Chapter 34

34

The next morning, the sun streamed through the ranch house’s large windows, casting long shadows across the worn wooden floor. Alex leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching as the two teams straggled back into the main room. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mingling with the scents of bacon and maple syrup from their recent breakfast.

Her gaze settled on Gabriel. A good night’s sleep had worked miracles. The dark circles under his eyes had faded, and there was a hint of color in his cheeks. He still moved with caution, but the improvement was undeniable.

Mac’s booming laugh drew Alex’s attention. He and Liv were chatting with Mason, their easy camaraderie evident in their relaxed postures and bright smiles. Nearby, Tai and Fenn had cornered Kate, their heads bent close as they discussed something in hushed tones.

Alex pushed away from the wall, her boots scuffing against the hardwood. “Alright people,” she called out, her voice cutting through the low murmur of conversation. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Jason’s deep voice rumbled from across the room. “I think we should start by mapping out General Munsinger’s known associates.”

A muscle ticked in her cheek, but she resolved not to jump down his throat. She was the one who suggested they work together.

She turned to face him, noting the stubborn set of his broad shoulders beneath his form-fitting tech tee. “Not a bad idea,” she conceded, forcing her voice to remain even, “but I was thinking we’d focus on his last known locations first.”

Jason’s eyebrow quirked, a glint of challenge in his eyes. “What, you can’t multitask? I thought you were supposed to be some kind of super spy.”

“Fine.” She fought back a smile. “Let’s do both. I’ll even let you use the big computer.”

The next hour passed in a blur of ideas. Unfortunately, none of them panned out when they were dissected.

She glanced at Jason, catching his eye across the room. For a moment, she saw her own frustration mirrored there, a silent understanding passing between them. Despite their differences, they were both feeling the weight of their stalled progress.

A movement caught Alex’s eye. Gabriel was fidgeting in his chair, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Gabriel?” she prompted, her voice gentler than usual. “You look like you’re sitting on a cactus. Spit it out.”

Jason chimed in, “Whatever it is, it can’t be worse than our current options.”

Gabriel cleared his throat, his eyes darting nervously around the room. “Well, um, the general ... he was quite interested in my holographic technology.”

The room fell silent. Alex’s mind raced, a plan forming. She opened her mouth to speak?—

“We could use the tech as bait,” Jason said, stealing the words right out of her mouth.

Alex whipped her head around to stare at him. He stared back, looking as surprised as she felt.

“Great minds,” she said dryly.

“Or fools’,” he shot back with a grin.

Suddenly, the energy in the room shifted. Alex and Jason locked eyes, a spark of understanding passing between them.

“If we create a believable breakthrough—” Alex started.

“Seven-Five won’t be able to resist,” Jason finished.

“And my dad’s their contact. Sweet.” Gravy rubbed his hands together. “You guys are thinking they’ll have to let the old man contact Gabe here.”

Jason cocked a finger at Gravy. “Bingo.”

Their rapid-fire exchange continued, ideas bouncing back and forth. Alex found herself leaning in, caught up in the excitement of a plan coming together.

Jason tapped a finger on the table. “We’ll need to leak the information strategically.”

Alex nodded. “Mac, you still have those Stanford Lab contacts?”

“You know it, boss,” Mac replied. “Anything we need to leak will go out to the biggest players in tech. They’ll get the info to their press contacts in minutes.”

As they continued to flesh out the details, Alex became acutely aware of the speculative looks her teammates were giving her. Mac’s eyebrows were raised so high they were in danger of disappearing into his hairline, while Liv wore a knowing smirk that made Alex want to squirm.

Even Gravy had a curious gleam in his dark eyes.

Realizing how close she was standing to Jason, their shoulders almost touching, Alex took a deliberate step back. The loss of his warmth was immediate, and she stubbornly ignored the pang of regret that followed.

“Right,” she said, clearing her throat. “So we have the bones of a plan. Let’s break it down step by step and identify any potential weak spots.”

As the teams dove into the nitty-gritty details, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d just revealed more than she intended. And judging by the amused glances being exchanged around the room, she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.

“Paige should help Gabriel with the ‘breakthrough’,” Tai suggested.

From the corner of her eye, Alex caught sight of Cody’s face darkening. He straightened up, his jaw set in a hard line. “I think I should join them,” he said, his voice tight. “Three heads are better than two, right?”

Interesting. Alex filed that information away for later. “Makes sense, Cody. You’re the resident Seven-Five expert.”

Jason squinted up at the ceiling. “Assuming Seven-Five takes the bait, where do we set up the meet?”

“It needs to be somewhere contained, with limited ingress and egress and some overhead cover for me and Graham to set up shop,” Mason, the team’s best sniper, chimed in.

Mac nodded in agreement. “But not so controlled that it raises suspicion.”

“What about a university lab?” Tai suggested. “It would lend credibility to Gabriel’s ‘breakthrough’.”

Alex shook her head. “Too many innocent bystanders.”

Gravy cleared his throat. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meeting, but now all eyes turned to him. “What about the old Seaside Palace? We’re within helo range of the Coast, right?”

The room fell silent. Alex blinked, certain she’d misheard. Could he really be talking about the abandoned amusement park just north of San Diego? “Come again?”

Gravy leaned forward, his eyes bright with excitement. “Think about it. It’s isolated, and fenced off, so no civies to worry about. Lots of open space for surveillance, but also plenty of cover. And the best part? We can totally use Gabe’s hologram stuff to blow their minds.” He spread his hands, getting into full storyteller mode. “Picture his holographic tech mixed with funhouse mirrors and structures from the old rides. Super creepy, right? It’ll weird them completely out.”

The silence stretched on as everyone processed Gravy’s suggestion. Alex glanced at Jason, seeing her own surprise mirrored in his expression.

Finally, Mason let out a low whistle. “That’s ... actually brilliant. I could see a genius like Gabriel setting up his lab in some super weird place like that.”

“It’s insane,” Alex said, but she couldn’t keep the grudging admiration out of her voice. “It’s completely, utterly insane. I love it.”

The room erupted into excited chatter, the energy shifting from frustration to anticipation. As the teams began to flesh out the details of Gravy’s wild idea, Alex caught his eye and gave him a nod of approval. He grinned back, clearly pleased with himself.

The tightness in her chest eased. They had a plan. It was crazy, risky, and borderline ridiculous—but it was a plan.

As the meeting wrapped up, Alex suddenly realized how close she was standing to Jason. Again. His cologne, a mix of sandalwood and something uniquely him, filled her nostrils. Heat radiated from his body, and for a moment, she found herself swaying toward him.

Catching herself, she took a deliberate step back, her heart pounding traitorously in her chest.

Get it together , she scolded herself.

“See you all at lunch,” Tai announced. “Feel free to use the gym, or the shooting range or whatever else we’ve got. See me if you need anything. Nuestra casa es su casa .”

While Mac and Liv converged on Tai, Alex headed straight out the door toward her room. She was hyper-aware of Jason’s presence behind her, like a magnetic pull she couldn’t escape. What was wrong with her? She’d worked with attractive men before without turning into a lovesick teenager.

She quickened her pace, desperate to put some distance between them. This ... whatever it was ... needed to stop. Now. She couldn’t afford distractions, especially not in the form of a man who pushed all her buttons—both good and bad.

Changing her mind, she hung a left and headed out the front door. The pine-scented breeze helped clear her head, grounding her. She’d outsmarted terrorists, drug lords, and international assassins. She could certainly handle one annoyingly attractive man.

Not that she was doing a bang-up job so far.