Page 61 of Final Sins

Alex met his gaze, feeling that familiar spark between them reignite. “Liv and the others are at least twelve hours away by plane. How fast can we be in the air?”

Jason grinned. “I like your style, Mendoza.”

“Right back atcha, Army.”

Kate cleared her throat. “Hello? Jason? Firefight in Boise? The Pilatus is grounded.”

Jason winced. “Ri-i-ght.” He tapped his chin, thinking.

Mason waved his hand. “My buddy runs the airport in Mammoth. He’ll hook us up, no problem. Flight time in the helo to Mammoth’s less than half an hour. I suggest Jason andKate and Alex fly up to the airport, then Kate can bring the helo back here. I’ll tell my guy we’ll be bringing the plane here temporarily. He won’t mind. I’ve saved his bacon more than once.”

Jason clapped his hands together. “Excellent plan. Copy that.” He grinned, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s been a minute since I did a run to the tropics.”

The prospect of reuniting with her team sent a thrill through Alex. Liv, Mac, Gabe—she’d missed them more than she cared to admit.

But a nagging worry gnawed at the edges of her determination. She was about to drag her team back into the fire.

She tried to shake off the guilt. They were professionals, just like her. They knew the risks. But was it fair to ask them to risk everything for Jason’s crusade?

As if sensing her inner turmoil, Jason caught her eye. Without a word, he nodded slightly, as if to say, “We’ve got this.”

But did they?

32

The tarmacof Redemption Creek’s small airport shimmered in the evening heat as Alex stumbled off the plane into the warm night air. Jason had gotten them to the private airstrip on the atoll in ten hours, not twelve, but the one-stop-round-trip had meant almost twenty-four hours in the air. She was cooked.

Gabe, Liv, Mac and Gravy followed her down the plane’s stairs, all looking equally travel-worn, though Gabe, at least, had regained his normal energy.

Despite the fading bruises on his face and arms—clear reminders of the recent attack—his eyes sparkled with his usual mischievous energy. Good to see he was bouncing back.

“You’re looking better, cuz,” she said, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

Gabe flashed her a lopsided grin. “What can I say? I’m resilient. Plus, I had some ideas during the flight. Can’t wait to get back to my lab and test them out.”

The teasing retort died on her lips as her attention was drawn to Jason. He loped down the jet’s stairs looking like he’d gone ten rounds with a grizzly bear and lost.

Gravy, who had just stepped off the plane, took one look at Jason and blurted out, “Dude, you look…” He paused, shakinghis head so hard his unruly hair swished in the wind. “I don’t even know.”

Alex stifled a snort, silently agreeing with the assessment. Then she realized she couldn’t look much better.

Paige, Cody, Fenn and Kate exited the main house, heading out to greet them. Tension filled the air as the two teams eyed each other warily.

Alex got it. Meeting in the middle of an already tangled op was less than ideal.

Liv’s fingers twitched near her hip, where she holstered her sidearm. “Nice place you’ve got here,” she observed, her tone carefully neutral.

Mac scanned the fenced compound. “Very ... secure.”

Fenn grinned. “We like to think so. Welcome to Fort Knox, Redemption Creek style.”

“Come on in,” Paige urged. “Dinner’s on.”

Jason and his team led them across the airstrip toward the main house.

The minute they entered, Gabe let out a low whistle, and headed straight for the gigantic computer monitor that took up half of one wall, his eyes wide with childlike wonder. “Is that the new Iris Prime? Those aren’t supposed to be released into Beta for another six months.”

Paige practically bounced on her toes, her face lighting up. “I know some folks. It’s way better than I expected. Full eye movement and gesture control. Want to see?”

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