Page 45 of Lethal Sins

The safe house hummed with restless energy as the team prowled around, cleaning weapons and repacking mission bags. The air was thick with tension and the faint smell of gun oil.

They’d wolfed down sandwiches earlier. The taste of stale bread and processed cheese still lingered in her mouth.

With nothing immediate to do, she found her fingers drifting to her locket. She ran her thumb over the familiar outer design, the cool metal a stark contrast to her warm skin. Flipping it open, she traced the dots on the inside, her mind wandering.

She called up the photo she’d taken of the inner casing on her phone, studying the seemingly random pattern of dots. No lightbulb clicked.

Impatient, she turned to Cody, seated next to her, back taut as he hunched over his laptop trying to get a lead on the three lab techs. “Any luck?”

He tensed even more, if that was possible. “Not even close.”

Before she could commiserate, he jerked back from his computer, lifting his hands as if they’d been burned. “My access as Tanner has been shut down.”

Paige nodded, unsurprised. “I expected that. Don’t worry, our computers are scrambled. The Consortium can’t trace you here.”

“Noted.” He fell back against his seat, sliding down until the back of his head rested against the top of the chair. “I’m surprised it took them this long to close me out.”

“Nice to know they’re human.” Or something sort of close. “Now let’s make them hurt.”

He flashed her a grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Look at you, so persistent. No wonder I never would’ve passed that computer theory class without you.”

Warmth bloomed in her chest at his praise, but she quickly tamped it down. Was this genuine, or just another layer of manipulation from the master spy?

Cody set aside his half-eaten sandwich and pushed up his sleeves, revealing the tattoo on his forearm. Paige’s breath caught as she took in the graceful stem and menacing thorns, that single droplet of blood at the tip. The ink had faded slightly over the years, but it still made her heart race.

She’d never known anyone with a tattoo before Cody. His boldness had made her imagine a bigger, more exciting life. Especially with him in it.

A silly fantasy. She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. She couldn’t afford to get lost in memories now, no matter how tempting. “Let’s think outside the box. What would the old you do in this situation?”

Cody dove back into his search. The rhythmic tapping filled the air, punctuated by occasional muttered curses.

A shadow fell across her desk as Tai wandered over, sandwich in hand. The scent of tuna and onions wafted towards her.

She wrinkled her nose. “That does not smell good.”

Tai frowned down at her. “Eye of the beholder, sweetie. Eye of the beholder.” He took a huge bite.

She leaned away. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Tai swallowed. “How’s the search going?”

“Slow.”

Tai’s gaze drifted to the picture of the locket on her monitor. “What’s that?”

Paige explained about the locket, her father’s gift, and the mysterious bumps inside.

Tai stared at the image, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, he motioned towards her desk. “Hand me that notepad.”

She slid it over along with a pen. Looking between the image and the pad several times, Tai scribbled quickly, then grinned, tapping the pad. “It’s a location. Longitude and latitude.”

Her breath caught. Could it really be that simple?

Kate appeared, drawn by the commotion. Her perfume, a hint of lavender, cut through the stale air. Tai quickly filled her in.

Kate eyed the coordinates, her head tilted. “That’s somewhere well south of here. Florida. The Keys, I’m guessing. Did your dad have a place there?”

Paige shook her head, her mind reeling. “I have no idea if he ever even went there. It’s probably nothing.”

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