Page 50 of Surge

Delaney’s brow furrowed. “I definitely saw two.”

“Maybe they already loaded one. Caldwell’s accessing Agency channels to run the numbers,” Garrett said. “Zim, find a way into the container yard.”

“On it.” Zim took off, jogging around the fence.

“This has got to be bigger than we thought,” Delaney said.

“Agreed. Or Hakim wouldn’t be here.” Garrett closed his eyes for a moment. Their path forward depended on Caldwell’s intel. In the past, that had compromised ops and cost lives.

Zim came sprinting up to them. “Boss, move! Tariq incoming!”

Garrett looked to the yard.

“Black Land Rover.”

As if his words had brought it to life, the vehicle bounced around the corner. Tires screeched as headlamps swung toward them.

“Go!” Garrett shouted, urging Zim into the SUV.

Zim slammed the door shut and sped away.

Bullets pinged off the vehicle. Garrett prayed none hit them as they ripped through traffic until they lost the Sachaai.

Zim finally slowed to the speed limit. “I think we’re good.”

Garrett’s heart rate slowed to the speed limit too. “Eagle Three, we are returning to the warehouse. Rendezvous there.” When Surge’s nose nudged his arm, he reached back to chuck the Mal’s chin. Eyed Thompson. “I’m going to let it go that you did not stay close. At least now we have a location to give the Agency. Second, while you were defying my orders, Zim and I unearthed a lab on the third level of the shoe factory.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “When we get back, I can have Surge check it.”

“Exactly why I’m telling you.”

Zim finally pulled up behind the factory.

Caldwell emerged from a door and hustled toward them.

“What’s he doing?” Zim asked, slowing the SUV.

“No idea.” Garrett eyed the door that opened, and the spook climbing in. “What’s?—”

“Go, move!”

Zim faltered for a second, then hit the gas. “Why am I doing this?”

After winking at Delaney, Caldwell buckled himself in. “I accessed that computer Zim pulled. Found messages about a meetup here. Sachaai will be here soon. Get me back to the safe house and I can finish dissecting the computer. I have a team monitoring the container yard. We can go through that to find them.”

Zim pulled into traffic.

“Where are those shipping containers, Spook?” Garrett demanded.

Caldwell sneered. “Unknown at this time. They had a pretty advanced system. I took the motherboard.” He patted a satchel he had.

Great. Fine. Garrett’s phone pinged, and he looked at it. He took a deep breath. The pressure was on now. “Damocles is watching the factory, and when it’s clear, they’ll work with local law enforcement to raid it. And Chapel’s hunting down a semi to transport the chems once we find them.”

As Zim stopped at a traffic light, Garrett’s stomach growled. Loudly.

Surge woofed.

Garrett looked at his watch. “Almost twenty hundred. Let’s grab some takeout, then get back and get to work.”

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