Page 111 of Snow

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

By the time Snow and Nova reached the second level of Platform Three, only a drizzle remained, while the sky remained a flat, miserable gray.

The ocean below was still restless, but the violent swells from the night before had begun to settle into something more manageable. Every so often, a gust of wind would sweep through.

Snow was focused on his phone.

“According to this, we should be standing almost directly in front of it.”

Nova leaned closer, trying to look at the blueprints Bear had sent Snow earlier. “In front of what?”

“A future machinery room.” Snow pinched the screen and enlarged the section they were standing in. “Second level, west side. Roughly thirty feet long, twenty feet wide.”

Nova looked up. There was no room. Hell, there wasn’t even a door. All she saw was a long stretch of steel wall running between two structural columns.

Snow frowned and looked back at the blueprint. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

They had already spent the better part of twenty minutes searching the level. That was after a brief stop on the lower level where they located Delilah hidden on the west side of the platform. Snow had quickly disabled the engine on the small boat so Brett couldn’t use it to make a run for it.

Platform Three was exactly what Brett and Clint had repeatedly claimed it was—unfinished. Huge sections remained open, with exposed framing, temporary lighting, stacks of materials, and equipment stored wherever there was space. Several rooms had been completed, mostly for storage and maintenance supplies, but nothing about the place suggested there was a sophisticated prototype hidden somewhere inside it. Which meant Brett had done one hell of a job hiding it.

Snow lowered the phone and looked around again. “Damn it.”

Nova glanced at him. “Getting frustrated?”

“No.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. A little.”

“A little?”

Snow gave her a look. “You really want to do this right now?”

Her mouth twitched. “No, but watching you argue with a blueprint is mildly entertaining.”

“I’m not arguing with it.”

“You’ve called it wrong twice.”

“Because it is wrong.”

“Uh-huh.”

He exhaled through his nose and handed her the phone before he said something she’d enjoy far too much.

“Here. You figure it out.”

Nova took it with a smug little smile. “Gladly.”

Snow shook his head and stepped back, scanning the surrounding area again while she studied the plans. The problem was time. Every minute they spent wandering around was another minute Brett had to realize what was happening.

Bear and the team were moving closer, but they weren’t here yet, and Snow knew better than to assume they had unlimited time.

Somewhere on this platform was a device capable of carrying explosives or chemical agents. And Snow wanted his hands on it before Brett got anywhere near it.

Behind him, Nova went quiet.