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Brad and Giuseppe exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable. I looked at Downing, confusion etched on my face. "What does that mean for us?" I asked.
Downing stroked his chin, deep in thought. "I'm not sure yet," he admitted. "Tyree's choice of location might suggest various possibilities. But we need to analyze this information thoroughly."
Before we could ponder further on the implications of this revelation, Downing's phone buzzed, disrupting the momentary silence. Downing picked up, listened for a few seconds, and then with a grim nod, he hung up.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking at us. "But we can't dwell on this any longer. I have another appointment."
"Where to?" Brad asked, curiosity piqued.
"The county jail," Downing said, his eyes flashing with determination, "to interview Alexander Steele. He's the man who had been tailing Amy and Mitch. Ariel and Meagan picked him out of a lineup, and he's finally decided to break his hunger strike and talk."
A silence descended upon the room, the significance of Downing's words hanging heavy in the air. Steele was ready to talk. After days of refusing food and remaining silent, he was willing to ease his mind. This could be the breakthrough we were desperately searching for.
"Steele wants to come clean?" Brad asked, disbelief evident in his tone. Downing merely nodded, a grim smile playing on his lips. “He’s probably ready to make a deal.”
A visible relief washed over Giuseppe's face at this news. After all, Steele was the man who had harassed and probably kidnapped his daughter, Amy. The prospect of him sharing information was a welcome development.
"That's good news," he said, with a hint of gratitude.
Downing rose from his chair and started gathering his things, the energy in the room shifting palpably. There was a sense of anticipation, it seemed everyone was holding their breath. We were on the cusp of something significant.
Brad, Giuseppe, and I shared a look, a silent agreement passing between us. We were in this together, each one of us driven by our own motivations but united in our desire for the truth. If there was one thing that was clear, it was that we were deep into a tangled web of intrigue and lies, one that was getting more intricate with each revelation.
Tyree's unexpected location, Steele's sudden change of heart—the puzzle pieces were slowly coming together. And yet, the complete picture remained elusive. We had to trust in Downing's expertise, knowing he would deftly navigate the complexity of this investigation.
Downing's phone buzzed once more, a stark reminder of the pressing urgency of the situation. He gave it a glance and then turned back towards us, "I'll update you as soon as I have something substantial."
With that, he strode out of the room, leaving us in the midst of silence thick with unspoken questions and possibilities.
Chapter Sixteen
Brad
The sun was a brazen intruder, slashing through the blinds of the corporate conference room. The Rosedale Tech boys were assembled—me, wise-cracking Guy, brooding Chase, analytical Daniel, charming Ryder, and silent-but-deadly Mitch. We were all preoccupied with thoughts of our firecracker colleague and the love of my life, Courtney, and her daredevil plan to meet with Clint Tyree.
We were a motley crew, huddled together in our makeshift war room, debating the pros and cons of Courtney's proposed journey into the lion's den—Seattle. Clint had suggested it under the false impression that she was tucked away safely in Maine with her father.
The air hung heavy with a cocktail of tension and anticipation, an uneasy mixture of dread and determination. The vibe was surreal like we were walking a tightrope, teetering on the brink of a revelation or a disaster.
"First off," Daniel began, his pen flying across a whiteboard, "we need to make sure Clint is kept in the dark. He needs to believe Courtney is in Maine. I wonder why he was calling from San Jose, though, but maybe that doesn't mean anything."
"I'm not convinced that his location yesterday really had any significance," I added, palming my hair.
"I've got a solution," Guy interjected, fingers already tapping away at his laptop. "I bet Downing can spoof her phone location. Clint will see her device pinging from Maine even when she's really already in Seattle. The flip phone schtick isn't going to work forever. She needs to tell Clint she has some friends to visit in the city, so there is no reason to arrange for her flight. Then they can just arrange a place to meet."
"Good. But we need to establish a 'friend' other than one of us that Courtney is going to visit." I added, my mind racing with scenarios. "Chase, can you get with Giuseppe to set up security on the ground in Seattle? One of his men that he trusts to keep an eye on Courtney. Maybe he can use Dylan, someone who already works for him that was protecting Courtney and her roommate Jenna in Laramie."
"On it," Chase confirmed, jotting down a note.
And so, we planned, our brainstorming turning into a tempest of ideas. From coordinating with Downing and his FBI assistants, who could set up emergency extraction plans, from ensuring Courtney had a panic button app installed on her phone to providing her with self-defense gear. We plotted and planned, weaving a net of protection around her that we hoped would be enough.
The room fell silent as we processed the gravity of our plot. I could feel the determination hardening around us, a protective shell formed by our collective resolve. But as much as we were a team united against a sinister force, we were also professionals, and the clock was ticking.
"Okay," I finally broke the silence, staring at each of my comrades. "This is our game plan. We have our tasks. But remember, we can't raise suspicions by changing our routines drastically. It seems our media blitz did stir things up. But now, as far as anyone else is concerned, it's business as usual at Rosedale Tech. Courtney is visiting friends here in town, and we're crunching numbers for the next quarter."
I could see the gears shift in their minds, the abrupt change of pace almost jarring but necessary. Life didn't pause for our covert operations, and neither did business.
"Right, back to work then," Daniel said, tugging his laptop closer. "Let's get these projections ready."
