Page 69 of Critical Witness

They pulled into the secure back entrance of Black Tower Security, and Hannah looked around in awe at the compound. She couldn’t think of a better word for it. It was across the street from a freaking Bartlett Inn and Suites, for crying out loud. But while BTS appeared like any other office building from the front, in the back was a completely different story.

Approaching a… was that a helipad? Yes, yes it was. They took a ramp underground, much like the parking structures in the city. But when the entrance opened back up underground, it was obvious this wasn’t just any parking facility.

The underground facility stretched out before her, illuminated by a network of bright lights that banished the shadows to the fringes. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the row of imposing vehicles like the showy black SUVs they’d taken from the airport. There were also discrete vans, rundown sedans, and motorcycles ready to carry the agents of BTS toward their next mission.

Neatly arranged storage cabinets caught her attention, housing an impressive array of gear and equipment. Metal racks displayed an array of firearms, their polished barrels gleaming under the bright lights.

She’d thought the team had a veritable arsenal with them in Florida, but she could see now they’d been packing for speed and stealth. If they wanted to, BTS had enough weaponry to take on the Florida National Guard.

The SUVs pulled to a halt, and Will held out his hand to help her down. She couldn’t quite read the expression on his face.

“We made it,” she said with a smile, hoping to help him see the bright side.

His dimple appeared for a moment before slipping away again. “We did,” he said simply. “I’m still trying to figure out why they didn’t take us all down,” he admitted as he led her through a heavy steel door in the concrete. The rest of the team was still by the vehicles.

She turned toward him, blocking his path so he had to look at her. She met his silvery-blue eyes and saw the frustration there. “Hey,” she said. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t have known.”

Before he could shake his head or disagree, she continued. “I’m serious. Whoever hired him wasn’t going to let him land in federal custody for long. We both know that. Whether it happened there, in transit to the FBI, or sometime shortly after he was introduced to his new digs, the guy was a dead man walking.”

Will ran a hand over his face. “I know. I just… we needed his intel. Without knowing who hired him, we don’t have anything to go on. And someone just gets away with killing the President of the United States? I’m not going to let that happen.”

The frustration and passion in his voice made her love him all the more.

She inhaled sharply. She loved him. What a glorious, terrifying truth that was.

She squeezed his hand. “We’renot going to let that happen,” she corrected him.

With the revelation of her feelings, Hannah knew without a doubt that she was in this until the end. Ride or die, as her roommate would have said.

She loved Will Gilbert, whom she had known for six days.

It was insane. But truthfully, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like she’d known him forever. She’d trusted him with her secrets and he’d done the same.

After years of pushing people away and trying desperately to do it on her own, Hannah was tired of running from community, clinging to her own strength instead of relying on the Lord. And she was ready to trust someone with her heart, something she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to do after it had been battered and bruised so severely.

She followed Will inside. Through a wall of glass, she could see an enormous gym, apparently where Will, Tank, and the rest of the team had honed their chiseled muscles. To her left was a sort of locker room with benches and open cabinetry. It looked like there were showers tucked out of view.

They bypassed the elevator and took the stairs up to the next floor. The hallway was wide and bright, despite the dark walls and metallic accents. They passed a few offices. Hannah caught glimpses of large illuminated screens as she walked.

There was a conference room with sleek chairs and an enormous video screen on one wall. A man came out of an office ahead, and she recognized him from the video call. Her focus had been on the president, but this was Ross, if her memory served.

“Welcome back,” he said with a grim smile. “You guys okay?”

“We’re all safe. Can’t say the same for Yuri. Tank is putting him in the cooler for now.”

She winced at the idea. “You guys have a morgue here?”

Will’s cheek twitched, but he didn’t smile. “No. Just cold storage for some volatile materials, data backups, biometric data and such.”

“Don’t forget the food for the annual summer barbecue, whenever it’s coming up,” Ross added with a smile. “And occasionally, we keep a body there while we find a better solution.”

“Yikes.”

“Come, let’s get you settled in,” Ross said, gesturing down the hall he came from. “We’ve got some overnight suites here. You’re welcome to use one as long as necessary.”

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