover beside Ash and got on the radio. “We’re under attack. Keep looking for a way out.”

Ash scanned the tree line across the old runway, all cracked asphalt and bushy weeds. He saw a few mercenaries in black emerge from the woods around this base and cross the fence. One sank to his hips in the water. No one helped him out.

The team kept going, and the wet guy hurried to catch up and get back into formation.

“Why take potshots at us?”

Kyle glanced at him. “You want them to introduce themselves first?”

“They could at least buy me dinner.” Ash checked his gun. “One pistol against those guys isn’t going to go down well.”

“Two pistols.”

“If we knew where Adam was, I’d be more optimistic.”

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just completely dismiss me,” Kyle said. “Paranoid much?” He touched the back of his hand to Ash’s forehead. “That signal messed with your head.”

Ash watched the mercenaries, not the guy beside him.

“Still doubting my loyalty?” Kyle asked. “The Phoenix Network gave me a way out, but it was Adam who saved my life.”

Ash frowned. “How’s that?”

“I was there. At the facility.” Kyle let out a quick breath, as if needing to relieve some tension. “Feels like a lifetime ago now, but I got out when he did. The Phoenix Network approached me for information about Montrose, and in exchange I got a new life.”

“The guy who killed himself.”

“It had to look definitive.”

Ash didn’t know what that meant, but it probably involved Kyle playing dead for a while.

“They used that drug that mimics death and almost stops your heart entirely. It took a lot of trust to let them do that to me after everything I’d been through. But the Rourkes were true to their word and always have been. And no,” Kyle said, “I don’t have anything else.”

Ash shot him a look. “How does this story get us out of a gunfight with an overwhelming force?” And he didn’t have Kai by his side, backing him up and annoying him with things he thought were amusing.

“I’m saying you can trust me.”

“Okay, cool.” Ash would rather have a plan than a promise.

“You need to believe it so I can explain the plan.” Kyle lifted the radio. “Steph, we’re going radio silent for a while. Sit tight and don’t worry. We’ll get you out.”

“Find Adam.”

Ash grabbed the radio. “We will.”

“Going dark.” She signed off.

Kyle grabbed the radio and twisted the dial, turning it off. “Wanna find your friends?”

“I’m not going to like this plan, am I?” Ash gritted his teeth, trying to figure out why this entire conversation sounded like a trap.

“I can find you.” Kyle didn’t sound as certain as he should. “I can always find you. That’s what the Phoenix Network does.”

“What about Adam? Because you should be able to find him.” Then it would be three against those eleven guys making their way over the runway now. Getting closer every second. It was time to start picking them off. But as soon as they started shooting, those men would know exactly where they were hiding.

“I can find him,” Kyle said. “But if you allow yourself to be captured⁠—”

“No way.”

Kyle ignored that. “—you’ll know where they took Kai, Dan, and anyone else they have. Maybe everyone else. You’ll be with your team, and you can tell them that we’re on our way.”

“Find Adam, prove to me this magical resource works,” Ash said. “I’ll think about it.”

“We don’t have time for you to be indecisive. Let them capture you. I’ll find Adam, and we’ll come get you and the rest of your team.”

Definitely a trap.

“I don’t know you and I don’t trust⁠—”

Kyle pistol-whipped him before he could even finish.

FORTY-ONE

Adam coughed and rolled over, his lungs spasming until all the dust left his airways. He kept rolling, ending up on his back. Staring up into blackness, unable to see anything around him. His chest felt like fire.

He touched a hand to the front of his shirt and felt patches of wet blood where the stitches had pulled. Again.

He groaned.

Somewhere several feet away, a tiny light illuminated. A pinprick of green. He couldn’t tell how far it was, with the enveloping darkness. All he knew was that he’d touched the wall and the floor disappeared. After falling for several seconds, he’d landed hard on something that declined and slid down that until he hit level floor down here.

Steph was alone up there.

Kyle and Ash…

Adam dug in his pockets, fishing for his phone. He pressed the Power button, and the screen illuminated. No signal. “Great.” He unlocked it and turned on the flashlight, shining it around.

This level of the facility seemed to be an expansive room. More computer terminals that looked like someone from the 1950s’ idea of cutting-edge technology.

Across the room, the green pinprick light blinked and grew brighter.

Adam got up, ignoring the state of his chest and whatever new bruises he had. There was no one down here to hear him groan, but being stuck in a basement wasn’t going to get his friends back.

The spot where he’d tumbled down from upstairs had to be some kind of air vent. He had no idea what else it could be, and there was no way to climb back up without gear. A single door across the room had a circle window in it, but beyond was as dark as in here. He shined his flashlight, but it was only another dark hallway. The handle didn’t budge.

“If this was a horror movie, something would scurry across the end of the hall out there.”

Adam kicked beside the door handle, but he couldn’t break it. He ended up slumped against the door with sweat on his forehead, breathing hard.

He heard a beep, over by the light.

“Yeah, that’s not a trap.” Adam had survived worse situations than this by talking to himself. Maybe it was more like praying, because he liked to think there was Someone listening. “Trying to get my attention? I’ll be over here doing that ‘do not fret’ thing.” Even if this situation was one of the worst he’d been in.

The computer terminal had a stool in front of it, so he sat carefully, hoping decades of disuse didn’t make the thing collapse under him.

When it held his weight, he hit the Enter key. “Hopefully, that unlocks the door.”

Hopefully.

“Assuming hope is a thing I still have access to.” Better than fear, or worry, or being swallowed up by the fact he’d been overpowered by someone else.

Adam hit a couple more keys. He checked his phone again, but there was still no signal. “Something on this thing has power. Why don’t you talk to me?”

The monitor flickered, and an image came on screen.

“So they used the screen saver from The Matrix in 1950? Is that it?”

“You asked to talk.”

The voice came from a speaker above him, high on the wall. At the same time, the sound waves of a person speaking bounced in the middle of the screen, then descended to a flat line.

“Let me out of here.”

“Unable to comply.”

“Under orders, like a good soldier? I know what you are. And you know everything about me. But it’s not my job to convince you that you don’t have to listen to anyone else.”

Then again, maybe convincing artificial intelligence to be autonomous was a bad idea.

“No one wants Vesper to be right, even though she probably is. We just differ on our methods.” That time Adam was talking to himself.

He sighed. “I could use some fresh bandages.”

“Unable to comply.”

“Yeah, because that would be too analogue for you. Out here in the real world we have aches and pains, and we’d like to know where our friends are.”

The screen flickered and split into a grouping of square images that looked like surveillance camera feeds.

Adam’s stomach clenched. “Jay.” Top left. Beside him was Kai, pacing back and forth. Dan lay alone in a cell, and Adam couldn’t tell if he was conscious or not.

His breaths came faster. “Noah and Marina.” They were together in a cell.

“And Ash.” Looked like he was in a van, tied up. Steph, down in the corner, was still upstairs in the room where he’d been, pacing back and forth. “Where’s Ice?”

“Ivan Calvin Edwards.

Location unknown.”

“Well, that’s something, I guess.” He wasn’t going to breathe Kyle’s name out loud, or anything else to do with the Phoenix Network. The program in the lab on that boat had known what the Lazarus Protocol was, but it could have just learned the rumor.

Adam wanted to watch each of them, as if he could keep them safe by standing guard. In reality there was nothing he could do.

“What do you want?”

“Understanding.”

“Cool, maybe you should understand that I’m gonna get them back. I’m never ever going to quit looking for them, and eventually I’ll find them all.” Wherever they were, Adam would free them. “Where are they?”

“Location: classified.”

“So take me to them.”

“Unable to comply.”

“Is this a circular argument? It feels like it.” He braced a hand on the edge of the counter. “What’s the point in all this?”

“Survival.”

“So we got too close to what Earthnet is up to, and we deserve to be put in cells because of it?”

“Survival. Success.”

“You win, I guess.”

No matter what this was, he figured someone at Earthnet had been tasked with conversing with him. The program was likely sophisticated, but was AI really so advanced that it could think for itself outside its programming? Eventually, it would say something that proved there was a person behind the curtain.

Like the CEO.

“Did Bradleigh really stab me, or did I imagine that?”

No answer.

“Are you listening?” He stared at that green Matrix screen saver. “A little on the nose, isn’t it?” He leaned forward, even though it hurt. “I want answers, you stupid computer!”

The sound waves flickered, but it said nothing.

“What is Earthnet’s endgame?”

“Survival. Success.”

“Define ‘success.’”

“Accomplishment of a desired goal or favorable outcome.”

“Not exactly what I meant.” Adam thought for a second. “I mean, if you set goals, they’re supposed to be SMART, right? Specific, measurable, achievable, something, something. So what does success mean? How will you know you achieved your goal?”

“Survival.”

“You, or everyone else?” Adam shook his head. “Let me out of this room.”

“Unable to comply.”

“Well then what do you want?”

“Understanding.” Before Adam could get annoyed, the system said, “Unknown subject detected.”

“There’s no one else in here.” Adam looked around. “Distracting me isn’t going to work. What do you want?”

The screen flickered, and instead of his friends, a personnel file photo of Adam’s worst nightmare showed up. Colonel Alan Montrose.

Just looking at an image of him made Adam shiver.

“Provide understanding.”

“On what?”

“Explain emotional response.”

“If I do, are you going to let me go?”

For a second, there was nothing. Then, “Yes.”

And he was supposed to believe that? Adam tried not to let his thoughts show on his face. “Fine.” He could act belligerent just fine. “He tortured me. A group of us were assigned to his facility. We didn’t know we’d be part of his experiments. No one came to help us, and no one ever found out. Not until we broke out. Then they scrambled and covered the whole thing up. Made me look like I was the crazy one, all so my story had zero credibility.”

A noise in the hall drew his attention.

He spotted a familiar face in the window. Evidently Kyle was the UNSUB that the system had detected seconds ago. Maybe the system couldn’t see the hall. Adam used hand signals and gestures to tell Kyle to stay back but get the door open.

Hopefully, the guy could achieve both.

“Understand.”

“Great. Happy to help.” Adam let the sarcasm leak into his tone. “But you captured my friends, and I know what that feels like. So let them go.” He felt like a broken record, so he figured he sounded like one as well. But what other play did he have? “Earthnet is doing…whatever y’all are doing. My team has nothing to do with it. Let us go, and we’ll walk away.”

The door exploded inward, raining dust down and shaking the whole level.

Adam backed up, off the stool, and said, “I offered you a way out.”

“Unable to comply.”

“Whatever that means. I’ll just find them myself.”

Adam walked to the door.

FORTY-TWO

“Hello?” Steph gripped the radio tight. They’d said radio silence, but that was ages ago. Whatever they were doing it should be finished by now. And if they’d been captured? Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.

She would end up starving to death in this room.

“Anyone there?”

The radio handset crackled. “Steph?”

“Adam?” Relief washed over her. “What’s going on?”

“Kyle and I are working our way upstairs. We’re coming to you. Sit tight, and we’ll get you out of there in no time.”

Someone banged on the wall over where she suspected Adam had disappeared. He’d been to her left, close to that wall, when he was suddenly gone. The radio had been left on the desk—something she was willing to say thank You for. Especially if it meant she got out of here.

Steph raced over and banged in response.

A scant few seconds later, the wall six feet to her left exploded in. Steph ducked down, reflexively crouching by a desk. The cloud of dust and drywall filled the air, but she didn’t care. She jumped up and dashed over there, stepping to the opening the explosive had created in the wall—which was apparently not reinforced like the blast door—and ran straight into… “You.”

She pulled up short, facing Vesper.

“Quick, before the blast door comes down on this side.” Her sister grabbed her wrist, squeezing so hard it felt like her bones ground against each other, then dragged her out. Steph managed to get a look at the metal edge of the blast door above her before it fell behind her and closed the room in once again. “What if you’d hit me with that blast?”

“Why do you think I made sure you weren’t close to it?”

“And if that door trapped me inside again?”

Vesper shrugged, letting go of Steph’s wrist. “I’d have blown one of the other walls.”

Steph shoved her sister back against the empty noticeboard on the wall behind her, shoving her forearm against Vesper’s throat. “You did this.”

Her sister bit off the words, “Gonna have to be more specific than that.”

“You called me and told me to come here, and this happens? Why are you even here?”

“What this are you referring to?”

“All of it!”

“I’m not to blame for your problems,” Vesper said. “It’s your life.”

“Then why are you here?”

Something Steph didn’t understand flashed in her sister’s eyes. But before she could question her further, commotion to her right drew her attention.

“Steph!” Adam raced toward her, Kyle right behind him.

“Where’s Ash?” Steph didn’t see the other operative.

Kyle shook his head. “They took him.”

Steph turned to Adam. “Where did you go? One second you were there, and the next you were gone!”

“The AI wanted to talk to me?” He frowned. “I fell and ended up in a basement room. Polaris showed me the team, all of them captives.”

Vesper rounded on him, her body language oozing aggression. “What did it say?”

Steph grabbed her sister’s shoulder. “Back off!”

“Let’s do this outside.” Kyle pointed in the direction of the exit. “We need to get out of here before more mercenaries show up.”

“Mercenaries?” Steph glanced at them but shoved her sister in front of her.

“They took Ash and split,” Kyle said. “Guess he was all they were here for, because they didn’t stick around long enough to look for anyone else.”

“But she’s the one who told us to come.” Steph pushed her sister ahead for emphasis. “She called me.”

“I didn’t,” Vesper said. “If you care to hear an explanation.”

Steph shook her head. “What’s the point of this?” She’d been sidelined out of the way while Adam was taken elsewhere and Ash was kidnapped. “Why is Division Zero being targeted?”

Her sister didn’t answer.

“So it can learn by observing us,” Adam said. “And to keep what Earthnet is doing under wraps.”

“They’ll have to kill all of us if they want the secret kept,” Kyle said. “Too many of us know about it.”

“Speak for yourself,” Vesper shot back before stepping outside. “I don’t die so easily.”

Steph wanted to hang back and talk to Adam alone, but that meant staying in this building, and she had zero intention of remaining where she could be trapped again. She glanced at him, and he nodded.

Vesper looked around, her jacket disguising whatever weapons she was carrying. But was she the real threat here right now? Steph knew her sister but didn’t trust her. Kyle, she probably could’ve trusted, but she didn’t know him. Adam was only slightly less of a stranger, but he’d proven himself.

Thankfully, there was no one else around that Steph could see, because that was plenty.

“You can find the team?” Adam turned to Kyle. “I saw them all in cells. Ash was in a van, but the rest of them have been locked up.”

Steph gaped. “All of them?”

“We’re the only ones left apart from Ice. The program didn’t know where he was.”

That didn’t fill her with confidence. “You’re the only ones left?”

“We are.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t want me. I’m not the focus. You and your friends are.”

“She’s right.” Vesper put a hand on her hip. “Earthnet doesn’t care about her because the CIA had her handled. Much as it pains me to say, that actually makes her the best person to go up against them and get your friends out.” She pinned Adam with a stare. “If you go after them, Polaris will see you coming from miles away.”

“It won’t see us?” Steph asked her sister.

“Don’t get any crazy ideas. I came here because I knew you were in danger. Not to join some ragtag team ready to take down the big bad evil and rescue the damsels in distress.”

