“No,” half the room said.
Patch and McGuire continued to stare at each, but their demeanor shifted. Their shoulders lowered and both men sighed.
“I have,” Fenmore’s voice boomed through the screen.
“So have I.” Darius nodded.
“What do you know about it?” Savvy asked.
“Not much,” Fenmore admitted. “But an old friend contacted me when her husband was murdered. He was working on a story about this Black Ledger thing. A whistleblower had come to him, saying he had intel about a group of rogue agents and military groups that started out working for the greater good. Still, things went sideways, and now there are bribes and people are dying. She asked me to look into it, and I put Darius on it. We haven’tbeen able to find much except whispers. We’re still looking into it.”
“That’s part of what my op was all about.” Savvy held Patch’s gaze. “We don’t know who’s behind Black Ledger, and we believe it started after Division 73 but runs much the same. The idea is similar. A check and balance of power, but also a way to tip the scales, only it’s run amok and we have no idea who’s calling the shots. We thought Jenkins was part of that. West and Vance sent me in so they could find out more. My division, those in the know, is tight. But now I don’t know who to trust.”
“I’ll dig deep into West, Jenkins, and Vance,” Darius said. “I’ll keep tabs on the underground. Wyatt in Yellowstone will do the same. And we could use Riven's help.”
"She'll be happy to," McQuire said.
"We'll reach out to our contacts in DC. Quietly. No promises," Fenmore added.
Savvy nodded slowly. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“You got it,” Darius said. “But heads-up—now that you’re flagged? The people coming aren’t gonna play by the rules.”
Patch glanced toward the window. “Good. Neither do we.”
The screen went black.
“Jesus,” McGuire muttered. “I need the room. Just me, Patch, and my sister.”
Cross and Stone didn’t need to be told twice. They shuffled out faster than speeding bullets. Savvy didn’t know them as well as she obviously knew her brother or Patch, but she knew them well enough to know they understood when McGuire needed a moment, and it wasn’t their time to question it. They’d get their opportunity later and McGuire would fill them in when appropriate. He always did.
McGuire paced in front of his desk. “For the record, I knew you were behind the 73. I never said it out loud, not even to Patch, at least not in words. That’s why the guys took it to heart.We don’t keep secrets and they’d asked me point-blank if I knew who was handing down those directives. If I knew why our team was the one being assigned.”
“I didn’t always get to pick the teams. Sometimes—many times, especially when it came to you—Vance or West made that call and I was told you were the best ones for the job. When I looked at it objectively, taking out the fact you’re my brother and Patch was either my boyfriend or my ex, I had to agree,” she said. “I often wondered what you knew.”
“Probably too much.” McGuire huffed, falling back into his chair. He swiveled back and forth. “Four out of five of our last missions were for the 73.” He pointed his finger at Savvy. “I’ve always hated not being able to tell my men that the orders were coming from my sister, especially Patch.”
“I always knew.” Patch cocked his head. “And I knew it was the 73 that brought me home ten years ago,” Patch said softly.
She turned and stared at him. “That was my first assignment. But you couldn’t have possibly known Division 73 had anything to do with that mission. Your team wasn’t part of it.”
“I was stitching someone up in the field,” Patch said. “Damn man thought he was gonna die, so he told me what the op was really about and who handed down the order. Unfortunately, I couldn’t save that soldier.”
“That’s how you knew to find me when you got caught behind enemy lines.” Savvy sighed.
“Yup.” Patch nodded.
“You both know there’s a whole lot more to all this, right?” Savvy stared at her hands.
“I figured.” Patch ran his fingers across his scruffy face.
“What is it, sis?” McGuire asked.
“Don’t freak. But it involves Gunner Watson.” She held her brother’s gaze.
“As in our first operations leader from Task Force Sentinel? The one in charge of the mission you brought me home from ten years ago?” Patch asked.
“The very same one,” she whispered.
