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The guy was younger. Fit in the extreme. And he knew how to use his strength.
Before this moment, Chris would have said he wasn’t too bright, and that might still be true, but now he was calculating how much was an act. A deflection.
Chris relaxed his body, leaned against the arched entry. “Tell me more of your theories, Petty Officer Albrecht.”
He shrugged. “Nah. I’m good.”
“How is it you happen to be here, with Fallon?”
“Lucky break. I was in the lobby when the lieutenant commander was passing through. He asked for backup. I said yes. You’re welcome.”
Chris took a step forward, and before Albrecht could guess what was coming, he pulled back and punched him in the face.
Albrecht’s head snapped back, but his reflexes kicked in, and he lunged for Chris.
Chris was still groggy from the drug, but he’d expected a strike. He dodged and kicked and punched. He held nothing back. He landed a second blow. Then a third.
Albrecht managed to graze Chris’s jaw with a fist and kicked him in the knee, but nothing could stop Chris, not even Fallon, who tried to pull him back.
“He’s just a dumbfuck, Flyte. Don’t blow your career with this.”
Chris pushed back against Fallon as his hands closed around Albrecht’s throat.
“He’s not a simple dumbass. He’s a fucking traitor. He tagged my 4Runner with a tracker last night. Today, he got my phone number from your phone and gave it to whoever drugged me.”
He squeezed tight on Albrecht’s throat. The petty officer’s face turned bright red as he bucked against Chris’s hold. “When I let you breathe again, the first thing you’re going to say is who you’re working for.”
Rand stopped tugging at Chris’s arms. “Shit. That’s why he was in the lobby. He was tipped when Freya called me and knew I was on my way down.”
Chris let the guy take a breath, but then squeezed again before he could say the lie that would surely come.
“The moment they got my burner phone number, they had everything they needed.” Chris let Albrecht have another sip of air, then squeezed again. “Who you working for, Brekkie?” He relaxed his hands.
“No one. I—”
Again, Chris took control of his breathing. He made the game-show buzzer sound that came with a wrong answer. “Try again.”
“No—”
Fallon reached around and grabbed Albrecht’s phone from his pocket. “He doesn’t need to talk. I’m sure we’ll find everything we need right here.”
Albrecht’s eyes, already bugging, widened further, and he struggled against Chris’s hands.
“I’m guessing this is why Freya told me to bring him along,” Rand said. “Wanted to make sure he didn’t get away.”
“You got handcuffs in your go bag?”
“No. But I’ve got paracord and duct tape in my emergency kit in my vehicle.” Rand left for the garage. A moment later, he was back, and they tied Albrecht’s hands behind his back, then taped over the cord. The trussed SEAL wheezed and coughed and looked terrified.
As he should.
“Let’s get out of here before they realize we have their pet and try to spring him.” Chris led the way into the living room. Before heading out the door, he spotted the cell phone near red wine streaks on the rug. He crossed the room and stared down at the phone for a moment, then slammed his heel into the glass screen.
It wouldn’t change anything, but the crunch of glass was satisfying. He wished it was Albrecht’s face, but the man had information they needed.
If Diana had been taken, Albrecht was their only hope of finding her.
Chapter Fifty-Five
