“I don’t have any idea what it means,” Brielle said. “I was hoping someone in your organization could figure it out.”
Beside Forrest, Misty held up her phone. “Not to discourage anyone, but there are 113,000 hits for the word Surinda in Google alone, including a scientist on LinkedIn, a yoga retreat in Vermont, a massage salon in Australia, an obscure territory in central Siberia, and everything in between. And that’s assuming I’m even spelling it right.”
“Our analysts back here are running into the same problem,” McKay announced over the speaker on the laptop. “Right now, we’re focusing on people with that name who have some kind of criminal background. Our second priority is on places that would be suitable as a storage location—or a target—for the nukes. But as Misty said, that’s still a lot of possibilities to work through.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do in the interim?” Caleb asked. “Some other lead we can run down? What about these creatures that dug those tunnels? Do we have anything on them yet?”
McKay nodded. “At Jes’s suggestion, our medical examiners pulled the autopsy reports from the attack on her old CIA team and compared the wounds to those on the soldiers in the tunnels. They agree that the creatures you fought down in those tunnels are the same kind that wiped out her former team. They also confirmed that the creatures dug the tunnels you fought in—with their claws.”
Caleb frowned. Damn.
Jes had mentioned yesterday she was sure she’d seen those creatures before when she’d been in the CIA. Her whole team had been wiped out during a mission in Rome by a hairless creature with big claws. Obviously, those claws were good for tearing through a lot of things.
“However, we still don’t have any idea what those creatures are or how they’re related to the people who stole the nukes,” McKay added. “We’re putting all our resources into finding answers to both of those questions, but so far, we’ve got nothing.”
Caleb had a hard time understanding how the hell the analysts back in DC, with all their computers and books, couldn’t identify these diggers when they had Jes’s description from the attack in Rome as well as the team’s account and even photographs from the air base. How many creatures out there could dig through solid rock and rip apart heavily armed soldiers, then walk away with twenty nuclear weapons that weighed four or five hundred pounds apiece?
Then again, it hadn’t been so long ago that STAT thought werewolves were a Hollywood legend, so maybe he should cut the analyst nerds a break. It wasn’t like they could look this kind of stuff up on Wikipedia.
The briefing lasted another fifteen minutes, but as far as Caleb was concerned, it could have ended much earlier. Sometimes, he thought his teammates talked because they liked the sound of their own voices.
“So you’ll help me find Julian?” Brielle asked, getting to her feet along with everyone else. “And help me get him out of whatever trouble he’s gotten into?”
Caleb held his breath, not sure what his team would say to that. He knew what his own gut was hoping for, but he was also aware that the information she’d provided on her brother wasn’t particularly helpful. Even if it was more than they’d had before.
“We’ll help as much as we can,” Jake promised, and Caleb was finally able to breathe again. Though why he cared so much was anyone’s guess. “If you help us find the weapons in return. We know you have certain abilities you don’t like to talk about, and we’re going to need you to use them on our behalf—not just your brother’s—whatever those abilities are.”
Caleb almost snorted out loud. Certain abilities. That was a polite way of saying Brielle seemed to be able to do things that defied explanation—like slipping Yegor and her brother out the front gates of a Turkish prison without anyone noticing. Or going toe-to-toe with a three-hundred-pound supernatural beast without breaking a sweat.
Brielle nodded her head and made a soft sound that Jake must have accepted as agreement.
“One more thing,” Jake said, giving her a hard look. “I know you came to us, but with our previous history, I’m sure you understand how difficult it is for us to trust you. So to make sure we don’t have any problems, I’m going to need you to stick close to Caleb while you’re with us. I want him to know where you are twenty-four seven.”
Brielle went so rigid that Caleb could hear her muscles stiffening, but a moment later, the tension seemed to drain from her body.
“Fine,” she said, glancing at Caleb coolly as she headed for the door. “I’ll be at the front desk getting the key to my room.”
Clearly, Brielle was less than thrilled at the idea of having a babysitter like him. Caleb almost reached out to catch her arm, needing her to know that none of this was his idea for some reason. But she was moving too fast, leaving behind nothing but the mesmerizing scent of honeysuckles. She must be wearing a hell of a lot of perfume if his crappy nose was picking it up. But it was nice all the same.
“Caleb, are you listening to me?” Jake demanded.
Caleb jerked his head around and took a startled step back. Crap, he’d been so out of it he hadn’t even heard Jake move over to stand beside him.
“What?” he asked.
Jake gave him a strange look, like he was wondering what the hell was up with Caleb. Or maybe he was simply irritated because he thought Caleb wasn’t listening to him. Which he supposed was technically true.
“I asked if you’re okay keeping an eye on Brielle?” Jake said. “I need someone to watch her, but if you don’t want to do it, I’ll get someone else.”
Caleb didn’t say anything, not sure how he even felt about the job Jake had given him. But that was a lie. He knew exactly how he felt about spending time with Brielle.
“Yeah, no problem,” he said, trying not to look too eager. “If someone has to take a hit for the team, it might as well be me.”
Chapter 3
Croatia
“Has anyone ever mentioned that you clean up nice?” Brielle murmured, glancing at Caleb as they followed the hostess through the crowded restaurant.
“No,” Caleb said casually, one of his hands resting warmly on her lower back, completely oblivious to the attention he was getting from the other women seated at the tables in the fancy dining room.
Brielle couldn’t blame them. With his shaggy, dark-blond hair that looked like it hadn’t seen a brush in a week, Caleb was the closest thing she’d ever seen to masculine perfection. Throw in the way he carried himself, all animal grace and power, and he simply demanded attention. It didn’t hurt that the expensive suit he wore fit him so perfectly. The dark material highlighted his wide shoulders, broad chest, and long, lean body like it had been tailored specifically for him.