Rising Hope by Edie James
34
If Sarah’stale didn’t break Enzo’s heart, the guilt and shame wafting off her did.
How could he convince her that he didn’t care? How ever she’d been raised, whatever she’d done, didn’t matter to him. His parents taught him to see the good in people. It was the centerpiece of his faith.
The only version of Sarah he cared about was sitting across from him. The brave woman willing to risk her life to get dangerous drug merchants off the streets. That’s the woman he saw.
The woman he wanted to know better.
The others clearly didn’t share his charitable view. Jack and Austin had their arms folded across their chests, their expressions closed and unreadable. Star and Angie looked troubled. Ethan stared out the second story windows as if distancing himself from the whole thing.
How to get them to change their minds? From the guarded looks the team shared, it wouldn’t be easy.
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “There’s one more thing, Sarah. Want to explain your connection to Grayson Ames?”
Jack’s snarky tone made Enzo want to punch him, but Sarah tensed next to him, diverting his attention. Her body practically vibrated with stress. Jack’s accusation clearly shocked her.
For the first time, Enzo’s conviction faltered. He whispered a prayer, asking his Savior for patience, and wisdom. He needed to hear her out before he jumped to conclusions.
“Grayson’s the agent who believed in me,” she said, her voice uncharacteristically small. “He fought for me; got his supervisors to offer me the deal. He’s not involved in this. He’s a supervisor, but he’s assigned to the Louisville division. We haven’t worked together in over three years.”
“Then why have you been in contact recently?” Jack asked, accusation clear in his voice.
Her eyes widened in shock, but she covered it quickly. “Gray’s the only person in the agency I trust. I’ve had a bad feeling about this mission from the beginning. I asked him to check into a few things.”
Jack nodded stiffly. “And?”
“He came up with nothing. But he did notice that info around this op was unusually guarded. The last time we communicated, he warned me to be careful.”
Her expression shifted from annoyance, and fear, to concern. She fumbled for her phone. “If you traced our communications, someone else could, too. I have to warn him.”
No one stopped her. She put the phone to her ear but hung up quickly. “He’s not answering. I’m going to leave him a message on our site.”
While she thumbed her phone, Jack’s team members eyed each other, as if in silent debate.
His protective instincts aside, Enzo didn’t blame them for being cautious. They didn’t know Sarah. They didn’t know him, either, but Rollo and Emmie’s recommendations would go a long way there.
Sarah didn’t have anyone to stand up for her.
He smacked his palm on the table. “Guys, hey, what ever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Sarah’s had plenty of opportunities to set me up. She could have disappeared with millions in drugs and jewels and left me. Just because her background’s a little sketchy doesn’t mean—”
Jack put out a hand, interrupting him. “Whoa, there, bro. We’re not implying she’s part of this.”
“But you’re not sure she isn’t.”
Jack shrugged helplessly, looking to Austin for help.
“We’re just trying to stay aware of all the possibilities,” the big man argued. “That doesn’t mean we think she’s working with these sleaze bags. But it doesn’t mean we can ignore facts just because we don’t like them. You feel me?”
“I guess.”
He folded his arms over his chest, wishing he could make them see Sarah the way he did. He’d just have to have faith. Besides, these people had taken them in on nothing but his siblings’ words. They were good people. Brilliant people. People of faith. They’d come to the right conclusions in the end.
But would it be in time?
Angie, the FBI analyst, cleared her throat. “I’m thinking there’s a reason Sarah was chosen for this mission. Think about it. She’s the perfect fall guy.”
The truth of her statement hit Enzo hard. “If anything went wrong, they could blame her. Not hard to imagine a woman with her background disappearing with a shipment of drugs.”
Sarah set down her phone. She looked scared. Ready to run. “Like an extra insurance policy. If the jewels were discovered, they could blame that on me, too.”
The reasoning rang true, ramping up Enzo’s sense of urgency. They needed a break. Something to go on. Now, before whoever was behind this caught up with them.
The dirty facts of the case doused his normal optimism, threatening to suck him into a hopeless mire. At best, Commander Paulson wasn’t the man Enzo imagined. At worst, the guy was a thief, and a conspirator in murder.
Enzo’s head spun. He liked straight lines. Clear boundaries between right and wrong. Innocence and guilt. He felt like he was fighting his way through an unending wipeout, with no way to tell up from down, and no clear way out.
So he’d have to make one. But the one idea that sprang to mind was so crazy, he couldn’t see Sarah or the Knight Tactical team agreeing to it.
Not that they needed to. He could kickstart this thing on his own. Probably best if he kept the rest of them in the dark, anyway. Plausible deniability would work in Sarah’s favor. And Knight Tactical’s.
Yeah, this could work. If he had the courage to see it through.
Having a plan—even a stupid one—immediately eased the knot in his gut. He didn’t have to act on it yet. Maybe Ethan and Star would unlock some new info that would reveal the people at the top. Then they could mount a direct attack, lure out Panetta’s handlers, and end this thing.
The least he could do was give the team a couple more hours. But no more than that. He had a feeling Sarah had plans of her own. Her guilt over this mess of a mission was obvious. She was on the edge of doing something stupid.
No way he’d let that happen.
He reached for his unfinished donut and stuffed it in his mouth. The rush of fat and sugar danced through his body, delivering an instant jolt of energy.
Sarah picked up her phone again, and gasped. “Gray’s been hauled in for questioning. They made him take a lie detector test before they released him. He’s going dark.” She turned to the others. “He’s got a wife, and a newborn son. We have to find Panetta, and whoever else is responsible before people like Gray get hurt.”
A steel band tightened around Enzo’s lungs. He remembered when Wren, his niece, was an infant. He closed his eyes, calling up the memory of that tiny body squirming in his arms. The huge, trusting eyes. The soft, joyous coos that melted his heart.
To have evil threaten such innocence…
He forced his hands open, spreading his fingers so wide they trembled. This stopped now. There was no more time. Not an hour. Not a minute. Stupid or not, he had to act.
The buzz of disjointed conversations filled the room. Ethan and Star bent their heads over Star’s laptop, while Tamra and Angie conferred. Jack arched a brow at Austin, who slipped out of the room.
Knight Tactical was mobilizing, ratcheting things up another level. Much as Enzo had confidence in these folks, there simply wasn’t enough time to let them work their magic. Panetta and whoever he worked with, had every advantage.
And he knew literally nothing about secretive government agencies and running covert ops.
But he did know how to conduct an effective rescue under the worst possible conditions. Strap in, fly through the turbulence, and hold the aircraft steady while his team got the survivors to safety.
Only in this case, he wouldn’t be flying through a storm. He’d be creating one.