Chapter 16

16

"Spill it, Cody. Where's the lab?" Paige stared him down.

He hesitated, his pulse quickening. This was his mission. If they cut him out now ...

"We need to know," Bridger pressed, arms folded across his chest.

Cody's jaw clenched. They could easily squeeze him for information and leave him behind.

Paige's voice softened. "We can't plan if we don't know what we're up against."

Cody relented with a sigh. He moved to the map-covered table, acutely aware of the team's scrutiny. His finger landed on a familiar spot. "The Consortium's hidden lab is in Washington DC. At the Smithsonian."

Mason leaned in. "Which building?"

"Under the main admin building," Cody said, reluctance coloring his tone.

"The Castle?" Tai's dark eyebrows shot up.

"Affirmative. Major renovation eight years back. Consortium supervised. Their guy wrote the checks."

Bridger blinked hard. "Merriweather Harrison is Consortium?"

The billionaire heir to a real estate fortune earned his way into the inner sanctum years ago by wielding his checkbook. Cody shrugged. "Is or was. Is, I guess. No one really leaves. Not alive."

"Getting there undetected is our first challenge," Kate pointed out. "Air traffic in and out of DC is monitored by the second."

Paige leaned in, her shoulder brushing Cody's. The brief contact sent a jolt through him, but neither moved away. "We'll have to get as close as we can and then drive the rest of the way."

Tai eyed Mason. "How are you fixed for safe houses out there?"

"I've spent a lot of time crossing through DC." Mason rubbed his chin. "We can go upscale high-rise with a Capitol view, Boho Georgetown chic, or a four-bedroom flat in the Estonian Embassy. Your call."

Tai's mouth dropped open. "The Estonian ... ?" He shook his head. "I'm not even gonna ask."

"What?" Mason spread his hands. "I did a favor for the president a few years back. A big favor."

Paige snorted. "Boho chic? Seriously, Mason?"

The team's laughter eased some of the tension. Warmth spread through Cody's chest as he imagined these skilled operatives watching his back. But the moment was short-lived.

Bridger fixed him with a hard stare. "Where'd you get this intel?"

Cody's shoulders tensed. "I can't say. It could endanger my source."

A muscle twitched in Bridger's jaw. "Fine. For now."

The chill that settled between them promised future confrontations.

The sharp buzz of Paige's phone sliced through the tension. Cody watched her face drain of color as she read the message, his own pulse quickening in response.

"The decoy tracker we planted on the train is dead." Paige's voice was barely above a whisper. "The Consortium knows your real tracker's been neutralized, Cody."

The silence that followed was deafening. He could almost hear the collective intake of breath.

Fenn winced. "If they trace the origin of the fake signal ..."

"Eventually, they'll zero in on this location," Graham's grim tone completed the thought.

Cody's mind shifted into overdrive, adrenaline surging through his veins. "We need to move. Now."

The safe house erupted into controlled chaos. Go bags appeared as if conjured, the team moving with practiced efficiency. The air filled with the rustle of clothing, the zipping of bags, and the metallic clicks of weapons being checked.

As they headed for the door, Cody locked eyes with Paige. "Ready?"

Paige's jaw set, determination etched in every line of her face. She gave a curt nod. "Let's go steal a virus."

They filed out, leaving the safe house as pristine as they'd found it. The cool night air hit Cody's face as they emerged, carrying the scent of rain-washed asphalt and distant exhaust.

As they piled into their vehicles, a cocktail of anticipation and dread swirled in Cody's gut. The next few days would change everything. He just hoped they'd all be around to see the aftermath.

The convoy pulled away, tires crunching softly on gravel before finding smooth pavement. Cody watched the darkness swallow the taillights ahead, his mind already racing towards their destination: a hidden lab in the heart of the nation's capital. Within those walls lay the key to unraveling a conspiracy far deeper than his companions realized.

Cody shifted in his seat. As Washington DC and all its hidden dangers loomed ahead, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was leading them all into the belly of the beast. And he wasn't entirely sure they'd all make it out alive.