Chapter 14

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

Heidi drew in a deep breath as she wrestled with her thoughts. As she wrestled with each new bit of information. As she wrestled with comprehending the scope of what was going on.

"I wish I had my computer with me, and I could be a little more precise. I had it with me in the car with Donald when—" Her voice cracked, and she couldn't finish the statement.

She didn't want to think about Donald. The only thing that brought her comfort was in knowing he'd been unconscious after the accident. That meant he hadn't known the explosion was coming. Maybe he hadn't suffered.

"What about this update?" Stephen narrowed his eyes as he studied her.

"I got an email from Monarch."

Stephen and Gage exchanged another glance.

"He's desperate to get in touch with Rafferty, but it sounds like Rafferty is ghosting him. I know the two are as thick as thieves. They talk all the time. I can't help but feel like something is wrong."

Stephen frowned, his gaze hardening. "I worked Monarch's protective detail more than once. The man is either powerful, doing something illegal and damaging, or both."

"From what I remember, he faced numerous threats from people who weren't happy with him and his business," Heidi told them.

"That is interesting, but I'm not sure how his email will help us," Stephen said.

"There's more." Heidi squirmed in the uncomfortable wooden chair. "He mentioned that he needed to talk to Rafferty about the commander."

"Who is the commander?" Gage asked. "Commander Davis?"

"That's the thing. I have no idea." She raised her palms up, showing they were empty, that she had no answers.

Stephen's eyes narrowed. "It seems weird that he would mention that to you, almost like he wanted to say just enough to scare Rafferty into action."

"You're probably right. I thought the whole thing was strange." She withdrew her arms and crossed them over her chest as she leaned back in the uncomfortable wooden chair.

"We need to figure out who this commander is." Stephen tapped his finger on the table. "He could have the answers we need."

"It's going to be hard to track him down if we don't know any more information," Gage said.

Stephen glanced at Heidi again. "That's where you can come in."

She slowly nodded. "Maybe. But I'm not sure exactly what I can do."

"I've got a few ideas." Stephen's gaze locked onto hers. "If you're willing."

"Let's hear them." At this point, Heidi had no other choice.

If they didn't find out answers, they all could lose their lives.

Stephen and Gage spent the next two hours questioning Heidi. They tried to find out anything she might know, even things she might not realize she knew.

She knew the schedules of all the operatives. Knew what kind of jobs they'd done. Knew where several of them were now.

But unfortunately, she didn't share anything that helped them find Rafferty or figure out who the commander might be.

Finally, they took a break for lunch. Gage had brought a few groceries with him in the van. He carried them inside, and they made peanut butter sandwiches to eat with chips.

It was better than nothing.

Stephen knew they couldn't stay at this house long. Staying here wouldn't help them find the answers they so desperately needed.

What they needed was a game plan on how to find out more information. He'd hoped Heidi might be able to help with that—and she had been helpful.

Either way, bringing Rafferty down was one of their first priorities. Until he was taken care of, he would remain a threat to all the men who'd been through Project Elevate. Plus, there was the fact other men were out there, men who had flunked out of the program because of compromised moral compasses.

Those were the men who'd do anything Rafferty asked. That made them dangerous, especially considering their skillsets.

"You guys, we've got a problem," Gage muttered as he stood near the window.

Stephen rose from his seat. "What's going on?"

"There's movement outside."

Heidi sucked in a breath. "Did those men find us here?"

"Someone did."

"How is that even possible?" Stephen muttered.

"We'll figure that out later." Gage dropped the curtain and hurried back toward them. "Right now, we need to get out of here."

"Should we head to the van?" Heidi asked.

"No, we're going to have to escape on foot," Gage said. "And we need to leave now."