Devin had been somewhat surprised that DEVTEK hadn’t gone to the FBI. The sophisticated cyberattack campaign waged against DEVTEK’s research and development division was precisely the kind of case the FBI’s Economic Espionage Section thrived on, especially given the company’s sizable contracting footprint within the Department of Defense.

On the other hand, if DEVTEK strongly suspected a rival company, hiring a private counterespionage firm could turn out to be the more strategic play, especially if they could catch the other company red-handed. A little corporate leverage went a long way in the defense contracting industry.

His earpiece crackled.

“Devin. You’re up. Proceed directly to the room,” said the surveillance team leader. “Chase is flailing.”

No surprise there. Brian Chase, a software engineer at DEVTEK, had very reluctantly agreed to serve as bait during a four-day business trip to the DC area. He was married with three young children, slightly overleveraged on his Bay Area mortgage, and active in his church. An ideal target for a honey trap, which was why MINERVA had picked him.

“I’m on the move,” said Devin.

He bolted down the hallway, instantly slowing to a less suspicious pace when the door to four thirty-two suddenly swung inward. Chase backed out of the room, an elegant hand with bright-red nail polish yanking him halfway back inside. Devin kept walking, ready to play dumb if she leaned her head out and spotted him.

“I’m sorry!” said Chase, tugging fruitlessly at her grip. “I changed my mind! I can’t do this!”

“Nobody will ever find out!” said the woman, only her arms visible to Devin.

She had him locked in place with a serious two-hand grip, which Devin found somewhat unusual. Devin removed the expandable baton from his suit coat and concealed it along the side of his leg.

“I don’t care,” said Chase, struggling to break her grasp. “Let go of me!”

The DA team rounded the corner at the opposite end of the hallway, six operatives rapidly headed in his direction. Their timing was solid. Everything was coming together as planned. Now he just needed to get Chase out of here safely, which appeared a little more complicated than he’d originally hoped.

“He’s not cooperating,” the woman stated abruptly. “We’re gonna have to do this the hard way.”

A lot more complicated. The honey trap had just turned into a kidnapping—or worse. Chase turned to Devin, a worried look on his face. His earpiece screeched.

“Get him out of there now!”

He flicked the baton open, the telescoping steel pieces snapping loudly into place. The woman poked her head through the doorway, glancing from Devin’s face to the sixteen-inch steel baton in his hand. She turned her head in the other direction, spotting the team that had started to stack up on the door leading to room four thirty-four.