Page 21 of Burning Justice

“I can get into a party. It’s a place to look for my father—and this canister. But it has to be tonight, and you guys can’t come inside. It’s by invite only.”

“Overwatch?” Saxon asked.

Sanchez nodded.

“How did you get an invite?”

Kane had been about to ask the same question. Was he really going to do this? Just blindly follow wherever she led them in the search for her father? Let himself be swept along by her determination to find him and stop this?

Never mind.

Of course he was.

It didn’t matter where Maria Sanchez went. He would always follow.

Five

Maria got out of the car and eased the skirt down. “Who knew you had something like this in your wardrobe?”

Raine pocketed her keys in a tiny purse. “You never know when you’re going to need to blend in at a high-society party.”

Maria looked at the mansion Raine had driven them to. It certainly was a high-society place. A vacation home for the rich and famous who didn’t like the warmth of the Lower 48 in summer. Still, not the kind of place she wanted to live in, even if she were ever able to afford it.

She didn’t glance back but knew Kane and Saxon were parked in a truck down the street. Nearby enough that they could help out if either she or Raine indicated through their comms that they needed help. But not so close they’d be picked out as watching the house.

In fact, she wasn’t sure she wanted to think about Kane at all.

Far better to focus on the task at hand, the way she’d compartmentalized in the CIA. As an officer, she’d undertaken all sorts of missions. Regardless of whether they’d been part of her personal mission to find her father, she’d worked them to the best of her ability.

Between the comms earbuds and the tracker rings they wore, there wasn’t much more they could do make sure they were safe.

“Can you hear me?” Kane’s voice in her ear wasn’t her choice.

“I copy you.”

At the same time, Raine said, “Got you loud and clear, Saxon.”

Rather than all four of them on one channel, which would be hard to distinguish, they’d opted for two channels so everyone could focus.

“Be safe,” Kane said.

“We’re just going to look around.” She didn’t need to rush in, guns blazing. The CIA had trained her to deal with situations with a lot more finesse than Delta Force—and with a lot less backup. “Besides, I’m not the one who got shot today.”

Raine glanced over at her, a smile tugging her lips.

Maria ignored the comms and said to her friend, “How did you get us invited, anyway? You really just made a call?”

She was a local. It stood to reason she had contacts.

“There’s someone here I need to talk to,” Raine said. “So I won’t get in your way.”

A tall guy in a tuxedo stood at the front door, one hand clasping his other wrist. She spotted a gold watch and noticed he wore an earbud, a clear wire disappearing beneath his collar. “Good evening, ladies.” He seemed to recognize Raine. “How are you this evening?”

“Well, thank you.” Raine handed over her purse, and the man looked inside.

Maria didn’t fuss about doing the same, but only because he wouldn’t know that her things weren’t the inconspicuous items he’d think they were with one glance. When he handed her purse back, she smiled. “Thank you.”

He opened the door for them. “Have a good evening.”

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