No one speaks.
"We're asking Catriona to participate in an illegal operation to relocate the rescued selkies." Declan's voice carries authority.
"And your point is? She's already involved." I straighten, refusing to back down on this. "She knows what we are. She knows what the syndicate is doing. And she's gathering intel that will let us move three traumatized selkies to safety while keeping the Russians focused elsewhere."
"She shouldn't be anywhere near this." Finn's presence fills the space. "She's human. If this goes wrong?—"
"Then I protect her." My tiger snarls beneath the surface. "She positions in the warehouse where she can document without being seen. The brotherhood gets her out at the first sign of trouble."
"And if you're compromised?" Declan asks. "If you're injured or pinned down and can't cover her?"
"I won't be."
"You can't promise that." His voice carries the weight of someone who's made these calls before. "This isn't about whether she's capable or brave. It's about whether putting her in the line of fire is worth the tactical advantage she provides."
"It's not your decision to make." The words come out harder than I intend. "She's coming. The only question is whether shecomes with backup or goes alone because she's stubborn enough to try."
Rafe clears his throat. "He's right. She'll go alone if we don't bring her in."
The rumble of an engine interrupts the argument. Grayson's truck pulls up outside, and I move to the door as Catriona climbs out from the driver's side. She's changed clothes, traded the blood-stained outfit for tactical black. Her hair is pulled back, her expression determined.
The sight of her dressed for violence does something to my tiger. She looks dangerous. Capable. Ready.
She climbs the porch steps without hesitation. "I have it." She meets the eyes of the brotherhood crowding my small space without hesitation. "Warehouse security schedules, patrol routes, everything you need."
Catriona moves past me into the cottage, followed by Grayson, and spreads printouts across the table. The brotherhood moves aside to make room.
"The Russians will arrive at the warehouse." Her finger traces the approach route. "Four guards plus Dimitri. Security detail rotates just before they get there, so they'll be fresh. All armed."
"Weapons?" Declan asks.
"Standard Russian mob arsenal. Pistols, maybe shotguns. They won't be expecting anything beyond a routine business transaction." She looks up, holds Declan's stare. "I can document the handoff, photograph the artifacts, connect them to other smuggling operations. I can build a case that links Dimitri's crew to the larger syndicate network."
"When this is over," Grayson says carefully, "you'll be a police chief who participated in an illegal operation without warrant or authority. Your career will be finished."
Her jaw tightens. "My career will be evidence of corruption if I ignore trafficking operations because they're inconvenient. The artifacts they're moving tonight came from somewhere. Stolen from sites the syndicate controls. I can trace them, build connections, start dismantling their supply chain."
I watch her stand there in front of four alpha shifters, human and vulnerable and refusing to back down. Her jaw is set, her spine straight despite the weight of what she's risking. She doesn't waver under their scrutiny.
Grayson exchanges a look with Finn. Rafe nods slightly.
"You understand this isn't standard police work." Finn doesn't raise his voice. "You'll be complicit in whatever happens."
"I understand." Her voice stays steady. "And I'm asking you to let me do my job while you do yours."
Declan looks at me. I know what he's asking without words. I nod once.
"She goes with Kian," Declan says to the room. "She’ll be positioned inside the warehouse where she can document without being seen. At the first sign of trouble, we get her out." He pauses, lets that sink in. "But Kian, she's your responsibility. If she gets hurt, if she gets killed, if she compromises the operation—that's on you."
"Understood."
"The handoff happens at the warehouse at twenty-two hundred." Rafe glances at his watch. "Kian meets the Russians at the south loading dock. He keeps them busy with the artifacts transaction while we move the selkies out the north entrance."
"The selkies are weak," Finn adds. "They'll need to be carried. We'll need vehicles positioned, routes cleared."
Catriona will be inside documenting the handoff while I keep the Russians distracted at the loading dock. It's risky, but theintel she gathers could connect Dimitri's operation to the larger syndicate network.
"We leave in two hours." Rafe starts gathering the maps. "That gives us time to prep weapons, review the plan, get into position."
