Chapter 26 · Someone Inside the Gate

I held up the detonator in the middle of the mess hall. Twenty pairs of eyes locked on the little metal box in my bandaged hand.

"Iron Gate warehouse stamp," I said. "Bottom left corner. Anyone want to explain how Hammer's gear ended up wired to our water tower?"

Silence.

Not the good kind. The kind where everyone's looking at everyone else, wondering who's gonna crack first.

Leah stood near the back, arms crossed. Cole sat two tables over, his shoulder still wrapped from yesterday. He wouldn't look at me.

Nolan stepped forward. Older guy, been here since week two. Ran the night watch.

"You saying one of us is working for Hammer?"

"I'm saying this didn't walk itself into our perimeter." I set the detonator on the table. "Whoever planted it knew the tower schedule. Knew Cole would be up there during the shift change."

"Could've been anyone," Nolan said. "We got new people every week."

"New people don't get tower duty."

His jaw tightened. "So you're accusing the core crew."

"I'm accusing whoever the hell did it." I scanned the room. "And I'm giving them one chance to step up before I start pulling apart everyone's background.