Noah had spent the better part of the past year retrieving artifacts for Fenix’s mysterious project while systematicallyrunning circles around us. He’d used the exact tools Evelyn taught him against our team.
“What exactly does his message say?” Evelyn asked.
“The usual charming Noah blend of threats and condescension.” Scarlett’s thumbs moved across her phone screen. “Essentially accusing us of sabotaging their operations and demanding to know what we did.”
“Are you responding?” Brie asked.
Scarlett shrugged one shoulder. “I thought I’d tell him that he shouldn’t have messed with my team.”
“Let’s focus on what this confirms,” Will interjected, bringing us back to the operational details. “If Noah’s texting you about the damage, it means Brie’s virus significantly impacted their communications. We have an advantage.”
“A short one,” Brooke said, each syllable dragging my attention back to her despite my determination not to look at her. Looking at her would be dangerous. “Organizations like Fenix always have contingency protocols, though, so we need to act fast.”
“Agreed,” Percival said. “We need to capitalize on this window while their communications are compromised.”
The meeting continued, with Brie breaking down Fenix’s command structure based on what we’d uncovered from Mnemis. “Noah and Enzo seem to operate as co-captains. They report to someone higher, but we’ve yet to identify their boss. Massimo de Rosa was bankrolling a significant portion of their operations, but his recent arrest has presumably impacted their funding.”
The conversation flowed around me, familiar operational details that normally would have grounded me. But today, each word felt distant, muffled by the roaring in my ears. Brooke consumed too much of my attention—the way she fussed withher hair and her scarf, the way she typed on her laptop, the simple fact that she existed in the same room as me.
I shifted my gaze from Will to Brie. She was safe and whole despite everything that had happened at Mnemis. At least I’d managed to protecther.
“Rav?” Scarlett’s voice snapped me out of whatever daze I was in. “You have sources in Naples, right?”
All eyes turned to me, except Brooke’s.
“A few,” I said. “Former contractors working in and around Naples who might have heard rumors.”
Brooke’s eyes remained glued to her laptop instead of me. “Anything to help us narrow our search parameters would be appreciated.”
Memories collided with my reality—Brooke’s laugh echoing across the forward operating base, scorpions in the sand, the horrible decisions made in split seconds that changed lives forever.
“I’ll make those calls now.” I pushed back from the table, doing my best to remain controlled and deliberate despite the chaos inside me. I looked pointedly at Percival. “I’m sure you don’t want to be stationary any longer than necessary.”
A professional excuse. A necessary retreat. It worked.
Evelyn nodded, and Will continued outlining what they knew about Fenix’s operations to the Pendragon team as I left.
I moved through the open workspace with measured steps, barely breathing. The route to my office had never been longer, each step an exercise in maintaining composure instead of speeding up to a run.
When I reached my office, I closed the door behind me with a soft click and melted against it. Shut my eyes.
Breathe in for four.
Hold.
Out for four.
Find your center, Rav.
After five cycles, I opened my eyes again.
The room was sparse, functional—a desk, computer, bookshelf with a few photos instead of books.
Noah’s message confirmed that we’d struck a blow against Fenix, which I should have been celebrating. Instead, it just pulled me back to that night two years ago—the extraction gone wrong, comms failing at the crucial moment. I’d been behind the wheel of the secondary escape vehicle, waiting for Noah and Scarlett to emerge from the target building with the recovered diamonds.
When Scarlett burst through the doors alone, armed men in pursuit, I’d abandoned my post to protect her, getting her safely to Zac’s car instead.
Noah had emerged seconds later, making it to the vehicle I was supposed to be driving, which plunged off a bridge ten minutes later.