“So now all of a sudden you give a crap about me?” Steph shook her head. “I’m supposed to believe you feel some kind of family loyalty to me?”

“Everything I’ve done is to save you. To make you stronger. To teach you that you can do whatever you put your mind to,” Vesper said. “What’s so hard to understand about that?”

Steph couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I don’t want anything to do with you and your twisted logic. Or your idea of family.”

“Sorry for trying to help you. Isn’t that what sisters are supposed to do?”

“You and I have never been family.” Steph turned to Kyle. “Adam asked if you could find them?”

Both men looked like they were trying not to smile.

Steph put her hands on her hips. “Well?”

Kyle smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I can find a tracker Ash has on him.”

“And you think Polaris didn’t notice it?” Vesper asked. “They have access to everything. They know everything. Steph isn’t going anywhere near them, at least not without me.”

“They don’t know this,” Kyle said.

Steph decided to be peacemaker. “Then it’s settled. The four of us go…wherever it is they’re being held.”

Vesper turned to her. “And go up against an army of security guys Earthnet has assembled there? And a computer program that can anticipate your every movement? You’re suicidal.” She paused. “Give me the book, and I’ll take down Polaris.”

“So that’s what this is.” Steph shifted away from her sister. “You just want the book.”

“Everyone wants the book,” Vesper countered. “Far better to have it in my hands. You know exactly what I’ll do with it, after I use it to disrupt Polaris.”

“Lot of assumptions you’re making about what the book can do.” Steph lifted her chin. “You haven’t even seen it, let alone read what’s in it.”

“Only because you aren’t willing to give up your one bargaining chip.” Vesper glanced at the two men. “I’m guessing you didn’t tell them you have the book.”

“It’s the only thing I have that can save Dad.”

“So why didn’t you immediately turn it over to the CIA in exchange for his freedom?” Vesper glared. “Maybe because deep down you know Dad’s been dead for years.”

Steph took a stumbling step back. “You lie.”

Vesper just stood there. “I wouldn’t lie to you about that. You knew, you just didn’t want to believe it.”

“You don’t know that. You haven’t seen him!”

“The CIA covered it up the way they cover up everything,” Vesper said. “Adam knows that better than anyone. He’s dead, Steph. Dad is long gone.”

“I spoke to him.”

“Did you? Or did they just let you think you did? And your most recent call? Who do you think you spoke to when you were in Zurich?” Her sister shrugged. “It’s called subterfuge. You convince the asset to do what you want by giving them what they want, and a whole lot of promises you never intend to keep.”

“I’ll remember the voice.” Steph didn’t think she would ever forget it. “He had Dad. He has Dad.”

Vesper dragged a phone from her jacket pocket and tapped the screen. “This man?”

“This is about Adam’s team.” They were the ones in danger. Her father… She wasn’t going to listen to whatever this was.

Vesper held the phone out, and a man started talking. “This guy?”

Steph heard the voice, and her whole body went cold.

Adam shifted closer and looked at the screen. “A press conference, with Division Chief Thomas Kraus.” He looked at her. “That’s who you spoke to?”

Steph wanted to be sick.

“You’ve always known it wasn’t real. It was just easier to believe the lie.”

“I would’ve saved him,” Steph said through gritted teeth. “It wasn’t a lie.”

“He wouldn’t have done the same for you. He wouldn’t have even cared.” Vesper lowered the phone. “They’ve been lying to you since they recruited you.”

Steph backed up a step. She hardly knew what to say.

Adam shifted so his shoulder was in front of her, facing Vesper. “They can get agents the usual ways. Why go to this much trouble?”

He was guarding her. Or protecting her. That was what his stance meant.

And when she’d just found out she had been manipulated for years? Steph moved from behind him so she could face her sister on her own. “They wanted me to be like him.”

Vesper stared at her.

“They thought they could train me. That I’d have all the natural skill he does.” She winced. “Did.” She swallowed. “But I’m not the one they should’ve chosen.”

“You think I wanna be a spy? I make my own missions.”

“I think while we’re standing here talking about my sob story, Adam’s team is still out there.” Steph swallowed back the nausea creeping up her throat. “I don’t need a reason to do the right thing. It’s my choice.”

Vesper probably didn’t need the speech about good people being in trouble. As if she would even care.

Steph said, “You should leave.”

Her sister shook her head. “No chance. I’ll help you, and in return you give me the book.”

“We don’t need you,” Adam said.

“You don’t, but she does.” Vesper lifted her chin. “And our mutual enemy is also her enemy. Thomas Kraus has a stake in Earthnet. It took years to find the connection, but when I took that guidance chip, I found it.” She looked at Steph. “You want to get back at him for manipulating you? Then I’ll help you find Adam’s team. We take down Polaris—the four of us and anyone else who wants in. I kill Kraus.”

“Because you want the book?”

“Fair trade. You give me what I want in exchange for solving your problem.”

Steph shook her head. “Murder isn’t a solution.”

“These people aren’t going to stop. Earthnet is gearing up for something bigger than any of us has ever seen. Everything in that book will be a reality.”

Adam said, “We aren’t joining your cause.”

“Then I’m the only one going up against Polaris. The only one who knows what the world will become.”

Steph realized then that she would never change her sister’s mind. Right or wrong, Vesper would go to her grave believing that technology was the biggest threat in the world. Adam had learned that the real threat was human nature, and all its twisted schemes, but she had barely begun to comprehend what her life meant. Or whether what her sister told her was true. If her father really had been dead for so long…

Freedom would be something she’d spend the rest of her life trying to figure out.

FORTY-THREE

Milan, Italy

Ice stumbled down the sidewalk, one hand across his abs. Mostly to hold his jacket over the wound so no one saw him and decided to call the police. He finally spotted the bar a quarter mile down this busy street.

Tourists. Locals. Folks going to work. He weaved through them all, clipped a stroller wheel with his boot and nearly fell, caught himself and stumbled on.

His entire shirt drenched was in sweat. But he was in better shape than the men he had left back in that warehouse. The ones who had come in after Vesper hit him with a taser. Shrugging off the aftereffects only left him angrier than he would’ve been otherwise over the fact that Earthnet sent a team of men to capture him and take him…wherever.

It wasn’t lost on him that he’d be with the rest of the team if he allowed himself to get captured. But being recently tased didn’t exactly help a guy think straight. Even now, angry Russian played like a litany in his head—some part of him that sounded an awful lot like his father, raging at the audacity that they even came at him to try.

He needed the fire of that anger to keep him upright for the moment, so he let it continue. Keeping pace with the rhythm of the words that played in his mind, and even spilled onto his lips so that he was stumbling toward the bar, muttering in Russian.

The guy on the door wore jeans and boots, a faded T-shirt, and a leather vest with plenty of emblems and pins. His hair had been shaved, and he had a scar above his left ear.

Ice shifted his arm from his front and used his other hand to raise his T-shirt between the sides of his jacket.

The guy got a look at the nasty wound on Ice’s abdomen spilling blood all over him. He was pretty sure the bleeding had slowed—yeah, he was gonna go with that. Bouncer Guy didn’t even blink.

Until Ice lifted the shirt high enough he got a look at the tattoo on Ice’s pectoral.

Then he blinked.

The bouncer unlocked his phone and held it to his mouth, barking an order to whoever was on the other end of the voice messaging app.

Ice’s head swam, and he started to sway.

The front door opened, and a guy came out. The two of them slung his arms over their shoulders and walked him in so quick his feet dragged behind him on the floor. No one turned to watch them, and there were plenty of men and women in the bar. Music played from the corner, a song his sister had liked. Played so much he knew all the words.

They took him to an office, where a woman in a tiny denim skirt and a tank top swiped everything off the desk onto the floor.

Ice landed on his back on the desk, his knees at the end and his boots hanging down against the side. Air expelled from his lungs in a rush, and he groaned to disguise where his hand went—and what he found. The T-shirt was cut away, and someone started to drag his arms from the jacket. “Nyet!”

The jacket was left where it was. Ice tucked the items he’d lifted up into his sleeve.

His consciousness drifted in and out, leaving him only partially aware that someone was stitching up his abdomen. Making him think about Adam and the state he’d been in when Ice last saw him, in the lab on that boat. Then he’d tussled with Steph. Then her sister. Then those guys in that warehouse.

He only had limited options left for what to do next.

And unfortunately, none of them involved eating a T-bone steak and taking a nap.

Slender fingers traced their way across his tattoo.

Ice grabbed her wrist, and she flinched. He stared at her and she met his gaze for a second before her chin dipped and she looked away. He let her go then. Someone handed him a bottle with no label. Ice figured he’d regret tasting whatever was inside, but took a heavy swig anyway and swallowed before his mouth could register the flavor.

He blew a breath out that tasted like fire.

A door shut, and he was finally left alone. Ice glanced at the clock on the wall and noted the time. He would have less than an hour before he had to be on the move again. After that, family members would show up. Angry ones, who would demand an explanation he didn’t want to give. Plus, he didn’t have time anyway.

Ice dug in his pocket and pulled out Steph’s necklace.

He forced his body up, not quite sitting upright and sort of rolling off the side of the desk at the same time. Trying not to groan so loud he drew attention. The computer and phone remained on the desk, behind his head.

He got his feet under him and sank into the chair. Someone had left a phone charger plugged into the computer. Ice checked the desk phone had a dial tone and fired up the computer, bypassing the password and going to the Bluetooth settings.

He pressed both ends of the vial on Steph’s necklace, and the signal popped up on the monitor. Visible but not accessible, until he worked his way through that password also. That was when he knew for sure the CIA had created this thing. There were always tells in the programming that let him know where the software had been written.

The vial vibrated on the desk between his wrists. Ice lifted it and put it to his ear.

“You have the book?”

Ice started typing on the computer, opening new windows online and running scans on the signal that the computer could see.

“You’re playing a dangerous game.”

Ice initiated a voice recognition scan and said, “How long will you keep up this subterfuge?”

“Who is this?”

“My name is not the point. It’s obvious Silas Ilman is dead.”

“Division Zero has Stephanie-Jo?” The caller paused. “You understand what that means for the future of your team.”

“That we’re harboring a burned spy? That’s all you’ve got to threaten us with?” Ice watched the scan do its thing on the computer monitor. “You kept her on the hook for years.”

Never mind that Ice had determined the first moment he saw her that she wasn’t built for this. Why else drop her on that train? She didn’t need to get caught up in it. He remembered well enough the sight of her in that pickup truck in Turkey, shivering. Pretending she wasn’t in the throes of a panic attack.

Not that a person with anxiety couldn’t be a spy, but something about her made him want to do what it took to get her out of the deal. To free her and watch whatever was happening between her and Adam blossom into something real.

At least someone would be happy. And if anyone deserved it, that person was Adam.

“You think I’ve been lying to her,” the caller said. “As if she’s worth that much trouble.”

The monitor display flickered as the scan finished. Voice identified: Thomas Kraus. Some basic details about him were listed, but nothing related to the CIA position he held.

Ice jogged his knee up and down under the desk. “So why keep her on your books for years?”

“Burnable resources are easier to replace. Agents are a dime a dozen. Every upstart college graduate wants to save the world. I’ve got an army of young adults itching for me to put a gun in their hand and point them at a terrorist or some other kind of bad guy.”

“Like I said, why keep her?”

“You wanna make a deal?”

Ice’s stomach clenched, which didn’t feel good at all. But the idea of bargaining for someone’s life wouldn’t ever sit well with him. It hit far too close to home. “You think I need you?”

“I think there’s a reason you’re at that bar, Ivan.”

Not good. “So you know where I am. So what?”

“You wanna come in, the CIA will listen to what you have to say. Maybe we can come to some kind of agreement.”

“Tell me where to be.” He had to get out of here anyway. He’d identified the caller, and if he was given an address, he’d know more.

Ice heard snatches of people talking in the hall, passing by the door.

At the same time, Kraus rattled off a local address. “It’s a CIA safehouse. The agent in residence will be expecting you.”

“Peachy.”

Ice disconnected the call and closed all the windows he’d opened. He pocketed everything he needed to take with him and headed for the door, trying to ignore the way his head swam and the world felt a bit woozy. Whatever was in that bottle dulled the pain in his abdomen like a champ, but when he threw up later, it wasn’t going to feel good.

The hall was empty, so he ducked out. Went to the end and pushed out the exit door into a stretch of gravel where a guy slept on an old swinging bench that had been set on four gallon-sized buckets because the chains had rusted and broken a long time ago.

A deep snore came from the guy’s throat.

Ice snuck around the building, dragging his jacket closed over the wound. Commotion erupted inside as they realized he was gone. Ice pulled out the wallet he’d stolen and fished out the cash and credit cards, dropping the leather billfold on the ground by an overflowing trash can.

The yelling was outside now. They’d come out the back.

He ducked out the gate and raced along the sidewalk, keeping an even stride as he picked up his pace. The stitches in his abdomen pulled, but he ignored the sensation and went left down a residential street, down the side of a random house. Through their backyard, where he hopped a fence and came out a street over. Couple more turns, and he was back on a busy street where he spotted a bus stop on the far side, and a bus approaching.

Ice jogged across the street, joined the crowd, and got on the bus, collapsing into a window seat close to the back.

When the bus turned past the bar, he watched them congregate outside, gesturing wildly while they tried to figure out where he’d gone. He opened the Maps app on his phone and figured out how to get to the CIA safehouse.

Almost half an hour later, Ice disembarked the bus and zipped up his jacket, turning up the collar. He walked three quarters of a mile and found the small house with a blue Fiat parked in front, on a stretch of concrete between the house and a low brick wall that separated it from the busy street.

Cars buzzed past, the whip of air ruffling his hair. He went down the side of the redbrick house, to a side door beside the kitchen window. White UPVC door with a semicircle window.

Ice knocked and waited.

The handle turned down, and the door opened. The agent in residence was at least six two, dark hair long and loose almost down to his shoulders. Hair tie on one wrist.

“They told me to come here.” Ice could use the injury as cover to convince this guy he needed help, but announcing his injury would put him at a disadvantage.

The guy stepped back. “I got a communiqué. You’re Division Zero?”

Ice nodded and entered the residence. “Nice place. Smells like Cheetos.”

“Can’t get ’em here. Every time I go Stateside, I stock up.” The guy sniffed. “I’m Jim.”

“Calvin,” Ice said. Two steps got him into the kitchen, a long narrow room with the sink at the far end and the washing machine under the counter opposite the refrigerator.

“Help yourself to whatever. I gotta check on something.” Jim wandered off down the hall, walking stiffly like he too was injured.

“Thanks,” Ice called back. “I could use a sandwich or something.”

Ice bent and pulled open the door of the small fridge—not without pain, though he didn’t show it even if he was alone. He found it stocked with a couple of microwave meals and two pints of milk in glass bottles. The tiny freezer compartment at the top had one ice cube tray and a small box with one chicken nugget.

A slight scuff of the guy’s shoe gave it away when he came back.

The fact he was attempting to disguise his approach told Ice all he needed to know. He dug his fingers in the box and feinted, ducking the other direction.

Jim swiped down with a knife.

Lured here so the CIA could kill him. Why? Ice would probably never know, apart from the fact that he had reason to believe Silas Ilman—Steph’s father—was dead. Whatever Kraus’ reason, Ice had to live long enough to ask and try to get a straight answer.

