Page 22 of Code Name: Tank
“Cedar Point would be perfect,” Bill said immediately. “Sleeps twelve, great kitchen, dock for the kids to fish from.Beautiful spot, and the owners just called to say they wouldn’t be up that week.”
Atticus grinned. “Sounds perfect.”
“The key’s under the third planter on the left side of the front porch if you want to take a look. Just lock up when you’re done.” Bill waved us off like this was the most normal thing in the world, which at Canada Lake, it was.
An hour later, we were walking through Cedar Point’s cozy living room with its stone fireplace and windows that offered an expansive view of the mountains and water. The kitchen was spacious enough for my mother’s cooking ambitions, and the bedrooms would easily accommodate everyone.
“Dragon would love this view,” I said without thinking, then immediately regretted it when Atticus raised an eyebrow.
“Planning to invite her to family Thanksgiving?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. If we’re speaking by then.”
“You will be. You’re both too stubborn to let this investigation suffer because of personal drama.”
I could picture it—my family’s chaos mixing with Dragon’s quiet intensity, my mother fussing over her, my nieces and nephews drawing her into their games. It felt right in a way that surprised me.
“I’ll call my folks tonight,” I said, locking the door behind us. “See if they want to come east for a change.”
It was fifteen hundred by the time we returned to Kane Mountain. There was still no sign of Dragon or Alice in the command center. Whatever they were working on in the main residence was taking all day.
I settled back at my desk, trying to push down the frustration. The financial data we’d been tracking clearly pointed to foreign hackers—sophisticated, coordinated, obviously state-sponsored. But something about it felt too neat, too obvious. My gut wastelling me we were missing something, but without Dragon’s input, I couldn’t figure out what.
By seventeen hundred hours, I’d analyzed every transaction three times over. The patterns were there, but they felt almost deliberate. Like someone wanted us to see exactly what we were seeing.
Maybe tomorrow, whatever was going on with Dragon would work itself out and we could get back to being partners who actually collaborated.
I pulled out my phone. No point in putting this off. “Hey, Mom.”
“Tank! Perfect timing. I was just planning the menu for Thanksgiving. I sent you a text. At least, I think I did. Maybe you didn’t get it. Anyway, are you bringing someone this year?”
I could hear the hope in her voice. “Actually, that’s why I’m calling. I can’t make it home this year.”
“What? Why not?”
“Work. We’re in the middle of something that can’t wait.” The silence stretched long enough that I thought the call had dropped. “Mom?”
“I’m here. I’m just disappointed.”
“I know. But I have an idea. What if you all came here instead? I found this great cabin right on the lake.”
“The Adirondacks?” Her tone shifted to intrigued.
“And there’s someone…” I hesitated. “Someone I’d like you to meet.”
The squeal that came through the phone made Atticus look up from his screen with raised eyebrows.
“Tank! What’s her name? How long have you been?—”
“Mom, slow down. It’s complicated. We work together. And things are uncertain right now.”
When I hung up, Atticus was grinning.
“Your mom’s going to love Dragon,” he said.
“If she even gets a chance to meet her.”
As evening came, I compiled my research for tomorrow morning’s briefing, organizing the evidence in a way that would be clear to the rest of the team. The task required focus that helped distract me from the constant thoughts of Dragon.
