Rising Storm (Westin Force #2) - Julie Trettel Page 0,67
no evidence from within that anyone had been there. But as they followed the blips in the system through the warehouse and back outside, we picked up a clear view of our guy on one of the cameras Ben had set up around the perimeter.
Tarron captured the image and printed it out for me.
“Thanks.”
“Follow my lead and I’ll get you both to a point that’s undetected,” T said.
I nodded, handing them each a secure earpiece to communicate.
“Wait, now move.”
I followed her instructions to the letter. They took me to the back door of the warehouse. I’d discreetly picked up Martin along the way.
“You’re doing great. We can’t see either of you on the monitor at all. Freeze. Wait three seconds and exit the building through the door straight ahead. Don’t worry, we’ve cracked this. I’ll get you back inside just as undetected, but there is absolutely no monitoring except ours outside that door. It’s like it doesn’t even exist. There’s a road that goes straight out from there too. Ben found it while setting up security. They can get in and out of this place without anyone knowing.”
“All clear?” I asked Taylor.
“Yes, sir.”
“So, that’s how they’ve been getting in and out of this place. There’re no cameras on this side of the building. If you look, there’s a road that comes in and out.”
“Completely undetected,” he whispered.
I nodded. “If you go back and check your cameras, there’s some sort of blip pattern they’re using. Tarron’s still working to decode it fully. But we just walked out in a blind spot. Not only is there no evidence that we’re here, but there’s none that showed us together inside either.”
“Ghosts. One of our guards swears there’s a ghost in the building.”
“This one looks a lot like this,” I said pulling the paper from my pocket and unfolding to hand it to him.
Martin sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s Stephen Daniels.”
“If you look closely, he has your missing artifact too.”
“Shit. This isn’t good.”
“Who is he?” We weren’t fully up on the who’s who of the Verndari. Most of them kept it a closely held secret.
“He’s a higher up in the Verndari organization. Rumors are that his son, Trevor, is the one behind the Raglan movement. Before this, Stephen’s turned up clean every time we’ve investigated him. There’s been absolutely no connection, and those that suspect or seem to know about Trevor are quite protective and sympathetic towards Stephen.”
“He’s untouchable in other words.”
“Yeah, he is.”
“Shit. What are we supposed to do with this then, Martin?”
“We’re going to have to monitor his activities closely and put some pressure on him. It doesn’t make sense. Stephen is rich, like really rich, and has more international bank accounts than anyone can keep track of. He covers his tracks thoroughly.”
“Judging by the elaborate measures he’s got in place on this network, I’m not surprised to hear that,” Tarron mumbled in my ear.
“So why is a man like that stealing from the Verndari? If he wanted to fund the Raglan, he could, right?”
“Yeah, he could, and I have no idea what he’s up to.”
*****
Later that night at the hotel we were staying at, and after discussing everything with Silas and the others, a plan was devised. We finished our assignment as planned. There was no mention of the missing artifact. Then at the last second Silas received an emergency job notice.
Patrick seemed a little confused by it but didn’t argue it. Instead he made commercial arrangements to fly back with the Verndari.
The night before we left, we were given the okay to check in back home. That was really just for Ben’s benefit, and now mine too. The problem was, I called the apartment and Emma didn’t answer.
Outside the air was cold, but the sky was lit in a brilliant display of lights. I couldn’t even begin to describe it to someone. It was magical and I wished Emma was there to see them with me.
Ben stepped outside to call Shelby. Normally, I’d give him his space when calling his mate from the field. It was a rare treat for him, I knew. I couldn’t help it though. I wanted to know if she’d heard anything from Emma. I missed her like crazy and I just wanted to hear her voice even if it was only for a minute.
When I found out Emma was there, my heart nearly burst with excitement. It was a short conversation, but hearing her restored my soul. We may be tagging on yet another