Page 78 of Fierce Hope
Immediately activating his comm, Deke murmured urgently, “Team, we have a problem. Priority one. It’s DJ.”
Zara’s tense voice crackled instantly in his earpiece from the control room: “We’ve got you. What’s happening?”
“Just got a coded distress text from DJ—but not from his own phone. Zara, run this number.” He read off the digits while struggling to maintain his outward composure.
Ronan’s voice interjected calmly, immediately professional: “ Griff, Axel, Kenji—you handle things here. Rest of you rendezvous in control. Now.”
Deke moved through the ballroom with measured strides, fighting the urge to run. He slipped through a service door, then broke into a sprint down the empty hallway, loosening his bow tie as he went.
His mind raced through possibilities, each worse than the last. DJ wouldn’t have sent that message unless he was in imminent danger. And if he was using someone else’s phone ...
He burst into the small, dimly lit security control room where Zara was already bent over her laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard. Monitors showed surveillance feeds from the gala, now ignored as she focused on tracing the mystery number.
“Got it,” Zara announced swiftly, tension sharpening her voice. “The phone is registered to a Sarah Tannenger. Wait. She’s that young gal from church, right? The one who runs the afterschool program for the littles?”
Deke stiffened, pulse spiking sharply. Sarah? Why would DJ be using Sarah’s phone? The implications sent a chill through him.
“Ping Jade’s and DJ’s phones. Now.”
Zara instantly complied. The screen displayed both phones stationary at Jade’s condo. Deke’s jaw tightened painfully.
“That’s not right,” he said, the words clipped. “DJ sent that text less than ten minutes ago. They’re not at the condo.”
He lifted a silent prayer of thanks to his Lord for having the foresight to slip that tracker onto Jade’s vehicle last week. “Track Jade’s vehicle,” he ordered, voice low and strained.
Zara nodded, anxiety clear as she pulled up the signal. “It’s moving—heading into the mountains north of Hope Landing.” She zoomed in on the map. “No. Wait. Just stopped at what looks like an old logging area. Sarah’s phone is at the same coordinates.”
Cold dread settled heavily in Deke’s gut. Jade would never willingly leave her phone behind, nor willingly drive to an isolated location late at night. Not with his son. No way.
“Pull up security footage from Jade’s place,” Ronan directed, stepping into the control room with Izzy close behind.
Zara quickly accessed the feed, rewinding to earlier that evening. Grainy nighttime images showed a female figure—clearly Sarah—arriving alone. Jade waved her inside. Less than fifteen minutes later, the door opened again, Jade and DJ exiting first, backpacks in hand. They looked tense, shoulders rigid. Sarah followed close behind.
Deke felt a fierce jolt of protectiveness flare within him.
“Where would they be going so late at night?” Izzy murmured uneasily. “It’s a school night. Jade wouldn’t take DJ out.”
Zara magnified the footage further. Deke’s blood turned icy when the image cleared. Sarah clutching a handgun at her side, partially hidden by her coat but unmistakable to trained eyes.
“Glock 19,” Zara confirmed softly, performing a quick database check. “Kent Wycoff had one registered to him. Why does Sarah have it?”
“That can’t be good,” Deke growled, already in motion toward the door.
“My guess is she’s been involved all along,” Ronan said, his voice grim. “We just didn’t see it.”
Deke’s mind raced with horrifying clarity. If Sarah was part of the criminal network they’d been investigating, if she’d been helping Wycoff— she’d be running. But why force Jade and DJ to come along?
“She’s gonna frame Jade,” Izzy announced. “I bet the money they found in Wycoff’s vehicle was just a small part of the loot. She’s running, and she’s leaving Jade to take the fall.”
And his son. Deke looked around for something to break, but he fought the urge. He had to keep it together. And keep his hands in one piece. Until he caught up with Sarah Tannenger. “We’re going airborne. Izzy, Ronan, Maya, Zara—you’re with me. Kenji, Axel, Griff can finish this detail and coordinate support remotely.”
Ronan nodded briskly. “Jack’s team is halfway over the Pacific right now. They won’t make it back in time to help. But Christian’s manning the store. I’ll alert him to get over to Jade’s place immediately. He’ll relay intel directly.”
Fragments of impossible, idiotic plans raced through Deke’s head. He clenched his teeth. Willing his mind to still. Decompensating wouldn’t save Jade and DJ. He breathed. In. Out. In. “Belay that. Send Christian the coordinates from Jade’s vehicle. Tell him to bring all the armament his SUV will carry.”
“Yup.” Ronan picked up his phone again. “Much better plan.”
As they swiftly moved toward the rooftop helipad, Ronan glanced sidelong at Deke. “Jade is smart,” he assured quietly, compassion in his voice. “She’ll know how to handle herself until we get there.”
