"Understood."
Isabella's been quiet through the exchange. Now she speaks. "Three people means better coverage but more exposure. Harder to move undetected."
"Worth the trade-off," Luc says. "Remy needs someone covering his six while he's handling demolition. That's me. You identify targets, he destroys them, I make sure neither of you gets killed in the process."
Can't argue with the logic. Don't particularly want to.
"Fine," I say. "But we plan this together, all three of us. No surprises, no hero moves. Rotterdam's too dangerous for anything less than perfect coordination."
"Rotterdam," Luc says finally. "How fast can we move?"
"Day after tomorrow." Making the decision even as I speak it costs something. Not enough time to plan an operation that could kill all three of us if we get it wrong. "Gives us time to coordinate with my contacts and get into position. Any longer and we risk missing the window."
Isabella sets her coffee down, expression determined. "Then we need to talk operational approach. You'll need me to identify the legitimate research versus decoy compounds. Chemistry isn't guesswork—there are specific markers, synthesis pathways, formulation details that only someone who built the original system would recognize."
"You're not going into the field."
The words come out harder than intended. Not negotiable. Not up for discussion.
"We've had this argument." Steel runs through her level voice. "You can't verify the compounds without me. You bring back samples, waste time on analysis, potentially miss the real targets. I go in, I identify them on site, you handle demolition. That's how this works."
Luc barely conceals his amusement. "She's not wrong, brother. You need her expertise."
"She's a scientist, not an operative." I meet Isabella's eyes without wavering. "Rotterdam port security is tight. Armed guards, cameras, patrol schedules. And that's before we factor in Iron Choir personnel and Lazarev's people. One wrong move?—"
"Then don't make a wrong move." Her gaze meets mine without flinching. "I trust you to keep us alive. You trust me to identify the research. We do this together, or we don't do it at all."
Everything in me wants to say no, wants to lock her somewhere safe, handle Rotterdam myself, keep her out of harm's way. But they're right, and I know it.
Chemical verification requires expertise I don't have. Isabella spent years developing the delivery system, knows every formulation, every synthesis pathway, every detail that would distinguish her work from a convincing decoy.
Bringing back samples means delays, laboratory analysis, the risk of missing legitimate targets while chasing false leads.
And Rotterdam won't wait.
"Fine," I say, hating every word. "You're part of the planning. We assess the situation together, identify targets together. But on site, you follow my orders. No improvisation, no heroics, no decisions without my approval. Understood?"
Isabella's lips curve slightly. "Understood."
"I mean it, Isabella. Rotterdam isn't a laboratory or a conference room. It's a hostile environment with armed security, potential Iron Choir presence, and Lazarev possibly in play. One wrong move and we're all dead."
"Then don't make a wrong move." She repeats it deliberately, challenging me. "I trust you to keep us alive. You trust me to identify the research."
Luc actually grins. "I like her. She's got spine."
"She's got a death wish," I mutter, but there's no heat in it.
I stand, move to Papa's study, gesture for them to follow. Pull up what I can find on Rotterdam's port district online. Commercial mapping data, publicly available imagery.
"Here's the general port area." I indicate the waterfront industrial zone on my screen. "Without better intelligence, we're looking at a massive search area. Warehouses, container facilities, processing centers—any of them could be staging the compounds."
"Which is why we need local assets," I say, turning my attention to Isabella. "Walk me through destruction. For eliminating the compounds themselves—thermite burns around 2,500 degrees Celsius. Will that destroy your compounds completely?"
She nods. "That temperature destroys the molecular structure completely. No residue, no reconstitution possible."
"Good. Thermite for the compounds, shaped charges for structural demolition." I look back at the imagery. "But I'll need detailed facility layouts once we identify the target: load-bearing walls, support columns, electrical systems."
"You'll have minutes at best once the first charge detonates," Luc says. "Rotterdam port security is tight. Police response, private contractors, potentially Iron Choir reinforcements if they've got people nearby."
