His gaze landed on Vince, who was watching the exchange with an unreadable expression.
“What doyouthink?” Reed demanded.
Vince was quiet for a long moment. Then he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face in a gesture Reed recognized from long nights on deployment. “I think Dr. Vasquez is right. Webb’s spooked. His empire is crumbling around him, and he’s running out of time and options. A direct approach is risky, but an opportunity to recapture the one person who might be able to salvage WATCHDOG?” He shook his head. “That’s something he can’t ignore. It might be the only thing that brings him out of hiding.”
Something cracked in Reed’s chest. “You’re all crazy. Every single one of you.”
“Reed.” Elena moved toward him, stopping just close enough that he could smell the subtle perfume she’d started wearing again—something floral and warm that made him want to pull her into his arms and never let go. “I know you want to protect me, and I love that about you, but I’m not the same person I was five years ago. I’m not running anymore.”
“This isn’t about running. This is about walking straight into the lion’s den.”
“With you watching my back.” Her hand found his, her fingers intertwining with his own. “With all of you protecting me. Webb took five years of my life, Reed. He took my mother—I wasn’t able to be there with her when she died. He took us.” Her voice cracked slightly on the last word. “I need to end this. I need to be part of ending this. Please.”
Reed looked down at their joined hands, at the woman who had somehow become the center of his entire universe despite five years of separation and grief. He thought about the kiss on the cabin deck, the promises they’d made, the future he was desperate to build with her.
He thought about what it would mean if Webb escaped. If Elena had to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder.
“If we do this,” he said slowly, his voice rough, “we do it my way. My rules. My security protocols. And if I say abort at any point, we abort. No arguments.”
Elena’s face broke into a smile that made his heart stutter. “Deal.”
“Okay then,” Walker said. “We need a plan.”
Elena turned back to the table, her expression shifting from relieved to focused. “I know how to send him a message. There’s an old email address—an encrypted channel we used to communicate through back when I was with DARPA. He probably still monitors it. Old habits die hard, especially for someone as paranoid as Webb.”
Vince raised an eyebrow. “You think he’ll respond?”
“He won’t be able to help himself.” Elena’s voice was cold now, calculating. The brilliant strategist emerged from behind the woman who had trembled in his arms after her rescue. “Webb’s ego is his weakness. He never believed I was smart enough to escape him—that’s why he kept coming after me all these years. If I reach out, if I make him think I’m desperate and ready to deal... he’ll bite.”
“What would the message say?” James asked.
Elena was quiet for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. “Something to make him curious. Something that suggests I might be willing to trade my expertise for safety. Webb always believed everyone had a price. He’ll want to believe I’ve finally found mine.”
“And when he responds?” Terrel asked.
“We arrange a meeting. Somewhere public enough that he feels safe but controlled enough that we can box him in.” Elena looked at Vince. “Can your people handle the takedown?”
“If you can get him to show up, we can handle the rest.” Vince’s expression had shifted from skeptical to engaged, the hunter in him clearly warming to the strategy. “I’ll need to coordinate with the L.A. field office, get teams in position. But yeah—if this works, we can end this.”
Reed listened to them plan, his jaw tight, his hands clenched at his sides. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to shut this down, to find another way, to protect Elena at any cost. “I don’t agree with this at all,” he said finally. “There are other ways we could end this.”
Everyone was quiet.
But Elena’s eyes were determined, her voice full of conviction. The combination terrified him.
She caught his eye across the table and gave him a small nod. “It will be okay.”
CHAPTER 17
Elena watched Reed push his pasta around his plate, the tension radiating off him in waves that seemed to fill the entire dining room. The meal she’d helped him prepare—a simple marinara with fresh basil from the small herb garden he kept on the kitchen windowsill—sat mostly untouched between them, the steam long since faded into the cool evening air.
She knew he was upset. Had known it from the moment they’d left STAR Enterprises, from the rigid set of his shoulders during the drive home, from the monosyllabic responses he’d offered when she’d tried to make conversation. Reed Star was many things—strong, capable, fiercely protective—but subtle about his emotions was not one of them.
Dear Lord, she prayed silently,help me find the words to reach him. Help him understand why I have to do this.
“Reed,” she said softly, setting down her fork. “Can we talk about it?”
His jaw tightened. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
