Page 69 of Lethal Sins

“We can’t thank you enough for your prompt response,” he said, his voice dripping with authority. He flashed a badge so quickly that Paige doubted anyone got a good look at it. “But I’m afraid this situation falls under our jurisdiction now.”

The SWAT team leader frowned, clearly caught off guard. “And you are ... ?”

Bridger leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “I’m sure you understand that I can’t divulge that information. Let’s just say we operate at a level that doesn’t officially exist.” He pulled a phone from the chest pocket of his tactical vest, holding it out toward the officer. “Here’s my boss. He can explain.”

A skeptical look on his face, the leader put the phone to his ear. His mouth dropped open, his puzzled gaze tagging Bridger as he listened. “Sir. Yes, sir,” he responded finally. “Of course, sir.”

Dazed now, he handed the phone back to Bridger, who put it to his own ear. “All accounted for, sir. Yes. I understand. Keeping it under wraps. No blowback. Affirmative.” He stowed the device. “The general wants you people gone. This never happened. The call turned out to be a false alarm. Just some kid pranking the police. Are we clear?”

The man swallowed hard. “Absolutely.”

Bridger thrust out a hand, giving the man’s hand a hard shake. “Outstanding. Now get gone.”

Paige had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Bridger was laying it on thick, but she could see the uncertainty creeping into the SWAT team’s expressions.

The leader raised a hand, twirling his finger in the air. “Area is secure. We’re done here. Move out.”

“What about them?” One officer jerked his thumb towards the still-unconscious bad guys. Fenn knelt between them, checking their zip ties. Probably dosing them with another round of tranquilizer, too, if she knew Fenn.

“Part of an ongoing operation,” Kate chimed in smoothly. “We’ll need to take them into custody as well.”

For a moment, Paige thought the SWAT leader might argue. But then he sighed, shaking his head. “Above my pay grade, I guess. All right, boys, let’s pack it up.”

As the SWAT team filed out, Paige felt the adrenaline that had been keeping her upright start to ebb. She swayed slightly, and suddenly Cody was at her side, his arm around her waist to steady her.

Bridger turned to them. “I can’t wait to hear how this all went down.” His gaze shifted to the unconscious men. “We should handle your buddies first, though. What’s the plan?”

Jason exchanged a loaded glance with Cody. “We’ve got options, but none of them are perfect.”

Cody nodded, his arm still supporting Paige. “We could try to contain them ourselves, but that’s risky. The Consortium has resources we can’t match.”

Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “We could try to turn one of them. Offer protection in exchange for intel.”

“That’s assuming any of them would flip,” Cody countered. “And even if they did, can we trust the information?”

“A fair point.” Jason nodded. “I’ve got it. I have a contact at Langley. Someone I trust. They’ll love a chance to get more intel on the people at the top.”

“You mean this Seven-Five group?” Paige asked, looking straight at Cody.

“They’re the new power in town,” Cody said.

“They run the Consortium,” Jason added.

Cody’s eyebrows shot up. “You sure about this, Jason? Once we hand them over, we lose control of the situation.”

“It’s our best shot,” Jason insisted. “My contact can keep them secured and isolated. Plus, they have ways of extracting information that we don’t.”

Paige liked the sound of that. Then they could get back to what they did best.

Bridger nodded his approval. “Make the call, dude. Let’s get these guys out of our hair and figure out our next move.”

Paige couldn’t help but chuckle, despite the ache in her shoulder and the pounding in her head. “You have no idea how much explaining we have to do,” she said, leaning into Cody’s support. “But maybe we could do it somewhere with fewer unconscious bad guys and broken windows?”

Jason whipped out a phone, texting quickly. “My contact can be here in an hour. How about you kids head back to whatever luxury pad Mason’s found and I’ll join you after I take out this trash.”

As they made their way out of the battered apartment, Paige felt a curious mix of exhaustion and elation. They’d made it through by the skin of their teeth, and she had a feeling this was just the beginning of a much bigger adventure.

First, though, a bath. And a homecooked Mason meal.

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