Kawan nodded, not trusting his voice. Thor was right—something had fundamentally changed about Lark. The way she'd looked at him when she talked about their future, the certainty in her voice when she said she was done running. It gave him hope they might actually survive this thing with something worth keeping.
"You ready for this?" Thor asked.
"To walk into Lorre's trap with minimal backup and hope our tech genius can outmaneuver whatever surveillance network they've built?" Kawan shrugged. "Just another Tuesday."
Thor chuckled. "When you put it like that, it sounds almost easy."
"Nothing about this is going to be simple," Kawan said, watching as Specs closed the laptop and stood. "But we'll get it done."
"We always do." Thor clapped him on the shoulder. "But this time, we're not just fighting for the mission."
"No," Kawan agreed, his eyes finding Lark across the room. "This time we're fighting for what comes after."
As the team filed out to make their final preparations, the weight of the coming mission settled over him. In less than six hours, they'd be walking into enemy territory with incomplete intel and far too many variables. People were going to get hurt. Some might not make it home.
But for the first time in his career, Kawan had something beyond the mission to fight for. He had a future with the woman he loved, if they were both strong enough and lucky enough to claim it.
That was worth any risk.
That was worth everything.
15
FORT LIBERTY, NORTH CAROLINA
The SUV's tires hummed against the asphalt as they approached the main gate of Fort Liberty, the familiar sight of razor wire and guard towers did nothing to ease the knot in Lark's stomach. She'd been through this hundreds of times over the years, but never like this. Never knowing she was walking into a trap with her eyes wide open.
Beside her, in the passenger seat, Specs clutched her laptop bag like a lifeline, her knuckles white against the black nylon. She'd been quiet during the flight from New Mexico, lost in whatever mental preparations she needed to make for what lay ahead.
"You good?" Lark asked as they slowed for the checkpoint.
"Define good," Specs muttered, but there was steel in her voice that hadn't been there a week ago. "I'm ready to end this."
The MP at the gate checked their IDs with the bored efficiency of someone who'd done this a thousand times before. He glanced at the orders on his clipboard, made a mark, and waved them through without a second look.
Too easy. It was all too damn easy.
Lark navigated the familiar streets of the base, past the commissary and the housing units, toward the clusterof administrative buildings where Lorre's office waited. The afternoon sun beat down mercilessly, and sweat gathered at the base of her neck despite the SUV's air conditioning.
"Remember the plan," she said quietly as they pulled into the parking lot. "You get to the comm array, I keep Lorre talking. We find out what he knows, who else is involved, and where this goes from here."
"And if it all goes to hell?"
"Then we improvise." Lark killed the engine and turned to face her friend. "Specs, I need you to know—whatever happens in there, you've got this. You're not the same person who was curled up in that hotel room a week ago."
Specs managed a wan smile. "Neither are you."
They walked across the parking lot in silence, two women who'd been through hell together and had come out the other side changed. The building loomed ahead, all concrete and government-issue efficiency, but Lark felt like she was approaching a temple where sacrifices were made.
The lobby was mercifully cool, filled with the quiet bustle of administrative work. Soldiers and civilians moved with purpose, carrying files and checking phones, completely unaware that their base was about to become a battlefield.
"Colonel Lorre is expecting you," the receptionist said with a bright smile. "Third floor, suite 312. The elevator's just down the hall."
As if they didn’t know.
The ride up felt endless. Lark watched the numbers climb—one, two, three—and tried to center herself for what was coming. She knew Kawan and the others were moving into position around the building according to their predetermined timeline, but going in dark meant she'd have no way to communicate with them once things started. No backup, no coordination, no safetynet except Specs and whatever digital magic she could work from inside Lorre's office.
Knowing the team was out there helped, but not enough.
