Operation Zulu Redemption: Act of Treason - Part 4 Read Online Free Page B

Boone said. “How did a company going under suddenly recover? Not just recover, but soar into the billions with profit returns?”
    “Exactly.” Trace returned to the head of the table. “Our problem is figuring out who’s selling the weapons to them.”
    “And that is where I’m hitting a brick wall,” Houston said. “There is a highly encrypted file on that computer that I have not been able to break into. I believe that file will give us what we need to figure out the coded references attached to each entry.”
    “That’s the jackpot,” Boone said. “That person, that company—whatever, they’re responsible for murdering three of our team. They’re the ones out there right now, trying to lob off the rest of our heads. And with Keeley being poisoned in her hospital room, it’s clear they are actively pursuing each of us, still.”
    “Wait,” Nuala said, pushing up in her seat. “If they know who we are to target us, would it follow that they know our families? Is this a game changer?”
    Silence fell like an anchor.
    “Because while I haven’t talked to them, I still have a brother and mom out there.” She brushed her long bangs from her face. “I want to know if they’re in danger so I can warn them.”
    “No, I don’t believe so,” Trace said.
    “They hit my family—and David.” Arms and legs crossed, Téya held his gaze evenly. “Twice.”
    “Because you were
living
with them.” Trace motioned to Nuala and Annie. “You weren’t. You were concealed within your pseudonyms.”
    Téya’s eyes blazed. “So, it’s my fault.”
    “Negative,” Trace said. She would not bait him into a confrontation. He had expelled too much energy already on frivolous arguments. He wouldn’t engage here on his own turf. “They went to Bleak Pond to find and neutralize you. But you were already gone, so they hit those familiar with you.”
    “And then they went back, hurt him again. Snatched my grandmother. Because I got away.”
    “It’s true—they were trying to draw you out.” Trace pointed around the room. “Don’t let these dogs put that guilt on your shoulders. They are the ones murdering. Not us. The others did not and do not live with family. Your true identities are not known.”
    “They know me,” Boone said, knuckling his jaw. “I’ll put my parents on an Alaskan Cruise. They’ve been wanting it. Can’t get my brother out of the way. If he thinks something’s up, he’ll be more bullheaded than a dog with a scent.”
    “You mean, he’ll be just like you,” Rusty said with a chuckle.
    “I’m not bullheaded.”
    Laughter trickled through the room.
    Boone scowled. “I’m determined.”
    The laughter rose to a roar.
    “Hey.” Houston’s interjection killed the laughter. “Oh wow oh wow.” His eyes went wild, the overhead vent rustling his curls. “This. . .look at this. I’d been running various algorithms on Jessie’s info wall. Check this out!”
    Trace looked at the wall again, this time scanning a series of letters and numbers that slid and dropped over rows like Tetris pieces. It happened faster and faster until they ended with a list of names. “What is this?”
    “A list.”
    “No duh, Curly Locks,” Boone said. “What names are those?”
    Houston bent forward, scrolling up and down. Going back. “I–I’m not sure.”
    “I know,” Nuala said, pulling Trace’s attention to the petite girl. Her face had gone pale. She looked sick to her stomach. “It’s the names of the children.”
    Trace knew what children she meant, and it felt like someone had shoved a dagger into his heart five years ago and just grabbed the hilt again to dig it deeper.
    “How do you know that’s their names?” Annie asked, her question squeaking as Boone turned back to the image on the wall. “We didn’t know their names. Did we?”
    “Footage,” Nuala said, her voice dull. As if she were in a trance. “I watched the videos and interviews afterward.” She met Trace’s