Page 22 of Ground Zero
Eventually, Maverick would have to answer those calls. He’d have to face his friends and look them in the eye, knowing one of them might be trying to destroy him.
But not now.
Right now, he needed to focus on staying alive and proving his innocence.
The computer screen flickered as he finally found a way past the first layer of security. A small victory, but it was a start.
He had some serious work to do, and a mental timer ticked in his head.
Blackout headquarters was exactly what Sheridan had expected from a private military contracting firm—a professional-looking campus with a large building at the center, designed to project both competence and intimidation.
The facilities—which included a helicopter landing pad and an obstacle training course—sat on the Pamlico Sound.
The main building’s tinted windows gave nothing away about the operations conducted inside.
She showed her credentials to the security guard, drove through the gate, and parked. A man met her outside and escorted her to a conference room on the first floor.
A moment later, the door opened, and three men entered.
“Agent Mendez.” The first man was tall and broad-shouldered with the confident bearing that screamed military leadership. “I’m Ty Chambers, and this is Colton Locke. We’re the cofounders of Blackout. And this is Jake Laudner, team leader for Adams’s unit.”
Sheridan shook hands with each man, studying their faces.
Chambers had the weathered look of someone who’d seen combat. Locke had intelligent eyes that seemed to soak in every detail about her. Laudner appeared the most shaken by recent events—his jaw was tight with stress lines around his eyes.
Someone else appeared in the door—a blonde in a police uniform.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said as she breezed inside and took a seat at the table. “I’m Lantern Beach Police Chief Cassidy Chambers. I was invited to sit in on the meeting in case there’s anything I need to know that might affect my community.”
“Understandable,” Sheridan said and introduced herself.
She actually found having another woman present to be calming.
“As you probably know, the rest of your team left, following another lead,” Ty started. “You’ve been left in charge here and are acting as our liaison?”
“That’s correct. Cook will be joining us on the phone, from what I understand.”
“He’s already on the line. We appreciate the FBI’s cooperation in this matter,” Ty said as they all took seats around the polished conference table. “As you can imagine, this situation with Adams has been . . . difficult for all of us.”
“I’m sure it has.” Sheridan kept her voice neutral, professional.
“As a precaution we’ve locked him out of our system,” Ty continued. “We have some privacy concerns, and we decided it was better to be safe.”
She nodded, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that all three men were watching her more intently than the situation warranted. Like they were looking for something specific in her reactions.
Maybe it was just paranoia.
Maybe it wasn’t.
“Any new developments in the case?” Colton asked.
Sheridan’s mind flashed to the messages she’d found on Maverick’s computer. The evidence that painted him as a traitor.
Something held her back from mentioning what she’d seen.
For now.
“Everything we’ve uncovered points back to Adams,” she said instead. “But there have been some . . . complications.”
