Vince’s gaze settled on Elena last. “Dr. Vasquez. I’ve read your file. The real one, not the sanitized version the Agency released after your supposed death.”
Elena met his stare without flinching. “Then you know what we’re dealing with.”
“I know what you created,” Vince said, taking a seat at the table. “I also know what Webb turned it into. WATCHDOG’s been on the Bureau’s radar for two years now, but we could never get close enough to build a case. Too many layers of protection. Too many powerful people who didn’t want it exposed.”
“That protection is gone now,” Elena said. “The virus I uploaded is systematically destroying WATCHDOG’s core functions. Within a week, maybe two, the entire system will be unusable.”
“Which is why Webb is desperate,” Vince replied. He pulled a tablet from his briefcase and slid it across the table toward Reed. “My guys have eyes on him in L.A. We have footage of him near the docks about six hours ago, but...” He paused, frustrationflickering across his features. “We don’t know where he went after that. He slipped our surveillance.”
Reed studied the surveillance photos on the tablet’s screen. Webb looked different than he had in Vancouver—harried, disheveled, nothing like the polished predator who’d taunted Elena on that jet. His expensive suit was wrinkled like he’d slept in it.
“He slipped you?” Walker asked, leaning over Reed’s shoulder to look at the photos. “How?”
Vince’s jaw tightened. “The dock area is a maze of shipping containers and private terminals. By the time my team repositioned, he was gone. Could be anywhere by now.”
“So we have nothing,” James said, his voice tight with frustration.
“We know he was at a private shipping terminal owned by a shell company that traces back to one of his known associates,” Vince said. “We think he might be trying to arrange transport out of the country—somewhere without an extradition treaty. But without eyes on him, we can’t confirm that.”
“If he runs, we might never find him,” Terrel said quietly.
“If he runs with whatever copies of WATCHDOG’s source code he still has,” Elena added, “he could rebuild the system somewhere else. Somewhere we can’t touch him. He needs to be taken down.”
The implication hung heavy in the air. Everything they’d sacrificed, everything they’d risked—it would all be for nothing if Webb escaped with the tools to start over.
“We need to draw him out,” Walker said. “Force him to make a move before he can disappear.”
“How?” Vince spread his hands in frustration. “The man’s paranoid and now he knows we’re watching. He’s not going to surface again unless he has a damn good reason.”
“I’ll do it.”
Elena’s voice was calm, certain. Everyone in the room turned to stare at her.
Reed’s blood ran cold. “What?”
“I can draw him out,” Elena said, meeting his gaze with that fierce determination he’d always loved and feared in equal measure. “Webb is obsessed with me—with what I know, with what I can do. If he thinks there’s a chance to get me back, to force me to help him rebuild WATCHDOG, he’ll take it.”
“No.” The word came out of Reed’s mouth before he could stop it, hard and absolute. “Absolutely not.”
“Reed—”
“No.” He pushed back from the table and stood, his whole body rigid with tension. “Elena, you spent five years running from this man. He kidnapped you less than forty-eight hours ago. I’m not using you as bait.”
Elena stood too, squaring off against him with her jaw set. “This isn’t your decision to make.”
“The hell it isn’t.”
Walker cleared his throat. “Actually... it’s a good idea.”
Reed whipped around to face his brother, disbelief and anger warring in his chest. “What did you just say?”
“I said it’s a good idea.” Walker’s expression was sympathetic but resolute. “Reed, think about it tactically. Webb wants Elena. He’s obsessed with her, just like she said. If we can use that obsession to bring him into the open...”
“We’d have a chance to end this,” James finished. He was watching Reed with careful eyes, clearly aware of how close his brother was to losing control. “Reed, I know how you feel, but Walker’s right. This might be our best shot.”
Terrel nodded slowly. “We could set up a controlled environment. Multiple layers of security, backup extraction plans, surveillance on every approach. If Webb takes the bait, we’d be ready for him.”
Reed looked from one brother to another, feeling like the ground was shifting beneath his feet. They were supposed to be on his side. They were supposed to understand why this was impossible.
