Reid's Deliverance (7 page)

A snort Reid couldn’t stop blew past his lips. The guy definitely had issues. Speaks always asked if someone had tailed him. The hacker never questioned how he could travel from Arizona to New York an hour after they’d talked on the phone.

“Yeah, I’m sure. What did you find?”

Speaks motioned for him to lean in. “I hacked further into Greenhill’s system. They’d buried it in a place they thought no one would find. Like my friend. The other day a woman went into his shop going crazy because her two-year-old kid had deleted documents from the family laptop. My guy found them, but he also dug up these files.” He shuddered. “It’s like I said—the government’s in on it. They put stuff in our food. They pump it into the water. They give us pills so we’ll watch reality shows that send out propaganda.” He jabbed his finger against his temple. “It gets into our brains so we won’t question shit and—”

“Get to the point.” Reid reined in the urge to strangle him. That’s what he got for trusting a guy who believed the CIA had brainwashed his mother into giving him an anal truth probe. “What did you find in what I gave you?”

“Emails and documents about one of Dent’s projects. Pairing the body armor with bionanotechnology. Molecules transfused into the blood that will make you guys superhuman.” Speaks’s eyes widened with excitement. “Hours without needing to breathe, cell regeneration, more brain power.”

Possibilities raced through Reid’s mind. Low-altitude jumps or long swims without breathing tanks. Injuries healed without the need for medical intervention. Experts trained in calculating strategy more efficiently. In short, the perfect warrior. “What’s the problem?”

“It’s not perfected. Dent wants more controlled testing in the lab. Greenhill higher-ups want to show off the new technology now to lock in a military contract with the Navy. It’s his baby, but Greenhill’s made it clear that they’re rolling out the upgrade with or without him.”

Apprehension trickled down Reid’s spine.
The admiral.
Fuentes had mentioned they were scheduled to impress him. Was the upgraded suit part of the demo? According to the file West had, the accident wouldn’t happen for two more weeks. Something could have changed the timeline and bumped it up. “How do I stop it?”

“Here.” Speaks yanked off his cap and fished out a blue paper. His auburn hair rose straight up in the wind as he handed it to Reid.

“451291218? What is this?”

Speaks pointed to the paper. “D” equals four, “e” equals five. “DELILAH. Get it? Not that original and weird since DELILAH actually helped take Samson down.” Reid’s lack of excitement must have faded Speaks’s smile. “I know. Get to the point. It’s the file number for the formula. If you want to save Samson, you have to wipe out DELILAH.”

“Any ideas about how to do that?”

“My guess is that it’s locked up tight. It may not be in the lab. I know I wouldn’t keep it there.”

He shouldn’t ask, but without the team, he had to brainstorm where he could get the input. “Where would you?”

“In a can. In my freezer.”

Yep. Shouldn’t have asked. “Can you hack into Greenhill’s security system at the base so I can get in the lab?”

Speaks snorted. “Of course. When do you want it done?”

“Tonight.”

* * * *

Reid leaned against the bar and nursed a beer. The local country dive wasn’t The Song, but it had its own worn-down charm. It appealed to the locals and military personnel stationed in Yuma. Cheers and shots of encouragement rose from the back room. Fuentes and Moore played pool while the rest of the Project Samson team watched. They’d invited him to play, but all he could think about was not failing them. He had to find DELILAH. Speaks claimed the best time to hack in was two in the morning. Waiting to hunt for the formula put him on edge. If he didn’t find it tonight, he’d have to search elsewhere tomorrow. Where? He didn’t have a clue.

Teri, the lab tech, strolled in and sat on the other side of the bar. She’d shed her work persona for a night out. The tight jeans and a low-cut blouse she wore captured male attention. Her gaze strayed his way, and she gave him a coy, I’m-interested look.

He pushed away from the counter. Company was the last thing on his mind, but he didn’t have a choice. He needed to find out more about DELILAH. She would know about Dent’s plans and the upgrades.

“Hey, Teri.” He leaned his elbow on the bar and propped his boot on the bottom of her stool.

“Hi, soldier.” Teri smiled. “Why are you hanging solo tonight?”

“Wasn’t planned. I guess I’ve been too busy to do anything about it. I have a lot on my mind.”

