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When he was done, he chucked the phone on the table and looked at his protégé.
“Is she gone?”
“At the curb getting into a silver Toyota.” Zane wasn’t surprised at Kira’s ready answer. He knew she’d be watching the security cameras. “Registered to Seth Greenbrier,” Kira went on as her fingers clicked on her keyboard. “He’s on file at both Lyft and Uber. As well as RideConnect.”
“Any idea where she’s headed?” Jonas asked.
Kira lifted her eyes to narrow them on her teammate. “I was getting to that. She bought a ticket out of BWI to MIA. Flight leaves in two hours.”
Smith let out a low whistle. “Cutting it close.”
Zane didn’t have to look at his brother to feel the waves of hostility overtake the room when Linc saw what was on the screen.
“So is it true?” Linc spat.
“Is what true?” Easton asked as he reentered the room behind Linc.
There was no missing Easton’s biting tone. He wasn’t happy Zane had sent Nebraska Michaels away without hearing her out. Nor had he missed Easton’s reaction to the woman. Not that Zane could blame him. Even the most committed man—and Zane was committed—could miss Nebraska’s extreme beauty. But he knew that wasn’t what Easton had been drawn to, at least not fully. The woman was ballsy and confident but she couldn’t hide her underlying fear, not from any men in the room and especially not from Easton. Yet she hadn’t backed down, turning that fear into bravery. A trait every person in the room respected.
This was not going to end well.
Not for the future of Z Corps.
Not for Zane personally.
“Seems so,” Zane answered his brother.
Linc blew out a breath and took a seat at the end of the table.
“Will one of you please clue us the fuck in on whatever you’re talking about?” Theo grumbled.
Zane felt that all too familiar clench in his gut.
The one that told him a mission was going tits up.
“Pull up the Candy Apples files.” A moment later more folders appeared. “Open the mission brief.”
Then with his eyes locked with his brother’s, Zane Lewis did something he never thought he’d have to do.
Explain how he was out-played, out-maneuvered, and outsmarted by Nebraska’s mother.
FIVE
The room braced.
There was no other way to describe the atmosphere other than tense.
Zane was giving off cataclysmic vibes. Lincoln’s energy was only a notch down from that.
“Candy Apples or OPLAN 3033 was an intelligence gathering operation. Find a man who claimed he had information on a coup and if need be, relocate him and his family,” Zane launched in.
“When was this?” Cash asked, even though the brief was on the screen.
“Haiti, after the earthquake. Right before the elections.”
Without looking at the brief Zane went on by rote, “Earthquake, mismanagement of relief funds, fraud, cholera outbreak. Once again the country that had never been stable was more unstable. The elections were coming up and it was becoming clear Martelly was going to win. Word was there was going to be a revolt. The concern was there would be a replay of the 1991 coup. Intel was making its way back to Washington that this threat was viable. My assignment was to escort a base chief and a CO into Sun City, find the brother-in-law of a gang leader and get him and his family to safety in exchange for information on the coup.”
“Who was the base chief?” Jonas asked.
