Instead, I go to Jagger.
His place is across the city, a converted warehouse in the arts district that looks abandoned from the outside and is fortified like a bunker on the inside. I use the emergency access code, the one we established years ago for situations exactly like this.
He's waiting when I enter. Standing in the middle of his living room, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"I know," he says before I can speak. "Webb sent a courtesy notification to Design. Harrington is officially a target again with you listed as the Disposal."
"You knew?"
"I knew the order was coming. I didn't know he'd use Elliot to force your hand." Jagger's jaw tightens. "That was clever. Even for Webb."
"I need options."
"There aren't any." He crosses to a table covered in screens and documents, gestures at the spread. "I've been running scenarios since the notification came through. Every path leads to the same place: either you kill Briar and his civilian, or Webb kills Elliot and reconditions you."
"There has to be another way."
"There isn't." Jagger turns to face me. "But there might be a different version of the same way."
I wait.
"Briar knows he's back on the radar. I warned him an hour ago." Jagger pulls up a file on one of the screens. "He's already moved Landon to a secure location. He's preparing for an attack. What he doesn't know is who's coming."
"You want me to tell him."
"I want you to work with him. Pool resources. Find a way to eliminate Webb and the threat he represents instead of eliminating each other."
"Webb will kill Elliot the moment I deviate from the plan."
"Then you don't deviate. You make him think you're following orders right up until the moment you're not." Jagger's expression hardens. "It's what I would do. It's what any of us would do. Brooks is a good man, despite what he’s done. I vouch for him."
I think about it. Run the scenarios. Calculate the odds.
They're not good. But they're better than the alternative.
"Set up a meeting," I say. "Somewhere secure. Somewhere Webb won't expect."
"Already done." Jagger hands me a slip of paper with an address. "Tomorrow night. Midnight. Briar will be there. Your plane leaves in an hour."
I pocket the paper. Turn to leave.
"Jace."
I stop.
"Whatever happens, we're with you. Jinx and I. We're not going to let them take you apart."
I don't know how to respond to that. Gratitude isn't an emotion I have practice with.
"There's something else," Jagger says. He pulls up another file on his screen. "The folder Elliot mentioned. The one in Moore's archive. The one with our name on it."
I turn back. "You found it?"
"Not yet. But I've been digging." His expression is grim. "There are references in the Custodian records. Sealed files thatmention House Harrison in connection with something called Protocol Omega. It dates back twenty-three years."
"What is it?"
"I don't know. But whatever it is, Moore has documentation. And the Custodians are very interested in making sure that documentation never surfaces." He meets my eyes. "I think that's why Webb wants Briar dead. Not because of Landon. Because Briar's been asking questions about the same files."
