“Mom?” I turn to her. “Will you help me figure out what to say to the boys? About why I’m leaving on short notice?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” She stands, pulling me into another hug. “But Parker? They’re going to understand. Kids know more than parents give them credit for.”
I nod against her shoulder, letting myself have this moment of comfort before our lives change forever.
48
JACE
The textile mill in Hickory smells like rust and rot. Decades of abandonment leaving their mark in peeling paint and broken windows that let in more pigeons than light. We’ve been staking it out for three hours, watching for movement, waiting for confirmation that this is where Ryan’s remaining network has been regrouping.
Diego gave us this location before Silas finished with him. Said it was a staging point, a place where recruited assets could pick up supplies, get new assignments, coordinate. If we’re lucky, we’ll find more of Ryan’s people here. If we’re really lucky, we’ll find Ryan himself.
“Movement, second floor, east corner,” Silas murmurs from his position near the loading dock. He’s got binoculars trained on the building, his body perfectly still in that way that makes him look like part of the shadows.
Cal’s at his laptop balanced on an overturned crate, monitoring security feeds he hacked from the surrounding buildings. “Confirmed. Two, no, three individuals. Armed.”
“Expected or more than expected?” Charles asks from where he’s reviewing building schematics on his tablet. He’s been hands-on with this entire operation since the park. His children were in that attack. His sister. His nephews. This is personal in a way that means Charles Carter isn’t delegating.
“More,” Cal says, frowning at his screen. “Intel suggested two, maybe three total for the whole building. I’m seeing three just on the second floor.”
“Could be our intel was wrong,” I suggest. “Or they called in reinforcements after Diego disappeared.”
“Or it’s a trap,” Silas adds, not lowering the binoculars.
Charles looks at each of us in turn. “Opinions?”
“We need to know what they know,” Cal says. “If Ryan’s network is bigger than we thought, if there are more recruits we haven’t identified yet, we can’t just walk away.”
“Agreed,” I say. “But we go in careful. Assume hostile intent. Assume they’re expecting us.”
Silas finally lowers the binoculars, turning to face Charles. “Your call.”
Charles nods slowly, decision made. “We go in. Four-man entry, standard tactical formation. Silas on point, Jace and Cal flanking, I’ll take rear security. Marcus and the others hold the perimeter in case anyone runs.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, glancing at the notification.
New Email Forwarded: DNA Results - Confidential
My heart stops.
The email is from Parker’s account. Cal set up forwarding on all her communications after the attack, standard security protocol to monitor for threats. But this isn’t a threat.
This is the answer we’ve been waiting for.
I stare at the subject line. The email is marked unread. Parker hasn’t opened it yet.
She’s waiting for us. Like she promised.
“Jace?” Charles’s voice pulls me back. “Problem?”
“No.” I pocket my phone quickly. “Just... security update. Nothing urgent.”
Charles accepts this, going back to his schematics. But Cal’s amber eyes are on me, sharp and knowing. He saw something in my expression. Silas is watching me too, his grey eyes calculating.
I make a small gesture.Later. Not here. Not with Charles.
Both of them nod fractionally. They understand. Whatever I just saw on my phone, it’s something we discuss privately.
