He held my gaze for a second, then pushed off the wall. “Cap’s waiting.”
We walked down the hall together. The compound was quieter than usual. Not asleep, just tense. Like everyone was saving energy for what came next.
The war room was lit brighter now. More people in it, more noise. Brutus stood by the door with his arms folded, face set in that way that meant he was holding back violence by force. Ghost was at the table, laptop open, multiple screens around him. Cap stood at the head, phone in his hand, eyes sharp.
Ariel was there too, seated in one of the chairs with her arms wrapped around herself. She looked tired. Not physically. The kind of tired that came from fear that kept returning.
Doc sat off to the side, one leg bouncing, fingers tapping against his thigh. He glanced up when I walked in.
Cap didn’t waste time.
“Warehouse was a transfer point,” he said. “Ghost pulled partial data off that clipboard. Not enough to name a destination, but enough to confirm the route changes.”
Ghost tapped the keyboard, pulling up a screen. “They used codes, not full addresses. But the date stamps match the schedule of shipments we’ve been tracking.”
Brutus leaned forward. “Meaning what.”
“Meaning they cycle captives,” Ghost said. “Move them from a temporary hold to somewhere longer term.”
My hands tightened into fists.
Cap’s eyes flicked to me. “We’ve got confirmation Scout was there. His name was on the list. Two days ago.”
The air in the room thickened.
Ariel’s face went pale. “Two days,” she whispered.
Ranger spoke before I could. “That means he’s still alive.”
Cap nodded once. “That’s what it means.”
My throat burned with something I couldn’t name. Relief that tasted like rage.
Ghost switched screens. “The burner we found wasn’t dead. The SIM was pulled, but the casing had a partial number stamped into it. Same prefix Scout used. That confirms it was his.”
Brutus’ jaw flexed. “So they took his phone, left it as a message, and moved him.”
“Yeah,” Ghost said. “They wanted us to know.”
Cap’s gaze hardened. “They’re taunting.”
“They’re baiting,” Ranger corrected.
Cap didn’t deny it.
I leaned forward, palms flat on the table. “Then we stop talking about what they want and we find where he is.”
Ghost’s eyes flicked up to mine. “We’re trying.”
“Try harder,” I said.
It came out rough. Too sharp.
Cap’s voice cut in, calm but firm. “Wrecker.”
I forced a breath in through my nose. “Yeah.”
Cap didn’t look away. “We’re going to get him. But we’re not walking into a trap blind.”