“Really?” She plucked a mini pretzel from a basket in front of her. “Buy me another beer, and I’ll listen to your life story.”

He signaled the bartender to bring her a bottle. “Personally, I think listening to you would be more interesting.”

She laughed. “Oh, no. I love a good mystery.”

Information worked both ways. He had to give it up to receive something in exchange. “All right, I’ll bite. What do you want to know?”

“Your tat.” She tugged up the short sleeve of his sky blue shirt. “Why a dragon with piano keys?”

“I played keyboard in a band when I was younger. I thought it was cool.” Close enough to the truth. He’d gotten the ink in his early twenties. She didn’t need to know he still played or that he’d chosen the image in honor of his grandfather.

“Are you a lifer in the army or just passing through?”

At the time of the helicopter accident in the desert and Dalir’s second chance, he’d just signed his re-enlistment papers. Now, he did the same work with Dalir, just with a better pay grade and no uniform. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The risk, never knowing what to expect, making a difference, it suited him. “Lifer.”

She leaned closer, not in an overt way but just enough to give him a better visual of her breasts. “Why did you volunteer for Project Sampson?”

He made himself peek at the glimpse of lace and waited for it. The surge of lust. The tingle in his groin. Nothing. “What’s your guess?”

She sunk her teeth into her full bottom lip as her gaze dropped below his waist. “Bigger, better toys.”

Nope. His cock didn’t even pop up and wave the slightly interested flag. He’d slept with women before on missions. They easily fit into the one-and-done scheme, but not this time.

Her gaze narrowed with a contemplative expression. “Who is she?”

“Who?”

“The woman who’s taken you off the market.”

Heat poured from his collar. “I’m definitely committed to staying single.”

She snorted. “Come on. I know that look. Fess up. You think about her all the time. No other woman measures up in comparison. When’s the last time you’ve seen her?”

Did his dreams count? On those occasions, his cock worked just fine. It was as if he could feel Lauren wrapped around him, taste her on his lips. More than one morning, he’d spent extra time in a cold shower waiting for his massive hard-on to subside. When he wasn’t dreaming about having sex with her, he was thinking of that cabin in Mazree. He’d even gone as far as searching out the place and phased to the cabin one lonely weekend. No one was there.

“She lives far away.”

Teri nudged him. “Does she know how you feel about her?”

“It’s complicated. Especially since I’m assigned to Project Samson. I have to stay focused on the here and now.” Time to change the conversation to more important things. He leaned in. “The new armor upgrades must be pretty intense. Dent seems worried.”

“You know that I’m buzzed, not drunk.”

He feigned innocence. “What do you mean?”

“You hotshots are all the same.” She chuckled. “Trying to get the inside scoop to give you an edge. It’s not a competition.”

Playing onto the ego factor, he shrugged. “Can you blame me? Navy is all amped up about showing off for the admiral coming next week. If they beat my time, you know I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Her gaze narrowed on him as if deep in thought. She crooked her finger for him to come in closer. “Only because I like you, and remember, you didn’t hear this from me…. The admiral moved up his visit. We’re doing the demo tomorrow afternoon, and Dent’s definitely not happy about it.”

Reid swirled the beer in his bottle and tamped down the tension in his gut. Damn. No time. He had to find the formula. Now. “So I guess since you’re not working late tonight, you and the techs have an early morning.”

She snorted. “You would think, but no. Dent’s handling it personally. He’s doing everything from the physical stat check for the guys doing the demo to suiting them up.”

“Why? What’s so important about the upgrades?”

“That’s the funny thing. We haven’t seen them. No schematics or specs. Nothing.” She shook her head. “Be glad you’re not in on this one. I wouldn’t want to demo something I only had a couple of hours to figure out.”

* * * *

In the darkened lab, Reid pulled his cell from the pocket of his black jeans and checked the time. Twenty-eight minutes after. Two more minutes before Speaks had to bring the alarm and video feeds back on line. The hacker did have his moments of brilliance. He’d also come through with the right codes to open the storage safes, including the one in Dent’s office. Unfortunately, he’d found no vials, tubes, or packets marked with the DELILAH code. If Teri was right about Dent, he’d probably transport it to work with him.

