“Don’t feel too honored. Apparently, she throws that word around as easily as nicknames,” Carter said.
“No,” Ally said, shaking her head. “This time I mean it.”
She turned toward Carter, smiling widely.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her.
“You’ve figured it out,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“I have,” she said. “Mason, I need your computer.”
Mason handed it over without hesitation.
Ally went to the table in the corner and had a seat. It only took her a few seconds to plug in the drive and pull up all the relevant files, so she could click through them one by one.
Carter put his hand on her shoulder as he looked down at the computer. Mason, Rhys, Jake and Bowie all crowded around her as best they could.
“So, six months ago Fuller introduced a bill to the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee for a body armor and ballistic defense system,” she started. “The contract, of course, would have gone to Allied Dynamics. But it was shot down for being too expensive.”
“I’m guessing that probably didn’t go over well with Fuller,” Bowie said.
“I doubt it,” Ally said, pulling up the quarterly projections report. “It would have been nearly a half billion dollar contract. That same amount that shows up in this report, which was drawn up three months later and is scheduled to take effect next month. Odd, right?”
“Yeah,” Jake agreed behind her.
“But here’s where things get really interesting.” She pulled up another set of accounts. “This is a wire transfer from an account held by known Afghani terrorists into an anonymous offshore account that they just happen to have the information for inside Fuller’s office.”
“So, Fuller is taking bribes?” Jake asked.
“That’s what I thought at first, too,” Ally said. “But I think it’s a hell of a lot worse than that. He’s selling information.”
“What information?” Carter asked.
“I couldn’t figure it out at first. Not until Rhys talked about Mason giving away our location,” she continued on. “See, there is all this information about Special Forces and covert operations in here. That’s what Fuller was selling—the secret locations of Special Forces teams.”
“But the money from the terrorists is only a fraction of the money from the body armor bill,” Bowie pointed out.
“That’s because the terrorist money doesn’t mean anything. It’s throwaway money,” she explained. “Fuller’s play is the bill. He sold the location of one of these teams so that those soldiers would be slaughtered. And when that headline blows up, he is going to go back to his subcommittee and throw it in their faces. He’ll be on every major news organization shouting that the only reason those men died was because his bill didn’t pass the first time around. I guarantee you no one will vote that bill down this time.”
A tense silence filled the room.
“Are you sure?” Carter asked after a long pause.
Ally turned and looked him in the eye.
“I am,” she said.
The same hard expression that she’d seen on Carter’s face when he’d been dealing with their attacker earlier, was back.
Ally glanced around the room and saw a similar cold determination in every single face. She had the feeling that what she’d discovered had cut these guys down to the bone. She might joke and grumble at their bullheadedness, but she knew there wasn’t a one of them that wouldn’t have given his life in service to his country, and the thought that one of the country’s leaders was willing to sell out their brothers was the worst kind of betrayal.
But at least, now that Ally knew what she was dealing with, she could stop him.
Except, Ally had the feeling she was getting ahead of herself. She didn’t have everything. That bastard, Lucas Addams, was right. She was missing a piece.
“The only thing I can’t figure out is who Fuller was planning on selling out,” she said. “There’s nothing in Harvey’s files that tells me which one.”
“Maybe he didn’t know,” Rhys said.
Ally shook her head. “Lucas Addams said Harvey had access to everything about the plan. Everything. It was on that flash drive, but it’s not here.”
“Charlie said she copied everything off of that disk,” Carter said.
Ally shrugged. “She must have missed something. If not, Fuller’s men wouldn’t be after it now.”
“Easy, call and ask her to go through it again,” Jake said.
“No,” Bowie said, his voice so low it practically rumbled the floorboards. “We’re not pulling her into this any deeper than we already have.”
Jake put his hands up. “Easy, man.”
“Besides she didn’t come into work today,” Bowie said. “I told her to stay home. I had a feeling trouble was coming.”
Ally’s eyes lit up. “So, there’s still a chance the drive is at the office.”
Mason crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You mean the one that’s crawling with Fuller’s men.”
“It can be done,” she said. She looked up into the eyes of the five most skeptical faces she’d ever seen. She tilted her head to the side. “Hey, I got past all of you didn’t I?”
She smiled at their silence.
“Not me,” Bowie said.
“Don’t sell the lady short yet. The night’s still young,” Mason said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Jake straightened his shoulders as he looked at Carter. “I guess that means we’re going to need a plan, Captain.”
“Wait,” Ally said, looking up at them. “You’re coming with me?”
“You didn’t think we were going to leave you alone to have all the fun on your own did you?” Mason asked.
Chapter Fifteen
Ally looked at the building as Carter pulled the truck up to the curb. Her stomach started to churn at the sight of all the lights burning in the second story windows of Macmillan Security.
Intellectually, Ally had come to terms with the fact that the building wouldn’t be empty. The cops might have left, but Lucas Addams wasn’t about to leave the place completely abandoned. He would have left at least a few guards behind.
