Page 65 of Critical Mass
Hudson prayed she actually listened.
Jake indicated he was heading around back.
Hudson would take the front door.
As he approached, he noticed it was closed. If it hadn’t been for the security video, they wouldn’t know someone had been here.
His instincts screamed danger as he pushed the door open and scanned the entryway.
Silence.
He moved inside.
As they walked into the living room, Natalie sucked in a sharp breath.
The place had been tossed, but not haphazardly. Instead, the intruders had neatly removed and set couch cushions aside. Had taken books from shelves and stacked them in piles on the floor. Drawers had been opened but the contents left relatively undisturbed.
Someone had been looking for something specific.
Or they wanted to make Hudson think that.
Jake finished checking the backyard and joined them in the living room.
“Check for bugs,” Hudson mouthed to Jake.
Jake nodded and began searching.
In the meantime, Hudson put a finger over his mouth, indicating for Natalie to be quiet.
Jake appeared a moment later and nodded. “It’s clear.”
Natalie wrapped her arms around herself. “What were they looking for?”
“I don’t know.” Hudson holstered his weapon, already pulling out his phone to photograph the scene. “But this wasn’t random.”
“Was it Sigma?”
“Maybe. Or your father’s enemies. Or—” He stopped himself before sayingyour father, but the implication hung in the air anyway.
What if Richard Ravenscroft had ordered this? What if he suspected his daughter knew too much and sent someone to find out what she’d learned?
Or what if he did this to get them out of the office. But why? To watch how Hudson reacted?
Maybe.
“I need to call my father?—”
“No.” The word came out sharper than Hudson intended. “Not yet. Let’s think this through first.”
Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t want me to tell him because you think he might have done this.”
Hudson couldn’t deny it. “I think we need more information before we make that call.”
“He’s my father.”
“And someone just broke into your house looking for something. Until we know who and why, we trust no one. Not even family.”
The words were harsh but necessary. Hudson watched Natalie process them, watched her face as she realized the implications.
