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“I had a packet with me. It was behind my seat—a leather pouch with a red seal encased in a clear water-tight container. I was supposed to put a parachute on it and drop it at an abandoned airfield. It wasn’t too far from where I had to ditch. I realized I was in trouble and the lake was my best chance at survival.”
Carson pushed back from the table, going over to a desk and bringing back a map that he spread out. “Do you remember where the drop zone was from the lake?”
She nodded and began to examine the map, tracing a line from the lake toward Mason’s cabin. “I think it was right around here.”
“My guess is it was meant for a shifter—either Mason or someone from Otter Cove—maybe Mystic River. What do you know about the person who paid you to deliver it?”
“A guy named Tevryn. Big guy. Works for a place called the Phoenix Corp.”
“Let’s go see if Mason has some kind of communication system.”
“I don’t see anything except your cell phone, and there’s no reception.”
Carson grinned. “That’s because you haven’t seen my brother’s little armory, which also has all kinds of computers. I’m hoping there’s either something on them, or a satellite phone, or maybe even a shortwave radio. We need to talk to Zach or Deke.”
“And I need to get word to the Phoenix Corp and my assistant Phoebe. Do you think we can get the package?”
“Deke has scuba gear. I should be able to get down to it once the weather clears off a bit, but let’s talk to Zach and Deke before we do anything.”
He led her into the bath, removed the key from the vanity drawer and unlocked the small room. The overhead light turned on as they walked in, and Carson flipped on the computer system.
“Holy shit,” she breathed.
“That was my response as well.”
Carefully they began to examine the contents of the room. At first, all they found were weapons, most of which Amelia thought were illegal in the United States, as well as files and a lot of maps and data. Carson recognized some of the data as having to do with genetic research, but he would need time to decipher it properly. He was trying to figure out how to get them on the internet but was having trouble getting past Mason’s security protocols.
“Eureka!” she cried as she pulled out an old wooden milk crate and discovered a shortwave radio. Amelia removed the various parts from the crate and arranged them on part of the counter, hooking things together and plugging it in. “That’s odd.”
He swiveled around in the chair. “What?”
“There’s no place to tune to different frequencies. It seems to be set to one.” Lifting the mic to her mouth, she pushed the button. “Hello. Hello. Is there anyone out there?”
The static and crackle of the radio frequency waves indicated that something was happening. “Mason?”
Carson grabbed the mic. “Yeah. Who’s this?”
There was a deep, melodic chuckle. “No. Not Mason, but your voice is almost identical. I must be speaking to Carson. Shall I let Deke know you made it back to Mason’s cabin?”
“Who the fuck are you?”
There was another round of static and the radio, at least on the other end, went dead.
CHAPTER13
AMELIA
“Hello?” Carson said. “Hello?” Nothing. “Shit!” He slammed the mic down in frustration.
“It’s okay, Carson.”
“We don’t know that. For all we know that’s somebody on the other side that Mason’s been trying to infiltrate.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. He knew who you were; knew Mason had a twin brother, and knew you were supposed to check in with Deke. No. I think whoever that was, he’s the guy who’s pulling the strings on the side of the good guys.”
“It will take someone more than a few hours to hike or snowmobile up here…”
“Depends on where they’re coming from and how they get in. Some choppers can fly in pretty cold weather. They could bring them to the base of the mountain where the tree line starts…”
