Page 66 of Raven's Claw
Kash pushed down all the riotous feelings until they were stone cold.“I never should have lost her in the first place.”
Zain opened his mouth, then closed it, looking up at Cannon when he marched over.“I hope this is good news.”
Cannon held up his cell.“I’ve got Becca on the line.Becca?You’re on speaker with Kash and Zain.”
“Now, before everyone tries to interrupt and demand I get to the point, I’m downloading Icarus’ personal file as we speak.But I have to continuously change that location so we can’t be traced, which means it takes a bit longer.”
Cannon groaned.“How the hell did you gain access to that file?”
“I hacked Scythe.”
“Jesus.”
“Don’t worry.It’ll never come back to us.Besides, we didn’t have time for me to scour every inch of the dark web searching for a scrap of intel that wasn’t scrubbed when Rook moved over to Scythe.”
Something pinged in the background.
“Got it.”She breathed into the phone for a few moments.“Wow.There’s quite a story here, which we can get into later.But Icarus is really Gavin Troy.He’s thirty-one.Was institutionalized from the age of twelve for suspected Dissociative Identity Disorder.It seems Rook liberated him a year later.Gavin’s been on medication to help mediate some of the symptoms ever since, but during a recent Scythe assessment, he showed signs of schizophrenia.The doctor recommended immediate removal from the field, but Rook overruled it.Claimed the issues made Gavin the perfect candidate for missions with unfavorable survivability rates.His current location is marked as unknown.”
She tapped on keys, the sound echoing through the phone.“I’m searching for a photo that isn’t blurry or beyond recognition… got one.Sending it through to Cannon’s phone.”
Cannon’s cell chirped, and he swiped over to the image.
“No fucking way.”Kash pulled the cell closer, blinking a few times to keep it in focus.“Do I really have a concussion or is that freaking Tucker Grant?”
Zain practically growled.“You definitely have a concussion, buddy, but you’re not seeing things.That’s Tucker.Damn.Did he know who Jordan was all along?Was this a setup?”He looked at Kash.“Did he purposely try to kill you and Nyx that day?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell gonna ask him.Becca?Any chance we can track this guy?Maybe a chip like Jordan’s?”
“From what I can tell, he never had one.But assuming he’s not a former Coast Guard guru like Saylor, he must have a vehicle nearby.I’ve got satellites searching anything larger than a goat trail.He can’t avoid me for long.”She paused.“I know we don’t have any time to spare but give me a few minutes to scour the area.I’ll call you right back.”
The line went dead, just like Kash’s heart.Nothing but empty weight in his chest as he stood there, willing the phone to ring.Time ticked past as that storm front swept over them, kicking up the wind and the waves until Kash wasn’t sure they’d have any other option but to wait for Foster or Mac to return.
He should have listened to Jordan.She’d been skeptical that Tucker was simply a coincidence, and now she was paying the price.
Cannon muttered under his breath.“I’ll call her back?—”
The cell rang in his hand, cutting him off.
He swiped his finger across the screen, holding it out so everyone could hear.“Talk to us, Becca.”
“I’ve got a dark SUV barreling out of the forest northeast of you onto some old two track twenty minutes ago.It’s headed northbound, with two confirmed heat signatures onboard.I can’t guarantee it’s Icarus or whatever his name is but, seeing as it was the only vehicle within the parameters, I think it’s a safe bet.”
“How close is he to Raven’s Cliff?”
“About five minutes.He’ll have to jump onto a highway if he wants to go anywhere east or south.If it’s safe, I’d hop back in the boat and head that way.Maybe plan to grab a truck at the hangar.I’ll keep you posted.”
“Gib’s tagging along with them.Ring Miller the moment you know which way that bastard’s going.And keep Jericho’s boss, Art, updated.With Tucker’s questionable mental state, I think it’s safer to let him get where he’s going.If we set up roadblocks, it might set him off.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
Cannon stared at his phone, then at the ocean.“Water’s getting pretty rough, but something tells me you don’t care.That Saylor won’t care much, either.”
Kash took a step, swayed, then caught himself before he landed on his ass.“I can’t let Jordan down, even if I have to pilot that boat, myself.”
“Are you nuts?You’d have us capsized in a heartbeat.”Saylor moved in behind him.“Zain’s already searching for possible venues that asshole might target if he continues north.And we’re wasting what little good weather we’ve got, so…”
Kash grabbed her arm.“Are you sure?I…”