Her emotions, on the other hand, those were another story. Fear kicked into high gear, and her heart started to hammer inside her chest. Ally wasn’t sure she could take another run in with Allied Dynamics’ goons. Every time they’d met had ended in gunfire. This last time people had died. She knew it was only a matter of time until one of the people that got hurt was someone she cared about.
Ally’s hand shook as she reached for the door handle. She drew in a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves as she stepped down onto the pavement. The last time she’d been this scared, she’d been about to walk into Fuller’s fundraiser. And she’d done all right on that one.
Only because she’d found Carter…or he’d found her.
The important thing was he was with her now.
And he’d brought a damned army with him.
Ally wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. She certainly understood why all the guys had volunteered to come along. Just like she knew there was no way that she would be able to keep a single one of them away. But from their position on the pavement, there was no way of knowing if she was leading everyone straight into a trap.
And if one of Carter’s men ended up getting hurt because of her…
Ally couldn’t even think about it. The guilt would be too much to bear.
She tamped down the fear. But this wasn’t about her. This was about the men and women in uniform halfway across the globe that were about to be led to the slaughter. For them she would be brave.
The rest of the team stepped out of their vehicles, each one giving her a small nod of acknowledgment as they strode toward the front door of the building. The small gesture revived some of her courage.
These guys might not love her, but they had her back. The least she could do was get h
er head in the game.
Ally clapped her hands together as she turned toward Carter. “You ready?” she asked.
The corners of his eyes tilted up even as his brows arched. “Are you?”
Ally shrugged her shoulders. There was no use lying to him. He knew her too well.
“I’m ready for this to be over,” she admitted.
“Then let’s go,” he said, slipping his hand into hers and leading her toward the back of the building.
“Do you think Fuller’s men know we’re here?” Ally asked as Carter opened the emergency exit door.
“I would,” he said. “So, we have to expect that they do too.”
“How about the cops? How long do you think it will be before they arrive?”
Carter glanced at her over his shoulder as they took the steps two at a time. “Not more than a couple of minutes, if we’re lucky.”
Ally raised her brows. “So now the cops are our friends?”
“They are the moment you get the information you need off that flash drive.” Carter stopped at the second floor door that led into his offices. “Fuller might have a few dirty cops in his pocket, but he doesn’t have the whole force. Not even he has the power to stop the truth getting out.”
“You’re assuming I’m right about the missing information,” she said, her voice suddenly not so steady. Uncertainty plagued her. It was easier to make decisions when she was the only one that had to pay the consequences.
Carter turned toward her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “You are,” he said. There wasn’t a trace of doubt in his voice.
Ally nodded as he cracked open the door. She held her breath as he looked down the hallway. The longer he peered into the crack the harder her heart pounded. She only exhaled when a minute later he swung the door open and stepped onto the carpeted floor of the offices.
She stayed a step behind him as he slowly started moving down the hallway, looking into every office and cubicle that they passed. The lights might have been on in every room, but each one was empty. Ally’s anxiety grew with every step.
She didn’t know much about combat or covert missions, but if anything had ever felt like an ambush, this was it.
It wasn’t until they were halfway down the hall that she heard footsteps. They were light, barely audible, as if someone was sneaking around, but they were definitely there.
Carter pulled her into the nearest open office, and Ally held her breath as he peeked around the corner. A second later, she heard him sigh.
“It’s my guys,” he said, stepping out into view.
“What?” Ally asked. Even though she knew there was no way he would lie about such a thing, she still poked her head around the corner to check before she followed.
And, sure enough, there were all four guys at the other end of the hallway.
Ally cocked her head to the side. “How did you guys get up here so fast?” she asked.
“There was no one to stop us,” Jake said with a shrug.
“What?” she asked. She’d thought that she’d heard him just fine, but she couldn’t have. There was no way that Lucas Addams would leave the place completely unguarded.
“He’s right,” Mason said.
“Maybe they’re just hiding,” she tried. Unsure why that scenario was any more comforting than the steadily growing sense of unease in her belly.
“We didn’t see a single soul downstairs,” Mason said. “Even the front door was unlocked.”
Ally looked over at Carter. That didn’t make any sense. “Why would Lucas abandon the place?”
“He wouldn’t,” Carter said, shaking his head. His face turned grim. “Not unless he’d found what he was looking for.”
Ally cursed under her breath. She closed her eyes as dread washed over her. She refused to believe it. They couldn’t have come all this way, fought through the past few days, just to have everything that they worked for swiped away from them at the last second.
Without saying a word, Ally turned on her heel, and ran toward Charlie’s office.
“Ally,” Carter shouted after her.
But she didn’t stop. She grabbed hold of the molding outside of Charlie’s door and swung herself inside.
Ally sucked in a shaky breath as she came to a stop in the middle of the room. The place was ransacked. Drawers were flung open. Papers were strewn on the ground. They’d even upended the poor woman’s plants.
