Page 96 of Don't Let Go

“Make sure we have what we need first,” she cautioned. “I know you may want in and out, but we need to make sure we have it locked and loaded.”

“Done,” I said. “Also, I’m here. Going silent running for fifteen, twenty max. Standby for transmission. Even if you had the lead, I bet I get mine before you get yours,mate.” I couldn’t resist the chance to taunt Remy.

The arrogant Brit turned out to not be so bad. The fact he’d spent several hours in bed with our lady while we did the driving and the watching didn’t irritate me at all. Well, it hadn’t after I’d seen her relaxed expression, and this while she admitted to remembering.

She remembered being taken.

How she was taken.

She remembered the people who had taken her.

Then she’d given me a gift once we retrieved hersnow globe. I was still wrapping my head around the fact her key to the data had been hidden in a snow globe, or at least the triggers for it were.

It didn’t matter, she knew how it worked and she was able to unlock the files. Once they were open, she went on a search for the names of specific people. My three targets were all directly related to her interrogations.

The site in Louisiana might have been scrubbed but the operatives there were one of the senior black bag teams working for Colonel St. James. My father’s name had also been in the files, but his information had been listed under a sealed warrant.

Patch cracked that like an egg. She really did make it look easy. The warrant was a no touch order. Dad was out, he’d cut ties with the organization, but he respected top secret and eyes only authorizations.

They were stalemated.

He wouldn’t shut them down. They wouldn’t touch him.

I got it. I didn’t like it, but I understood it. Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have cared much either. Not my circus and not my monkeys. But all of this involved Patch. Theyhurther. They targeted her. They were going to keep coming for her and she didn’t have a rank or career to shield her.

But she had us.

Fisting my temper and putting it away, I climbed out of the car. The interrogation facility might have been in Louisiana, but Robert “Bobby” McCoy and Karl Seward were based out of a nondescript little office building a five minute’s drive from Dulles Airport.

Patch had tracked them arriving back in state three days earlier and they hadn’t left as far as she could tell. The shitty little office building was down a side street, with a lot of other industrial offices and what looked like a tractor repair shop and a detailing place.

At this time of night, it was dead quiet. Nothing moved. There was a vague hum of traffic from the state highway to the north of me, but nothing back here.

The fact there was a subdivision of townhouses at the end of this road was strange. The road dead-ended into trees. A hiking and biking trail were located on the other side. The former site of railroad tracks had been replaced with a paved path that paralleled a more natural one that was kept clear for those wanting to walk dogs or ride horses. A touch of country right there in the burgeoning tech corridor.

The location was just odd. The homes and trails could account for traffic at all hours while the industrial park provided decent daytime coverage for their activities. Most people were just too damn busy doing their own things.

I pulled out the black duffel from the trunk and then checked my weapons. Pausing a beat, I tapped my comm, “Sugar Bear?”

“I’m here, Sugar Lips.” The throaty tease made me grin. She could call me whatever she wanted.

“Tell me you’re still safe.”

I just needed to hear it.

“I’m still safe. All clear here. How about you let me worry about my ass while I watch yours?”

“No can do, Sugar Bear. That sweet ass is all I can think about.”

“Focus, McQuade.”

“I am focused.” On getting some justice for her. “Talk soon.”

“I have eyes on you.” The promise sent a frisson through me and electricity skated over my skin. No one else I’d rather have at my back. Swinging the duffel back over my shoulder, I freed the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 from its holster as I strode across the cracked pavement lot.

With Patch keeping an eye on security, I didn’t have to worry about cameras. She also hadn’t indicated there were civilians anywhere. It meant I got to have some fun with my prey.

Circling the building, I approached the side door that was hidden from direct sight of the parking lot. Shifting to putthe duffel strap over my head so it hung crosswise from my shoulder, I studied the heavy door.

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