Rafe shook his head. “You don’t understand. Since we’d never actually met her, we only had our experience to go on. But I’ve watched her over the past couple of days. The woman is a genius.”
Boone lifted both hands, palms up. “Okay, so she’s incredibly intelligent.”
“You’re not getting it. She’s borderline Einstein-level genius. As in scary smart.” Rafe's gaze connected with each man.
Dax’s mouth dropped open and stared at Rafe. “We worked with her for how long, and we didn't know this?”
“You’ve seen her. Her fears control her environment. There’s no way she’d advertise her abilities like that.” Liam’s head throbbed, but the nausea and dizziness had eased.
“Liam, we’re talking national asset. If I’m right, the things she can do would scare the pants off POTUS.” Rafe’s words shook him.
The truth smacked him like a two-by-four to the face. “I think you nailed it. Her life hasn’t been easy. I’m guessing she’s stayed under the government’s radar as far as what she’s capable of. She worked her job but never let them see her true capabilities. To everyone, she was, as you guys said, smart.”
“Can you imagine what the D.C. boys would do if they discovered the extent of her brain power?” The concern in Xander’s eyes mimicked his own.
“She slipped up and outed herself, and someone found out.” Bile rose in Liam’s throat. “That’s why they took her. Not because of the report or the rescue of Echo team. But her intelligence.”
“The question is why? What do they have planned?” Rafe asked.
“Dig in. Figure out who learned about her IQ level.” Liam flipped through his mental index cards. “Boone start with Evan Rhodes.”
“You got it.” The man moved to the table and commandeered another laptop.
“Rafe, finances. Who has money? Who needs money? Xander, see to our transportation. Once we have a location, I want to be gone within minutes. Dax, help Boone run through our list of possible suspects.”
“Copy that,” the men said in unison.
Liam pulled in several breaths. His mind might still be muddled, but he’d trudge through muck and quicksand to find the woman he wanted a future with.
The room fell quiet except for the click of keyboards and the occasional soft exchange of questions or information.
“Boss, I think I have something.” Dax peered over his computer.
“What?”
“No one has seen Evan Rhodes for a couple of weeks.”
“Meaning?”
“He’s disappeared. Not that it’s unusual for him when he’s working a case.” Dax scowled at his screen. “But my gut says he’s involved. Somehow.”
“I’ll do you one better. He receives a hefty sum of money that drops into his account every Monday.” Rafe leaned forward and squinted at his screen. “So does Noah Stone. The rest of the names on our list are clean. Even the contractor.”
“So, they’re working together?” Dax asked.
“I can’t answer that,” Rafe responded.
“Find them, and we find Raven.” Liam rubbed his eyes.
But would they discover her location in time? Or would they be too late?
CHAPTER 11
Unknown location
Saturday – 0800 Hours
Code Name: Raven