Obviously, Lucas Addams had done his homework. He had to know who Charlie was and where to focus his search for the flash drive.
Ally’s hands flopped at her side as her head fell forward. She didn’t want to believe it, but it looked like Carter was right. Lucas Addams had found the drive. The fight was over.
She might have enough to bring down Fuller in the papers, but it would be a hollow victory if she couldn’t save those soldiers’ lives.
A moment later, Ally felt Carter’s hands wrap around her shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he said.
She shook her head. She refused to give into the self-pity that was running through her. No one needed to be sorry for her. This wasn’t about her. It had never been about her.
“I wouldn’t give up just yet,” a gruff voice said from behind her. Ally turned to see Bowie push his way to the front of the pack. He walked up to the desk in the middle of the room. “Charlie’s got a few tricks up her sleeve.”
Mason peered over the top of Charlie’s bank of computers as Bowie pulled open a drawer. “She has hidden compartments in her desk?”
“We all have secrets,” Bowie said cryptically as he pushed his hands deep into the drawer. Ally heard two hard clicks. She moved closer, stepping around the front of the desk.
“Secret compartments that only you happen to know about?” Mason asked, his brows arching.
Bowie lifted his head. His expression was as hard as stone. “What are you implying?”
“Nothing,” Mason said, raising his hands. “No one has ever implied anything when it comes to you and Charlie.”
“And if they know what’s good for them, they never will,” Bowie growled, his tone bordering on feral.
“Gentlemen,” Ally broke in. “Can we reschedule this pissing contest for a little later? We’re kind of in the middle of something.”
“Yeah, no problem,” Mason said, turning his back and walking casually away.
Bowie stared daggers at him for another second before pulling a small wooden box from the desk. He flipped open the top before turning it over. Harvey’s flash drive tumbled out onto the desk.
A rush of air filled Ally’s lungs at the sight.
She turned to Bowie, beaming. “Thank you.”
The grimace from his face faded a bit, and Ally had the feeling that was as close as the man came to smiling. “You’re welcome.”
She switched on one of Charlie’s computers and a hushed silence fell over the room as they waited for it to power up.
Ally’s head snapped up as a faint metallic clink sounded from deep within the building. At least, she wasn’t the only one feeling jumpy. All the men stiffened too.
Carter gave a pointed look to Jake and Rhys. Apparently, that was all the communication they needed, because the pair disappeared into the hallway.
Ally tried not to think too hard about what they were going to find out there. She needed to focus on what was in front of her.
Finally, the little color wheel stopped turning on the computer screen and the desktop sprung to life. Ally didn’t waste any time plugging in the drive and clicking on the icon. All the files that Charlie had passed along to her appeared on the screen.
Ally recognized each one of them. She opened the individual files, but there was nothing that she hadn’t already seen. She knew all of this. Every last bit.
There was nothing new on the drive.
So what the hell was Lucas Addams talking about? What was the missing piece? What was she missing?
“There’s nothing here,” she muttered, flipping frantically
between the files.
Carter slid his hand over hers. Only then did she realize how much she was trembling. “It’s there, Ally,” he said. “You just need to take a deep breath and give yourself a chance to see it.”
She tried. She closed her eyes and drew in a shaky breath. Then a less shaky one. When finally her chest didn’t shake when she exhaled, Ally opened her eyes again.
Carter was right. The answer was there. It had to be. She just needed to let herself see it.
One by one she clicked the files closed, as she confirmed that she already knew everything that was in them. Until all she was left with was an empty desktop and the disk icon.
The icon.
The copy Charlie had given her had simply been named Copy. But that was obviously the name Charlie had given it. This one had a different name.
ODA1213
Ally stared at the code. That’s what Charlie had missed.
It wasn’t something on the disk. It was the disk itself.
It had to mean something. Harvey had left nothing to chance. He certainly wouldn’t give a random name to the drive that was so important that it had ended his life.
But for the life of her, Ally didn’t know what it was.
“Does ODA1213 mean anything to you?” she asked the room.
Carter, Mason and Bowie all nodded in unison.
“It’s the name of a Special Forces team,” Bowie said.
“ODA stands for Operational Detachment Alpha,” Mason added. “The numbers tell you which team.”
Carter leaned in closer over Ally’s shoulder. “In this case it would be the 1st Special Forces Group, 2nd Battalion, Alpha Company, 3rd team.”
Ally clicked on the classified Department of Defense file, and scanned down the list. About halfway down she saw it.
ODA1213.
She pointed at the screen. “There it is,” she said. “We’ve got it.”
She turned toward Carter and threw her arms around him. They’d done it.
His arms encircled her waist and she melted against the heat of his chest. For just one moment, it felt so good to not have the weight of the world hammering against the inside of her skull.
Unfortunately, it was only a momentary break.
Carter: The Sinner Saints #1 Page 16