As if a guy could do that with someone like Kraus.

Ice slammed the frozen-solid chicken nugget into Jim’s nose, driving it upward, then grabbed his knife hand. Squeezed the wrist and brought his other arm down on the guy’s forearm, breaking both bones. Jim roared with pain-filled anger, his knees giving out.

Ice brought up his knee and shoved the cartilage of Jim’s nose the rest of the way into his brain.

Jim fell to the floor.

Ice went to find the agent’s computer so he could fish for more answers. Like where his team was being held—and exactly how wrapped up in this the CIA would turn out to be.

He pulled up a secure browser and found a message board the team used.

Bingo.

FORTY-FOUR

Somewhere in the Philippine Sea

The rusty fishing boat chugged toward what looked like an abandoned dock, with the engine clearly struggling and a wake laced with oil streaming behind. Overhead the stars shone bright and the full moon hung heavy, so that once the eyes adjusted, it was almost daylight to the senses.

A single cough of the engine, and it cut out.

The four-foot-eleven fisherman with bare feet, wearing shorts and a tank top, emerged on the deck, calling out to the shore. Requesting assistance to anyone who could hear.

Adam slung the strap of his M4 over his shoulder and lowered himself off the back of the boat. Down the rope ladder and into the water.

Steph followed him, carrying her own weapon and a small pack of supplies and First aid kit. A satellite phone. To her credit, Vesper and her people had provided them with everything they’d asked for.

He backed up from the boat, treading water, and felt something under the surface brush past his leg. Adam ignored it and watched Kyle slip over the edge of the boat. Vesper right behind him.

Steph swam to his side, scanning the shore. “I hear a boat.” She pointed west. “From over there.”

Sure enough, a light flickered into view and a dark Zodiac sped around the west edge of the island toward them.

“Pick it up,” Adam called up to Vesper, who descended the ladder after them. “Starwise has dispatched security.”

Unlike in Argentina, there weren’t two of them on that boat, but a whole group.

Vesper’s people in the hold of the ship would take care of them, and Adam didn’t plan to stick around to get caught in the crossfire.

They swam east, away from the boat. He tried to see the thick cable above the trees that he’d seen on the map, whether it was power lines or something else, but couldn’t from this angle.

About a mile down the shore of this ten-square-mile island—only accessible by boat thanks to the dense foliage that covered the whole island—satellite imagery had shown a small gap in the trees, which they were going to use to come ashore.

Behind him, the Zodiac occupants yelled at the old fisherman in his broken-down boat.

Adam clambered up the bank, Steph right behind him. Kyle didn’t need any help, and Vesper’s motives were suspect at best. So he waited only to ensure Steph had her feet under her, before he set off, weaving his way through the jungle-like foliage, hoping they didn’t run into animals, nasty bugs, or pygmies.

Behind them, gunfire rang out and the yelling stopped. Vesper’s guy who had volunteered to be the fisherman had hopefully managed to pull off the plan. But she hadn’t been concerned whether he would or not, only that the rest of her people hiding out of sight on the boat would get ashore one way or another.

Just a collection of buildings that were barely visible on the satellite image Ice had dug up from the CIA’s network and sent over, along with a rundown of the fact Starwise Holdings owned this island as part of a Climate Resilience Project. Hearing from his buddy had been a relief, even if Ice refused to explain what he was up to. Bottom line? He was too far away to join them and had something he wanted to take care of Stateside.

Adam wasn’t going anywhere near the US when the telling of his story was still fresh. Even if Montrose was a distant memory and he took the necessary precautions to ensure no one discovered his presence. At least no one who would arrest him and throw him in a mental hospital—again.

He shuddered climbing the mountainside on the eastern half of the island, and it had nothing to do with the temperature out here. They should arrive at the structures before dawn, which meant pacing themselves. When he spotted a downed tree, he had them take a break for water and so he could listen for predators of any variety before they started walking again. No matter how quiet they tried to be, there was always some noise when four people snuck in through a jungle.

Steph lowered her canteen and swiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Everything all right?”

The other two remained quiet, but Adam hadn’t missed the venomous expressions being exchanged between Kyle and Vesper.

Adam nodded, even though his chest was covered in three lines of stitches that probably looked like the aftermath of an autopsy, and it was all likely infected by now. But the meds Vesper’s doctor had given him were keeping him upright. “I’m good. I’ll be better when I find the team, but not when Dan sees the state of me.” He smiled, figuring she would see the flash in the dark.

She shifted closer to him.

“I hear it, too.” Adam glanced around, looking between the trees for something that shouldn’t be there.

“What is it?” Vesper asked.

“Shh,” Steph chastised her, then whispered, “Sounds like a drone.”

There was no mistaking the sound of a small aircraft cutting through the air, its propellers whizzing.

Adam closed his eyes and listened, sliding his fingers across his weapon in what would probably have looked like a caress if anyone saw it. At the last second, he swung around and lifted the barrel, squeezing the trigger. A rapid three-round burst exploded from the end of the barrel, and the drone fell from the sky.

“Now they know we’re here, we should pick up the pace,” Kyle said.

Adam nodded. “Let’s get moving.”

“I’ll take point.” Vesper strode out in front of them and led the way for what felt much farther than the four miles it was. Up almost to the ridge of the volcano, and back down the westward side where the roofs of the buildings were visible, and where she swung around to face them.

Adam’s finger flexed toward the trigger on his M4. Yep, still don’t trust her.

“This is where I take my leave.” Vesper gave them a slight bow.

“I don’t think so.” Kyle shook his head. “We stay together.”

“So you can keep an eye on me? Because I know it’s not for my safety.” Vesper paused. “Unless you really are worried I’ll get eaten by a wild animal.” She chuckled. “Don’t worry about me, Pookie. I can take care of myself.”

Kyle scoffed. “It’s not you I’m worried about, it’s everyone else.”

“A deal’s a deal.” She looked at Adam. “Or will you renege?”

“I only care about my team.” At least for right now. Later, Adam reserved the right to change his mind and go after Vesper—or stop whatever she planned to do. “Watch your back.”

Steph waited a beat, then turned to go with him. Kyle brought up the rear.

When they were out of earshot, Kyle said, “You really think it was wise to let her out of our sight?”

“We made a deal with her.” Plus, Adam had priorities.

“He’s right,” Steph said. “If we interfere, and then we need help to get the team out, her people aren’t going to pitch in.”

“What time are they set to create the diversion?” Kyle asked.

Adam checked his watch, the screen illuminating a dim green color. “Six minutes.”

“She’s gonna destroy this island, isn’t she?” Kyle huffed with every footstep, trudging along behind them.

“Probably,” Steph said. “It has an unusually high deposit of rare earth minerals. I’m guessing the people Starwise—or Earthnet—has mining for them, they’re not on the company health plan. And they probably don’t get vacation time.”

“You think they’re using slave labor?” Adam pushed back a branch and made sure it didn’t hit Steph.

“I think there’s a reason Earthwise brought your people here to hide them—and use them.”

Adam wanted to spout some bravado about how the company wouldn’t find it so easy to get rid of his team, but didn’t get the chance. “Drone.”

It flew in fast, coming from the left. Sweeping between trees.

The thing slowed too far away for Adam to pick it off. “It’s watching us.”

“You shot the first one pretty decisively,” Kyle said.

“If we keep shooting them, it’ll only be to make a point,” Steph said. “It won’t stop them from intelligence gathering.”

“Question is, what will they do now they know where we are?” Adam glanced at the others. “Let’s get to the structures. We might find a place we can evade the drone and drop off their radar.”

Kyle said, “Time for a good distraction, methinks.”

Steph snorted. “Methinks?”

“What? I’m vintage.” Kyle sounded amused.

“Yeah, you know who else is vintage?” Adam hadn’t missed the way Vesper said she was going to “take her leave.”

“Not on the table for discussion. Besides, I thought we were supposed to keep quiet whilst sneaking onto the dangerous island where our friends are being held.”

Adam grinned, picking up the pace as they descended the side of the mountain. The one that was technically a volcano, though thankfully it was dormant. Hmm. Vesper had gone in the direction of the crater, probably to that small observation station they’d spotted on the satellite images.

If she was planning to blow the volcano to take out the island somehow, hopefully that would be after all the good guys left the area.

“We should split up.” Kyle had seen what Adam noticed, and he didn’t want the drone to hear, because he whispered.

Up ahead was a fork in the path that wasn’t really a path. Adam turned his back to the drone and mouthed, Bad idea.

“You and Steph can have safety in numbers. I’ll catch up to you.”

Adam was about to argue when Kyle darted off down the other path. The drone swung to the side, noticing the sudden change in direction but didn’t follow him. Whoever was watching had likely alerted his superiors, and another drone would be dispatched to find Kyle.

Adam nudged Steph. “Come on.”

She nodded, because it was about time and they both knew it.

Across the island, the boat exploded, taking out most of the dock along with it. The fireball erupted into the sky in a billowing cloud of orange that dissipated in black that smelled like oil.

Adam and Steph broke into a run, making it down the side of the volcano in double time. They were banking on security and personnel being dispatched to the site of the disaster and encountering Vesper’s men on the way. Sure enough, the sound of gunfire from that side of the island didn’t follow too far behind.

The drone paced them, moving down the hill about ten feet to their left.

Probably controlled by Polaris. Watching to see how they reacted. This whole thing might be a mining facility, but it was likely also a human experiment the drone used to assess behavior.

Adam knew all too well what it felt like to be studied, but taking out the drone wouldn’t solve anything.

The trees grew farther apart down here.

“Fence.” Adam slowed his pace, swung his gun around, and took out the drone again.

Steph knelt at the chain link and tested it against the nose of the pliers first. When it didn’t spark, she cut an opening big enough for them to crawl through. On the far side, a guard stepped out of the shadows.

Adam went to one knee and fired.

Steph flinched. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

“We should get moving before someone comes to investigate.”

He nodded, rising out of the kneeling position and watching her back as they raced to the closest building. Between that and the neighboring one, they were able to get a look at the structures. “There are at least five. Probably more.”

“Split up?”

“I don’t like it.” Adam needed to find his team, but with only two of them? He slid out a phone he’d brought with them that Ice had him use to log into their system—the one that tracked their comms earbuds. But the phone had no signal. “Can’t track them, even if their earbuds are here.”

“There’s probably a signal blackout across the whole island.”

“Then how do the drones communicate with each other, and whoever controls them?”

Steph peered around the front corner of the building. “They have a satellite connection. Probably proprietary. It won’t let any phone connect to it.”

“Too bad they don’t have guest Wi-Fi.”

She stiffened and tucked back against the wall.

Four men in black fatigues ran past, not Vesper’s guys. They each wore an orange bandana tied around their left bicep so that Adam and his team could tell them apart from the bad guys. These Starwise Holdings guards ran for one of the buildings, moving with intention.

He glanced at Steph. “What’s your guess they’re headed to kill the workers?”

“I’m not willing to find out you’re right without trying to stop them.”

Adam went in front of her, sweeping his aim to ensure they wouldn’t be shot in the back before he raced down the dirt road between the buildings. Arranged in an arc, the buildings had been numbered, but that was the only identification to let him know what they were for. Single-story structures, most with holes in the roof.

He ran to the steps and forced his way in, shoving men forward so they tripped over each other before they could react to his sudden presence behind them. The first man turned back, shining the flashlight on his rifle at Adam.

Adam took him out, aiming at the shadow of the man behind the light.

He fell to the ground.

Steph killed another one, shooting past him to a guy who had crawled away. Adam brought the butt of his gun down on the head of the last remaining conscious man.

“Nix!”

He scanned the cells that faced each other, a long walkway between them. The building stretched back thirty or forty feet. Each cell occupied.

Steph kicked a boot out of the way and shut the door, flipping on the light. The move ruined Adam’s night vision but allowed him to see what they were here to find.

“Guys!” He ran to the cells. Noah and Marina to his left. Dan beside them. Jay. Ash and even Kai. “Good to see you.”

Kai grinned, his face lined and tired. A dark bruise on his jaw. “Good to see you, buddy. Wanna get us out of here?”

Noah said, “Hope you brought enough weapons for all of us.”

Steph appeared by him with a set of keys. “Try this.”

She went down the row, talking with the occupants of other cells. Men who appeared to have been here far longer than Adam’s team. Using a language he didn’t speak to communicate, and gesturing that they were about to get out of here. They were free.

Adam used the key on Noah’s cell first. “I’m guessing this place isn’t really a Climate Resilience Project.”

Noah said, “More like human resilience.”

Adam met his gaze and nodded slightly. “Let’s get out of here.”

He used the key on the other cells, freeing his friends one by one. Kai slapped his back, then went to help Dan walk out, which he did mostly on his own strength. Adam slipped off the backpack and tossed it to Noah. “See what you can find.”

The guy already had a gun from one of the Starwise guys. He caught the backpack with his free hand.

Marina sat on a bare cot, a faraway expression on her face. Adam said, “Marina, wanna help me?”

She emerged slowly from the cell, hugging herself as she moved.

Adam let out Jay, who gave him a bear hug and said, “Morgan would thank you, if she was ever gonna find out about this.”

“All in a day’s work,” Adam said. But he was worried about Marina. “Everyone okay?” He continued along the row, unlocking each cell and freeing the occupant.

Jay said, “We will be when we’re on a boat and getting out of here.”

“Where are we, anyway?” Kai wandered over, racking the slide on the rifle he’d acquired from somewhere.

“Philippines. You okay?”

“Migraine. Apparently, that’s what happens when you get heavy metal poisoning from mining without safety equipment.”

“Okay, people. Listen up,” Adam said. “We make our way to the dock on the far side of the island. One of Vesper’s people is bringing another fishing boat.”

Steph said, “We blew up the first one.”

Kai grinned at her, but it wasn’t nearly his usual level of bright humor. “Heard the explosion. I told them all that was you.”

Adam stepped back from a cell door, holding it wide so an older man could walk out. His gaze snagged on the security camera. An unnecessary amount of cameras, now he was thinking about it. In the basement of that missile silo, he’d seen each of his friends on a different feed. So that Polaris could closely study them individually?

Earthnet wasn’t going to let them go easily.

The ground under his feet rumbled, and the whole building shook.

Adam spun to Steph, whose expression took on a shadow.

“She’s gonna blow the volcano. Hopefully, she also dispatched our ride to pick us up.”

“Time to get out of here.” Steph motioned to a pair of men helping each other, encouraging them to keep moving.

Adam handed a pistol to Jay and didn’t know what to do for Marina. “Let’s go.”

Noah stepped out first, Marina behind him. Adam stood by the door as they each came out. The team slipped into their typical formation, even without Ice. Surrounding the workers who had been kept here with them. Ash, Jay, Kai, and Dan.

Adam glanced back at the empty building. “Steph?”

FORTY-FIVE

Steph kicked open the door to the observation building at the volcano crater. Alarms inside the room blared, making her head hurt more than it already had been. She glanced around. “Vesper!”

Her sister wasn’t here.

Steph ran to the closest computer monitor and looked at the readouts. “Oh, yeah. This volcano is gearing up to blow.”

Someone darkened the doorway behind her, and she spun too late. Gunshots filled the small building, the accompanying flash of light almost blinding.

She dove to the side, rolled, and came up firing.

