Adrian didn’t know what he’d have done in thatsituation but figured the man had been right about trying tocontact Megan.
He knocked but didn’t wait long before he entered theroom. Megan looked up from wiggling her foot back into hershoe.
“Good, you can help me with my laces.”
Adrian pulled up a chair and set her foot in his lap.For some reason, Megan had been dragged in the middle of this.Zimmerman could have left that flash drive for anyone at the FBI.And yet, he’d specifically mentioned Megan. Like bringing her tomeet the family of a man who’d hurt her so badly was a good thing.Or even that it was okay.
“There’s some big thinking going on in there.” Shetapped the top of his head.
Adrian set her foot down and lifted the other one,along with her shoe. He slipped it on. “I’m just working througheverything in my head.” When her eyes weren’t glassy, and her wordsweren’t slurred, he would explain. “Feel like eatingsomething?”
“Smoothie.”
“And then I think you need a nap.”
“Are you going to change my pants again?”
He chuckled again. “Thankfully, no. I don’t have todo that.”
Her brow crinkled, a note of humor in her eyes.“Okay.” Whatever that meant.
Adrian stood, holding his hand out for her.“Ready?”
She hopped off the bed and nearly collapsed.
He caught her.
Chapter10
If felt like she’d slept for three days, but theclock said it had only been sixteen hours. Still, Megan was morerested than she’d been for days. After all, she had enough brainpower to calculate how long she’d been asleep. That meantsomething.
Adrian sat across the hotel room much like the lasttime she’d woken up. The covers of the other bed were rumpledagain, like last time. So he’d gotten some rest, too.
The text came through while she showered.
She came out of the bathroom to brush the tanglesfrom her wet hair while she booted up her computer. The message hadcome through to a burner phone she kept. A username. Then anothertext, the password.
When she’d first been hired on with Double Down,she’d been brought in on their security measures. It was serious ifSteve thought they needed to go to the website they’d set up justfor situations like this. For the purpose of a team meeting thatcould be kept off the radar. They would be secure—thanks to afriend she’d introduced to Steve who had a private securitybusiness. A computer whizz known only as “Remy.”
Nothing was impenetrable, but this was about makingit as hard as possible for the blackmailer to even know they werecommunicating with each other.
She waited while the video call connected, and threescreens filled with an image. Emma with Mint beside her. Steve, inhis office. Bradley—who’d chosen to keep Alexis out of thismeeting. She was at Rachel’s. Two of their team had been killed inColorado a couple of weeks ago. Those windows were blank, and shehad to bite her lip at the sight of them.
Adrian settled beside her. He rubbed a hand down herback. “Okay?”
She brushed off the grief and nodded.
“Arm hurt?”
“Dull, but whatever they gave me worked because it’smanageable.”
Steve’s voice came over thecall before his screen loaded. “That’s good to know, Perkins.”
She glanced at the screen. “Hi, guys.”
“Okay, since everyone is here, we’ll begin,” Stevesaid. “Megan’s injury was first on the list, so next isSylvia.”
Megan said, “Why, what’s up with mom?”
Adrian shifted.
They both waited. Steve said, “Nothing’s wrong.” Helifted his fingers so they were huge on the screen. “Sorry. What Imean is, she’s headed to a conference in a couple of days. So do wehave her cancel and stick her in a safe house for the time being sothe blackmailer doesn’t target her?”
“Yes.” Megan nodded. “Dothat.”
“Or,” Steve said, draggingout the word. That meant this suggestion was his recommendation.“Do we let her go, send cover with her—with or without herknowledge—and let her keep her schedule?”
“Why does she need to go?”
Steve’s gaze softenedslightly. “Part of the conference is honoring fallen federalagents. They’re going to have all the surviving spouses and some oftheir children come on stage.”
“She told me she was going. But she didn’t sayanything about that.”
Her mom knew Megan would never have gone for that.She hated the spotlight. Not to mention standing in front of allthose people when she’d done nothing worth honoring was superawkward. No wonder her mom hadn’t mentioned it.
Steve nodded. “So do we let her go?”
“Who would the cover be?”
He looked down at his paper. “Guy I used to know.Former Delta Force. The wife was CIA. Now they have kids. He’s onretainer with Double Down.”
“You trust him?”
“No doubt.”
Megan didn’t like it, but was it worth her momcomplaining to the entire team and making all their livesmiserable? “Let her go.”
“Agreed,” Bradley said. “I know those two as well,and they’re solid.”
Mint said, “Me too. On both counts.”
“Okay.” That made her feel better. Whoever this guyand his wife were, the Double Down team knew they were good.
And while she knew they weren’t placating her, shecouldn’t help but think being a woman made them all want to takecare of her. Good thing she was perfectly capable of taking care ofherself.
“Next up is the think tank,” Steve said. “We’re looking into the backgrounds of the two whowere killed, looking for something that might warrant someoneretaliating against them.”
“My office is doing the same,” Adrian said. “Thoughmy guess is the target was the Army general and not thejanitor.”
Steve nodded. “The general has a lot of top secret, redacted stuff in his file. Seems he wasover a whole lot of clandestine operations. Some of them go backdecades,” Steve said. “If we’re going to get a connection, we’llhave to know what we’re looking for.”
“Whatever it is, has to be connected to SouthAmerica.”
Adrian’s statement made her stiffen. He didn’t glanceat her, or acknowledge her reaction. Something she was glad for.The last thing she wanted was for the guys to think this was allgetting to her. They’d yank her from the operation faster than shecould dig her heels in.
Nothing they could do would remove her, or
