AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A small baggie flew toward Jackson’s head.
“PB&J. Bon appétit.”
Jackson grumbled but tore into his sandwich while Ryder climbed out of the van with a laugh. “Man, I wonder if they have a prime rib sandwich. I’m starving.”
Jackson revved the engine as Ryder walked in front of the van, making Ryder scurry toward the elevator.
“Where to, boss?”
“The alley near the loading dock,” Will replied without hesitation.
Hannah gave him a questioning look.
“If the hotel truly had a plumber on site, they wouldn’t let them park out front.
She nodded her understanding. It made sense, but she was a little apprehensive about being back so close to the scene of the crime.
A few moments later, Jackson had parked the van and stepped out. “Need any help here?”
“Nope. Hannah and I will set up tech. You and Tank walk around the block and then see what you can get as far as security access. Joey?”
“Here.”
Hannah yelped at the female voice in her ear.
Mild swear words came in response from everyone else on the team. “Will! Tell your girlfriend she can’t yell with comms in!”
Hannah flushed, flooded with embarrassment. “Umm, sorry. Hi, Joey. I didn’t know you were there.”
“My bad. I didn’t realize Will didn’t share the roster.”
Will rolled his eyes. “Joey, Hannah. Hannah, Joey. Now that we’ve all met, can we get to work?”
“I couldn’t get external access to the security system. It’s an offline RavenTech system, so once you get me access to the security room, I’ll have complete control.”
Hannah’s eyes widened. She’d heard of RavenTech. Who hadn’t? She didn’t know how Joey was so confident in her ability to control the system, but it didn’t seem like the time to question it.
“Jackson, you’re on room info. Stephen and I tried, but the room number data is only stored locally.” Joey sounded particularly disgusted about that.
“Hey, guys,” came another unfamiliar voice.
“Glad you’re here, Stephen,” Will said cordially.
“You and me both,” replied Joey. “Between the two of us, we’ll cover hotel security and external traffic.”
Hannah’s head was swirling. She had no idea what Joey was saying.
Before she realized what was happening, Tank and Jackson were headed off down the alley, leaving her alone in the van with Will. Well, not technically alone. Anything they said could be heard by the entire team, as evidenced by the sound of Ryder asking the restaurant hostess if two seats were free.
“I need eyes on them, Joey,” Will said with a hint of urgency in his voice.
“Well, then you should have sent Tank in first.”
Hannah was fascinated by the rapport between Joey and Will. They seemed to have a strange mix of animosity and respect for one another. She wanted to ask Will what she should do, but she also didn’t want to be heard on the comms. Instead, she pointed at the hard-shell case she knew held a laptop and satellite link and then to herself, letting her face ask the question.
Will nodded and she got to work. She set the case on the floor until Will pointed at the wall of the van. She hadn’t even noticed the fold down counters attached to the wall. She flipped one down and set up the computers and equipment on it as Will kept talking to the team.
After fifteen minutes or so, she pulled a sandwich from the bag she’d packed that morning and handed it to him. He smiled gratefully and unwrapped it. If he’d been here alone, it was entirely possible he would have forgotten to eat.
