Page 91 of Shadow Undercover

“Yeah, Murphy.”

“It’s Nico. You’re on speaker with Shadow, Phantom, and Bridget. What do you have for us?”

“Plenty, all bad.”

Bridget wished she’d skipped breakfast. She retrieved a soft drink Trace had stored in the small refrigerator for her.

“First, Bridget, instead of leaving your car at Trace’s house, Maddox moved it to the garage at Fortress.”

She broke the seal on the bottle as she sat beside Trace. “Why?”

“Someone is firing up the Internet, looking for your location. Although we don’t think anyone has connected you to Trace, we don’t want to take a chance.”

“What else?” Nico prompted.

“Ned Wallace, head of the militia, contacted Hugo overnight to push up the timeline on purchasing the chlorine. You have 24 hours to find that gas before the transaction is complete and the missile and gas are moved.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Trace stood at the balcony railing as the sun climbed higher in the sky, hinting at the warmth of the day. His hands fisted as he scanned the area for signs of Hugo’s men. Ben saw two at the front of the hotel but so far the guards hadn’t made an appearance at the back of the hotel. Stupid. Did they think he wouldn’t utilize the back door if a problem developed?

Hugo probably had men stationed in the lobby and in the garage. His lips curled. Guess the crime boss didn’t trust his new hitman.

He mulled over Zane’s information. Trace needed to find Bridget’s sister before tomorrow or the teams would be forced to capture or kill Hugo to stop the sale.

No matter how much he wished otherwise, the feds couldn’t shut down the deal on their end by arresting Wallace. Right now, they knew who the interested parties were. If the feds arrested Wallace, Hugo would throw the chlorine gas back on the market and the feds and Fortress operatives would start the process of identifying the buyer all over again.

If Bridget and Zane uncover a lead before the dinner tonight, Trace and Bridget would have to break into Hugo’s office and search for information on the location of the gas and Ruth. The last thing he wanted to do was drag Bridget into more danger. Risking himself was one thing. He’d signed up for this work. Taking chances with her life didn’t sit well with him.

The balcony door slid open and Nico walked onto the balcony. His friend moved to Trace’s side.

“Any movement out here?”

“Nope. Hugo must think I’m an idiot who happens to be a good shot.”

“It’s good to be underestimated by the enemy.” Nico gave him a sideways look. “She’ll be okay.”

Trace didn’t ask who Nico was talking about. No other woman mattered to Trace. “One lucky shot will snuff out her life, no matter how careful we are.”

“You and Veronica trained her. Sam gave her a tool to protect herself. I’d guess Veronica did the same.” A smile tipped up the corners of his mouth. “She learned many survival tricks during her years as a federal agent. I wouldn’t want to go up against her unless my weapons were fully loaded.”

Trace considered what he knew of Adam’s wife and realized Nico was right. Veronica probably gave Bridget a weapon or two. She was also generous with her knowledge and experience, an inclination that might save Bridget’s life if she had to fight. “Are Bridget and Z making progress?”

“Not sure. Zane is hunting for hints about Ruth. Bridget’s searching for a facility that could house the gas. She has a knack for this kind of hunt. I think the boss will be patting himself on the back for a long time over snagging a top-notch researcher.”

He smiled, not surprised by the news. Trace had seen evidence of her impressive research skills for himself. Considering the odds stacked against their successful completion of this mission, his smile faded. “We need another team down here.”

“There isn’t one available. I checked with Maddox.”

Of course he had. Nico always thought ten steps ahead of anyone else. “He can’t spare Durango?”

“Asked that, too. The answer was no. He says another problem is brewing and his only option for a quick response will be the Delta team.”

“How soon will Fortress have another team ready?”

“As soon as this training session is complete. Unfortunately, they won’t be ready in time for us to utilize their skills.”

Trace stared at Nico. “He’s talking about putting together a team of rookies?”

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