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“We found a possible location.” Ethan gestured toward the monitor showing the Riverside warehouse. “Silas is deploying surveillance now.”
“Good.” Rook’s hand found Ethan’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “You’re really good at this, you know that?”
Ethan’s face heated. He focused on the focaccia, pulling it into one-inch cubes. “I’m not in Julian’s category, but I’m competent at pattern recognition. It’s how I keep myself safe.”
“You found what we missed.” Rook’s thumb traced small circles against Ethan’s collarbone. “That’s more than competent.”
Julian made a small sound that might have been amusement. Ethan looked up, finding Julian smirking at his laptop.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Julian’s expression remained carefully neutral. “Just observing bonding behaviors, for research purposes, obviously.”
Rook laughed, and his shadows wrapped more firmly around Ethan’s wrist. Ethan found himself leaning into the touch, his exhaustion and relief mixing together.
For the first time in years, physical proximity didn’t trigger his usual anxiety. Rook’s presence felt right in some way, as if his nervous system had finally found the correct frequency after years of static.
“Found it.”
Silas’s voice cut through the domestic moment. Ethan straightened, setting down the focaccia as Silas projected new footage onto the wall screens.
Chapter Nine
The warehouse sat on screen, its exterior unremarkable. Brick façade, industrial roll-up doors, and all the windows painted black. But the thermal overlay told a different story.
“There are five heat signatures on the lower level.” Silas manipulated the display, rotating the three-dimensional rendering. “They’re clustered in what appears to be a holding area. Three more signatures are on the upper floor, mobile patterns consistent with guard rotations.”
Rook’s shadows coiled tighter around his forearms. Five people locked inside that building meant five lives depending on them getting this right.
“The energy signatures are unusual.” Silas pulled up a secondary scan, color-coded readings bleeding across the screen. “There’s active occult work here. Wards, most likely, but I can’t determine their function from external scans.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Thorn studied the layout, his massive frame casting shadows across the tactical display. “Did fucking Vane send out a memo before Cillian tore him to shreds? How many others know about us?”
“We can find that out later. More importantly, when do we move?” Rook already knew the answer, but the question needed asking.
“Tonight,” Thorn said firmly. “It’s heading into the weekend, so there will be minimal port traffic. We extract the victims, eliminate the guards, and then find a way to take care of Ashford before the next victim is taken.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Ethan? Rook turned, finding Ethan standing with his arms crossed, his face showing clear determination.
“No.” Thorn didn’t look away from the screens. “You’re human. You’ll be a liability.”
“Thank you very much for your inaccurate assessment, which I’ll ignore for now. I know that address.” Ethan pulled up his phone, displaying his documentation. “Fiona’s date was supposed to meet her three blocks from there. I might recognize the guards from the theater district, and I can definitely help identify victims.”
“You can do that from photographs after we extract them.” Thorn’s tone left no room for negotiation. “This isn’t a debate.”
“Actually, it is if you’re making it one.” Ethan stepped closer to the displays. “You need human intelligence on site. I’ve spent six years cataloging behavioral patterns of entitled men who think professional courtesy means personal interest. I can read their body language and predict their movements. That’s an advantage that you, with all your shadows and scary voices, don’t have.”
Rook’s chest tightened as pride and terror warred in his gut. He was proud that Ethan was brave enough to volunteer, but completely terrified at the thought of his beacon anywhere near armed traffickers.
“Ethan makes a valid point.” Julian looked up from his laptop. “I provided on-site intelligence during my first operation with you.”
“That was a different situation entirely.” Thorn’s shadows rippled with irritation. “We’re not discussing this any further. Ethan stays here.”
“Then I’ll go anyway.” Ethan met Thorn’s stare without flinching. “You can’t stop me from driving to that address on my own.”
“Yes, I can.” Thorn’s voice dropped to something ancient and cold. “I can have Silas confiscate your car keys and lock you in a room until this is over.”
