"We will," he said, even more motivated to take Drew down. Haley deserved justice, and so did her brother. He wanted to ask more questions, but they were almost there, and the focus had to be on taking Drew and his team down and stopping the launch of the algorithm.
They went back and forth on comms with Nick, Andi, and Derek, setting their plan of attack, and when they pulled into an office park ten minutes later, the team was ready to go.
Wanting to use the element of surprise, they parked around the corner from the address registered to the shell company. Derek got out of a van when they arrived, wearing safety gear. Matt was somewhat surprised to see him in field agent mode, but he was as well-trained as they were.
"Two guards at the front entrance," Derek said. "No idea how many people are inside."
He turned to Haley, who was still in the car, but with the door open. Julia had parked and was now walking toward them. "You two stay out here," he said. "Julia, I'm counting on you to keep Haley safe."
"I will," Julia promised.
He gave Haley a pointed look. "No matter what you hear, do not follow us inside."
"All right. Be careful, Matt."
He wasn't going to be careful; he was going to take down Drew and his entire operation. But he gave her a nod and then led the team forward. Andi and Nick headed to the back of the building, while he and Jason took the front, with Derek staying a few feet behind them.
He approached the front guard from his blind spot. The man was focused on the parking lot entrance. He moved quickly behind him, snaking his arm around the guard's throat, cutting off blood flow to the brain. The guard struggled for maybe ten seconds before going limp. Matt lowered him quietly to the pavement.A moment later, Andi's voice came through his earpiece: "Rear clear."
He and Jason entered the building, guns drawn. They met up with Andi and Nick in the hallway, who would clear the first floor while he and Jason moved up the stairs, with Derek following. He cracked the door open, seeing another guard in the hallway outside a glass-walled data center that was buzzing with activity.
Drew stood next to Henry and Viktor while a young man worked on a computer terminal.
Andi's voice rang through his ear, telling him the first floor was clear, and they were on their way up the stairs. As Andi, Nick and Derek reached them, he saw another guard had joined the one in the hallway. They were talking to each other, then one reached for his phone, asking someone to check in. They would soon realize the security was compromised.
He pushed open the door, gun drawn. "Federal agents, drop your weapons," he shouted.
The guards lifted their weapons, but they were faster. He took the first one down, and Jason, the second. Then they moved down the corridor and into the data center.
Viktor turned and started shooting along with the man who had been sitting at the computer.
Glass exploded as bullets flew across the room. Henry dropped to his knees as a bullet caught him in the leg, and he screamed with pain as he pressed himself under a desk.
His team advanced into the room, dodging gunfire, hitting Viktor in the chest and shoulder, the other man in the arm. When all the combatants were finally down and the shooting had stopped, Derek ran to the computer terminal, to the screen that was scrolling with data.
"You're too late," Henry gasped. "It's already happening."
He gave Henry a hard look. "It's not too late for you to go to jail."
"Need help. Need a doctor," Henry begged.
"Don't worry. You'll live." He looked around the room. The team had secured the other men with zip ties and removed their weapons, but there was one person missing—Drew.
He swore. "Where the hell is Drew?" he demanded, his gut tightening as he saw an open door behind the bank of computer terminals.
Every gunshot made her flinch. Haley sat in the back seat of the vehicle next to Julia, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles were white.
"It's okay," Julia said, but her own voice was tight with worry. "They know what they're doing."
"But we don't know how many people are inside. They could be outnumbered. We have to help."
"I promised to stay here with you," Julia said, but Haley could see the frustration in her eyes. Julia wanted to be in the battle, too.
She suddenly saw movement to the side of the building—a figure running toward the back of the complex.
"There," she pointed. "Someone's running away. We have to stop him."
"You're not going anywhere," Julia said firmly. "I'll check it out. Stay here."