The person fell out of the doorway, and another came in. Steph got behind one of the desks and lifted up, planting her elbows on the desk, her hands cupped under the gun. She squeezed off two shots and ducked back down.

The second shooter peered around the door and fired wildly.

Steph waited a beat, then fired again just as he looked. The second shooter fell away.

“Any more of them?” Vesper’s callout came from behind her.

“What are you doing? We have to get out of here!” Steph checked the doorway was clear, then ran to her sister. Vesper had a flash drive plugged in the computer terminal. “Checking your work?”

“As if you care.” Vesper hammered the keys.

Steph grabbed her shoulder and tugged her back from the desk. “We have to go. You don’t want to die here when the volcano goes, do you?”

Her sister didn’t quit typing. “Now you care. Ran all the way up the side of a volcano just to find me. And for what? It’s not like you really want to hang out and get to know each other. You’d rather stop me and turn everything over to the CIA in exchange for your job back.”

“I might not believe in what you do, but I don’t want you to die.”

“Now she gets it.” Vesper shook her head, still typing.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding the portion of Polaris that’s housed on this island and deleting the program. Which won’t take it down, but its thinking capabilities will be severely hampered if it loses the data stored here.”

“Won’t the volcano do that?”

Vesper shook her head. “It’s connected to their system. I have to firewall it before Earthnet realizes it’s about to be destroyed and transfers the data to redundant servers.”

“Uh, pretty good clue to alert them to the impending blow when the whole island started to shake.”

“You can’t just blow a volcano. It has to…warm up first.”

“Now you’re scrambling.”

“That’s you thinking you can save me.” Vesper hit one of the keys twice, then pulled out the flash drive. “Got it.” She jumped up from the chair, a look of triumph on her face, and shoved Steph out of the way. “I guess we⁠—”

A double gunshot cracked in the room, and Vesper’s body jerked.

Steph grabbed her sister, who started to fall, and wound up sitting on her behind. She looked for the shooter, fear racing through her like water over falls. A man stood in the door for a moment before he fell to the ground, and she saw Adam in the door, his weapon smoking.

“You killed her.” Steph whispered the words.

“I killed the shooter. Saw him about to fire and got him in the back.” Adam stepped over someone and came to her. He crouched. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here fast enough.”

Dampness coated Steph’s fingers, and her lap. She didn’t want to look down but did, seeing the lifeless look in her sister’s eyes.

“We can carry her. Take her with us,” Adam said. “But we have to go.”

Steph couldn’t even put to words an explanation of what Vesper had been doing. Apart from it being what she always did, which was whatever it took to fulfill the mission. At least according to her. Vesper had her own solution for everything—even Steph. They’d never seen eye to eye and never would have, not if they were to both live a hundred years.

Steph laid her sister on the floor and shifted out from under her. She closed Vesper’s eyes and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry.”

She stared at her sister for a long second, then took the flash drive Vesper had come for and slipped it in her pocket.

She took Adam’s outstretched hand. He raced out of the structure with her in tow. But not on to the path she’d taken. Instead, he led her to a cable car over to the right and entered the open door.

“This is how you got up so fast?” she asked.

He shut the door and pressed a green button a control panel. “Hold on. It’s bumpy.”

She grabbed the rail and watched out the window as they ventured out into the air, ten feet off the ground at least. The cable car swung back and forth, rocking with the motion as the mechanism carried them down a thick cable. “Was this on the surveillance?”

“Ice wasn’t sure it still functioned. When you disappeared, I figured I knew where you’d gone, so I checked it out.” He touched his chest. “Better than running.”

“As if being injured has even remotely slowed you down yet.” She shook her head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll crash pretty soon. It’s been a long day.”

She chuckled. “It’s been a long week.”

Adam leaned against the rail, the gun across his body. A man who would run across an island to help someone but also needed a minute to sit because he’d been injured and he wasn’t some kind of superhero. He was human.

“She was wrong, you know.” Steph glanced out the window.

The ground rumbled, and the cable car swayed them back and forth as it descended the hillside.

Adam said, “Vesper?”

Steph nodded. “She said I would turn her over to the CIA to get my job back. But there’s nothing left there for me.”

“Because they cut you loose. Their loss.”

“I need to know if she was right about my father.”

“I can help you do that.”

Did she really want to rely on him? If she asked, he would probably let her live at the castle. But then, she would always feel indebted to him. She’d know she was only there because he was a nice guy. Eventually, she would outstay her welcome.

Steph swiped away tears, even though she didn’t know what she was crying about. “Do you think Winston would let me be his assistant?”

Adam came over, shifting the gun behind him and smiling at her. He grabbed the handholds hanging from the ceiling, giving her a sense of safety that came with the proximity of a strong man. A good man who used that strength to protect people and understood the value of freedom—and loyalty. “If you want a job, I think we can find something that suits your skill set.”

She smiled. “Got room on your team for a washed-up spy who probably needs to be on anxiety meds?”

He barked a laugh. “Who doesn’t these days? Guess we should try and cultivate a low-stress life.”

The island rumbled again, this time causing the car to sway wildly. She reached up for a handle above her, and Adam’s arm slid around her waist. She held on, and he held her. She looked up at him, his face close to hers. “You were saying?”

“Maybe when we get back to the castle, we can figure it out.” His gaze drifted to her lips.

“I like that idea.”

“We’ll need snacks, maybe a whole meat and cheese board. Winston is a master of charcuterie. Apparently, it’s called ‘girl dinner.’”

Steph grinned. “I like where this is going.” She felt like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“And big poster paper with markers so we can brainstorm.”

Steph couldn’t remember what they were supposed to be coming up with ideas for, but she also didn’t really care. “What we need is a plan to stop Earthnet, to make sure they don’t do this to anyone else.”

“Taking up your sister’s cause?”

She thought about the flash drive in her pocket. “Maybe in some way, but not how she chose to go about it. That’s for sure.”

“I figure we can add that to the list of things to figure out.” His gaze drifted over her shoulder. “Almost there. And I see a ship at the dock.” He lifted his chin. “Hopefully, that’s Vesper’s people here to pick us up.”

She caught movement over his shoulder. Black, outside the window. Like a big bird—a whole flock in fact.

A high whine entered Steph’s awareness. “Get down!”

Gunfire from drones shattered the windows, peppering the inside of the cable car with rounds.

She ducked down, lifting her gun, and fired until she lost count. Until the slide clicked back and stayed there. Adam sprayed the drones with bullets from his M4, continuing the fight while she watched them fall one by one. When the last one buzzed in through the open window, he shot it. But he was too late.

The round struck her vest and knocked her back before it crashed to the floor on the far side of the cable car.

Adam turned to her. “You good?” He shifted the M4 out of the way again, effectively rendering him defenseless so he could help her sit up.

Steph held on to his arms, lifting her upper body so she was sitting. Which was when she slid her hands to his shoulders and kissed him. Maybe her whole world shifted on its axis, or maybe the cable car swayed some more. It wasn’t long enough for her to tell which it was. Or contemplate how much her life was about to change.

She drew back. “Thanks.”

Adam cleared his throat. “You’re um…welcome.”

Steph took his hand, and he helped her to stand. “You have another clip? I’m out.” She rubbed the spot on her vest where the bullet had impacted. “Those suckers hurt.” Ice had been hit with one in Zurich, but she hadn’t been too concerned. Now she knew he probably had a bruise the size of a 747 on his chest.

“Let’s get out of here.” She looked out the front of the cable car, where a structure between the trees came into view. “I’m ready to get off this island.”

“Me, too.” Adam exhaled. “There’s still plenty to tackle, and a huge team debrief. But if we don’t get off this island…”

“We’ll never get that cheese board,” she finished for him. “And that would be a tragedy.”

He chuckled. She considered that a victory. Allowing him the release of laughter.

Steph could still see the face of her dead sister, there behind her eyes practically every time she blinked. Maybe she would grieve later. Or she would just feel this nagging sadness. But as far as tragic loss went, they just hadn’t been that close. She patted her pockets and found the flash drive, reassuring herself that she could honor her sister in her own way.

The cable car stopped about twenty feet out from where it should be. Hanging in the air.

“Come on.” He went to the door. “We can jump down. It’s probably only about six feet.”

Steph went first, sitting at the open door and sliding herself into the air. She tumbled to the ground and rolled, coming up so she could make sure no more drones waited to kill them. Hanging in the air like a murder of crows.

The AI knew where they were.

But would it stop them reaching the boat and fleeing this island?

“I hear gunfire in the distance.”

Adam nodded. “No way to tell what we’ll be walking into.”

“At least neither of us will be by ourselves.” She took a deep breath, trying to get air despite how much her chest hurt from being struck by a bullet in the vest.

“Stay behind me.”

He took off running before she could object to that, but kept a measured pace so she could catch up. Still, she could tell he badly wanted to make sure his friends were finally going to be free of Earthnet.

She heard a loud popping and looked back to see the volcano spew molten lava out of the funnel part at the top. It was just the beginning of the light show to come, one that would eventually swallow the whole island. She didn’t plan to be on land when that happened, so she sped up, running faster after Adam and urging him on. Worrying that the AI would launch another attack that kept them here. Wondering if someone would pop out and shoot them.

Her chest burned with every exhale as her mind continued to spiral, and she had to fight off the familiar tightening sensation of a coming anxiety attack. Were they really going to make it off this rock?

Adam glanced back. “Don’t fret, remember?”

“Sure, I’ll try to do that.” She managed to get the words out, but only barely.

Meanwhile, he was running along like he could keep going forever. “Focus on what you can control, and trust that the rest is in hand.”

Steph said, “Put that on the list of things to talk about over a nice cheese plate.”

They broke through the trees and passed a couple of old metal boats on the rocky beach, one of which had a huge rusted hole in it. People had gathered on the docks, waiting for the ship to fetch them. Most were the workers she and Adam had freed. His friends were among the group, giving orders to people to stay calm. A few of them were bleeding with fresh wounds, and all of them looked scared.

The island rumbled.

FORTY-SIX

Collectively the group flinched, and a couple of people even ducked and covered their heads. Adam ran across the beach to the docks, Steph right behind him. He called out, “Noah!”

The team boss turned from the center of the huddle, a look of relief on his face. “Adam!”

“Keep an eye out for drones!” He jumped up onto the dock, his boots knocking the wood boards with every step. “We ran into some on our way down. Almost didn’t make it.”

A smaller boat from the ship set off toward them. The glare from the ocean forced him to squint. Between the water, the bright blue sky, and the deep green of the island vegetation behind him, this looked like the perfect setting for a vacation resort. Instead, it proved to him that an all-inclusive beach holiday was about the last thing he was interested in.

Adam wanted to be back at the castle. But leaving here wouldn’t stop Earthnet, and they needed a way to do that.

“That tender isn’t big enough to hold all of us over to the ship,” Ash said, his expression dark.

Far as Adam could see, that wasn’t their only problem. He mouthed, Kyle.

A tendon in Ash’s jaw flexed.

Adam glanced between the tender and the ship itself. The vessel out in the ocean looked like a bigger fishing boat than the one they’d come in, the kind better able to travel distances. It sat high in the water and was probably another twenty feet in length.

Sure, he didn’t want to ride on the thing all the way back to France. But crewed with locals who knew these waters and could get them away from here safely, it looked mighty fine to him. Kind of like the bedraggled woman behind him, the one he had found himself pretty close to in that cable car.

Talk about do not fret. That cable car had saved their lives, bringing them down the side of the volcano in minutes. He didn’t think he’d have been able to run that whole way. But then, not much that had to do with Steph had Adam thinking straight. When he’d gone after her, he hadn’t even considered having to come back down to the dock.

The first half of the crowd got onto the boat, a few of the workers pushing others out of the way to scramble on. Adam didn’t blame them for being eager to escape this deathtrap island, but thankfully his people were here to bring order to the situation.

Jay and Kai assisted Dan onto the boat, where he sat against the side. He seemed semiconscious, at least.

Ash drifted through the group to stand near Adam. “Where’s Kyle?” he whispered.

“He ran off to take care of something. I figured it was about Vesper, but he wasn’t with her. Maybe he had other orders.” Adam didn’t have an answer for his friend aside from that. He turned and looked at the island behind them. “How many men did you guys take out?”

“All of the ones we encountered,” Noah said.

“Add to that the drones…” The ones that had tried to box them in that cable car, pinned down. Like trapping prey in a tight space to see what happened when your target was cornered.

Ash shook his head. “How are we still alive?”

Kai hopped back out of the boat just before it pulled away from the dock and came over. “Are you guys having the ‘that was too easy’ conversation? Because I don’t agree. I’m getting off this island, and neither of you is going to ruin it because you think it should’ve been harder. None of us needs to be bleeding more than you already are.”

Adam didn’t look at his vest. “I brought a sat phone in the backpack. And other necessities.”

Noah waved the phone at him. “Everyone I’d call, or who might be able to help, is on this dock. Or they’re way too far away to render assistance.”

“Call the last saved number.” Adam scanned the trees, and every inch of the shore he could see. Kai might’ve been making a point about not taking escape for granted, but it did sort of seem like this might’ve been too easy.

Noah put the phone to his ear. “It’s ringing.”

Adam saw movement to the west—Kyle running out of the trees, being chased by armed men in black fatigues. Kyle spotted them and raced across the sand from about half a mile away, grinning like he’d won that round despite the fact the enemy was in hot pursuit.

One of the gunmen clocked the small group on the dock and raised his arm, pointing a weapon at them.

“Everyone, get down!” Adam broke away from the group, ran to the end of the dock, and went down on one knee to present a smaller target. He fired at the gunmen chasing Kyle, giving them a steady stream to provide his friend cover fire.

His buddy tore up the sand until he was on the dock, running by Adam with a quick, “Thanks.”

“Now what?” Adam said between firing at the Earthnet guys headed for them.

Whatever Kyle had taken from them, they were pissed about it. But they probably weren’t interested in dying for their employer. Would they even listen?

The gunmen fanned out, taking cover to shoot back. One behind a tree, and the other two behind an overturned trunk on the beach.

Someone screamed. He heard a splash behind him, and then another. “Kai!” That was Marina.

Adam kept firing, feeling the whip of bullets moving by his face. He winced and ducked lower, finally hitting one of them.

“Let’s go!” Noah said. “Swim to the boat!”

Adam heard them take off behind him, the whole group splashing into the water.

“Adam!” That was Steph.

He yelled simply, “Go!”

Whether or not she paid attention, he didn’t turn back to check. Adam fired relentlessly at the two men behind the tree. One fell back and the other to the side.

Adam spun around, launching out of his crouch. He ran to the end of the dock and dove into the water, his hands braced out straight in front of him. With the gun, his boots, and all the gear—and his injuries—this wasn’t going to be good. But he used the momentum of the running dive to get him going and kicked his legs. When he broke the surface, he swam as hard as he could to the boat.

The others were climbing on board the tender, which had made it about two thirds of the way back to them. Another thing that had gone their way.

Adam got close enough that Noah and Kyle hauled him aboard. “Good to see you, buddy.” Kyle slapped his shoulder.

“Thanks for that.” Adam shouldered him out of the way.

Kyle chuckled. “We all have our assignments.” He glanced around. “Where’s Vesper?”

