by Christi Snow
“They aren’t just coins?” Mudflap asked.
“Oh, no.” Quirk actually grinned in what could only be considered a gleeful manner. It was a little disconcerting. “These,” he held up the coin not under the microscope, “if they are what I think they are, are the finest in micro-GPS technology.”
“GPS? Should we be worried that we brought the coins here?” Shanae glanced around LiFT HQ.
“No, we have a dampening field around the whole building. Even if they were trackers, they couldn’t lead anyone here. But I don’t think that’s what these babies are.” He had some tiny tweezers that he used on the coin in the microscope.
“Bingo,” he whispered. “Come to Quirk, baby.” He withdrew the tweezers, the prongs now holding a tiny fleck of metal.
Both Shanae and Mudflap leaned forward to look at it. “What is it?” Mudflap asked.
“I’ll have to test it, but I think this may just be the key to blowing this case wide open. If my guess is correct, this is a transmitter and it’s sending out information that we need.”
Three hours later, Quirk had decoded the information within the chips from the coins. Each chip had a series of numbers sent out to four different phone numbers. The first coin’s series of numbers was 335835660 and the second coin had the number 1013450110. The general consensus was the numbers were some sort of code, but no one had been able to crack it yet. Quirk had several different computers working it for him.
From what Quirk had been able to ascertain from the coins and the chips, the transmission was activated by heat, which meant the signal only went out if the detonation was successful. There were a total of five phone numbers that the transmissions went to—three of those were the same on both chips. All the phone numbers were for throw-away cell phones, so they were at a dead end there.
The final game of the season was Friday and they all knew that if something was going to happen, it was probably going to happen then. They had to figure the puzzle out and they only had three days to do it.
Shanae
Shanae glanced down at her ringing cell phone and debated not answering it, but that was just asking for another unwelcome visit. She had enough on her plate this week already without Seth breathing down her neck. It had been a couple of days since they found the clues in the coins, but hadn’t made any further discoveries.
She pushed the talk button. “Hello, Seth.”
“Hi. I know you told me to stay away, but I just wanted to let you know I’m going to be in town on assignment this weekend. I’d like to see you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Mudflap knows about everything and I’m pretty sure we’re in a relationship now.”
The line grew quiet as Shanae waited for his response. She didn’t want to hurt him. At one point in time, she’d thought she’d spend the rest of her life with this man. He may be overbearing, but part of that was because he loved her. She knew that, but that didn’t change the fact they weren’t meant to be together.
His voice was quiet and subdued when he finally spoke. “Okay, I’m not happy about it, but I’ll accept that. For now. Just know that if you ever need anything…. Anything, baby girl, I’ll be there for you. Always.”
“Thanks, Seth, and I’m sorry.” She disconnected.
Week 10 (second half): Don’t Fumble Now…
Mudflap
By Friday, everyone’s nerves were frazzled because they were no closer to breaking the code than they’d been on Monday. The stadium was covered by local and Federal security personnel. Anyone who could be called in to help had been, but a pall of foreboding lay over this final game of the regular season.
Mudflap stood at the top of the stadium, scanning the entire venue as well as the vistas surrounding it where snipers could hide. He looked for any sign of danger or something out of place. Everything seemed normal. Satisfied with that for now, he headed down to the lower levels of the stadium. They were only two hours out from game time.
As he walked the stadium, keeping an eye out, his thoughts strayed to Shanae. The past couple of weeks, and nights, with her had been amazing. She’d spent almost every night at his house and while that had been great, he still had the niggling doubt about whether that would continue when this case was over. How much of her commitment was to him and their relationship? And how much of it was that she wanted to make sure TC stayed safe and she was just really good at her job? The doubts pressed at him.
It was just about kick-off time as he headed down the long hall from the training room. He pulled up short. Brooklynn, Stetson’s neighbor, was coming down the hall pulling against Riley who gripped her arm.
