Page 63 of Shadow Undercover

“That’s the idea. You already have good skills. Won’t take you long to rise to the top of the Fortress researchers.” He plucked another driver’s license and travel visa from his computer workstation. “Here you go, Bree Ramsey. I’ll have your background completed in a few hours along with your social media accounts. You need to know it by heart as well as Trace’s before you see Hugo.”

“Thank you, Zane.”

“Do me a favor?”

“Sure. Anything.”

“Be careful. I’m looking forward to working with you. I’ll be ticked off if I have to delay your training while you heal from an injury. Obey every order Trace or Nico gives you without hesitation. Even a few seconds’ delay could cost your life.”

“I’ll remember.”

“Check your company email account in a few hours for your fake background.”

Trace led her to his SUV, stored his bag in the cargo area, then climbed behind the wheel. “First stop, the airport. After that, we’ll head to my place to drop off your car before we go to Veronica’s house. She and Adam are waiting for us.”

Twenty minutes later, Trace parked several rows away from her car. He held his hand out for the keys. “I want to check it over before you crank the engine.”

Without saying anything, she placed her keys on his palm.

He circled her car, searching for signs tampering, then pulled an electronic signal detector from his pocket and turned it on.

After a moment, the chaser lights turned red. Not good. Trace dropped to the ground and scanned the undercarriage of her car. Adrenaline poured into his bloodstream as he used his cell phone to take a picture of what he’d found.

He rolled out from under Bridget’s car and jogged to his SUV. He cranked the engine and moved to another space on the far side of the lot.

“What’s wrong with my car?” Bridget asked, her face pale.

Trace grabbed his phone to call Ben. “Someone attached a bomb to the undercarriage of your car.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Bridget stared at Trace. She must have heard him wrong. Who wanted to kill a librarian? “A bomb?”

“That’s right. What’s worse, it’s remote activated. A call to an attached cell phone will set it off. Whoever planted the bomb doesn’t need to be in the vicinity to detonate it.” He tapped his screen and made a call. “Ben, I just sent you a picture. I need an expert opinion. Can you talk me through disarming that?”

Bridget nudged him. “On speaker,” she mouthed.

He obliged her.

A moment later, Ben said, “Tell me you aren’t anywhere near that bomb.”

Oh, man. Bridget’s heart sank. That didn’t sound good.

“We’re about 200 feet away.”

“Not good enough. Get out of there. I’ll call a buddy on MNPD’s bomb squad and report what you found. They’ll coordinate with the airport’s response unit. Bridget, give me your license plate number and location of your vehicle.”

She gave him the information, hating that her voice shook. How would she handle working undercover with Trace when this incident had shaken her? She wasn’t that close to the bomb. In Hugo’s stronghold, she’d be swimming with the sharks.

Trace drove from the lot, keeping well away from Bridget’s vehicle. “How long will it take the various units to respond?”

“The airport’s unit will be on site in less than five minutes.”

When Trace was on Interstate 40, he said, “We’re clear. Make the call. Make sure they know I didn’t plant the bomb. I’d rather not have a warrant out for my arrest.”

“Copy that.” Ben ended the call.

“Hugo’s people planted the bomb?” Bridget asked.

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