Page 9 of Unlocking Hope

“Eight years ago, I was on SEAL Team Five. We were on a mission in North Korea to bring back information on a missing SEAL team the CIA had uncovered. The information was false, according to a CIA mole in North Korea. When our team arrived to save the missing SEAL team, the North Koreans ambushed us. They tortured my team for five days. It had felt like a year. Ian and I were the only two to survive the torture. Later, information came out that the CIA mole had flipped sides and had been helping North Korea. Do you think I got out on my own?” Cole turned and flipped the steaks to the other side and pulled out the potatoes. He considered locking Zoey in his panic room while he hunted down the men after her. It wasn’t logical, but nothing he did seemed to be logical today.

“I don’t know where to start.”

“How about with why the men are after you?”

She shook her head.

Cole let a sigh. “How about we start simple? What’s your last name?”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“My last name is Walker. Now let me know yours, and we can see if anyone has put a bounty out on you. Those men I met inthe alley earlier didn’t seem like very nice men and normally not ones I see doing the dirty work.”

He pushed the plate with steak, potatoes, and salad toward her. Cole wished he had apple pie in the fridge to make her happy, but he wasn’t much of a sweets person and didn’t have anything for dessert. He planned to change that tomorrow.

“You know how to find things on the dark web?” she asked.

Her question was another stall tactic. Cole didn’t care how long they would need to talk for her to trust him with her personal information. “No, but I know a guy.”

“You know a guy?” Her laughter filled the kitchen. “That sounds like something a mobster would say.”

“My guy has nothing to do with the mob. He is a well-respected military veteran. I promise I won’t use any of the information he finds against you. I just want to help.”

“That’s what my friend said when she got me the job with them.” Zoey took a bite of steak, and when she finished chewing, she added, “Thomas.”

“Is that your last name or who you worked for?”

Zoey slowly took another bite of her food. Cole didn’t care she was taking her time answering him and analyzing every word before it came out of her mouth. She didn’t trust him, and that hurt a little, but he didn’t push. He waited, knowing if he demanded answers, she would stop talking. That was the last thing he wanted.

“My last name.” She pointed to the food. “This is really good. I know I’ve only eaten garbage for the past three months, but this steak is perfect.”

Cole tucked away that bit of information she hadn’t realized she’d let slip. He’d been right when he assumed she’d been homeless for about three months. Now he had to get her to trust him enough to tell him what she was running from.

“Can I have my friend look to see if he can find anything?” Cole knew he was pushing, but he wanted Zoey safe, and Brock would get him one-step closer to finding out what is going on. “I will let you listen to the phone call.”

“Why do you think this Brock guy can help?”

“Brock can find anything.”

“He sounds like a hacker.”

Cole let out a sigh. “Honestly, some of the things he does is probably illegal, but he’s effective. Brock knows people high up in the military and can get things done quicker than I’ve ever seen. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead. I owe him my life, and still every time I need something, he is there for me and asks nothing in return. He hates to be thanked.”

“I don’t want to bother him. He sounds busy, and I got myself into trouble.”

“We all do something we wish we could change. Brock isn’t going to judge you. Do you want to hear what he has to say?”

When she nodded, he pulled out his cell and clicked Brock’s name.

The phone rang three times before he answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, Brock, it’s Cole.” He tapped the speaker button on his phone so Zoey could hear the conversation. “I have my friend Zoey Thomas on speaker with me.”

“Hello, darlin’.”

“Hi.”

“Are Ian and Bella okay?” Brock asked quickly.

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