Mudflap slowed down in surprise. Riley hated the Red Raiders. There was no reason he’d want to come to a game and the fact that Shanae had been with him as part of her job at the Ball meant all the warnings in his brain went off. He’d never had time to pursue exactly why Shanae had been with him that night.
“Riley, I’m surprised to see you here.” He’d try the friendly tack and see if he could figure out what the guy was up to. He turned to the girl, who watched him with wide, scared eyes. “It’s Brooklynn, right?”
She nodded and her throat work as she swallowed.
The sheen of sweat on Riley’s forehead didn’t make much sense in the cool, December night air. He sneered at Mudflap. “I wish I could say nice to see ya, but you know…”
Yeah, Mudflap knew. There was definitely no love lost between the two of them.
Riley sidestepped impatiently. “We gotta get going.” His grip on the girl’s arm tightened and tears welled in her eyes. Something was definitely off here and there was no way he planned to let Riley drag her off.
He put a restraining hand on Riley’s arm. “I’m not so sure Brooklynn wants to go with you, Riley. Honey, are you still dating Benny?”
The tears spilled over her lashes as she shook her head. “No, he’ll hate me now.”
“Shut up,” Riley hissed as he shook her.
Mudflap saw red and practically growled. “Let go of her, Riley. I don’t think she wants to play with you.”
Riley’s smile was downright evil. “I’d like to see you make me, asshole. I really didn’t want to have to do this, but…” He shrugged negligently as he withdrew a handgun and placed the muzzle at the base of Brooklynn’s head.
Fuck. Mudflap knew better than to let his guard down, even in a situation where no one should have been armed within the stadium besides security. The corridor was completely empty, since the kick-off was about to happen at any moment. The good news was an innocent bystander, besides Brooklynn, wouldn’t get caught up in this mess. The bad news was there was no one else around to help with the situation.
Tears streaked down Brooklynn’s face. “Tell Benny I’m sorry.”
Riley laughed a dry, bitter laugh. “Oh sweetheart, you have no idea, do you? He won’t have any more of a chance to talk to your kinky-assed boyfriend than you will. Now, we’re all going on a little walk and no one is going to make a wrong move or else more than just you two will pay with their lives.”
Mudflap weighed his options. He didn’t know exactly what Riley had planned, but he knew if they left this empty corridor, the likelihood of someone else getting hurt went up exponentially. Whatever he did, though, he had to get Brooklynn out of the line of fire.
“Riley, let Brooklynn go. Whatever’s going on here, you and I can handle it without involving her. I’m sure she won’t say anything to anyone.”
“You think I’m an idiot?” Riley gripped her arm tighter. “I don’t think so. Now come on. Mudflap, you’re going to lead us out of here the back way. Brooklynn and I will follow. You make one wrong move and her brains are going to be all over you and these lovely cinderblock walls.”
Brooklynn whimpered.
Mudflap couldn’t figure out an alternative except to follow orders and hope he could distract Riley somehow. The only good thing was Riley didn’t know Mudflap had a gun holstered under his jacket. T
aking a deep breath, he focused in on the details of the hallway, looking for the advantage. He just needed a little thing to distract Riley so he could gain the upper hand. Adrenaline surged, but that just aided in his absolute focus.
As they moved slowly down the corridor, Riley instructed, “If we do happen to run into anyone, you both need to act normally so we don’t have to hurt anyone else. Okay?”
Brooklynn’s sobs echoed down the hall. Yeah, this looked perfectly normal. She was close to a complete meltdown. That could create enough of a distraction so he could risk taking the shot at Riley. Did he dare try it? If he didn’t, there was no doubt Riley planned to kill both of them.
“Where are you planning on killing us, Riley? How are you going to hide our bodies?” asked Mudflap, thinking hysterics from Brooklynn may be all the distraction he’d need.
“Shut up, both of you,” Riley hissed.
