He slowly reached into his pocket, as if any sudden movement might spook Neve — have her reaching for her pistol. “I didn’t have time to stand there and process it. Someone saw me.” His gaze flicked to the door, then back to them. “I went to my office and grabbed what I could before they could box me in. Silence me.”
Darwin pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. Grainy images filled the monitor — men in tactical kit caught mid-stride, faces half-lit, eyes flat, their stats glaring back at the camera like trophies. “I have other files, but this pertains directly to you. It’s not much. A few photos. But it’s enough to prove I didn’t imagine what I saw. Give us a place to start digging. Maybe if we uncover who’s on the ground, running these tests, we can get to Finch through them.” His voice dropped. “On my way out, I called the only person I trusted to help, because if Finch is willing to run a live-fire test on Canadian operators, I knew I was leaving as a target.”
“Not just a target, a fugitive.” General Esposito sighed then launched one of the monitors. An image of Darwin appeared on the screen, a list of felonies stacked beside him. “This went live a few hours ago. Manufactured, of course, but that hasn’t stopped the police from issuing a warrant. From slapping his face on every street corner, which won’t stop until we prove Finch is the mastermind behind this. Find the proof to clear Darwin’s name.”
Neve sat there, the words rattling inside her weary mind. She squeezed the bridge of her nose, hoping she didn’t sound as crazy as Darwin had. “All right. Let’s assume this is all true. What, now?”
Darwin glanced at Shepherd and Esposito, then back to her. “As I see it, you four have two choices if you want to stay alive. You can walk out of here, buy yourselves new identities, then fly off to some obscure part of the world…”
Neve arched a brow when he didn’t continue. “Or?”
“Or, you can join us. Find a way to bring Finch down.”
The words hit her like a physical blow, and she shoved the chair back, got a bit of distance. “Join you, as in, leave the military?”
Gus stepped forward. “The military already thinks you’re dead, Monroe. And until we know how many soldiers Finch has on his payroll, if there are more of these enhanced assholes, it’s not safe for any of you to return. You all witnessed his master plan, and he’s not going to let you ruin that.”
Scout cleared her throat. “Not to be critical, but it sounds no matter what we choose, everyone we know will think we’re dead.”
“It’s the only way to keep your loved ones safe. If Finch discovers you’re alive, that you’re trying to destroy him, everyone you’ve ever cared about becomes a target.” Gus crossed his arms. “You don’t have to decide this minute. Talk it out. But keep in mind… Without your combined skill set, I’m not sure we’ll be enough to bring Finch to justice.”
Scout glanced at Neve, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. “I don’t really have anyone, anymore, but you and Coulter…”
Neve’s stomach dropped. Three years she’d been waiting for the two of them to get a chance at forever, and in one, cruel twist, it had all been torn away. “I can’t just walk away. Let him think I’m dead. He’s Spec Op. He can handle this. Keep it secret.”
Gus arched a brow. “No one’s questioning Captain Barrett’s integrity, but his unit’s still deployed, and his accommodations aren’t sophisticated. If you reached out, tried to contact him…”
Darwin rapped his knuckles on the table. “There’s no way we can guarantee a secure line. Finch is bound to be overly paranoid. If he discovered Coulter was connected to this, I’m sure he has men who could arrange an accident before Coulter had time to register there was a threat.”
“Coulter’s not an easy target.”
Darwin sighed. “It’s hard to fight when you don’t know who’s a threat.”
Neve squared her shoulders. “All the more reason to bring him on board, now. So, he knows what he’s up against from the start.”
Gus palmed the table. “While having his expertise would be invaluable, you won’t just be risking his life, you’ll be putting your teammates in jeopardy, too, when you rely on Zadie to attempt to manufacture a secure line. Open up the bunker to possible detection.”
“There’s got to be a way.”
The general’s expression softened. “Just one.”
“So, I either hurt him, or…”
“You set him up as Finch’s prime target, along with your crew.” Gus blew out a slow breath. “I know this isn’t what you’d planned. That we’re asking more than anyone should have to give. But if there’s a chance we can stop Finch…” He headed for the door. “We’ll give you four the room.”
The men left, a quiet void filling the space as Neve stood, paced a couple laps.
She stopped, stared at her teammates. “Talk about a clusterfuck…. Thoughts? Options?”
Scout leaned her hip against the table. “Doesn’t sound like we have many. And I’m not the kind of person who could sit on a beach somewhere, knowing Finch was out there, killing people because we didn’t step up.”
Zadie nodded. “I’m with Scout. If we’re going to hurt the people we care about, it should at least be for something worth actually dying for.”
“And they hurt Kane.” Wynn crossed her arms. “He’s family. And we don’t bail on family.”
Neve simply nodded, her cell a heavy weight in her pocket. “Sounds like you’ve made up your minds. Guess I should have called Coulter when I had the chance.”
“Hey…” Scout rounded the table. “If you want to go rogue, bring him in on this, we’ll have your six. Hell, you two were only a few weeks away from finally taking the plunge — giving it a real shot.”