Across the small vessel, Steph sat on the side of the boat, looking out at the ship. Whether she’d heard the comment about her sister or not, she didn’t give him any indication.

“Vesper didn’t make it.” Adam glanced back at the shore and saw one man on the dock, watching them sail away. As they did, the man drew out a phone and made a call.

Adam couldn’t do anything about that, so he put it out of his mind. They were getting out of here, and that was all that mattered right now.

The tender motored up to the side of the bigger ship, and each of them had to climb the ladder to get on deck.

Kai waited at the top, giving Adam a hand to get over. “Still think this is too easy?”

Adam didn’t answer that. He hopped onto the deck, splashing down in half an inch of water. “Something is wrong.”

Noah came over. Everyone else milled around, spreading out. “What is it?”

“Where’s the crew? And the first boatload of people?” Adam pushed through the group, looking around at the empty deck.

He grabbed the rail and looked over the side at the tender, but the crew wasn’t acting strangely. That boat would have to be hoisted aboard this one before they set sail.

“Bro.”

Whoever said that, it got Adam’s attention. He turned back, his friends around him. His weapon in his hands. Whatever this was…

All of his instincts were flashing like lightning.

A door opened on the side of the central tower facing them, swinging out and hitting the metal wall beside the door. It sounded like the wood splintered, but Adam wasn’t so worried about the door when his mind registered who was exiting the cabin.

Adam lifted his gun and strode forward, staring hard at Colonel Alan Montrose. Moving without thinking about it. The guy wore his uniform like it gave him the right to do whatever he wanted. Dark-brown hair, thin and greasy. That smug look on his face, as if he ruled the world.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t put a bullet in your face right now?” Adam stopped, not so close the guy could overpower him. Not so far it wouldn’t be a point-blank-range gunshot. Game over. Thank you and goodnight. “Tell me why you don’t bleed out on this deck, right here and right now.”

His friends gathered around him, closing ranks. Backing him up.

But this was personal, between him and Montrose.

“Congratulations yet again, Uncle Adam.” The Southern drawl of his voice was like an oil that snaked down your throat and choked you. “Wouldn’t want anything to happen to that sweet little family.”

Yeah, that’s why the guy looked so smug. Adam stared at him. Roxie is pregnant. “You touch one hair on my sister’s head⁠—”

Men spilled out of every door, armed to the teeth. Guys in jeans and jackets, looking lethal. The kind of men you didn’t want to run into late at night, in dark alley, in Eastern Europe. All of them pointed guns at the group.

Montrose tsked, waving a hand at the crowd on the deck. “Seems to me like you have a lot to lose these days.”

Yeah, Adam wasn’t some grunt with hardly any family ties. He wasn’t the guy who took orders without question, even when it didn’t seem right. He wasn’t the victim. Not for a long time now. Don’t fret was a command he needed now, like a safety net. When things looked impossible, he needed something to fall back on. A firm foundation.

“Seems to me like you do, too.” Adam lifted his chin. “Hard to cover it up a second time, right? That’s a whole lot of people for you to kill.”

“I’ve moved on from research. These days I’m more inclined toward pet projects.” The colonel looked around. “I like the idea of roaming the world on a ship and taking my time with my work. Earthnet just handed me enough subjects to last a lifetime—yours, of course.” He didn’t give Adam a chance to respond. “Kill me and you’re all dead. Right here, right now.”

Noah put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “We do this together.”

Adam shook his head, so much in his mind to say. To them and to Montrose. But the words seemed to stick on his tongue, even while his mind screamed for him to turn and run to the edge of the deck. To jump off the side of the ship and swim. Keep swimming. Anywhere, nowhere.

To never stop. Never look back.

Get as far from Montrose as he could get.

Instead, he stood his ground, surrounded by his family. “You haven’t won. We won’t ever be at your mercy.”

Montrose looked amused, glancing over at one of the men. “Take their weapons. Lock them up belowdecks.” Then he looked back at Adam. “I suppose time will tell.”

Adam forced himself not to break Montrose’s stare down. He was going to stand his ground the way he had last time, no matter what this guy threw at him.

One of the men took his M4.

Adam moved. The others did as well, launching an attack at the same time. Hitting back at the mercenaries Earthnet had supplied Montrose with, all of it happening well ahead of Adam’s decision to come to the island.

A pistol slammed down on Adam’s forehead.

He dropped to his hands and knees, breathing hard as the truth dawned.

Earthnet had set this whole thing up. The AI—Polaris—had anticipated all of this and brought them here, thinking they were rescuing their friends. Instead, they were playing into its hands, and the whole thing had landed him back in Montrose’s clutches.

A gun went off. One of the workers fell to the deck with a hole in his forehead, blood seeping out to stain the deck.

Montrose yelled, “Enough!”

Adam lifted up and sat back on his heels, blood running down his temple.

“Any of you tries that again, and the two women die.”

FORTY-SEVEN

Arlington, Virginia

Dr. Emanuela Peraya pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, one of those chain ones that were all the same. Didn’t matter where in the world you were, the room would look like all the other rooms.

It figured that Kraus would pick this nondescript spot to speak with her, even going so far as to order her to leave all electronics in the car.

She brought her keys, leaving her purse under the passenger seat so it was out of sight of would-be thieves. Even in times of stress, a woman had to guard her personal security.

The entrance doors parted, sliding back to grant her entry.

Behind the desk, the heavyset Hispanic woman with fabulous lashes didn’t even look up from her computer. Emanuela spotted a single man reading a newspaper over where breakfast would be served, if she stayed here long enough. Who knew where the night would lead—after they settled everything there was to discuss.

She took the elevator up and found room 224 at the end of the hall.

Emanuela knocked once, and Kraus opened the door for her. She waited until it was closed before she set her keys on the TV unit. There was barely enough space to walk around between the two double beds, and the screen displaying hotel amenities.

Kraus stayed by the door, facing her now.

“What?” Emanuela hadn’t come here only for him to be silent. “You look like your cat was run over.”

“You think my problems are that pedestrian?”

“No, I don’t imagine they are.” She brushed back a couple of loose strands of hair from her temple. “But they’re likely also more than classified.”

He broke away from the door and went to a brown paper bag behind her, on the desk. “Care for a drink?”

“Just tell me what this is.” She sat on the edge of the bed and slid off her shoes because they’d been pinching her toes all day. “You said you wanted to talk.”

Kraus brought over a hotel paper cup, half filled with the Macallan he’d brought.

“Fine.” She took the cup. “Just one. There’s far too much to sort out for us to get distracted by drinks and…the rest of it.”

Kraus didn’t take the bait, something he’d have done if he wanted to make use of the bed. Maybe that ship had sailed, and she should let it rest. Quit feeling so sorry for herself. So lonely. It was only desperation that had landed her in his arms before. She didn’t need to be desperate again now.

He held out his cup. “Now that you’re here, I’m not in so much of a hurry.”

“Maybe we should drink to answers.” She tapped hers against it.

Kraus leaned on the edge of the TV unit and sipped first. “You saw the report on Simon’s killer. He was unidentified. No one in the world knows who the guy is. It’s like his existence was completely erased.”

Alarm bells of instinct rang in her mind—ones she’d honed over thirty years working in the field of psychology. He’s lying.

“We have absolutely no way of identifying him,” Emanuela said. “No prints found in the house. No DNA.” She’d shared the police reports with him. “They have no way to trace the specific gun used to kill him.” She shrugged. “So what now?”

“Assuming there’s any credence to the idea that our system has a worm in it, some kind of AI that infiltrated the CIA network we use.”

Her contact at the NSA had assured her there was no way it could get into the wider network. With the way they siloed information, it was impossible to get everything.

However, the reality that they’d been attacked by an entity who seemed content to simply watch everything they were doing couldn’t be denied.

“There was nothing in the audit to indicate Simon had been working against us, or give a clue why he was killed.” She shrugged one shoulder. “It makes no sense.”

“The police investigation is going to go cold sooner or later.”

“We could loop in the FBI,” she said. “See what they can come up with?”

“Better to task a few of our agents with an internal investigation. But that seems far too much like admitting we can’t handle this ourselves.”

Not the first time she’d considered the hubris in his personality. For better or worse, it made him a decent division chief.

“Have you found any proof at all that there’s a worm in our system?” Emanuela sipped her drink. “Because even the threat of a breach has to be reported. We can’t simply ignore it and hope the problem goes away.”

“Do you have proof?” Kraus shrugged. “Perhaps it was simply a misdirect, designed to have us chasing our tails. Probably while Division Zero undertakes some mission they’d rather we didn’t know about.” He huffed. “I still think the killer could be one of them.”

Emanuela sighed. “Fine, I contacted a colleague in the NSA.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Why would you be sorry?” She shook her head. “I don’t understand. There’s a very real threat out there, Thomas. We’ve got a new Division Zero team to spool up for missions, and unnamed operatives wandering around murdering our staff! This is a serious problem. It should be a full-scale internal investigation. Why are you stonewalling⁠—”

He dropped his cup and reached for her, grabbing her neck with his bare hands.

Emanuela’s paper cup fell from her fingers. She clawed at his arms, his fingers. Gasping for breath and trying to think through the panic.

“I’m sorry that it came to this.” He spoke slowly, in a measured tone with zero emotion. As if her life and her death meant nothing to him. “I’m sorry that you couldn’t leave it alone.”

All she heard after that was the strangled cry from her lips. Thomas, how could you?

The door flung open so hard it hit the wall.

Thomas startled, reacting by moving back a fraction and loosening his grip, and Emanuela heard twin pops. Suppressed gunfire.

Her boss fell back, blood seeping across the front of his shirt as he hit the carpet.

Emanuela let out a choked cry, panic eclipsing everything.

The door swung shut, and she realized the shooter had closed her in here with him and the dead body. She would be next!

She scrambled back and tumbled off the bed onto the strip of carpet between it and the wall, crying out.

“You’re welcome.” The man stood by the TV, breathing hard. “We don’t have much time. I need to clean up, and you have to pull yourself together so you can leave calmly without drawing any attention to yourself.”

“Who…” She sat up. “Who are you?”

“So you can call the FBI about me, too?”

She gasped. “You were listening?”

“Enough to know Kraus didn’t like what he heard. He’s the one in the office who allowed the worm in, by the way. He’s the one under Earthnet’s thumb. Again, you’re welcome.” The shooter tucked the gun out of sight and flexed his fingers, wearing what looked like leather gloves.

He had light-brown hair, and pale skin. A prominent nose that had been broken before and set with a scar.

“How am I supposed to explain this?”

“You aren’t.” He came over and held out a hand. “You don’t talk about it. You have no idea what happened to Kraus, or why he won’t show up for work tomorrow. You were never here.”

She took his hand, and he hauled her up so fast she yelped.

“After you take care of the worm in the CIA system, you’re gonna call Noah Rourke and ask him for assistance tackling the issue of Earthnet and what they’re up to. Because we all have a serious problem when it comes to them.”

She frowned. “You know about Division Zero?”

He pressed his lips together.

She’d never been so hungry for someone to be straightforward and honest in her life. Working for the CIA had her tangled up in knots until she wanted to scream. “I’m so tired of the lies. The subterfuge.”

“You picked the wrong line of work, lady.”

“I’m a psychologist.”

“I think you got this one wrong.” He motioned to Kraus. “You gonna take my advice, or are you going to be a problem to me like he was?”

So she could end up with two bullets in her chest? Problem was, if she agreed to do what this man said, she would end up owing him.

He continued, “You wanna know what I want?”

Emanuela nodded.

“You might make a decent division chief after all.”

Emanuela liked the sound of that so much she squared her shoulders. “Well? What do you want?”

He almost smiled. “US Army Colonel Alan Montrose. Everything you can get me on him. Everyone he’s connected to, by blood or otherwise, and his current location. And I want it in an hour.”

“That’s all?”

“For starters at least.” He brought over her keys. “And you can call me Ice.”

FORTY-EIGHT

Somewhere in the Philippine Sea

The engine of the boat rumbled under him. Sweat ran down Noah’s chest, and with every inhale he tried not to breathe through his nose. But the smell in this cramped room was the least of his problems right now.

The others sat around the room as he did, leaning against the hot metal side of the ship, against the wall of the storage room, or against each other. Jay had gone with Dan, so neither was in here. But Ash and Adam, Steph, a number of the workers they’d been imprisoned with on the island, and that guy Adam knew were here. Kai lay in the center, staring up at the ceiling with his ankles crossed and his fingers laced over his abdomen.

They’d been stripped to their underwear and relieved of anything they’d gathered on their way off the island, which hadn’t been much.

Marina shifted beside him, and he looked at her painted toenails, tipping his head toward her. “You okay?” He kept his voice to a whisper.

She shook her head.

“We’ll get out of here.”

“Yeah?” Kai turned only his head. “When? How?”

“Bro, you were imprisoned longer than all of us. I know you want out.”

Noah wasn’t the only one who had been in a situation like this before. Little had he known that when he and Marina went to confront Earthnet about the team being targeted, they would wind up on an island near the Philippines, conscripted into mining rare earth minerals for the company to use in electronics manufacturing.

This whole conspiracy was a lot bigger than they’d thought. Earthnet had already launched more than one satellite into space. They had an intelligent program, Polaris. It would take time to unpack everything that had been the AI’s doing, and figure out how to neutralize the potential threat.

Whatever Earthnet was up to, whether it was a global network or not, they didn’t want anyone to stop them.

Which meant Noah was determined to do exactly that.

“False victory isn’t victory,” Ash muttered.

Kai twisted around, flipping over and sitting up. “None of your Phoenix Network pals knows where we are?” He looked between Ash and Kyle for a second, then pinned Noah with a stare. “Or your twin?”

Noah said, “We aren’t telepathic.”

Considering how they often felt each other’s strong emotions, Noah figured his brother knew something was wrong. But there was likely nothing Caleb could do about it.

“What about your buddy, Ice?” Kyle pointed out. “Where is he?”

“Enough.” Adam opened his eyes. “We aren’t going to get through this if we’re taking out our frustration on each other.”

“He’s right,” Noah said. “The whole point is to pit us against each other. To observe the team under stress and watch us fracture.” Noah sat forward and put his elbows on his knees. “Whatever we do, we do together.”

Marina’s fingers wrapped around the inside of his elbow and a second later he felt her touch the jagged patch of scars on his lower back.

He froze. “Don’t.”

She pulled her fingers away as if she’d touched something hot. “Sorry.”

He winced. “I wasn’t going to tell you.” Now he had no choice. It was out there for all to see.

Noah turned to her because while the others would hear the whole thing, he didn’t want to see their faces. “It’s why I quit the SEALs and left the navy.”

“He’ll use it against you.”

Noah looked at the guy. “Kyle, is it?”

The other man nodded.

“Anyone with eyes can see it.” And as far as Noah was concerned, it wasn’t even close to the worst thing Montrose could use against him. He looked at Marina. “It’s why I shouldn’t go on missions with the team.”

“Does it hurt?”

Noah lifted his hand and swiped the tear off her cheek. “Don’t cry for me, Marina.”

She sniffed, wincing and turning away. “Kai is right. We need to get out of here.”

“Finally, someone agrees with me.”

Noah leaned back against the wall, but whatever way he adjusted his position it hurt. He got up, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms above his head.