Mudflap glanced back to see Riley look behind him to check the corridor. This was his chance. Yanking the gun out of his jacket, he took a split second to aim at Riley’s shooting arm. Luckily Riley was a bodybuilder and much taller than Brooklynn. Even though she was in front of him, there was virtually no risk of hitting her instead of Riley.
Brooklynn saw the gun and screamed at the same time that Mudflap pulled the trigger. Riley fell back as the bullet hit him and red blossomed across his pectoral.
Brooklynn crumpled to the floor in sheer panic and terror as Mudflap rushed over to make sure Riley was disarmed. Almost immediately, running footsteps sounded down the corridor as stadium security responded to the gunshot.
Mudflap raised his hands as they came barreling around the corner. “I’m Mudflap Davidson. I’m part of the team staff and also here on behalf of DOD. Call Daniel from LiFT. Tell him I need him down here immediately.”
He crouched beside Brooklynn, still crying on the floor, but working to pull herself together. “Brooklynn, what happened? Why was he taking you?”
“They knew I was gonna tell. I couldn’t let them hurt Benny. In his locker. In his gym bag. They had me put it there. I don’t know what it is, but I think they want to hurt him.” Mascara tracked down her cheeks as she clung to his arm desperately. She began to hyperventilate.
“They said… if I didn’t, they would tell my dad what I do. My dad’s a preacher and… that would kill him. But it doesn’t matter now. Nothing matters, but Benny.”
She sobbed and pleaded with him as the trails of tears slid down her face. “Those guys…were bad news. You know, I could see it in their eyes. It was scary how dead and cruel their eyes looked. I saw the news today…and the way they were saying that someone’s been trying to hurt the team. I think maybe they’re trying to hurt Benny…or someone else from the team. Someone has to get his bag. Please. I couldn’t stand it…if anything happened to him because of me. They can destroy me. I don’t care anymore, but I love Benny.”
“Okay, hang on.” Mudflap triggered his walkie-talkie system they already had set up for the security personnel. He knew Daniel was on his way down, but they needed to deploy the explosives team to the locker room immediately. “Foxtrot Team, there is an Alpha situation. I repeat Alpha situation. Send teams to the Zulu location.” They’d set up pre-determined plans of action depending on the threat. This told the security that there was an issue within the team complex of offices and rooms.
Daniel arrived with Shanae right behind him. She immediately grabbed Mudflap around his waist as he explained what happened and what Brooklynn told him. Men escorted Brooklynn to a secure location while Daniel laid out the plan and relocated the personnel needed from the security teams.
Knowing the likelihood of something happening was high, they already had all the equipment they needed on site. An explosives robot went into the locker room and searched Benny’s locker, while the rest of them watched through the on-board camera system in one of the side conference rooms. Using cameras, they had Brooklynn watch so she could pinpoint the suspicious package. Once it was found, another robot went in.
Mudflap’s neck itched as he watched the slow work of the robots through the camera system. This brand-new technology was set up to disarm the bomb through sound-waves. Both Quirk and the explosives team swore everyone in the vicinity was safe, but with a stadium full of tens of thousands of innocent lives above them, Mudflap’s nerves were zinging.
Muffled noise from the beginning of the game filtered down through the stadium, but absolutely no sound could be heard in the room as the technicians worked with the two robots. Shanae’s worried eyes met his as she threaded her fingers through his and squeezed. The need to scoop her up and get her out of here and to safety overwhelmed him.
With little fanfare, the small wiry man running the bomb-defusing robot quietly said, “Okay, we’re clear.”
That was it? All he’d done was push a few buttons and that just wasn’t enough for Mudflap to feel secure that the bomb was now defused. But obviously, no one else in the room felt the same way.
Daniel began issuing orders. He turned to Colonel Barr first. “I need your boys to take the bomb, but I think it may hold another clue.”
The colonel nodded as Daniel turned to Quirk. “There’s probably a coin. Go find it, disturbing as little as you can with the package.”
