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“Daht,” Ryan replied “At top speed We’ll brief Casey as we drive I want to get back ASAP so I can have access to all ical resources Meanwhile, I’ll be in the back of the van, subtly hacking into Homeland Security”

“To see if there’s more on Slava,” Marc stated

“Yup The DNA needs to go to a criovernencies have on him So if not Homeland Security, there’s the NSA, the DMV…”

“I get it”

Ryan grinned “By the ti about Slava

, including his jock size” A quick glance at Emma “Hey, brat, are you all set?”

Eia “Not until I change into norrabbed her backpack and a towel and headed for the bathroom “Give me five”

Burlington, Vermont

Max sat in his study, his hands clenched tightly on the desk in front of hie from yesterday had been eclipsed by reality and the difficult decisions he had toShannon Barker had not only been unsuccessful, it had opened the door to major questions, complications, and the potential for dire consequences

The episode itself would have been salvageable if the Barker girl hadfollowed and taken off At worst, she would have taken her suspicions—and that’s all they would have been—to the police, ould have shooed her off like an annoying fly After all, she’d just been interviewed by two Chicago cops She’d clearly given theer So resurfacing again, claiet of soination

But that wasn’t what had happened The fact that someone was after Shannon Barker had been validated and the kidnapping atteuy as clearly safeguarding her and who carried a gun

That raised the red flag question Why did Shannon Barker have an aruard? She er And that , provable or not It alsoto Julie Forman and her friend, Miles Parker Did they also have a security detail watching them?

And as orchestrating all this? It had to be professionals Which made the threat to Max even more problematic

This was a ticking time bomb And when it exploded—well, Max couldn’t risk any of the burning e down on him

He picked up his cell phone and pressed the familiar number