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I bit my lip hard as I watched her face grow stern from under my palm.
“Uh, it was taken in San Francisco about a month ago. Why?”
Honestly, it was maddening watching her put pieces together that seemingly didn’t fit. To anyone who never committed a crime, they didn’t fit. To anyone who didn’t think like someone committing crimes, they didn’t fit. To someone who had never intended to or outright killed someone, they didn’t fit.
“How long do you think it’d take someone to get here while carefully observing and navigating their way around the remote blockade, assuming they leftafterthe bomb exploded?” Pushing the mute button again before speaking, Katie turned to Nathan for an answer, and I did, too, as dread ate away at my gut. “Take about two days, right?”
“Assuming those drones didn’t reveal anything about the blockade, and they’re working with a ship and are comfortable bailing out of a plane into open ocean... about that, yeah.”
Instant panic gripped me, but Katie squeezed my wrist, assumedly when my heart rate just went out of control. Grinding my teeth, Ihatedthe thoughtfulness that tinged her expression, as if she were just considering a sudden change in weather.
“There were high winds tonight on the east side of the island. I think it’s safe to assume they wouldn’t be able to land until it was over, and they’d have to be far enough to escape detection. Conservative seventy-five miles.”
“They’d assume we’d locked down the island and double down. At least running away the way we did gave Mason the impression that we’d rather dig in, so he’d have to come to us. What are the chances they know we’re leaving?”
“Slim. There’s been no activity in the air. If they are monitoring us, it’s not by drone.”
I felt totally out of the loop and frustrated, and heat engulfed my face as Nathan bobbed his head side to side.
“You think they’re using military tech?”
“Hard to say, but most likely not. Brandon’s got access to all that, which means they’d do it old school. No radar capabilities, degaussed ship... the only way to find them would be to physically see them.” Katie’s tone darkened, and pure, unfiltered hatred blazed in her eyes. “Jet... She’s smart. Really smart. And she’s a bitch who hates my guts. She’s basically Mason’s Mason, except not as subtly manipulative. She’s the wild card, here.”
“If she’s in love with him, she could try to kill you.”
“She can try. I’m pregnant, and it’s been a while, and she may be smarter than me, but I’m always going to be better than her where it counts. Killing targets was never her forte. She can do it in a pinch, but she’s never had to before.” As if she had to prove herself, Katie stood up tall and strong, jutting out her chin with determination.
For a fraction of a second, she looked like her old self, and I couldn’t help but wonder... how much of her true self did I know?
“Even at my worst, I’m still better than her.”
“So, what do you suggest, Katie?” Speaking up quietly, I saw the moment Katie realized I was still in the room. Her eyes flashed with regret so briefly I almost didn’t see it, and I inhaled a shaky, shallow breath. “Should we dig in or leave as planned?”
“We have to assume Mason bugged Audra and Bert and anyone else Brandonmightcontact. Tell her we’re going to leave. That’ll buy us a few days once we get back. Mason won’t try anything without his goonies there as backup.”
My confusion must’ve been shining on my face because Katie frowned.
“They’re going to think we’re lying. That’s one good thing about your need to run away— it’s believable, and Mason is more inclined to believe you’d rather hide here than face the problem head-on.”
She sounded annoyed that she had to explain it to me, and I ducked my head in shame. Out of the top of my gaze, Katie licked her lips heavily, squeezing my wrist again reassuringly.
“I can handle this. I may not know all of his tricks, but Mason doesn’t know all of mine, either.”
I hated that, but I just kept my mouth shut, and Katie tapped the mute button off again to gesture to me quietly. Exhaling a gust of a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I raked my hand through my hair as I steadied myself.
“Audra, we’re going to ready the plane and come home. I’ll deal with Bert myself.” Real anger tightened my voice, and I wrenched my nails from the wood to grab Katie’s hand. Hanging up the phone, I closed my eyes and flung my head back as my heart beat wild and hard in my chest. “Now what do we do?”
“... Rig the place to explode and quietly inform everyone to dissolve into the jungle when we take off. If we can catch Jett on her infiltration, take her out, Mason will have no one to fall back on. Skeleton crew only guarding the perimeter with no changes in case they’re watching somehow.”
My heart leapt into my throat at that.
Katie turned to Nathan to nod at him. “There’s bunkers here, right? Where?”
“Under the airstrip. I don’t think blowing the whole place is a good idea, Katie. Everyone left behind will be defenseless. This building houses the central generators, and—”
Holding up a hand to stop him, Katie obviously didn’t give two shits about the fallout, and cold shivers raced up and down my spine.
“They’re all active duty or veterans. They’ll be fine. Blow it up. The bunkers have their own generators, there’s fresh water and food. It’s not like they’ll be here for weeks, or evena singleweek. Just long enough to control the fires and flush out Jett’s team.”