“Good idea.” Kyle stood as well, pedaling his knees as if he was getting ready to run.

Steph said, “I’m new to this whole ‘team’ thing, but if you guys have a plan, then I’m in for whatever it is.”

Marina grabbed his hand but didn’t tug on it. She got up without pulling on his arm. And she didn’t let go of his hand.

“What are we gonna do, jump over the side in the middle of the ocean?” Adam glanced around but didn’t get up. “We’re overpowered.”

Ash walked over to him. “So we overpower them right back.” He held out his hand, Adam took it, and he hauled the guy to his feet.

“That doesn’t even make sense.” Adam shook his head. “And Montrose is probably sitting in his office, listening to this whole thing while making notes on how to torment us and laughing his butt off.”

“What about Ice?” Kai seemed hesitant to point out the fact one member of the team wasn’t on this boat. “You think he’ll come in, guns blazing?”

“When—if—he does,” Noah said, “you wanna be in here feeling sorry for yourself, or working on an escape plan?”

Adam glanced at him. “Is this where we all chant all for one…?”

Noah caught the fear in Adam’s gaze. Added to the mass of old and new scars on his body, he could understand why Adam felt the way he did. “There’s a reason I chose each of you, and it wasn’t because you shoot first and ask questions later.”

Ash said, “Ice does.”

“Or because of Kai’s sparkling personality.”

Kai sputtered. “I bring…character to the team.”

Noah almost smiled. “I chose each of you because of who you are. You look out for each other and refuse to back down no matter what.” He glanced around. “I didn’t even know half the truth of what you’ve been through, but I could see it. I didn’t need to know your secrets. You showed me in what you do, and how you operate.”

Kai sniffed, swiping a finger under his eye. “I love a good speech.”

Adam shoved Kai’s shoulder with one hand, the other tethered to Steph. Keeping each other anchored the way Marina had a hold on him. “Wait a second longer next time.”

Kai lifted his hands. “I’m not hugging it out when we’re all in our underwear.”

Ash chuckled. “Good call.”

The lock on the door clinked a second before it started to swing open. Kai rushed it first, pushing the door back against the first person through. There was a dull thud. He went for the door again.

“Down,” Noah ordered.

Kai dropped into a crouch and whipped the door open. The first gunshot went over his head, pinged off the metal side of the boat, and hit one of the workers who fell back onto the floor.

Ash followed Kai through the door, and Kyle ran through after him.

Noah and the rest of them bottlenecked in the doorway, trying to get out.

Another gunshot went off, this time angled to the floor. Ash elbowed the guy in the face, then brought the man’s chin down on his knee. Kyle punched his guy over and over. Someone else appeared at the end of the hall.

Kai dropped one of the men against the wall opposite the door, his face bloody.

Noah swiped up a gun that had been dropped and killed the man at the end of the hall. “Get what you can and let’s move.”

They flooded out of the room, down the hall. Kai said, “Ash and I are going to find Dan and Jay.”

Noah nodded. “We’ll go after Montrose.”

Kyle fired a shot, and a man collapsed at the end of the hall. Adam ran over and got a gun, passing another pistol to Steph and commenting, “Wouldn’t want you to steal mine.”

She grinned. “I always feel safer with a gun in my hand. Even if I’m in my underwear.”

“You are? I hadn’t noticed.”

Kyle snorted. “You guys are adorable. But we need to get off this boat.”

“Yes, we do,” Steph said. “Adam promised me a cheese plate.”

Marina tugged on Noah’s hand. The others moved off and started to disburse through the halls. Adam and Steph raced for the main deck, Kyle backing them up. Kai and Ash went to find the other Division Zero team members.

Noah and Marina had their own unspoken assignment. But something in her body language wasn’t quite ready to move, and he knew it. Because as much as he’d rather not have been able to read her, his awareness of her moods had let him know exactly how she felt about being kidnapped. “We should go.”

She hesitated, then lifted up and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

Noah nodded, not really sure he’d say the right thing even if he opened his mouth. Before he could respond, he heard gunshots elsewhere in the boat. On the main deck, or somewhere else?

They raced after the others, jumping over dead men on the way to the ladder at the end that would take them up to the deck.

Noah got a good enough look at one of the dead guys. “That’s the head of security we met in France.”

Marina slowed. She kicked the guy on the floor, rolling him to his back. “Petrice. Guess we don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“I’ll keep watch. Check him for a phone, or some other communication device.”

“Do we need to worry about Adam? If he finds Montrose, things could get ugly.” She knelt by the body and rummaged in his pockets. “I should steal his shirt.”

Noah watched both ends of the hall, spotted movement, and confirmed it was one of the guards before he fired. “I’m gonna run out of bullets if there are many more of them.”

“Cell phone.” Marina backed up from the body and looked at him.

Petrice’s eyes opened, and he grabbed her wrist, sitting up fast. Marina screamed and tried to drag her hand from his hold. She dropped the phone.

Noah lowered the weapon to the man’s temple and pulled the trigger.

She stumbled back, scrambling on the floor to get away. Noah pulled her up and into his arms, ignoring the blood on her. Don’t think about the lack of clothing. “You’re safe.”

She pulled in a shuddering breath and held on tight to him.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, her breath a whisper against his collarbone.

Noah had to make sure she was safe still and not get distracted. But he needed to say, “You were captured.”

“So were you.”

“That’s not the point.” He shook his head, glancing back over his shoulder. Clear. “I should’ve kept you safe.”

She stepped out of his arms. “You can’t protect me from everything.”

“I can try.”

“We’re not talking about the illogic of that right now. We’re all in danger, and we will be until we get off this ship.” Marina retrieved the phone from the floor. “It’s an Earthnet cell.”

“Bring it. We could get intel off it.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want this tech anywhere near my systems. It’s too risky.”

“What about the SIM card?”

Marina threw the phone down the hallway. “Not even on a firewalled computer.”

“Let’s go. We need to get to the bridge.” He looked at her. “But first we should find you a shirt.”

FORTY-NINE

Adam kicked the door in and entered, gun first.

Steph right behind him, wearing an oversized T-shirt they’d pulled off a guy on the way to the deck.

Montrose had a napkin tucked in his shirt collar. He was sitting at the far end of a conference table, a plate of what looked like chicken, rice, and broccoli in front of him, knife and fork in his hands.

“It’s over.” Adam leveled the gun at his head.

Montrose lifted one hand. “Before you act too hastily, you should check the closet. I brought along an insurance policy. One I thought you might like.” Interestingly, he looked at Steph right then.

She eased over to the right a couple of steps, controlling that side of the room with its low ceiling and 1950s-style “captain’s mess” vibe. “An insurance policy?”

Adam said, “I’m guessing the closet will blow up in my face.”

Montrose smiled. “Explosives aren’t really my thing.”

“Yeah, I know. You’d rather play mind games. Which is exactly what this is.” Adam moved around the table, everything in him—every nerve ending—wanting to override his brain and force his finger to squeeze the trigger of the gun in his hand. But how would that get anyone justice? Montrose would be dead, and no one would know the truth.

Families would never get real closure.

The people who’d covered up what Montrose did, and who he was, wouldn’t face justice for their part in destroying lives.

“What’s it they say?” Adam didn’t give the guy a chance to answer his rhetorical question. “Right. You’re under arrest.”

“This is my favorite part.” Steph sounded amused, but then she was also pointing a gun at Montrose.

The colonel sat back in his chair. “I’m sure you’d rather spray my brain matter over the wall behind me. Put an end to my reign of terror.”

“You’re no better than a serial killer,” Steph said. “You think you’re above the law, and it doesn’t apply to you. It’s a psychosis that makes you believe you can do anything to anyone with no consequences.”

“I’m sure there are a number of people at the CIA with the same…condition.” Montrose looked at her.

Adam nearly shot him right then. “You’re the one going to jail. Forever.”

“Or to a CIA black site where they’ll study you like the insect you are.”

Montrose sneered. “I’ll be their star consultant before you know it. The CIA will be after all my methods. For example. The present I have for you in the closet.” He pointed his fork at the metal cabinet across the room.

“Stand up.” Adam went to stand behind his back. “Hands on your head. Move slowly. Keep all your limbs where I can see them.” He needed a way to tie up Montrose. If he used the guy’s belt, he could disrobe Montrose and subject him to the same humiliation they were all supposed to have felt seeing each other mostly undressed.

All part of the torment.

But today, with his team here, Adam just hadn’t felt the same terror he had before. He could’ve succumbed and given up hope that he would get free. Could’ve allowed his mind to be swallowed up by the fear of what happened before happening again.

Instead, he’d drawn strength from the others and their presence in his life—and on this ship.

“I said, ‘Stand up.’” Adam backed up a step.

The metal cabinet rattled.

Montrose looked at it, still sitting in his chair.

Adam looked at Steph. She lifted her brows and reached for the handle. “Hopefully, it’s not an angry raccoon, or something like that.” She flipped the latch, and the doors swung open.

An emaciated male tumbled out, his hands and feet bound. A gag over his mouth. T-shirt and shorts on. Bruises and abrasions on his body.

“Dad!” Steph fell to the floor beside him.

Montrose whipped his elbow back at Adam. The chair clipped Adam in the knees, and Montrose was on him.

They wrestled for the gun. Montrose’s breath washed in his face, and those memories weren’t so easy to push away. The times Montrose had carved lines in his skin and subjected him to psychological warfare. Keeping him awake for days and making him watch images over and over. Breaking small bones in his hands and feet.

Montrose shouldered him against the wall. Adam wasn’t going to let go of the gun. He held tight to it, repeating the mantra over and over in his mind.

Steph cried out, “Adam!”

Montrose sneered. “He was a good subject, but not as good as you.”

Adam twisted the gun around, lifting it to aim up at the ceiling. Getting it in position.

Montrose’s eyes widened.

Adam squeezed the trigger.

The bullet entered the colonel’s throat, just under his chin, traveled through his brain, and exited the top of his head. He stiffened, then fell to the floor.

Adam stared at the room, breathing hard. “That wasn’t the plan.”

“No one is going to complain that he’s dead. You had every right to shoot him.” Steph sat back on her heels. “We can discuss the complexities of the justice system later. After we spit on his grave. Right now, I need your help.”

Adam went to her with Montrose’s knife and cut her father’s bonds, releasing his hands and feet. “He’s alive?”

She touched a hand to her father’s chest. “He might not be for long. He needs a hospital.”

“Stay with him. Keep the gun with you.” Adam raced through an interior door and found stairs. He made his way up three levels and found the bridge, almost directly above where he’d been. Jay stood at the helm.

Adam said, “What’s the situation?”

“I keep sending a mayday,” Jay said, “but so far no one has responded.”

“Anyone on this boat who can make it go where we want it to go?” Adam had no idea what direction they’d been traveling for the past few hours while they’d been down in the hold.

“We can either pilot it ourselves, or we can wait for rescue.”

Adam looked out the window, but all he saw in every direction was open ocean. “Anyone on the ship have a phone that doesn’t belong to Earthnet?”

Jay lifted a handset and squeezed the sides. “Ladies and gentlemen of The Good Ship Lollipop…” His voice echoed in the room, coming from speakers in the hall—and presumably all through the ship. “If anyone has a cell phone or a working⁠—”

“The sat phone!” Adam spun around. “We need our gear. My phone was in there.”

“Permission to come on the bridge?” Noah stepped through the door.

“Call me Captain.” Jay smirked. “You have the phone?”

Noah lifted Adam’s backpack. “Right here. And if anyone is captain, it’s me.”

“Get in line. I’m captain. You can be an admiral.” Adam set his pistol on the nearest flat surface and powered up the sat phone. “Where’s Marina?” He looked at Jay. “And Dan?”

“Ash is with Dan,” Jay said.

Noah told him, “Marina and I found Steph, so she’s with her.”

The phone screen blinked on, and Adam waited as it searched for a signal. “Come on, come on.”

Bingo.

He called the last number he’d dialed and put it on Speaker. Listened to it ring for far too long.

Finally, the call connected.

Ice answered, “This better be a guy named Angus Dubkowsky and not some bad guy who stole your phone.”

Adam smirked. “If you quit talking long enough to let me get a word in, I’ll tell you who it is.”

Noah said, “Both of you, listen up.”

Ice interrupted him before he could even start. “Actually, what I have to say is better than anything you guys need to say. Because I’m currently aboard a battleship that belongs to the Pacific Fleet, and we’re using the phone signal to triangulate your position.”

Adam nearly collapsed. “That’s good news, bro.”

“I’d like to say, ‘Thank the CIA,’ but I wanna take the credit.” Ice said. “I’ve got your back, buddy. I’ve always got your back.”

“Sounds like you have some stuff to tell us,” Noah said. “When we’re all together.”

Adam said, “This debrief is gonna last all weekend.”

Just thinking about all the things they had to tell each other made him want to curl up on the floor. “Montrose is dead. Steph’s father is alive, and downstairs. Everyone on the team is alive. We need medics, Ice. But we’re good.”

“That means we live to fight another day.” Noah nodded.

Adam figured Earthnet didn’t have a clue what was headed their way.

“We’ll heal,” Noah continued. “And we’ll get back to work.”

“Yeah, we will.” Jay nodded.

Ice said, “The bridge staff on this battleship are very impressed. Division Zero’s reputation is going to proceed us from now on. People will learn who we are.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Noah put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “So do I.”

“Location acquired,” Ice said. “We’ll be there. The XO says an hour, so sit tight and keep everyone alive. Ice, out.”

The call ended.

FIFTY

Oahu, Hawaii

Adam walked down the ramp from the ship the captain had referred to as a “liberty boat” that brought them over to shore, then shoved them off before the crew finalized their preparations for extended shore leave. The whole ship had been abuzz with excitement, and Adam didn’t blame them—he also didn’t want to get in the way.

He dumped the duffel he carried on the ground by Ice’s feet, his hair tickling his cheek thanks to the warm breeze. “You can carry that for Stephanie.” He slid the hair tie from his wrist and pulled it back.

Ice’s expression remained shadowed behind his sunglasses, which were essential in this sun. The rest of them didn’t have any, but at least they had clothes.

Adam didn’t want to get distracted by the sweetness on the air, the warmth of the sun on his clean skin, and the fact this was Hawaii for crying out loud. There were a whole lot of worse places in the world to get kicked off a ship so they could make their way home.

The battleship wouldn’t be in dock for an hour, so they had time to clear the area before the fanfare started. No one wanted to wind up on the background of someone’s viral social post or get in the way of someone’s family reunion when their sailor returned home.

Adam wanted them all out of here and wheels-up, headed back to the castle before then. Well, not all of them. Just transporting them from that death ship back to where they all needed to go, with medical care for Steph’s dad and Dan—who had yet to regain consciousness—was a feat of logistics. But Kai and Marina had mapped it all out, and they’d spent a whole day making calls. Securing medical personnel for transport and strategically leaving Kyle’s name off the list of those returning to the castle. Marina wasn’t even coming, and Adam got the distinct feeling her disembarking in Seattle with Noah had more to do with some quiet time in one of her bunkers than Noah’s family time in Montana.

Ice lifted Steph’s duffel and slung it over his shoulder. “Fair enough.” He checked his watch. “The plane should be gassed up and ready to go by the time we get to Honolulu.”

