Page 32 of Code Name: Admiral

“Are you sure you can trust him?”

Was I?Fuck,I couldn’t say for certain, and doubt like that couldn’t be ignored. I shook my head. On the other hand, he’d already provided additional backup, which meant he knew where we were. If he was here too, it would be easier to get a read on him.

“On second thought, get him here.”

“Roger that.” Tank paused at the door. “What about the rest of the team?”

“Keep them on perimeter watch. Information will be need to know only, which means you get permission from either me or Diesel before you brief anyone. That is especially true with anyone from the bureau.”

“Roger that,” he repeated, walking from the room.

When the door closed behind him, I pulled Alice into my arms. She came willingly, her body fitting against mine like she belonged there. Maybe she did.

“Who’s Grit?” she asked.

“My boss at the bureau. And, Alice, we’re going to finish this,” I promised, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She nodded against my chest. “For Sarah.”

“For all of us.”

Outside, the wind picked up, sending snow swirling past the windows. Somewhere out there, Alessandro Castellano was plotting his revenge, unaware that those he saw as his prey were his hunters. A feeling rose from deep inside me. Standing in this room, with the fire crackling and Alice in my arms, Iknewwe’d win.

It wouldn’t be easy. We’d be fighting not just the Castellanos, but potentially corrupt elements within the FBI itself. Yet looking down at Alice, seeing the same determination in her eyes that I felt in my heart, I was confident we’d find a way. We had to. Too many lives depended on it.

I leaned down and kissed her again, pouring everything I couldn’t say into the gesture. When we finally broke apart, her eyes were bright with unshed tears, but her voice was steady.

“Where’s my stuff?”

I nearly laughed at the way she’d phrased the question.

“Meaning your ‘command center’?”

She nodded.

“Here, along with everything else that was in your apartment. Sarah’s too.”

Her eyes widened. “Tank said, ‘We packed everything.’ Who’s we?”

“Atticus, Blackjack, and Kodiak helped. And before you ask, I trust the three of them and Tank with my life, which means I also trust them with yours.”

“Diesel mentioned they worked with him.”

“That’s right. The firm is called K19 Security Solutions, and they have a unit based out of this part of the Adirondacks.”

Alice leaned forward, rested her head on my chest, and yawned.

“What do you say we try to sleep a while longer? If you’d rather not, I’ll have the guys start bringing the things from your apartment up?”

“Up?” she asked, yawning again, then pulling me toward the bed, where we both lay down.

“The camp has a lower level, with bedrooms that haven’t been used in years. That’s where I asked them to store everything.”

When I realized she was already asleep, I eased the covers from under her before pulling the sheet and blankets over us both.

When I woke again,the sun was high in the sky and Alice was no longer next to me.

“It’s time to do what I do best—expose secrets,” she said, coming out of the bathroom. “Ready?”

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