Page 28 of Code Name: Tank
I kept my voice equally low. “What do you mean?”
“The way he talks about breaking people down, finding pressure points. That’s not how good guys operate.” Atticus shook his head. “And did you see how his whole demeanor changed when Dragon’s name was mentioned?”
The observation matched my own gut feeling. Everything about him felt wrong—not just cautious or secretive. Worse.
“You don’t think he’s legit?”
“I think he’s dangerous. And I don’t like that he’s staying so close to Dragon’s camp.”
A chill ran down my spine. I hadn’t thought about the proximity, but Atticus was right. Hemlock Grove was next door to Whisper Point. “We should be careful about what information we share with him until we know more.”
Doc and Merrigan said they wished they could stick around, but they needed to return to the West Coast, then bid everyone goodbye. I walked them out to the helipad.
“How much do you know about this guy?” I asked.
“Not much,” said Merrigan with a troubled expression. “We’re taking a closer look now, but considering he’s under federal witness protection, information isn’t easy to access. Our DOJ contact asked us to trust her.”
“Understood,” I said, thanking them and wishing them safe travels but storing that information away too.
At fifteen hundred hours, Admiral made a general announcement that Alice and Dragon were on their way back and should arrive by seventeen hundred. He’d do another update then to bring them up to speed.
I saw Flint’s expression shift at the mention of Dragon’s return, and my jaw clenched. My gut was screaming that everything wasn’t on the up and up with this guy.
We tooka break for dinner in the main residence, something we often did when new people were brought in. The conversation was superficial, but I noticed how Flint’s eyes kept darting around. More than once, Atticus and I exchanged concerned looks. Was it that he’d been under protection from the feds for so long that being out from under it made him paranoid? Or was there something more sinister going on?
At sixteen forty-five, I heard rotor blades approaching from the south. A few minutes later, Alice appeared in the command center entrance, looking tired from the long day of travel and her pregnancy.
“Dragon’s headed to her camp,” Alice said. “She was hoping to call it an early night.” I thought about giving her a heads-up about our visitor, but based on how awkward things had been between us, I decided to wait.
“This is my wife, Alice,” Admiral said, walking over to greet her. “And, sweetheart, this is Agent Pierce. While he gave her a brief overview of what had transpired during her and Dragon’s absence, I wondered again if I should give my partner a heads-up.
“I know Dragon was hoping to call it an early night, but I’ll ask her to come up long enough for introductions,” Alice said, looking over at me with a worried expression.
If we weren’t in a room full of people, I’d ask what it was about.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Flint watching us with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. For the first time since his arrival, I saw genuine emotion cross his face. Not the steely reserve he’d maintained during our discussion, but something raw—anticipation mixed with hunger, hope tempered by what looked like possessiveness.
Before I could analyze it further, the door opened, and Dragon walked into the main dining room, where we were gathered.
She took two steps, then froze.
Her expression went through a series of transformations—confusion, recognition, shock, then as if she’d seen a ghost. All the color drained from her cheeks before rushing back in a wave of fury that made her hazel eyes flash like green fire.
“Hello, Piper,” Flint said, rising from his chair with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Dragon’s hands trembled before she clenched them into fists at her sides, and I could see her forcing herself to breathe through what looked like pure rage.
What the fuck?
I glanced at Alice and saw my own concern reflected. Whatever history existed between Dragon and him, it was explosive—and dangerous. And now, I understood why my instincts had been screaming warnings about this guy from the moment he arrived.
10
DRAGON
I’d barely dropped my travel bag on the floor of my camp when my cell rang. Alice’s name flashed on the screen, which surprised me since we’d just parted ways ten minutes ago after returning from Langley.
“Alice? Everything okay?”
