Behind the Lies (Montgomery Justice #2)(34)

He leaned forward against the pine rails. Knots from the hand-carved wood pressed into his palms. The crispness of snow tickled his throat. He couldn’t see the peaks through the surrounding forest, but he could feel their snow-covered majesty. If they could only hide him from the world, he might very well follow Jenna back into the house and beg her to stay.

A week ago, he wouldn’t have doubted his next move; he would have called the Company. But the cut across his chest remained a grim reminder of betrayal on that airplane. Once he made a phone call, no matter how secure his connection, they’d track him eventually. He could route through numerous towers to delay the tracking dogs, but he couldn’t hide forever.

A second bird joined in with the thrush, maybe a blackbird. The two very different species had quite a dialogue going on before one went silent. Not unlike him and Jenna. Two birds passing each other in flight, yet destined to travel alone.

Zach wished he didn’t care. He shouldn’t. She’d stolen his truck, run from him…tempted him in ways she shouldn’t. But he did care. He wanted her and Sam to be safe. To accomplish that, he needed information on Brad.

To get the data he needed, Zach had to hang in the wind—a big target nailed to his naked ass.

With a last look at the one place on earth he’d felt completely secure, he turned his back on serenity and walked inside. After locking the door, he did a quick check on Jenna and Sam before heading down the stairs, his footsteps heavy on the wood floors.

He entered the communications center, booted everything up, and connected his cell to the relay program.

A flurry of tones sounded after he entered in his access code. This should be interesting.

“Where have you been?” Theresa shouted through the phone, more concerned than he’d ever heard her.

Zach pulled the receiver away from his ear. “Lying low.”

Not exactly the truth. The trip to the clinic and being scoped out by tourists wasn’t exactly covert.

“They’ve cut you off,” she said tensely. “They discovered you were going through files you weren’t authorized to access, but I don’t know who ordered the block. You’re not helping me keep your job, Zach.”

He leaned back in his chair. His father’s files. About nine months ago, Luke had told the family that their father hadn’t been forthright about his military service. Zach had wanted to know why. He’d needed to know. He’d thought he’d been careful.

“I didn’t compromise national security, Theresa. And I already figured out someone cut me off. I tried to get into the system.”

A sailor’s curse escaped her. “You need to come in. If you stay AWOL too long, I can’t protect you.”

“I need a bit more than reassurance from the Company. Who got to those two pilots?”

He allowed the words to settle between them.

“I don’t know,” she said after a long silence. “I haven’t been able to discover who leaked your location in Turkey or who paid off the pilots, but I’ll keep pushing. It might go high up, Zach. I’m just not sure.”

He didn’t like the doubt in her voice. A few clicks sounded on the phone. He recognized them. Someone was listening. And not on his end. “Don’t say anything else,” he muttered and cleared his throat, a signal between them from way back. “What would you think if you were me?”

“I wouldn’t trust anyone,” she said, her voice understanding his hidden signal. “Not even me.”

She tapped a few keys and a small hum sounded. “Clear,” she said.

“I need information. Brad Walters. Who is he? I want deep background. ASAP.”

Silence lingered over the phone, and with no comforting birdcalls or quaking aspens in the background, only busy office mumblings. She muttered under her breath, phrases with so many four-letter words it would’ve caused his mother to rinse out her mouth with soap. The click-click of typing sounded. Zach smiled. Finally he’d get what he needed.

“What a white-bread guy,” Theresa mused. “Barely a blip. Which in itself is—”

“Suspicious.” Zach shoved his hand through his hair. “Dig deeper. I need to know who this guy’s contacts are, what he does for a living, his bank balance, and what he likes for breakfast.”

“You don’t ask for much. How long do I have?”

Zach glanced at his watch. “Nine in the morning.” Even Theresa couldn’t cut through enough red tape to arrange for transportation, get from DC to Denver and then to his cabin that quickly—if they’d been able to follow his signal. He studied the communication center’s control panel. He still showed green…meaning he hadn’t been tracked yet.

“What are you into, Zach? You’re not asking for information on who’s out to get you. This guy’s name comes from nowhere.” Her voice lowered. “Have you picked up another stray kitten? That could be as dangerous for your new pet as it was for Pendar.”

Ouch. She knew just where to hurt him, and she’d done it on purpose. She’d been part of his evaluation team when he’d twisted Seth’s arm into getting Zach into the Company. She knew his buttons. He wouldn’t mention Jenna. He’d keep her invisible until he could get her out of his life. “I’m not taking the bait. Just run Brad Walters.”