Page 28 of Ground Zero
“How did you get here?” He set the gun on a side table. “I didn’t hear a car.”
“I rented a house a few streets over, parked my car there, and decided to walk here instead.” She set the pizza box on the kitchen counter. “Driving seemed too risky. Too easy to track.”
Maverick studied her face, and she saw him processing what that meant.
She’d abandoned her vehicle, walked at least a half a mile across side streets on the island, and brought him food.
None of which suggested she was leading a strike team to his location.
“Your colleagues are probably wondering where you went,” he finally said.
“They think I’m finding off-site accommodations.” Sheridan opened the pizza box, releasing the aroma of pepperoni and cheese into the small cottage. “I talked my boss into letting me stay on the island to monitor the situation.”
“How did you do that?” Maverick’s eyebrows rose.
“I told him someone needed to be in position if you tried to access the network again or made contact.”
She watched his expression as she spoke. Relief flickered across his features, followed quickly by something that looked like gratitude.
“Thank you,” he said.
A flutter of warmth swept through Sheridan at his words, but she pushed the feeling aside. It was too early for either of them to feel relieved.
They were still being hunted by unknown enemies, still trying to figure out who they could trust—even each other.
But for the moment, sitting down to share a pizza felt like the most normal thing that had happened to either of them all day.
CHAPTER 16
Maverick took his first bite of pizza and realized he hadn’t eaten anything substantial since before his early morning surf session. The combination of stress, adrenaline, and hours of computer work had left him running on empty.
“This is really good.” He gestured with his slice. “Where did you find pizza on Lantern Beach that doesn’t taste like cardboard?”
“Tony’s. It’s about two miles from here. The guy behind the counter said they only opened a few weeks ago.” Sheridan smiled—the first genuine smile he’d seen from her. “I have a weakness for good pizza. Danny always said I was too picky about it, but life’s too short for bad food.”
“You have good taste. I’m the same way.” Maverick found himself relaxing, despite their circumstances. “What’s your go-to order?”
“Pepperoni and mushroom, extra cheese. Simple but perfect.” She took another bite. “You?”
“Veggie lovers with hummus is my favorite. But I’ll eat pretty much anything except anchovies.” He paused. “It’s weird, talking about normal stuff like pizza preferences when people are trying to kill us.”
“Normal is good,” Sheridan said. “Normal reminds us of what we’re fighting for.”
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Maverick fully enjoying the pizza. He was hungrier than he’d realized.
Finally, Sheridan brought up the elephant in the room. “Tell me about your colleagues. I mean, really tell me—not just some surface-level stuff. If one of them is feeding information to Sigma, we need to figure out who.”
Maverick set down his slice, his appetite diminishing as they shifted back to darker territory. “I’ve worked with certain members of my team for years. They’re like family.”
“But one of them might be trying to destroy you.”
“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair, unable to ignore that possibility. “I’ve only worked for Ty Chambers and Colton Locke for a few months. They started Blackout. They were both Navy SEALs and served with distinction. They’re both straightforward—what you see is what you get.”
“That could be an act.”
He leaned back in his seat. “It could be, but I don’t think so.”
“They both clearly have access to classified systems.”
