Chapter 26

After Paige droppedthat bombshell about Stenberg’s actions, the team quickly dispersed, as if Mason’s friends were desperate to avoid the cloud of emotion, by drowning their feelings in work.

Avery knew the feeling well. But she didn’t have a specialty. She wasn’t even part of their team. Alone in the vast living room, she perched on the edge of a sleek couch. Even the spectacular view of Lake Washington seemed off, dimmed by the oppressive, low-hanging clouds.

She clasped her hands tightly in her lap as she tried to quell the rising tide of guilt and fear that threatened to overwhelm her. The group was scattered throughout Bridger’s futuristic mansion, each member silently going about their specific chores with a focused intensity that was both reassuring and unsettling.

Despite how she’d urged Mason not to wallow in guilt, she wasn’t doing a great job of taking her own advice. The operation played out in her mind, frame by frame. If only she hadn’t urged Mason to bring Paul. She should have dredged up enough evidence against Rain Bay after that first mechanic contacted her.

Her eyes drifted to Mason, who was pacing the terrace outside like a caged animal, his jaw clenched and his eyes hard with a silent, simmering rage. If she thought he was competent before, now she saw his deadly side in full force. It was equal parts frightening and reassuring, the way he seemed to have a wall around him, totally in professional mode with no emotions except for the barely-contained fury that radiated off him in waves.

She wondered how much of that anger was directed at her. She deserved every ounce of it and more.

She wanted to go to him, to offer some kind of comfort or apology, but before she could move, Graham appeared at her side.

He grabbed her arm gently. “Now’s not the best time. The guy needs space. Trust me. I’ve been where he is now. Nothing you say is going to help. You’ll only be putting yourself in the crosshairs.”

The man was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch Mason suffer in silence. Once convinced she’d stay put, Graham patted her arm and headed for the kitchen.

Suddenly, her phone chirped, breaking the heavy silence. She pulled it out with shaking hands. The video was grainy and soundless, but the image was clear enough—Paul, bound and gagged in an empty cargo container, his face bruised and his eyes wide with fear.

The accompanying text made her blood run cold.

BACK OFF THE CASE AND HE GOES FREE. NO COPS. NO FBI. YOU KNOW THE DRILL.

Her hands trembled so hard she dropped her phone. “G-Graham?”

By the time she bent to scoop it back up, he was at her side. He took the phone from her fingers and swore under his breath. “Yo, guys! We have contact.”

He held the phone up toward the terrace and waved Mason back inside.

Mason flew back through the door, hand out for her phone. An odd thing happened as he studied the screen. The anger drained from his face, leaving him looking almost peaceful.

That frightened her more than the emotion.

The others rushed in. Mason thrust her phone toward Paige. “Put it up on screen.”

Without a word, Paige took the phone to her computer. In seconds, she had the hideous video playing on the huge computer monitor that dominated one wall of the room. The team crowded around, their faces grim as they studied the clip for any clues or signs of Paul’s location.

“Can’t glean much from this,” Fenn said, his brow furrowed with concentration. “Light’s leaking in from somewhere, but no way to tell if it’s from a bulb or the sun.”

“It’s only been an hour since the abduction,” Tai pointed out. “Best guess is that he’s being held somewhere in the area. Could be an empty room. A basement. Anything.”

Not much of a clue. “That’s hundreds of miles of coastline. And millions of people.”

Hands on his hips, Graham shook his head. “Their demand makes no sense. How would they even know if Avery did stop investigating? They’re asking for something they’ve got no way to verify.”

Exactly what she was wondering. She’d never heard of such a nebulous ransom demand.

Mason paced in front of the screen. “Or this is a feint. They want something else.”

That had to be it. Ordering her to drop the investigation sounded plausible for half a second, but really, it was stupidly illogical. Graham was right. There’d be no way for her to prove she was walking away. Besides being idiotic. Once Paul’s abductors returned him––if they returned him––they’d lose their leverage.

Mason nodded, his expression grim. “That tracks. Not that I care. Once we rescue Paul, the answer won’t matter.”

As long as they found Paul before the kidnappers made their real demands clear.

Paige and Tai worked their keyboards, trying to trace the source of the video call.

“As soon as we have a location, we move out,” Mason said, his voice brooking no argument.

Fenn rubbed his hands together. “Copy that.”

With the exception of Paige and Tai, the team broke into a flurry of action. Duffle bags appeared from the guest rooms. Mason took off toward the back of the house, reappearing with his gear. Avery watched as he began packing and repacking the go-bags, his movements precise and methodical. She could see the tension in every line of his body, the fury and worry that radiated off him in waves.

She tried to work up the courage to approach him, to offer some kind of comfort or support, but before she could, his phone rang. She listened to his side of the conversation. Bridger calling to express his concern and offer his help.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Mason said, his voice clipped and cool. “We’ve got this handled.”

He hung up without another word, going right back to his obsessive packing. Avery noticed that he was reloading his handguns with real bullets.

“Are those necessary?” she asked, her voice tentative.

Mason’s eyes flashed with a cold fury that made her take a step back. “One hundred percent. All bets are off.”

Avery swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to reach him. “Mason, I understand how you feel. But using lethal force … it’s not the answer. We have to be better than them.”

He shook his head, his jaw clenched with stubborn determination. “This is my call. I’ll do whatever it takes to get Paul back safely. But I’d never take a kill shot when something else will do. You have my word on that.”

Frustration surged, mixed with a deep, aching sadness.

“I know what it’s like to feel responsible for someone else’s safety, to be willing to do anything to protect them. But Mason … this isn’t the way. We have to stay true to who we are, to what we believe in. Otherwise, what’s the point of any of this?”

For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes, a crack in the hard, unyielding facade he had put up. But then it was gone, replaced by a cold, emotionless mask that made her heart ache.

“Your concerns are noted,” he said, his voice flat and distant.

She forced herself to turn away, to focus on her own tasks and responsibilities. There would be time to deal with her personal feelings later, once Paul was safe and the mission was complete.

For now, all she could do was pray that they would find him in time, that they could bring him home without losing themselves in the process.