Page 148 of The Lazarus Protocol

“I’d like to say, ‘Thank the CIA,’ but I wanna take the credit.” Ice said. “I’ve got your back, buddy. I’ve always got your back.”

“Sounds like you have some stuff to tell us,” Noah said. “When we’re all together.”

Adam said, “This debrief is gonna last all weekend.”

Just thinking about all the things they had to tell each other made him want to curl up on the floor. “Montrose is dead. Steph’s father is alive, and downstairs. Everyone on the team is alive. We need medics, Ice. But we’re good.”

“That means we live to fight another day.” Noah nodded.

Adam figured Earthnet didn’t have a clue what was headed their way.

“We’ll heal,” Noah continued. “And we’ll get back to work.”

“Yeah, we will.” Jay nodded.

Ice said, “The bridge staff on this battleship are very impressed. Division Zero’s reputation is going to proceed us from now on. People will learn who we are.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Noah put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “So do I.”

“Location acquired,” Ice said. “We’ll be there. The XO says an hour, so sit tight and keep everyone alive. Ice, out.”

The call ended.

FIFTY

Oahu, Hawaii

Adam walked down the ramp from the ship the captain had referred to as a “liberty boat” that brought them over to shore, then shoved them off before the crew finalized their preparations for extended shore leave. The whole ship had been abuzz with excitement, and Adam didn’t blame them—he also didn’t want to get in the way.

He dumped the duffel he carried on the ground by Ice’s feet, his hair tickling his cheek thanks to the warm breeze. “You can carry that for Stephanie.” He slid the hair tie from his wrist and pulled it back.

Ice’s expression remained shadowed behind his sunglasses, which were essential in this sun. The rest of them didn’t have any, but at least they had clothes.

Adam didn’t want to get distracted by the sweetness on the air, the warmth of the sun on his clean skin, and the fact this was Hawaii for crying out loud. There were a whole lot of worse places in the world to get kicked off a ship so they could make their way home.

The battleship wouldn’t be in dock for an hour, so they had time to clear the area before the fanfare started. No one wanted to wind up on the background of someone’s viral social post or get in the way of someone’s family reunion when their sailor returned home.

Adam wanted them all out of here and wheels-up, headed back to the castle before then. Well, not all of them. Just transporting them from that death ship back to where they all needed to go, with medical care for Steph’s dad and Dan—who had yet to regain consciousness—was a feat of logistics. But Kai and Marina had mapped it all out, and they’d spent a whole day making calls. Securing medical personnel for transport and strategically leaving Kyle’s name off the list of those returning to the castle. Marina wasn’t even coming, and Adam got the distinct feeling her disembarking in Seattle with Noah had more to do with some quiet time in one of her bunkers than Noah’s family time in Montana.

Ice lifted Steph’s duffel and slung it over his shoulder. “Fair enough.” He checked his watch. “The plane should be gassed up and ready to go by the time we get to Honolulu.”

Adam nodded. “Not much time to enjoy Hawaii.”

“You’ll have to come back later.” Noah turned, pointing to the group at large all gathered around. “No one gets distracted and runs off to cause trouble. We have a debrief to do.”

“Speak for yourself.” Kyle stepped off the bottom of the gangplank. “Also, I’m pretty sure these sailors want us away from their dock now.”

The liberty boat was already motoring away from the dock, heading back to the ship.

Adam had talked to a few of the ship’s personnel, men and women, over the past few days, and they were all eager for shore leave, even if a detour to pick up the CIA’s new Division Zero team had been an interesting diversion. As had blowing that ship sky-high for a bit of target practice. The fact it had the body of US Army Colonel Alan Montrose on board, along with a dozen or so mercenaries on the Earthnet payroll, wasn’t something Adam had discussed.

Noah had been in closed-door meetings with the captain, who he apparently knew from the Naval Academy, most of the journey over to the base on Oahu.

The private ambulance they’d contracted to transport Steph’s father and Dan pulled away from dockside on a single-lane road, then passed through the base to the gate, headed to the airplane.

Two black SUVs had been parked beyond it.