Page 19 of Snow

Eyebrows rose, and the guys exchanged glances. Snow leaned forward slightly.

Derek continued. “The first red flag came from a NOAA buoy in the area. It started registering unusual chemical signatures in the water, along with spikes in low-level radiation. At first, they thought it was a malfunction. But the data’s been consistent, and it’s not isolated. Not long after, a similar reading popped up at another buoy about forty miles from the first buoy.”

“Radioactive?” Duke asked, frowning. “That’s not exactly normal in the middle of a huge body of water.”

“No,” Derek agreed. “And that’s just the beginning. In the last four months, there’ve been three major maritime incidents in the Gulf.”

He clicked the remote again, and a list appeared.

“First: a cargo vessel traveling from Miami to Houston lost all power. It went completely dead in the water and floated aimlessly for two days before a rescue tug could reach it. No mechanical explanation was found. The ship’s entire system just died.”

Playboy let out a low whistle.

“Second: a one-hundred-thirty-foot offshore seiner exploded, killing all fifteen crew members. The initial report blamed a cracked gas line. However, some don’t agree with that theory.”

Snow remembered hearing about that incident.

“And third?” Joker asked.

Derek’s expression darkened. “A privately owned research vessel with several college students onboard had been collecting water samples. Everyone on board ended up sick, with two so bad the Coast Guard was called in to medivac them to a hospital.”

“So how does the rig come into play?” Aussie asked.

Derek brought the rig photo back onto the screen. “Every one of these events happened within a fifty-mile radius of this platform. The rig is owned by a company based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They have no prior violations, and nothing else to throw up any red flags.”

“But?” Bear prodded.

“But those investigating believe that something or someone on that rig holds the answer to these mysterious events occurring in the water,” Derek said. “They don’t have proof. All inspections have come back clean—mechanical, environmental, and personnel. But something isn’t adding up. The feds want eyes on the rig. They don’t want drones or satellites. They want boots on deck. The problem is, sending someone in from a three-letter agency would be too risky. They need someone who knows how to blend in, someone who realistically needs to be there and know what they are doing, and at the same time gather intel.”

Derek looked at Snow, and Snow knew what was coming.

“Snow, because of your background and some experience in the industry before you enlisted, you’re our best option for this operation.

Snow leaned back in his chair slowly, letting the weight of it settle.

“Is this a solo op?” Snow asked.

“Not quite. You’ll be partnering with an attorney contracted through the acquiring company.”

Snow’s eyebrows rose. “An attorney?”

Derek continued like he hadn’t just dropped that bomb. “The company that owns the rig is in the process of being acquired. Inspections, audits, and paperwork. It’s the perfect cover to insert assets. You’ll go in posing as an engineer for the acquiring firm. Under this disguise, you’ll have full access to the entire rig to inspect equipment, which will allow you to scope the place out and observe the crew. The attorney will be present to review contracts and compliance documentation. This person will also be asked to look for anything that seems unusual, inconsistent, legally questionable, or otherwise out of place. It is all standard process when a rig is switching hands. So, nobody should question your presence there.”

Snow’s jaw tightened slightly. “Are we sure we can trust just someone off the street with something like this? I mean, have they been vetted?”

The team had completed many prior joint operations, but the people involved with those ops had already been vetted and trained. This was a civilian.

Derek nodded in understanding. “I don’t have the person’s information yet. However, I can assure you that whoever the government okays for this operation will have been fully vetted.”

Snow nodded, though he wasn’t entirely convinced. Civilians didn’t always understand the stakes. They didn’t always stay in their lane.

Bear leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “What about us?”

Derek shifted his attention to the rest of the team. “You’ll be running support from a shadow vessel. You’ll monitor, feed intel, and be ready to move if need be.”

Duke leaned back in his chair. “So, just to be clear, only the acquiring company is in the know about this op?”

“Correct. The FBI has met with Mr. Silverman, the owner, who is cooperating fully. The last thing he wants is to finalize a multimillion-dollar deal and find out he just bought into a problem. The company that currently owns the rig thinks this is just part of the acquisition process.