Page 73 of Code Name: Atticus
He found a scenic overlook and parked. The valley stretched below us, with lights twinkling like scattered stars. For a long moment, he just stared out at the view.
“There’s been intel coming in throughout the day,” he finally said. “Morrison’s team has been pulling public information on Bay Area tech companies. Over fifty that Emma and Alice have identified so far.”
“That makes sense. He’s casting a wide net.”
“Luke’s company was on the list.”
“But along with fifty others?”
“Yeah. It’s just standard opposition research. Public records, company filings, that sort of thing. Nothing invasive.”
“But it bothers you that they even looked.”
“Of course it does.” He ran a hand through his hair. “There’s more. When Kodiak was cross-referencing conferenceattendance, he found that Trevor Collins attended a blockchain summit six months ago. Castellano was one of the speakers.”
I absorbed this information, understanding now why he’d been distracted all day. These were tiny dots that probably didn’t connect—a company name on a long list, an attendance at a conference with hundreds of others in the industry.
“What Luke and Trevor do is far outside the profile of the type of tech companies Morrison recruits.”
“I agree. I just hate that your brother is even in the same universe as these people.”
As we drove backto Sausalito, I thought about tomorrow’s departure for Valley Ridge Resort. Morrison would make his real pitch this weekend, and I hoped what we learned would give us some ammunition to take down his operation.
Once at the safe house, Atticus did his security check while I unpacked the food Leslie had sent—enough for several meals. As we continued through our nighttime routine—checking emails and confirming logistics for tomorrow—I couldn’t shake what Atticus had told me. I still believed it made sense that Morrison would look into Redpoint, particularly since Luke and Trevor were attending the AI summit. However, the prosecutor in me worried that, sometimes, things that seem like nothing turn into something if close enough attention wasn’t paid.
“We’re both overthinking, and we need to stop if we’re going to get any sleep,” Atticus said, pulling me against him as we got into bed.
“I know,” I agreed, resting my head on his chest and praying my initial reaction was right.
ATTICUS
The drive south from Sausalito took two hours through Friday afternoon traffic that moved in waves—fast, then stopped, then crawling. Brenna sat beside me, her tablet balanced on her lap, though she hadn’t looked at it in some time.
“You’re doing that thing with your jaw,” she said.
“What thing?”
“The clenching thing.”
I forced myself to relax. It was no use. If I were alone, I wouldn’t be concerned. I’d done plenty of undercover ops. And I didn’t doubt Brenna’s abilities. But since yesterday’s revelations about Morrison looking into Luke’s company, I’d had a feeling of foreboding I couldn’t shake.
We passed through San Rafael, where traffic bottlenecked at the 580 interchange. A Tesla in the next lane had its autopilot engaged while the driver typed on his laptop, completely oblivious to the road. The hills on either side had turned that shade of California gold that meant fire season—one spark away from disaster.
“What specifically worries you?” Brenna asked, setting the tablet aside.
What could I say? That if anything happened to her, I didn’t know how I’d ever recover from it? That if I could, I’d abandon this mission here and now? Let Kodiak and Emma handle it? But I couldn’t. We couldn’t. It was Brenna’s mission, and I’d be damned if I’d do anything but see it through.
She reached over and took my hand. “It’s almost over.”
Was it? These people had resources. The wherewithal to disappear. To fade into the night, where even former operatives couldn’t find them.
“Are you worried about blowing our cover? Atticus, are you listening to me?” she added when, once again, I didn’t answer her direct question.
“No. The truth is, something feels off. If this were a different kind of op, I’d contact my CO and tell him or her my gut was telling me not to deploy.”
I glanced over at her, and she was studying me.
“I guess I’m your CO in this case.”