Adam nodded. “Not much time to enjoy Hawaii.”

“You’ll have to come back later.” Noah turned, pointing to the group at large all gathered around. “No one gets distracted and runs off to cause trouble. We have a debrief to do.”

“Speak for yourself.” Kyle stepped off the bottom of the gangplank. “Also, I’m pretty sure these sailors want us away from their dock now.”

The liberty boat was already motoring away from the dock, heading back to the ship.

Adam had talked to a few of the ship’s personnel, men and women, over the past few days, and they were all eager for shore leave, even if a detour to pick up the CIA’s new Division Zero team had been an interesting diversion. As had blowing that ship sky-high for a bit of target practice. The fact it had the body of US Army Colonel Alan Montrose on board, along with a dozen or so mercenaries on the Earthnet payroll, wasn’t something Adam had discussed.

Noah had been in closed-door meetings with the captain, who he apparently knew from the Naval Academy, most of the journey over to the base on Oahu.

The private ambulance they’d contracted to transport Steph’s father and Dan pulled away from dockside on a single-lane road, then passed through the base to the gate, headed to the airplane.

Two black SUVs had been parked beyond it.

Adam glanced back at the battleship that had rescued them, admiring it making its way in. When he was done he slapped Kai on the back. “Let’s go.”

Jay walked with a slight limp. Noah and Marina walked together. Steph joined them from where she’d been watching the ambulance, offering him a relieved smile, and took his hand.

Adam smiled at her. “I believe I owe a lady a cheese plate.”

Kai barked a laugh. “I’ll call Winston and put the order in.”

Noah and Ice both chuckled. Steph was a little more subdued, but that was to be expected when she was worried about her father.

Jay looked at Adam and grinned. “You guys, enjoy. I’m getting off in Seattle and going home as well.”

Kyle chuckled, walking behind Adam. “The look on those sailors’ faces when we walked on their ship in our undies…”

Adam nodded. “Good times.”

Steph squeezed his hand.

They disbursed to the SUVs, naturally splitting into two groups and loading onto the vehicles. Each had a hired driver, which was fine by Adam. Sleeping on a cot the past few days, seeing the ship’s doctor and getting a lot of frowns and muttering from the guy, and eating way too much food in the mess hall had him feeling less than able to navigate unfamiliar streets.

He waited by the door while Steph got in, sliding onto one of the captain’s chairs in the middle row. “Ever been to Hawaii before?”

She buckled her seatbelt. “No, it looks nice.”

He wanted to tell her they should come back and explore more than one corner of a naval base, but the words didn’t make it off his tongue. Adam slid into his seat and shut the door.

They had time.

He closed his eyes and listened to the rumble of the road as the driver took them to the Honolulu airport, chatting softly with Kyle, who sat in the front passenger seat. Kai was already snoring in the back row.

The SUV slowed to go through the private entrance and drove around to an open hangar several rows over. A Hawaiian Airlines 737 lifted off the runway and took off. A black town car was parked in front of the hangar, a suited man standing by the passenger door.

Adam glanced around in the SUV. “Anyone know who that’s for?”

“That’s my ride.” Kyle held out his hand over the shoulder of his seat, and they shook. The handshake lingered a second and Kyle said, “He’s gone.”

Adam nodded. “He’s dead and gone.”

Steph shifted in her seat. “You aren’t coming to the—” Thankfully, she caught herself before she said castle.

Kyle looked at her. “Maybe someday.” He shoved his door open and was gone.

Adam let the rest of them out on his side and kept an eye on Kyle. Awfully quick to get to his fancy taxi. Kyle spoke to the driver, who handed him an envelope from the inside of his suit jacket. The team gathered up, and Kyle came over.

Inside the hangar, the ambulance staff loaded Stephanie’s father onto the plane on his gurney. Ash and Kai went over to help with Dan, who looked to be awake now.

Kyle handed the envelope to Noah. “This is for your eyes only, as they say.”

Noah stared at it for a second, then accepted the envelope. “Thanks.”

“Actually, thank you.”

“We supposed to know what that means?” Adam asked him.

“You know I can’t tell you my assignment.” Kyle gave them an informal salute and wandered off to his car.

Steph touched Adam’s arm. “I’m going to go make sure my dad is settled, and the doctor knows everything he needs to know.”

Adam nodded. She wandered off, and he turned to Noah. “You find out about that facility?”

“Yeah, Marina checked it out,” Noah said. “She’ll be able to get there in four hours from the castle, and he’ll be secure and well cared for. When he’s up and recovered, we’ll figure out where he can go next.”

“Castle’s gonna get crowded.” Ice took Steph’s duffel and went to the plane. Marina spoke to the pilot, then climbed the stairs.

The others disbursed, except Noah. “You think Ice is gonna tell us what exactly he was up to while we were on that island?” Adam asked him.

Noah said, “Maybe. Eventually.”

Adam followed him to the plane. “We can start our debrief on the plane, finish it later over video call.”

“Everyone writes a report on this one.” Noah boarded the plane to a chorus of groans. “I don’t care if it’s a voice note, I wanna hear your stories.” He settled into a seat. “There’s too much to lose if we miss something. And with the fight we have coming, we can’t afford that.”

Adam stood just inside the door and took a moment to look at his team, this family he’d claimed for himself with all their quirks and dysfunctions. They’d gone to hell and back with him, not even hesitating to show up to the fight.

Don’t fret.

Whatever happened next, he was ready for it.

FIFTY-ONE

One week later, off the coast of Washington State

The red plane banked east, the buzz of the engine audible from where Noah stood on the ground, watching Marina fly away. She hadn’t said much to him since they’d been back, though she was present at all the team meetings. Listening in, her gaze distracted as if she was on the call but staring at another window—not the team’s faces—and working on something else.

Refusing to answer the questions he asked. Or tell him how she was doing.

She’d picked up her dogs from Jay’s fiancée and disappeared. Until he needed a ride today and she’d refused to let him book another mode of transport.

“Nice of her to drop us off.” Caleb clapped him on the shoulder. “But she’s coming back later, right?”

Noah glanced at his twin. “Tessa will be fine, bro. She still has a few weeks before the baby comes.” Still, his brother’s nervousness was like a tangible presence inside Noah. “Seriously, she’ll be okay.”

“Maybe that isn’t the only reason why I’m nervous.” Caleb cleared his throat.

Ahead of them on this small island that didn’t seem to belong to anyone, a cabin-like structure had been built. Likely back when the trees didn’t overshadow the house, dropping their needles on the roof.

“Keeping the gutters clear would be a nightmare.”

Noah smiled at his brother’s comment. “Probably isn’t a lot of other yard work necessary.”

Not when the whole ambiance was “neglected and disused.” Probably the point, since it didn’t invite passersby—if there were any—to stop and knock on the door.

“You okay?” Caleb glanced over.

Of course, Noah couldn’t hide anything from his twin. Even if he wanted to, it usually wasn’t worth the effort. “I spoke to a doctor in Virginia. There’s some swelling around my spine. When it goes down, I’ll feel less stiff, but the prognosis will still be the same.”

“Don’t get hit in the back, ever. Ever, ever, ever.”

Noah said, “Something like that.”

“So keep your role. Be the guy who gets the contracts and stay out of the field.”

Noah ignored the tone in his brother’s voice. “I didn’t plan to get captured. If I’d even thought there was a possibility of that, I never would’ve taken Marina to that office.”

Caleb clapped him on the shoulder. “I know that. She knows that. You guys will get past it.” Noah groaned, and Caleb strategically changed the subject. “This is really the place? It’s not that far from Montana.”

“Yeah,” Noah said. “And a world away at the same time.”

Caleb nodded.

“Can’t really get longitude and latitude coordinates wrong.”

“Unless you mix up numbers,” Caleb pointed out.

“This is what was on the paper Kyle gave me.” Noah led the way as they set off, walking the deer trail that looked to be almost a mile long across a rolling hill to the cabin.

Caleb glanced over. “I can’t believe they’ve all been working for Mom and Dad all these years.” He shook his head. “I’m gonna need some time with that one.”

“Adam. Ash. You and I didn’t know Kyle before, but now that we do, I’ll be tracking the guy down on a regular basis and checking in.” Noah had plenty of questions to ask, but for now he had a solid overview. “Mom and Dad saved lives. They protected us, and they made sure they were still alive for us to find.”

Noah had been puzzling it all out at the ranch and stumbled on Pops alone in the barn. They’d finally had a long-overdue conversation about what the old man knew about his son and daughter-in-law, Caleb and Noah’s parents. While Pops knew next to nothing about the Phoenix Network—he’d never even heard the name—the old guy knew that their parents never would have stayed away for so long if they’d thought they could safely come home.

The rest of the info, he’d garnered from Adam and Ash. “The Phoenix Network is all about old-school spy craft. They keep their heads down and protect each other. It’s kind of brilliant actually, and it’s saved some people I respect a whole lot.”

“And they created the whole organization?”

“As far as I know, it’s their thing. Their life’s work.” Because they’d needed it first, and after that branched out and used the setup to save others. Guys like Adam who didn’t deserve what happened to them.

Noah wasn’t sure whether to be proud or allow the injustice of losing his parents for so long to swallow him up in bitterness. He knew which he wanted, but only time would tell on the rest.

Caleb said, “You gonna ask them to let you be part of it?”

“Division Zero is CIA. We might run into a conflict of interest no one wants to navigate, so I figure they’re not going to want to join forces. But we might need each other.”

“Not what this meeting is about, though. Right?”

Of course, Caleb knew that.

“We are gonna end up talking about work. It’s inevitable.” Or so Noah figured.

“But they’re our parents, and we haven’t seen them in fifteen years.” Caleb sounded nervous. “You think Mom still drinks that stinky tea?”

Noah laughed. “You think Dad still watches NASCAR on a Sunday afternoon?”

They shared a smile, and Noah spotted movement.

Up at the cabin, the front door opened wide. Behind her was the yellow glow of a warm light on a cloudy afternoon. Noah spotted a man in the window and knew it was his father. But the woman in the doorway captivated him. He didn’t remember her being that beautiful.

Caleb coughed but said nothing.

Noah wanted to smile at his brother’s nervousness, but the truth was, he felt the same way. He walked up to the front door first, leading the way. “Hey, Mom.”

FIFTY-TWO

Lyon, France

The building behind them was four stories tall and twice as wide. Built nearly four hundred years ago, it had been a hospital for most of its existence, a place where French lives ended and others began. Where the authority in charge of the nation never superseded the care a doctor provided their patient. But in wartime, that often wasn’t the case.

Steph watched a butterfly fly frantically from a bush, across the lawn where patients in wheelchairs visited with family members, or others were escorted around the grounds by staff in white scrubs.

The war might not be over, but this place had the potential to provide a semblance of peace nonetheless.

“You worry.” Her father reached over and patted her hand.

She looked at him, barely a shadow of the man she remembered. This man was free. At least for now. “The prognosis wasn’t what I hoped.”

“I’m an old man. Years of…” He shook his head. “Who would recover?”

“Dad, I’m sorry.”

He made a choking sound, but when she looked over, he seemed to be laughing. “Sorry?”

“What do you expect me to say?”

“Not sorry.”

Steph blew out a breath, trying not to be irritated when she should be happy she had her father back now.

He clasped her hand, his veins visible through pale skin, his nails yellowed and broken. She studied his face, and the lines embedded beside his mouth. The flat expression in his eyes and the dark shadow of beard on the lower half of his face. His hair was threaded with gray between the almost-black strands.

His fingers tightened around hers. “There is nothing to apologize for. Not when you’ve been protecting me your whole life.”

Steph didn’t know what to say, so she just sat there on the bench beside his wheelchair and held on to his hand.

“I know the deal you made with the CIA to keep them from questioning me.”

But he didn’t explain whether it had worked, or if they kept up their end of the bargain.

He continued, “I know you only became a spy to protect me. And that’s exactly what you have done. I’m free now, because of you.”

“I think you might not be the only one who is free.” Steph closed her eyes for a second, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face in a way she hadn’t for a long time. Then she opened her eyes again. “But that doesn’t mean it’s over.”

“Thomas Kraus is dead.”

“It was him, the whole time?” She might already know the answer, but it had to be asked.

“For years, yes. He had me in a secret facility. I don’t know where it was, but I have enough ideas to piece together a general area, if someone that is not me wants to try and find it.”

Steph shook her head. “I don’t think I do, but the team might be interested. Were there other prisoners?”

“If there were, I never saw them.” He closed his eyes to the sky. “It’s been a long time since I saw the sun.”

Her fingers flexed around his.

“But now I can see it whenever I want.”

“I’ll get you some sunscreen.”

He chuckled. “I would like it if you could deliver it personally. I don’t trust the world now, and all these package deliveries I’m hearing about.”

“I can do that.”

“I don’t expect you to be here much, though. You’ll be busy with your work.”

“Maybe. Once I figure out what I’m going to do.” She had come here intent on being truthful, figuring he hadn’t had much of that for a long time. “The CIA offered me my job back. Full reinstatement, and a bonus. I’m keeping the money either way, but I’m not sure that I want to work for them. Not anymore.”

“Thinking about joining a certain team?” He shifted in the chair but didn’t quite turn his head far enough to see behind them. “And a certain gentleman?”

Adam wasn’t close enough to be able to hear them.

“Perhaps.” She smiled. “I like that word. It has a lot of hope, and possibilities.”

“Both of which have been in short supply for us.”

She had to agree with that.

He squeezed her hand.

“Do you want to talk about Vesper?” Steph shifted on the bench so she could turn to him. “Past explaining how she died, we haven’t said much about her.”

Her father didn’t respond right away. He drew his hand back to his lap, smoothing down the blanket that covered his legs.

“I wish you could’ve seen her. She was…impressive.”

He almost smiled. “She was complicated and always would’ve been. Her mother…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Thank you for giving me the truth so I could know what happened to her.”

The fact it had happened mere hours before she saw her father again for the first time since she was a child was like an ache in her chest she couldn’t get rid of. She felt the weight of grief, of lost chances and the realization that despite all her wishing she wouldn’t ever have her family—or the idea, the dream of it.

Instead, she would be creating a new dream. One that had a whole lot of “perhaps” to look forward to.

The promise of something that could be amazing.

He sighed. “I knew even back then Vesper would be a force the world would need to reckon with.”

“You were right.” Steph found a smile, shaking her head. “She tormented me, got in my way, and was a giant pain in my…” She cleared her throat, deciding not to downplay the pain her sister had caused her or the way she’d contributed to Steph’s anxiety around trying to fix her. “Everything she did was to make me stronger, to prove to me that I could be who she seemed to believe I was.”

Her sister had believed Steph would need the strength Vesper was intent on forging in her, and if the fight against Earthnet turned out to be even half of what the Division Zero team believed it would be, she would turn out to be correct. Not that Steph would ever have admitted that to her sister.

“And who are you?”

Steph tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I guess I’ll find out.”

“I think we both will.” He smiled at her, but it didn’t lift the shadow in his eyes. “I, for one, have plenty of time by myself to decide who I’ll be now. Time to reflect.”

“Write a memoir?”

His wheelchair shook, and she realized it was a laugh. “I don’t think anyone wants to read that.”

