The medic shrugged. “True. If you do, you’ll have to sew your own bullet and knife wounds in the field.”
“Not a deterrent, Conner. I’ve stitched my own wounds before.”
A snort from the medic. “Dana won’t like you adding more scars to your already impressive collection. You don’t want to worry her, do you?”
Another glare from Jon before he returned his attention to his computer. After a few rapid-fire taps on his keyboard, the operative looked up. “Emma.”
Her shoulders tensed under David’s arm. “Yes?”
“Look at the screen when you’re ready.”
“Show me.”
Jon looked at David, eyebrow raised.
“Go ahead.” The more information he had to work with, the faster Emma would be safe.
The sniper turned his laptop around as Jackson shifted to stand near Emma. The screen was filled with a still shot of a man dressed in dark clothes, most of his face averted from the camera.
Emma leaned closer to the laptop. “Can you enlarge the picture?”
“What do you see, Em?” David asked.
“There’s something on his wrist.”
The tattoo she’d noticed when the killer attacked Emma and her family in Seagull?
Jon came around the table, angled the computer away from Emma, and typed in a few commands. A second later, the view on the screen shifted and focused on the intruder’s wrist. He typed in a few more commands, and the picture sharpened slightly. “That’s the best I can do.” He turned the computer to face Emma and David again. The intruder had two letters tattooed on the underside of his wrist. HC.
Emma gasped, blood draining from her face.
David covered her hand with his. “Emma?”
“That’s the tattoo I saw.” She turned to him. “I remember seeing HC on the wrist of the man who attacked me. What does it mean?”
Good question. David studied the photo. “Jon, focus in on the man’s face.” When the picture on the screen shifted again, a surge of anger swept over David. He needed to talk to Zane. Would Emma recognize the jawline and ear? “Look at his face now, baby.”
Emma didn’t say anything for a minute as she stared at the photo on the screen with a puzzled expression on her face and a hint of fear in her eyes.
He squeezed her hand. “What is it?”
“What I’m thinking can’t be right. I have to be mistaken.”
“Tell me.”
“That man resembles Agent Wells from this angle.” She shook her head. “Agent Wells wouldn’t hurt me or murder my family.” Emma turned her hand over and threaded her fingers through David’s. “Would he?”
“We’ll find out.” David looked at Jon. “Can you focus on the man in the background?”
A head shake. “This is the best I can do.”
“What other photos do you have?”
Jon leaned over and tapped a few more keys.
The photo on the screen changed, the background indicating a different safe house. In the foreground, the camera had captured the image of two men, side views again. Both intruders wore identical skull caps.
David didn’t recognize either of the men. “Does anything about this guy look familiar, Emma?”