Quirk nodded and headed toward the locker room.
Then Daniel turned to the room in general. “The rest of you need to head back to your posts. This may not be the only facet of this attack. Stay vigilant.”
Relieved, Mudflap didn’t understand why the tightness in his chest wouldn’t let go. He pulled Shanae into the hall and down the corridor to the supply closet where he tugged her inside. He needed just two minutes with her. In the Army, he’d spent a lot of time knowing his life could be forfeit at any moment, but never had he experienced the stab of fear and panic like just now, knowing Shanae could be at risk.
He loved her. How the hell did that happen? When did that happen? He had no idea. The only thing he knew for sure was the pressing need to hold her and feel her heartbeat, if only for a moment before they returned to their jobs.
She watched him quizzically, arching a brow, as he closed the door behind them. As he pulled her flush up against him, her breath hitched. He reveled in the feel of her breasts against his chest, her mound hot against the pulse of his erection. He didn’t plan to have a quickie here, but he needed to taste her, consume her if only for a moment. His lips pressed against hers, searching. He needed to know she felt something close to the same intensity. His emotions roiled within his chest, making it ache, begging to be let out. But it wasn’t the time for that. Instead he expressed his love for her through the press of his mouth against hers.
Finally, he relented and her sweet sigh warmed him. “Mr. Davidson, I do believe you have a kink for closets.”
“Darlin’, I have a kink for you.” He brushed one more soft, open-mouthed kiss across the freckle below her ear, glorying in the shiver that spread over her body.
“We have to get back to work,” he whispered in her ear. “But I want you to be careful.”
“Always.” She tugged him back to her. “And the same goes for you. We’ll continue this tonight in bed after Tech beats Kansas State.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
With one final kiss, they exited the room and went back to their security posts for the game.
It was the end of the first quarter and Tech was up by five points when Shanae came to him and pulled him out of the game. “We found the coin from Benny’s bag. You and I are ordered to go with Quirk to see if we can break the code. You know Grant’s father’s journals best. Maybe you’ll see something the rest of us won’t.”
Shanae
Back at LiFT, Shanae watched Quirk work on the coin. Mudflap had barely let go of her since leaving the stadium. Now he stood with his fingers threaded through hers, rubbing his thumb across her palm. It was soothing, but Shanae wasn’t sure which one of them he wanted to soothe, him or her? She was
surprised at how undone he’d come after the bomb squad finished. But she had to admit, she liked it. He cared.
It only took ten minutes for Quirk to access the chip in the coin. When he did, he gave them the code inside: 120620131935.
Shanae looked to Mudflap, who seemed to feel as confused as she felt. “More numbers. Do you see any kind of pattern?” she asked.
“No, but I think we need to go at this a different way. Let me think for a moment.”
While Mudflap mulled over what the numbers could mean, Shanae questioned Quirk. “Can you tell what phone numbers this should have gone out to?”
“No, I haven’t been able to get to that yet. That’s part of the program that’s heat activated and am worried about the device sending out the signal if I mess with that part of the chip too much.”
Mudflap stared at where Quirk worked. “We’re missing something here. We should be able to puzzle this out.” He glanced around the room. “Is there a whiteboard here that we can work on?”
“Sure, let’s move down to the conference room and we can use the one there.” Shanae gathered up the paper files and led them down the hall. Moving over to the white board, she erased the few notes that were on there and picked up the marker. At the top of the board, she wrote the three coin numbers.
“Okay, what things use numbers these long?”
“Serial numbers. Maybe they’re serial numbers for weapons or vehicles.”
“I think VIN’s always have letters in them, too, but they definitely could be some other sort of serial number. But then why would that information be important when the weapon was discharged?”
“Security codes or launch codes.”
A chill ran down Shanae’s spine as she looked at the numbers again. Those could be launch codes for missiles or nuclear weapons. They looked right. What the hell were they dealing with here? They had to figure this out.
