Page 39 of Silent Sins
“Bingo.”
Avery paled. Mason felt like he’d just punched her in the gut, but it had to be said.
“Of course,” she practically whispered. “I should have thought about that.”
From across the table, Kate waved her hands. “Wait. Wait. Wait. Who says they don’t already know about your investigation? I hate to bring it up, but either your immediate supervisor works for them, or he got clued in by someone who does.”
“A shockingly good point,” Fenn teased.
Kate shot him a burning look, which he ignored. As usual.
“The point is,” Fenn continued, “they haven’t disappeared yet. I say it’s worth the gamble.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “This from the man who’ll bet on anything. Literally anything.”
Fenn pressed a hand to his heart. “A man’s gotta have some fun.”
Kate snorted. “You’re a man with many problems. Lack of fun isn’t one of them.”
Clearly unfazed, Fenn winked at Avery. “Says the woman who can’t even spell the word.”
Fenn’s quick wit earned him a tiny smile from Avery. Mason couldn’t help but envy the man’s style. How come he couldn’t coax a smile out of her? All he ever got were wary looks. Or angry ones. Then again, the first time they met he did sort of kidnap her. Suddenly, he had the urge to make it up to her.
But now wasn’t the time. “It’s your call,” he said.
The smile faded. She stared down at her hands for a long moment, her thick curls obscuring her features. When she looked up again, fire burned in her eyes. “Let’s do this.”
He clapped his hands together. “Okay. Looks like we have a mission to plan. Let’s run through the deets.”
Paige raised her hand, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Speaking of deets, I have a surprise for you guys.”
Mason raised an eyebrow. “What kind of surprise?”
She grinned, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small, sleek device. “Meet Phantom. It’s a little something I’ve been working on. It’s untested, but it’s designed to help us bypass things like Rain Bay’s security systems.”
Fenn leaned forward in his chair. “You’re telling me that tiny thing can get us past their state-of-the-art security?”
“Uh, yeah.” Paige’s grin widened. “Not only that, but it’ll make us practically invisible.”
The team leaned in, intrigued, as Paige launched into an explanation of the Phantom’s features—an EMP generator, ultrasonic emitter, wireless signal jammer, IR mask, and universal keycard, all miniaturized and combined into a single, easy-to-use device.
“Hold on,” Tai said, his brow furrowed. “How do we know this thing won’t fry our own equipment?”
Paige’s mouth dropped open. “Give me some credit. Phantom is designed to target specific frequencies and wavelengths. Your adorable little drones will be perfectly safe.”
Mason let out a low whistle. “Impressive.”
Avery nodded, her eyes wide with excitement. “This could be a game-changer.”
“Exactly,” Paige said, her cheeks flushed with pride.
The team erupted into excited chatter, ideas flying back and forth as they incorporated Paige’s invention into their plans. Mason felt a surge of pride as he watched them work, their minds sharp and focused. Coolest found family. Ever.
“What about the security guards?” Avery asked. “There are four of them. We can’t expect to avoid them entirely.”
A valid point. One that had been weighing on his mind as well.
Paige grinned hard. “Guys, I got you covered.”