“They can’t live in Virginia Beach and commute?”
He shook his head. “Too much traffic to and from the tunnel is a security risk.”
Paige nodded thoughtfully. “And your nursing staff?”
“We’ve got one out for at least two more weeks – he broke his leg. And the nurse they brought in to temporarily fill in requested a transfer almost as soon as she got here.” The doctor cringed slightly, cleared his throat, and shifted his weight. “Sometimes the Beasts can be a little scary.”
Her mind flashed back to when Kong introduced her as Jace’s woman, how surprised the guys were that she hadn’t been scared of Jace.
“So you’re looking for help, then?” And just to be clear, added, “Permanent help?”
He looked at her like she was a savior come to rescue him. “Oh, please tell me you’re not joking.”
“No joke.”
The doctor grinned and pumped his fist in the air. “I’ll call the General right now. Get him to fast-track it.”
A thrill of anticipation filled her. A reason to stay that the General couldn’t argue with. Jace may have said he loved her, but he hadn’t had permission to bring her here. It had been a nagging worry in the back of her head since they arrived and she’d seen the anger written clearly on the older man’s face. She didn’t want to leave Jace. But there was no guarantee the General wouldn’t boot her from his base after this current mission was complete and she was no longer in danger. His being shorthanded in the infirmary, however, was just the leverage she needed to convince him to let her stay. Besides, if the mission was a success, they’d be bringing Grady back with them, and her brother might need her to help him in the coming weeks as he recovered from his ordeal.
An image of her folks came to mind. They’d wonder why she’d abruptly left the job in Ithaca to move so far away, but she’d convince them it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She’d also tell them about Jace – or at least as much as she was allowed to disclose. They’d be happy for her, she knew they would. And when Grady was ready, they’d go visit them together.
The operation started smoothly enough, and Jace and the others arrived at the converted medical warehouse without a hitch. It was only once they were in position outside that they got an inkling that something wasn’t right. According to Doctor Dietrich’s intel, there should have been five armed guards positioned around the building as well as several security cameras monitoring the exterior.
There were no guards. Nothing showed up on thermal to suggest a single life sign, and according to Lark, who’d come prepared to hack into the cameras and disable the feed, there was nothing for her to access.
Something was wrong. Had the Doctor lied? That should have been impossible with Lark’s unique gifts of entrancement. Well, actually, that wasn’t completely true. While Lark’s prey couldn’t lie when asked a direct question, that didn’t mean they couldn’t withhold information about something that hadn’t been asked, and Doctor Dietrich knew all of their gifts inside and out. She knew exactly what each of them was capable of and she was certainly clever enough to exploit a loophole.
Had they been set up? Were they walking into a trap?
Staying frosty, they silently approached the doors. The entry system was just as the doctor described. The cloned retinal scan and voice authorization they’d recorded and used in conjunction with Dietrich’s ID badge and PIN code worked exactly as they should, so they were definitely in the right place…
Weapons at the ready, they moved in fast, clearing the corners and prepared for anything. There was no ambush. No guards lying in wait to swarm them. There were also no stasis pods or upgraded soldiers.
Kong straightened from his crouched-ready position and flipped up his enhanced night vision goggles. “They were tipped off.”
Jace nodded in agreement as the team fanned out to investigate. The place had been cleaned out, and by the looks of it, it had been done in a hurry. Tall metal cabinets had been left open, empty but for a few random, nonessential items. The area that was supposed to hold the servers and central computing system according to the floorplan they’d gotten from Doctor Dietrich had been stripped bare with only a few scraps of paper, an empty soda can, and a scattering of pens left behind. A multitude of thick cables hung loose from the ceiling, no longer connected to the stasis pods they’d expected to find. Grabbing one, Jace outwardly examined it while inside, his thoughts whirled with what to do next. He’d told Paige he’d bring her brother home. He’d failed her.
Chapter Nineteen
GeneralDavieswasfumingas he stomped into the brig. How had she done it? How? Doctor Dietrich had been searched the moment she’d been taken into custody, her cell phone and personal effects confiscated.
Throwing open the door, he marched in. The doctor was no longer dressed in the business attire she’d arrived in, but a light gray sweatshirt and sweatpants they’d supplied that practically swallowed her diminutive form. She was lying on the bed, though she wasn’t asleep. Her arms were crossed behind her head and she was staring up at the ceiling. She didn’t scramble up at his entry nor did she look the least bit intimidated as he loomed over her.
“The soldiers were moved. They’d been tipped off. By you,” he accused.
A single eyebrow arched as she slowly sat up. “Now why would I do that when I’ve been so helpful?”
“Because you’re a bitch?” he suggested.
“Hm, I see your point. But in this case, you’re wrong.”
That cool, collected façade only pissed him off more and the urge to throttle the bitch rode him hard. Worse, he believed her, and that just rubbed him wrong. “What would have triggered a move? You leaving?”
She looked thoughtful as she considered that for a moment. “Were my soldiers able to get inside?”
The General ground his teeth together at her possessive claim ofhispeople. “Mypeople got inside, yes.”
She shot him a speaking glance. “Then the security protocols weren’t enacted because of my departure. If that had been the case, my credentials would have immediately been scrubbed from the system.” She tapped a finger against her lips. “A data breach would explain it, as would orders from above.”