“I don’t know if you’re aware yet, but five of Chicago’s twenty US Bank branches were either robbed or involved in an attempted robbery earlier today.”
Rocky went completely still as a heavy knot formed deep inside his gut.“Five?”he asked for clarification.
He knew of two—Raegan’s branch down the street and one up north shortly after. But he hadn’t heard about the other three. Of course, he and the team had been busy since he’d gotten back to the office, so there was that.
They’d had two previously scheduled client meetings and another with a potential new client. Each of those was followed by the team’s usual pow-wow afterward to discuss what they’d learned from those meetings, and he’d barely had time to take a piss before Christian sent out the all-call requesting they return to the conference room ASAP.
Now they werebackin here for yet another meeting, and this was the first they were learning of what sounded a hell of a lot like a coordinated attack. One that had targeted several branches of the same national banking chain…all in the city of Chicago.
What the hell is going on?
“Even if I did believe in coincidences,” Brody began. “Five branches of the same bank in one day? No way those aren’t connected.”
“I’m with King.” Rocky gave the former SEAL a nod. “That many locations involving the same national banking chain all getting hit in one day?—”
“In the same damn city…” Cade jumped on board Rocky’s train of thought before turning his clean-cut head toward the screen. “You got times on when each one went down?”
Agent Foster typed something on the laptop to her right before returning her attention to the team. “I just sent eachof you a copy of the report I was given. Everything I know is included. But to answer your question directly, Mr. Ellis, yes.” She turned her hazel eyes in Cade’s direction. “The branch on East Washington was struck first, followed by number two at the branch on North Clark a few minutes later. At nearly the same time, three additional branches reported an armed robbery in progress.”
The team listened as their handler named off those banks’ locations and times of the remaining three robberies. By the end of Agent Foster’s briefing on the incidents at play, the evidence she’d relayed all but proved what everyone was thinking.
“So thiswasa coordinated attack,” Rocky stated the obvious.
The ends of Foster’s long, straight, dark brown hair slid up and down along her shoulders as she nodded with unwavering certainty. “Going off the evidence we currently have, yes. The FBI and local law enforcement agencies have spent the afternoon prepping their people in case a second attack is being planned.”
“Do we know who was behind it?”
“Unfortunately, no. Not yet. The three young men in custody aren’t talking, and with the other two in the wind, we’re pretty much at a standstill.”
“Search warrants?” Christian asked next.
“Warrants were expedited on the homes of those arrested. The FBI’s top team is leading the case, and Agent Atwell is keeping me in the loop as close to real-time as possible. If there’s anything in those locations that will help us with this case, Atwell’s team will find it.”
A stretch of silence passed before Liam’s internal thoughts made him frown. “Why banks?” he asked no one in particular.
As usual, the team’s tech guy was already analyzing the few details they knew.
“What do you mean?” Cade turned his dark gaze Liam’s way.
Liam’s brown eyes slid the other man’s way. “If the intel Homeland received on this is accurate, the people who robbed…or tried to rob…those five banks were working together. They hit at roughly the same time, but to what end?”
“I’m with Cutler,” Brody piggybacked off Liam’s point. “It had to be orchestrated by someone, but I don’t know…” The muscular operative gave a shake of his clean-cut head. “The way this whole thing played out; these guys don’t exactly scream ‘professional’ to me.”
“I agree.” Rocky nodded. “If my five-foot-nothing neighbor was able to take one of them down, no way these were pros.”
“Raegan Perry is your neighbor?” Agent Foster’s pretty hazel eyes grew a bit wide. “I spoke to her at the scene, but I wasn’t aware you two had a connection.”
“We don’t.” He shook his head. “Not really. She recently rented the house next door to mine.”
Settling back into her cushy black chair, Foster considered what he’d just revealed. “So your new neighbor is a security guard at the bank just down the street from Delta Team’s building…which also happens to be the first branch that was hit today?”
“Don’t forget the part where she took down the armed asshole,” Jagger finally spoke up for the first time since the meeting began. “Ask me, the woman deserves a fuckin’ medal.”
The woman on the screen nodded. “I’ve watched the security footage from inside the bank. She acted swiftly, professionally, and without the slightest hesitation or concern for her own safety. At least, that’s how it seemed.”
Rocky frowned. “What do you mean that’s how it seemed?”
“My people are digging into your neighbor’s background as we speak. As long as nothing concerning pops up, and if she truly was acting strictly out of duty for her job and the protection ofthe bank’s customers and other employees…then Mr. Brooks is right. The woman does deserve a medal.”