Page 51 of Ground Zero
“Go figure,” she murmured.
The men left, and she closed and locked the door behind them. Then she sat at the computer with hands that weren’t quite steady.
This USB drive could contain evidence that would either clear Maverick’s name or condemn him beyond any doubt. She found herself hoping desperately for the former, which should have been a red flag about her objectivity.
But she was past the point of pretending this was just another case.
She inserted the drive and waited for the files to load, hardly able to breathe as folders appeared on the screen. Her heart sank as she read the file names.
NAVAL_STATION_ACCESS_CODES.txt
FBI_PERSONNEL_FILES.zip
SIGMA_CONTACT_PROTOCOLS.doc
PAYMENT_CONFIRMATION.pdf
Each file was a nail in Maverick’s coffin. Access codes to Naval Station Norfolk—one of Ground Zero’s primary targets. Classified FBI personnel files that could only have been obtained by someone with high-level clearance.
And most incriminatory of all, what appeared to be payment confirmations for services rendered to an organization called “Sigma Industries.”
Sheridan opened the payment file with trembling fingers. Bank transfers totaling over two million dollars, all deposited into an account with Maverick’s social security number attached. The dates went back three months, perfectly aligning with when the cyber-attacks had begun.
It was too perfect. Too clean. Too convenient.
Real criminals didn’t leave evidence sitting in their desk drawers like breadcrumbs for investigators to find. They especially didn’t keep records of treasonous activities on USB drives hidden in their offices.
But any prosecutor would look at this evidence and see an open-and-shut case.
Sheridan grabbed the USB drive and slipped it into her pocket, her mind racing.
Someone had gone to extraordinary lengths to frame Maverick Adams.
The questions were who and why?
She needed to get back to Ty and Colton, needed to see their reactions when she told them what she’d found.
Sheridan unlocked the office door and stepped into the hallway, still processing what she’d discovered on the USB drive.
Every instinct she possessed screamed that the evidence she’d found was fabricated.
Fabricated, but oh so authentic-looking.
She nearly collided with two men when she stepped out—both tall with athletic builds and a military demeanor. Their cargo and black T-shirts marked them as Blackout operatives.
Plus, she’d seen them somewhere before.
“Agent Mendez?” The taller of the two extended his hand. “Kyle Harrell. This is Hudson Roberts. We work with Maverick.”
She sucked in a breath. These were the men from Maverick’s pictures. His teammates.
Sheridan shook hands with both men, immediately noting the intensity in their eyes. These weren’t casual introductions.
They’d been waiting for her. Wanting to ask questions, to see her reaction.
“We heard you were here investigating Maverick.” Hudson’s voice carried a slight accent she couldn’t place. Michigan maybe? “Any word on where he might be?”
A rush of panic swept through her. Were they testing her? What if they already knew the answer, and this was a trap?
