“Then we act,” I finish.“Fast.Hard.Together.”
His mouth tugs like he hates that he agrees with me.He still agrees.
“Number two,” I say.“No heroes.We don’t peel off solo and try to solve a problem built to isolate people.We move in pairs minimum when it intersects her schedule.We coordinate.We communicate.”
Finn holds up his hand.“On that—she’s going to hate being watched.”
“She’s going to hate feeling controlled,” I correct.“Those aren’t the same thing.We make support look like choice.She picks who walks with her and when.She sets the pace.”
Atlas grunts.“She’ll pick you.”
Finn startles.“What does that mean?”
Atlas shrugs a shoulder without malice.“You’re good at soft.I’m good at ‘I’ll break the world.’Kael’s good at turning panic into plans.People pick soft when they’re tired.”
“Then I’ll be soft,” Finn says, almost daring Atlas to complain.
“I didn’t say don’t,” Atlas replies.He looks past Finn, toward the hall.“I’m saying I’m not good at it for long.”
“You were good at it tonight,” I say.“In the hallway.In the rink.At the door.”
Atlas’s throat works.He doesn’t answer.
“Number three,” I continue.“We gather information, but we don’t turn into private investigators overnight.No breaking into anything.No threatening anyone.No leaving a trail that gives Frost ammunition.”
Finn glances at me.“You’re going to look him up.”
“Yes,” I say.
Atlas scowls.“So you get to break the rules.”
“I get to follow them smarter,” I say evenly.“Public records.Court databases.Social media.If there’s something we need to know, I’ll find a way to learn it without putting her in a worse position.”
He mutters something under his breath.It sounds like I hate being right.He doesn’t.
“Number four,” I say, “tonight and until further notice: she doesn’t go anywhere alone in the dark.Walks, parking lots, hallways, elevators—paired or not at all.Daytime—paired when she asks, shadowed when she doesn’t, from a distance that doesn’t feel like a cage.”
Finn’s head bobs.“I can be background.”
“You can be visible,” I say.“Background reads like doubt.Visible reads like witness.There’s a difference.”
He absorbs that.“Right.”
I take my second sip and let the scotch burn a path clear enough for the next part.It isn’t the plan I want, but it’s the plan we have.
“Phones,” I say.
Atlas bristles.“We aren’t going through hers.”
“We aren’t,” I agree.“We don’t need content to respond to contact.What wedoneed is to make sure she has fast outs.Group thread pinned.Panic shortcut.Shared location if she chooses it—if—and no arguments if she doesn’t.”
Finn lifts a shoulder.“She already used ‘hydrate.’That’s something.”
“It’s everything,” I say.“It means she trusts us more than the instinct to hide.Treat that like gold.”
Atlas taps the rim of his glass with a fingernail.“He’s not here.”
It’s not exactly a question; it’s a wish shaped like a statement.
