Con’s gaze shifted to Ash. Silent communication.
Now.
Ash stepped forward. “Team needs context.” His voice was steady even though his pulse kicked. “Ellory’s brother was undercover to get close to Cipher. He went missing thirteen months ago.”
The room went still.
Alpha’s lead leaned closer to his screen. “You think the brother’s leverage?”
Ellory made a small sound in her throat.
Ash didn’t hesitate this time. He crossed to her.
But before he reached her, Opal’s hand landed on his shoulder as she slipped past. “I’ve got her.”
Opal murmured something low and firm to Ellory. After a long second, Ellory nodded. She didn’t look at Ash as she let Opal guide her from the room.
Ash’s body strained toward the door anyway.
He forced himself to turn back to the map.
They didn’t have the luxury of emotion right now.
The coffee was shoved aside. Physical maps were imposed over satellite prints. Property records pinned at the corners. A financial trail marked in red stretched across counties like a vein.
When they stepped back, no one spoke.
The pattern was no longer theoretical. It was blatant. A sweep of burned assets that boxed in one remaining cluster of properties along the eastern edge.
“He’s collapsing inward,” Dante said quietly. “Like he’s sealing himself off.”
“Or burning the evidence before he runs,” Chickie added.
Ellory’s voice echoed in Ash’s head.So why not that one?
Dante zoomed in. “No confirmed burn yet. No recent fire call. Utilities still technically inactive.”
“Meaning?” Con prompted.
“Meaning if he’s following pattern, it’s in queue,” Dante finished. “But we don’t have enough to justify a raid. Not yet.”
The room silenced. They were close. Too close to make a blind move.
Con straightened. “We don’t kick a door without probable cause. We flag it.”
Ash felt the frustration ripple through the room.
“ATF?” Chickie asked.
“And FBI financial crimes,” Con confirmed. “We hand over everything.”
Silence settled like dust after an explosion. Getting this close and then putting everything on hold to wait for an order to come down the line didn’t sit well with any of them.
Then Con looked around the table. “We did what we needed to do. We identified the pattern. We’ve narrowed the geography.We handed them a roadmap. Meeting’s breaking. Await further orders.”
Chairs scraped. Headsets came off. The map stayed lit on the wall, red pins glowing like open wounds.
Ash didn’t move.
