Page 96 of Jonas

“Don’t fuck with me, Derrika. Your kitten claws might sting but I’ve got weapons you could only dream of having.”

Now that I believed. I didn’t doubt that if Lore so much as caught a whiff someone was trying to get close, she’d lash out, and do it to cause maximum pain.

The door to the basement swung open. Jonas appeared in the doorway. His blatantly angry gaze landed on Lore, then it came to me—no less angry, but clearly not aimed at me.

Fucking cameras.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The vibe in the basement was weird.

Could’ve been due to Derrika and Lore’s conversation outside and everyone wanting to kick that ball further down the road and suss out what an offense would look like.

Could’ve been, I wasn’t the only one unhappy with Lore essentially threatening Derrika.

Could’ve been, we lost access to the Peterson home when the neighbor called in hearing gunshots and the police arrived before we could get anything.

Could’ve been, that Lou’s driver was dead and he was our only lead to finding out who Keith Mitchell was.

Could’ve been, that with Anson and Lou dead and Karen White and her husband on the run, we’d lost valuable witnesses.

Could’ve been a mix of all of that, plus Zane’s upcoming meeting with POTUS, and Trent Graham being a wild card.

“You’ve got ten minutes until I leave for DC,” Zane boomed. “Let’s talk offense.”

I should’ve known there would be no hesitation from Derrika.

Regardless of Lore’s threat before they’d come down to the basement, Derrika stepped closer to Lore and launched right in.

“We’re playing defense, and by doing that we’re playing into their hand. They want us distracted, right? Chaos, fear, disorder. As long as we play their game they get what they want, and then when they have the US cowed and scared, they take what they really want.”

Zane nodded. “What’s offense look like to you?”

“Call them out.”

Kira, who had been typing away, stopped and looked at Derrika.

“Call the Chinese out?”

“Yes. President Graham needs to publicly call them out.”

“Um. Yeah,” Nebraska started. “That would cause chaos, fear, and disorder.”

“Controlled chaos,” Lore entered the conversation. “Derrika’s right. The Chinese need to know, the President knows who’s responsible. He needs to force their hand.”

Everyone in the room except Derrika gawked at Lore. Well, Theo didn’t gawk, he frowned. But Smith, Easton, Kira, Nebraska, and Zane all looked at her like she’d grown a third eye and was wearing a clown suit.

“And if their hand includes nuking us?” Theo inquired.

“They’re not going to nuke us.” Lore sighed. “This is a power play, not the beginning of Armageddon.”

“I agree with Lore,” Derrika put in. “They want Senator Rutte in the Oval, not to start a war. They’re using Maddon’s blueprint as the diversion. Whatever the Pentagon was storing on the Delcon servers, it’s the plot point we’re missing. One of the thirty-four defense agencies working there has specific high-value intel the Chinese need. They invested a lot of time and money into infiltrating Delcon.”

“I don’t disagree,” Easton said. “Right now it looks like they have a clear path. But like any operation, they’ll have contingencies. And one of those could be a military assault. It doesn’t have to be nuclear. There are other effective ways to attack us.”

Derrika was nodding her head.

“Agreed. But I still think the best way forward is offense. Force them to operate in the light. Put them on notice. We need them on defense, wondering when the US is going to strike back.”