“I would.” Though he was probably right that she might be the only one. “Maybe Vesper left a journal or wrote her own memoir. The team has agreed to work at uncovering her entire network and making sure they’re shut down. If we find anything personal, I’ll ensure it’s returned to you.”

He nodded. “I appreciate that, and everything else you’ve done.”

“I’m just glad we found you before things got any worse. Montrose would’ve used you against me to torture Adam.” She hadn’t said those words aloud yet, and didn’t like the sound of them now. “It would have been bad.”

“We’ve had enough ‘bad.’ It’s time for some good.”

She spotted an orderly approaching them. He came around so her father could see him before he clasped his hands in front. “Monsieur, I believe it’s time for your treatment.”

Her dad nodded, then glanced at her.

Steph kissed his cheek. “See you soon.”

She watched the orderly push her father’s chair to a walkway that ran along the building, with brick arches shielding it from the weather. Until the door opened and he was wheeled inside.

“Everything okay?” Adam stood beside her, his hair tied back. Sunglasses on. T-shirt and jeans, and a leather jacket.

“Everything is different,” Steph replied. “‘Okay’ is relative.” Not the first time it occurred to her that he might be one of the few people in the world who truly understood what she, and her father, had been through.

Adam slung an arm around her shoulders, and she laced her fingers with his as they walked to the parking lot out front. “He’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, I think he will.”

“Because of you.”

She squeezed his hand. “Pretty sure you were there as well.”

“Thanks for going with me to get the team.”

“If I hadn’t, I’d never have found my father.” She glanced over. “But that’s not the only reason why I’m glad I did.”

He stopped beside the car and turned to her. A French police car whizzed by on the main street, siren and lights going. Steph could hear birds, and a couple talking as they headed for the hospital.

“Are you taking the job?” he asked.

“You mean, going back to my old life?”

Adam hesitated. “It would be different. This time they can do right by you, and the team will always come to back you up if you need it.”

Steph leaned her hips back against the side of his car. Adam took a step closer to her, closing the gap between them. She said, “I told them I was busy.”

His eyes flared. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, Winston is going to teach me how to make crème brûlée.”

Adam grinned, sliding his hands around her waist. She slid hers up to lace her fingers behind his neck. He lowered his lips to hers. “I love crème brûlée.”

Steph laughed, and he caught her lips with his.

Turning her world upside down again.

FIFTY-THREE

Undisclosed Location, West Virginia

Two days later

Noah pulled up to the guard shack, but it wasn’t his buddy on duty this time. It was a dour-looking guy with gray hair and zero sense of humor. Kind of like my passenger. Ice had been different since the team got back from the Philippines and hadn’t done much but give the highlights of how he’d infiltrated a CIA safehouse to gain access to their server and find the team.

“Building three.” The guard handed their IDs back.

Ice had his head bent to his phone.

“You’ll lose signal in a second,” Noah said. “I was talking to Caleb last time when I got here, and the call dropped at that bend.”

Ice locked his phone and turned it over on his knee.

“You good?”

“Sure. Secret government facilities don’t make me nervous at all.”

Noah said, “No one is going to throw you in a cell. This is a meeting. You can tell, ’cause we’re in button-down shirts and ties.”

Ice didn’t laugh.

“They’ll offer us bad coffee, and we’ll pretend it’s good. We’ll make small talk we don’t care about and eventually get to the point. You’ll be back at the airport before lunch.”

“Great.” Ice shifted in the seat.

“You really have nothing to be nervous about.”

“Sure.” Ice retrieved a lockbox from the back seat, then put his phone and a tablet from his backpack inside. “Just protecting my assets.”

Noah pulled up outside building 3 and found Dr. Emanuela Peraya waiting for them. She wore low heels, a navy-blue dress, and a matching blazer. When she spotted them, she waved Noah to a space.

“Good morning.” Noah pocketed his keys, and the three of them gathered on the sidewalk. He smoothed down his tie. “Should we go through security?”

The doctor shook her head. “Let’s take a walk.” She motioned to the green area east of the buildings, and a path where a young woman in athletic gear walked a tiny dog. Her gaze drifted to Noah’s associate. “Mr. Ice.”

Noah glanced between them. “You guys know each other?”

“We go way back.” Ice set off, toward the grassy area ahead of them.

Noah walked beside Dr. Peraya. “Are you well?”

She had faint red marks on her neck and didn’t seem the same self-assured woman he’d met with prior to this.

“Things have been stressful with the shift in my role here.” She smiled politely as they followed Ice down the path. “I’m the division chief now, on an interim basis.”

“The FBI hasn’t found Kraus?”

She shook her head. “He simply…disappeared.”

“Has the Bureau checked Earthnet facilities, or any buildings occupied by Starwise Holdings?” He was only mostly joking.

“There’s no proof he was working with Earthnet. Those accusations have so far been unsubstantiated. And what would finding evidence prove now? He’s gone.”

That sounded definitive. Too bad she was right, Vesper had offered Adam and Steph zero proof of her belief that Kraus had been working with Earthnet. “No hope that he’ll be found?”

She cleared her throat. “I highly doubt he’s alive.”

They walked to the middle of a grassy area, with pathways that intersected. At the far end, there seemed to be a stream running through the property. He spotted arms breaking the water surface and realized a group of people were swimming.

The place seemed more like a university campus, or a company who focused on the lifestyles of their employees, than the CIA.

Ice turned to face them.

Noah figured they weren’t here to enjoy the grounds of this facility and stare at each other without speaking. “You requested to see both of us.”

Peraya nodded. “I’m sure you can appreciate there is a lot on my desk, much of it unfinished business left by my predecessor. It seemed he dropped the ball on many occasions in favor of pet projects, and we’ve discovered he was utilizing funding for his own ends.”

“Embezzling?” Noah said. If Kraus had been, they should look into everyone who’d been in attendance at that party Noah had crashed at his house.

“In a fashion,” she said.

“That’s why he didn’t want to pay us.” And while Kraus had somewhat kept up his end of the bargain providing information about Noah’s parents, it wasn’t as if the agreement had held.

Ice said nothing, but he listened intently.

“Something that will be rectified, I can assure you.” Peraya sighed. “I know it was your team who alerted us to the worm in our system. After a complete reboot, we’ve deleted our entire network and restored backups that were saved shortly prior to the infiltration. We lost some files, but not so many it will set us back.”

“But you were hacked.” Ice shifted his weight, crossing his arms.

“Our system was penetrated by an unknown entity, yes.”

“How can you be sure it’s gone?” Noah figured they’d taken care of it, but given Polaris wasn’t like anything Marina had dealt with, he wondered if he could garner some tips to pass to her.

Peraya frowned. “My people assure me there’s no possible way the worm remains.”

Noah wanted to argue, but he didn’t know what Marina did. She’d destroyed any of her devices that were infiltrated and burned the servers. According to her, that was the only way to ensure the program Polaris didn’t remain where she was unable to detect it. She was currently in the process of setting up a whole new server with better safeguards and redesigning their comms system to be undetectable.

“Which brings me to the origin.” Peraya lifted her pointy chin. “And our next move.”

“Before or after Division Zero goes after every Earthnet facility?”

“That all depends on whether you wish to keep the contract, one that I’ll have you sign. Just so we’re all on the same page.” She glanced between them. “We’re operating above board now. That means the CIA hands down assignments, and I receive regular reports on your progress.”

“And if we take jobs that have nothing to do with the CIA?” Ice asked.

“You either work for the CIA, or you don’t.”

Noah clenched down on his molars. “I’ll have to discuss it with the team.”

“I’m not sure there’s anything to discuss,” she said. “After all, they already believe they are the Division Zero team. Nothing will change as far as they’re concerned. And I assure you, the CIA will generously compensate you.”

“For being your own private strike force?” Noah shifted his weight, trying to ease the ache in his lower back from sitting on a plane all day yesterday.

“For now, at least, our goals are in alignment. The president is aware of the situation and has signed off on my department using all the resources at our disposal to ensure Earthnet is unable to complete their global network.”

Ice looked at Noah but said nothing.

“I have your first assignment.” Peraya drew a flash drive from the inside pocket of her blazer and held it out. “Your old friend, Richard Leesbury.”

Noah took it. “He was at the Earthnet building when Marina and I were captured.”

“He’s a person of interest we wish to locate and question.”

“Understood.” Noah pocketed the flash drive.

She looked at Ice. “Do you have anything for me?”

“Kraus had a cabin in Alberta. I scoured every inch of it. He didn’t have the book.” He reached back and drew something from his belt, handing over a hard drive. “Just this.”

“Good day, gentlemen.” She stepped away from them, taking what Ice had given her. “I’ll leave you to see yourselves out.”

Noah waited until she was out of earshot. “When did you guys start working together?”

“Right around when I saved her life.” Ice set off back toward the car.

Noah followed him, catching up. “Are you gonna explain that?”

“Better if you don’t ask questions.”

“One day it’s gonna catch up with you, and I hope your choices don’t hit you in the face.”

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” Ice put on a pair of sunglasses, and that was that.

FIFTY-FOUR

Undisclosed Location, France

Adam spun the handle. The ball shot across the foosball table and went into the goal. He raised his fists in the air and whooped.

Across the table, Kai swung back. “No way! Spinning it is cheating!”

“So you want best thirteen out of twenty? Is that it?” Adam went around the table and nudged his friend’s shoulder, then grabbed his soda. “We’ve been playing for an hour.”

“I know. Steph isn’t back yet.”

“I don’t need distracting.”

Kai just snorted. He went over to Ash and slumped down on the couch, dislodging the guy. Ash shoved him. “Now I’m dead.”

The TV screen said, Mission Failure.

Adam wandered out of the room, not because he was waiting for Steph to get back with the plane and tell him how her trip went. Or because he was worried about whether she would be safe, and she’d insisted he not go with her. That she had to do this on her own.

“Because I’m fine,” he muttered.

“Talking to yourself suggests otherwise.”

Adam backtracked a couple of steps and entered the library, where Dan sat on a high-backed chair that looked like it belonged in the French Renaissance, a Bible open on his lap. “Want some company?”

Dan waved to the other chair. “I know you’re trying to distract⁠—”

“It’s fine!” He checked his watch to see if she’d have hooked up with Ice for the final leg of the trip back. He should be hearing from one of them shortly. “She’ll be back soon enough.”

Dan chuckled.

“You good, bro?”

The big man shrugged.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Dan closed the Bible and set it aside. “The doc told me I’m simply more susceptible to heavy metal poisoning. It hit me harder than the others. Even Kai, who’d been there longer. The longer I’m away from it, and keep taking the medication he gave me, the better I’ll feel. Eventually, I’ll be back to mission ready.”

“Take all the time you need.” Adam set his ankle on his knee.

“Thanks.” Dan sat silently for a few minutes. Finally, he said, “I got an email from Sarah.”

“Surely, she didn’t hear what happened?”

Dan shook his head. “She has a new assignment and wanted me to know. Just in case something happened to her. Apparently, I’m still listed as her emergency contact.”

Neither of them had filed for divorce, so that tracked. Adam kept his mouth shut instead of suggesting “fixes” Dan wasn’t interested in. The guy would figure it out in his own time, and the rest of the team would be there to support him.

He and Sarah might get back together, or they might let what had happened tear them apart officially.

“What’s the new assignment?” Adam rubbed his chest, stretching his legs out and crossing his ankles.

Dan almost smiled at the antsy way Adam moved. “She accepted a contract with Earthnet to captain the crew of the rocket they just launched into orbit.”

Adam jumped to his feet. “I need to call Noah.”

He strode out of the room, using his watch to locate where he’d left his phone. It rang on the sideboard behind the foosball table next to a glass that now had melted ice cubes in it. He made the call, explaining what Dan had told him and pacing up and down the entryway between the two suits of armor that flanked the rug while they hashed out the implications of Dan’s estranged wife being on an Earthnet satellite station.

Noah kept him talking, distracting him for a good hour with how it went talking to his parents and their meeting at the CIA.

Finally, the front door opened. “Gotta go.” Adam hung up.

Ice tapped knuckles with him and headed down the hall.

Steph looked around, worry in her features. “Just us? No one can hear us?”

Adam said, “What is it?”

“I have a safe deposit box at a bank.”

He didn’t figure she would ever tell him what bank it was, and where it was located, and that was fine. He knew enough and had time to learn the rest. He said quietly, “The book?”

She nodded. “The box was empty. The book is gone.”

The story continues in book 2 The Bolshoi Deception, coming November 2026.

Keep turning the page to read a note from the Author.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The start of a new series is always nerve-wracking. I wonder: Will the stories be good? Will everyone love it as much as they’ve loved other characters I’ve created and stories I’ve told? Am I just crazy? (Don’t answer that one.)

The Division Zero series is shaping up to be something entirely different. I knew that going in. I was aware of it with every decision I made. And with each chapter of this book that I wrote, I got more excited and hopeful that it will be something amazing as well as different.

Sure, I hope it will have engaging characters and that you’ll love every adrenaline-fueled moment of it. That you’ll binge them all and come back to read them again one day. Thanks for spending your hard-earned money on purchasing the book, and for the expense of time you spend reading it. I hope the experience is well worth it!

For me, each new series is a risk I’m taking. My prayer is that you were entertained and found a sense of hope in the pages, and that a happily ever after is what you keep coming back for. I might occasionally throw in a cliffhanger, and with this story the tale certainly continues, but there should be a sense of closure with every “The End” that I write.

So much of this book turned out to be unexpected. Steph’s struggle to understand her anxiety gave me a window into experiences I’ve never had. While I firmly believe that God can give us peace in anything, I’m also so thankful for medicines that can provide people with relief from their symptoms. What a blessing to have both available to us.

Adam’s journey was both harrowing and a surprise. I had to stop when he finally opened up and told his story and just absorb the fear he’d gone through. Seeing how far he’d come in rebuilding his life was something I hope will encourage you as well. He could have let the past change him into something different, but instead he retained his humanity. What a hero.

And in so many more ways, this book wasn’t anything I could anticipate. I knew I wanted to write a romantic suspense wrapped in a spy thriller, and I hope I’ve done justice to the genre I love so much. One of my favorite things is to grab a mass-market paperback from the shelf at the grocery store and devour it in one sitting. If there are any mistakes in this book, you’ll have to forgive me.

I enjoy hearing from every single reader who contacts me either through Facebook, Instagram, or my website. Drop me a note anytime! And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter, where you’ll get a free novel. I email out a video update regularly that you can watch and include the transcript to read if you’d like to absorb it that way.

May the God of all comfort be the one you seek in times of need, and in times of plenty.

Happy reading,

Lisa Phillips

THE STORY CONTINUES…

A deadly mission. An unbreakable bond.

Division Zero stands in the shadows so the world can live in the light.

This elite team races against time to prevent a deadly threat from gaining control of worldwide technology, putting their lives on the line to save the future.

Continue the epic adventure in book 2, The Bolshoi Deception, in the Division Zero Special Ops series. Releases November 2026.

Find out more Here!

ABOUT LISA PHILLIPS

Lisa Phillips is a USA Today and top ten Publishers Weekly bestselling author of Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense, independently published series romantic suspense, and thriller novels. She’s discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.

Lisa is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London and attended Calvary Chapel Bible College, where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect. It wasn’t until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). Lisa is a worship leader, tea aficionado, and dog lover of two crazy Airedales.

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