Page 42 of Raven's Curse
“No, you would’ve called Jordan or Bodie. Maybe Eli after he tackled me as soon as he heard that sniper shot the other day — as if I hadn’t been a federal agent for twelve years. And you would’ve had one of them meet you at the hospital because you know, if one more person dies on my watch, I’m going to lose my shit.”
Chase shook his head as he closed the distance and picked up her mug. “First, we need to switch you to decaf. Second, it was just a few routine calls. Nothing suspicious or deadly. And third, Eli’s a former Ranger. It’s in his blood.”
“Please, I saw the look you gave him. And the only thing keeping me awake is the endless supply of caffeine.”
“The only look was the one I give all my brothers if they’re backing you up, and for the record, I’d expect Eli to tackle my ass if the situation warranted it. But consuming nothing but coffee is the real problem.” He crossed his arms. “Have you eaten anything today?”
Greer pursed her lips, the half-eaten sandwich she’d gotten for breakfast lying accusingly off to her right. “I can eat when I stop this bastard. Sleep, then, too.”
“Or, you can pass out from hypoglycemia.”
“Are you always this dramatic?”
Chase leaned in close, sending a shiver down her spine. “Only when you’re being incredibly stubborn.”
“Says the man who hasn’t slept, either. In fact, no one here has.”
Bodie tsked. “You’ve been sending the rest of us home for regular breaks while you only catch a couple hours on your damn couch. And yeah, Chase ratted you out.”
Greer gave Chase her best stink eye. “And that’s the real reason I have trust issues.”
Chase smiled. Not much, but more than he’d shown since Rhett’s death. She gave him a quick once-over. He seemed… better. Not like before, but that death vibe had eased slightly, and he didn’t look as if he wanted to crawl out of his own skin.
Bodie joined them, leaning against the wall beside the whiteboard. “None of this is your fault.”
“My town, Bodie.” She tapped her chest. “Which means it’s my responsibility.”
“I realize we’re a relatively small county, but it’s still too large for us to adequately cover twenty-four, seven.” Bodie blew out a rough breath. “You’re doing the best you can.”
“And yet, I have the mayor questioning my competency on an hourly basis. And don’t even start in on me with the town council.”
“They’re scared.”
“They’re not the only ones.” She sighed, bracing herself against the edge of her desk. “I don’t suppose forensics called back with some damning piece of evidence they missed?”
Bodie shook his head. “Nothing. No fingerprints. No DNA. Not so much as a fiber. Just the dog tag with salvation burned onto the back, and the bullet with twenty-four carved into it.”
Zain walked over to the board. “You still think the numbers are coordinates?”
Bodie raked his hand through his hair. “I’ve run algorithms against other possibilities, but there’re either too many numbers, too few or the option involves letters. Though, if it’s some kind of file ID for a joint task, we’ll need some serious hacking power in order to match it.”
Greer tapped her desk. “I really doubt it’s anything that encoded. This bastard’s going to some extreme measures to get our attention — ensure his victims are found before they die. That takes timing. Preparation. Not to mention some brass balls. He wants us to figure it out. He’s not going to make it some obscure reference we’d need to hack the freaking Pentagon in order to solve. Though, it does bring up a disturbing fact.”
Foster groaned. “He’s not done.”
“At the least, we need another number.” Greer let her head tilt back a bit. “At worst…”
Another three.
She didn’t say it out loud. Didn’t chance putting it out into the universe, but they all knew.
Foster glanced at his buddies, having another one of those creepy internal conversations before meeting her gaze. “I don’t mean this the way it might sound. You’re already spread thin, and if you keep up these insane hours, you’re gonna do this asshole’s job for him.” He took a step closer. “You can’t keep running on empty. You need more manpower.”
She snorted. “If you’ve got a solution, I’m listening because I already have state running extra patrols along the main roads. Not that our guy is gonna out himself that way, but at least the rest of the town is a bit safer. And I’ve approved overtime and extra crews to process and gather evidence.”
Foster inhaled, held it for a moment before sighing. “What about the bureau?”
“Wow.” She placed her hand on her chest. “Now, you’re just being mean.”