He made one last visual sweep. Assured he’d left nothing open or behind, Reid phased to his rented black SUV. Cars dotted the twenty-four-hour, superstore parking lot. No one noticed or cared about him suddenly appearing. He went inside, stocked up on energy drinks, and grabbed a premade deli sandwich and chips.

Parked near Dent’s house in a subdivision still under construction, he settled in. As he sat in the SUV, he searched the place through his binoculars. Someone was still up. Reid rubbed his gritty eyes. Double duty was starting to wear on him. He missed the benefits of working as a team. They all would have had assignments. He could have spent more time in the program, watching for clues. Colby would work on intel. Mace usually ran surveillance. Thane. He wouldn’t be there. He was too busy handling Celine.

Reid tossed the bag of chips aside. The team wouldn’t function the same, but they’d get the job done. As second in command, he had the same leadership style as Thane. He allowed the guys to take initiative. He also didn’t mind them respectfully sharing input.

While he was gone, they were combing through their last mission, trying to find answers. Where did the ball get dropped? What had they missed? Was Dalir mission ineffective when it came to providing the right supernatural intel? Dalir had the power to decide a lot of things, but if they made that determination about him, he’d have to confront him. As a incorporeal presence, Dalir couldn’t physically put boots on the ground to get things done. They put their asses on the line for him. If he messed up, they suffered.

He spotted Dent driving his gray Lexus out of his garage. The milky predawn added shadows to the quiet suburban street.

Reid sat up in the driver’s seat. As Dent turned right at the end of the block, he followed. After hours of energy drinks and boredom, expectancy surged blood through his veins. The landscape of subdivisions changed to open road. Cars sped by. Reid kept Dent’s car in view but stayed several vehicles behind. He couldn’t let the program manager out of his sight. Dent either had DELILAH with him or planned to pick the formula up on the way. Eventually a window would open to phase in and scoop it up. Or he’d make one. He’d phase the formula back with him. West had an expert on standby to diffuse the nanotech.

They merged onto the interstate. Pre-rush-hour traffic sped freely down the lanes. A tractor-trailer carrying a load of long pipes blew past. Shutters shook the wheel. Brake lights flashed one after the other in front of him. The solid hit of fiberglass and breaking car windows kicked up his heart rate. Wheels squealed on the pavement. Cars veered and spun out of control.

Shit.
Reid steered away from the collision. The SUV vibrated as it crossed over the rumble strip. He jammed on the brake and jerked to a stop. He got out the car. The odor of gas and burned rubber permeated the air. Reid ran toward the three-car pileup and the tractor-trailer.

A large metal pole crushed the hood of the Lexus near the windshield.

Blood dripped from the side of Dent’s head and over his closed eyes. The dashboard trapped his legs. They’d have to cut him out.

Reid opened the driver’s side door. “Frank, it’s Sergeant Montgomery. Can you hear me?”

A dark haired woman ran to Reid’s side. “Ambulances are on the way.”

Dent groaned. “DELILAH.”

Reid’s heart galloped. “Where is she, Frank? Stay with me. Is DELILAH in the car?

“In the back.”

“There’s no one else in the car,” the woman said. “He must be delirious.”

“Keep him talking.” Reid opened the back driver’s side door. A metal case lay on the floor. Sirens wailed in the distance. He couldn’t do anything more for Dent. Reid snagged the case. As he sped into the golden tunnel of the phase, wetness spilled on to his hand. A fiery sensation raged up his arm and boiled in his chest. Still he held onto the case. Even as a cold brush of energy shoved him into darkness.

The future

“I’m okay. I can handle this.” Lauren adjusted her cellphone next to her ear. She took the suitcase out of the trunk of her car.

“I know. It’s not that I think you can’t.” Ari sighed. “I just hate that you’re up there alone. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Almost two years had passed since her father had died from a heart attack. Him leaving her the cabin in his will was as unexpected as his death. Caretaker’s fees strained her bank account. The Realtor’s inquiry about selling had prompted her to act. She’d gathered her courage to face what he’d left behind, hopefully answers.

Lauren hefted the strap of her carry-on over her shoulder. “Yes. It’s time.”

“All right, but don’t forget to text me. Otherwise, I’ll have nightmares about some wild animal carrying you off into the woods. I’m serious. If I don’t hear from you at least once a day, I’m calling the police.”