Val’s smile curved warm and sure. “Family will. And anyway, my husband’s a pussy cat.”
That made them all laugh and broke the last of the tension in his chest. What came next wouldn’t be easy to admit but surrounded by his team, his friends, he knew it would work out somehow.
Chapter 10
It tooka few hours for the rest of the team to arrive.
One by one, they filtered into the main briefing room, the air heavy with fatigue but sharpened by purpose. The table stretched long beneath the overhead lights, maps and monitors glowing faintly along the walls. Watchdog sat at the far end, his tech tablet in front of him, his side aching beneath the bandages. He had refused the bed. This, this was where he belonged.
Bein came first, Aoife trailing with a soft hand on his arm before retreating to let the team gather. Duchess was next, sharp-eyed, her braid neat and her stance straight as a soldier, or perhaps the ex-spy she was. Reaper and Bishop slipped in together, Bishop with his usual calm weight, Reaper grinning faintly as though itching for trouble.
Snow hurried in not long after, her pale hair tied up, eyes quick and concerned. Titan and Lotus arrived with Hurricane close behind, their presence steadying, the air shifting with their gravity.
“Charlie can’t make it. Iris has a fever.”
Iris was their rainbow baby and the absolute apple of her parents’ eyes. The thought of the little girl being poorly filled him with worry. “Shit, is she okay?”
Bishop nodded. “Teething. Man, it’s a bitch. Her little gums are raw.”
“Poor thing, you should try brandy.”
Bishop looked at him with a what the fuck look, his eyes wide. “I’m not giving my infant child booze.”
“I meant for Charlie.” Watchdog’s lips twitched, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like himself.
Bishop barked out a laugh and bumped his knuckles. “Good call, buddy. My wife could do with some sleep. She’s exhausted.”
“Bish, you looking to get shot again? You can’t say that about your wife, man.”
Titan shook his head at Bishop. “You’re dumber than a screen door on a submarine.”
Bishop just grinned. “She loves me, and anyway, I hid all the sharp objects and guns.”
This felt good; it almost made him forget why they were all there.
And then Bás entered, Val just behind him, Monty and Scout padding at her heels. Bás carried the storm on his shoulders, his jaw tight, but his hand brushed Val’s as they sat. The room quieted in unison.
Watchdog drew in a slow breath. “Thank you for coming. I know it’s last-minute. I know I’ve earned your anger. But you deserve to hear everything. No more walls.”
Duchess folded her arms. “Good. Because secrecy isn’t teamwork, Watchdog.”
He inclined his head, accepting the rebuke. “Agreed.” He tapped the tablet, the monitors flashing alive with files, images, money trails webbed across continents. Oliver’s face appearedon one side of the screen, flanked by blurred stills of men in Diepsloot, South Africa.
“I’ve been following threads left after Hansen,” he began, his voice steady though his chest tightened.
He saw Bás’s shoulders tense at the sound of Hansen’s name. The man had hunted Bás for years, hurting those he loved and even kidnapping Valentina. Finding out Hansen was Bás’s brother had been a blow but Bás hadn’t faltered and had ended the threat permanently when he killed him. Just maybe not ended the network of crime as they’d thought.
“Not just him, but his network. He wasn’t working alone. Money has been moving, quietly, carefully, through shell companies, bank accounts, front organisations. And it all circles back here.” He tapped Oliver’s face, enlarging it. “Oliver Grant. MI5 officer. Well-respected. Clean record, on paper. But the trails lead to him.”
“I know this guy.” Duchess pointed at the image. “We only worked together once, before I quit, but he was a rising star.”
“Yeah, well, somewhere along the line his star got mixed up in some shady shit.”
Bishop leaned forward, brows drawn. “Are you certain?”
“Certain enough that I didn’t want to bring it to you half-formed,” Watchdog answered. “But every time I trace it, Oliver’s shadow is there.”
Snow frowned, chewing her lip. “And the men tonight? Who were they?”
