But that would take time. Time that Teddy didn’t have.
“Cover me,” she whispered. “Kate said I could trust you.”
“Are you crazy?” Zac said. “You’ll never—”
She jumped out from her hiding spot, gun blazing, like the hero at the end of a Western movie. Zac opened fire. Teddy whirled around to see that two of the enemies were down, but the third one had his radar gun aimed at Zac. For a second, Teddy thought about letting the combatant take Zac out, until she remembered that he was paired with Dara. Teddy got off a quick shot, and the combatant’s vest lit up like a Vegas slot machine. Zac gave her a thumbs-up, but there was no time to respond. Teddy ran back into the open office and began to look for her card. She rummaged through the paperwork, swept her arm over the files on the desk, and found her red card buried underneath.
Number two complete.
Kate responded: Don’t gloat. Fourth checkpoint. Exit through front of Bravo warehouse. Apprehend suspect. Female. Caucasian. Flannel shirt. Red cap.
But that wasn’t right. Kate had missed the third checkpoint.
Third checkpoint Third, Teddy said.
Fourth checkpoint’s in the next warehouse. Third checkpoint’s in motion.
Fine. What’s the fourth checkpoint? Teddy said.
Exit through front of Bravo warehouse. Apprehend suspect. Female. Caucasian. Flannel shirt. Red cap—
I have a clear path out the back exit. On the move.
You’re supposed to be listening to my directions, Cannon! Front exit.
Kate didn’t know what she was talking about; she wasn’t on the course. If Teddy had a clear exit, she was taking it. She was tired of following Kate’s orders. That was when Teddy’s anger got the better of her. The change in her mental state altered the pitch of her brainwaves, which in turn severed the telepathic connection: Kate was gone. She’d lost her. Teddy closed her eyes and tried to reach Kate again, but over this distance, it would be nearly impossible.
How had she come this far and blown it? Teddy took one more breath. And then another, trying to remember Dunn’s exercises. She’d fall apart later. Right now she had a suspect to apprehend. They still had time. She’d get that done and then reconnect with Kate. She had to keep moving.
She shot out of the office and stopped, then remembered the message she’d received from Kate: Exit through front of Bravo warehouse.
It didn’t make sense. She could see a clear path through the back exit, all the way to the next warehouse. Kate was wrong. She’d missed a checkpoint, screwed everything up somehow. Was she trying to sabotage Teddy?
That had been the only time Kate had given explicit directions since the beginning of the course. Kate had told her to listen to Zac. And he’d helped her. Teddy had to trust her teammate. Even though she didn’t understand why, she turned around to exit through the front.
Teddy flew down the steps and was immediately hit by a flying tackle. She hit the pavement hard, with what felt like a bag of bricks falling on top of her. For a moment, she was so dazed she couldn’t move. The man caught her wrists and pinned them above her head, squeezing hard.
It took another moment for the months of Boyd’s self-defense training to kick in. Teddy let her eyelids flutter shut and her body go limp. The man’s grip loosened, and Teddy instantly twisted her wrists to break free. She slammed her forearm into her assailant’s throat.
Teddy shot to her feet. So did he. Her mind racing, she considered her options. He wasn’t wearing a radar vest, so her gun was useless. She guessed this was meant to be a test of hand-to-hand combat skills. But how far were they supposed to take it? Teddy heard Boyd’s voice in her head: Your enemy doesn’t care how hard you try.
She thought about employing her baton, but it was no longer attached to her vest. She must have lost it somewhere on the course. Teddy hoped this guy wasn’t one of the assholes Kate had warned her about. Maybe they were just supposed to spar a little bit, and then he’d let her go.
Then again, maybe not. Lowering his head, he charged, lifting Teddy off her feet and slamming her against the warehouse wall.
Her entire body throbbed, but the pain was nothing compared to her desire to take him out—not for a grain bowl, but for a knuckle sandwich. Grabbing him by the ears, she snapped his head forward while bringing up her knee and driving it between his thighs. She was from Vegas. She could play dirty, too.
The agent collapsed onto his side, moaning. Teddy snapped a pair of cuffs on him and stood. She brushed her hair out of her eyes. That’s when she saw a flash of red in his back pocket. Bingo. Checkpoint number three. So that was why Kate had wanted Teddy to exit through the front of the warehouse; she must have been hoping Teddy would encounter the third checkpoint on the way to the fourth. Teddy swallowed. Her first instinct had been to doubt her partner—if only Kate had been more specific, Teddy would have listened. Then again, she had to admit, it cut both ways: if Teddy had trusted Kate, they’d still be connected, and she wouldn’t be going through the course alone.
Teddy tucked the third card in her vest and went after the fourth. Her perp in flannel knelt on the ground outside Charlie warehouse. She held a radar gun at her side. Teddy tried to remember Kate’s exact words: Apprehend suspect. Female. Caucasian. Flannel shirt. Red cap.
Teddy studied the woman, who stood head down, shoulders slumped. Something didn’t add up. Teddy stepped closer, expecting the woman to raise her weapon, but the
