Chapter 27

27

Paige stared at the computer screen, her eyes burning from the hours of intense focus. She'd searched every corner of the internet she could reach, legally and illegally, but there was no mention of the virus.

No leads. No clues. Nowhere to start the search.

The safe house hummed with restless energy as the team prowled around, cleaning weapons and repacking mission bags. The air was thick with tension and the faint smell of gun oil.

They'd wolfed down sandwiches earlier. The taste of stale bread and processed cheese still lingered in her mouth.

With nothing immediate to do, she found her fingers drifting to her locket. She ran her thumb over the familiar outer design, the cool metal a stark contrast to her warm skin. Flipping it open, she traced the dots on the inside, her mind wandering.

She called up the photo she'd taken of the inner casing on her phone, studying the seemingly random pattern of dots. No lightbulb clicked.

Impatient, she turned to Cody, seated next to her, back taut as he hunched over his laptop trying to get a lead on the three lab techs. "Any luck?"

He tensed even more, if that was possible. "Not even close."

Before she could commiserate, he jerked back from his computer, lifting his hands as if they'd been burned. "My access as Tanner has been shut down."

Paige nodded, unsurprised. "I expected that. Don't worry, our computers are scrambled. The Consortium can't trace you here."

"Noted." He fell back against his seat, sliding down until the back of his head rested against the top of the chair. "I'm surprised it took them this long to close me out."

"Nice to know they're human." Or something sort of close. "Now let's make them hurt."

He flashed her a grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Look at you, so persistent. No wonder I never would've passed that computer theory class without you."

Warmth bloomed in her chest at his praise, but she quickly tamped it down. Was this genuine, or just another layer of manipulation from the master spy?

Cody set aside his half-eaten sandwich and pushed up his sleeves, revealing the tattoo on his forearm. Paige's breath caught as she took in the graceful stem and menacing thorns, that single droplet of blood at the tip. The ink had faded slightly over the years, but it still made her heart race.

She'd never known anyone with a tattoo before Cody. His boldness had made her imagine a bigger, more exciting life. Especially with him in it.

A silly fantasy. She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. She couldn't afford to get lost in memories now, no matter how tempting. "Let's think outside the box. What would the old you do in this situation?"

Cody dove back into his search. The rhythmic tapping filled the air, punctuated by occasional muttered curses.

A shadow fell across her desk as Tai wandered over, sandwich in hand. The scent of tuna and onions wafted towards her.

She wrinkled her nose. "That does not smell good."

Tai frowned down at her. "Eye of the beholder, sweetie. Eye of the beholder." He took a huge bite.

She leaned away. "Keep telling yourself that."

Tai swallowed. "How's the search going?"

"Slow."

Tai's gaze drifted to the picture of the locket on her monitor. "What's that?"

Paige explained about the locket, her father's gift, and the mysterious bumps inside.

Tai stared at the image, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, he motioned towards her desk. "Hand me that notepad."

She slid it over along with a pen. Looking between the image and the pad several times, Tai scribbled quickly, then grinned, tapping the pad. "It's a location. Longitude and latitude."

Her breath caught. Could it really be that simple?

Kate appeared, drawn by the commotion. Her perfume, a hint of lavender, cut through the stale air. Tai quickly filled her in.

Kate eyed the coordinates, her head tilted. "That's somewhere well south of here. Florida. The Keys, I'm guessing. Did your dad have a place there?"

Paige shook her head, her mind reeling. "I have no idea if he ever even went there. It's probably nothing."

But even as she said it, a tiny spark of excitement ignited in her chest. What if it wasn't nothing? What if her father had left her more than just a sentimental piece of jewelry?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Cody's excited voice cutting through the room. Her head snapped up, pulse quickening at the triumphant gleam in his eyes.

"Got it," he announced, his chair squeaking as he spun to face the group. "I have a home address for Lorna Michaels. Swanky high-rise north of the Capitol." He rattled off the details, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I also pinpointed locations for the security guard and Brent Friedmann, the second lab tech."

The air in the room suddenly charged with electricity. The smell of coffee and nervous sweat mingled as they crowded around, mapping out their strategy.

As Cody shared his findings, Bridger's authoritative voice cut through the buzz of excitement. "Alright, team. We've got our targets. Let's move."

He turned to Mason, his eyes sharp with focus. "Mason, I need you to secure transportation. Get us a work van, something inconspicuous. We might be bringing back prisoners for interrogation, so make sure there's enough space."

Mason nodded, already pulling out his phone. "On it, boss. I've got a contact who can hook us up with a utility van, no questions asked."

Bridger then addressed the rest of the team. "Paige, prep our comm equipment. Make sure we're on secure channels and everyone's earpieces are functioning."

"Already on it," Paige agreed, happily. Finally, something she was good at.

"Fenn," Bridger continued, "you're on weapons detail. Check and double-check our arsenal. I want options for both close-quarters and long-range engagement."

Fenn grinned, a glint in his eye as he headed towards their weapons cache. "Consider it done. We'll be locked and loaded."

Bridger's gaze shifted to Tai. "Tai, I need you to run point on surveillance. Set up remote access to any security cameras in the vicinity of Lorna's building. I want eyes on the approach and all possible exit routes."

Tai cracked his knuckles, already moving towards his laptop. "Sounds like fun."

Finally, Bridger turned to Graham. "You're on logistics. Map out multiple ingress and egress routes. Plan for contingencies—if we need to split up or if we're pursued. We'll need multiple contingency routes back to the safe house."

Graham nodded solemnly and headed off.

As the team dispersed to their tasks, the safe house transformed into a hive of focused activity. The air thrummed with purpose as each member prepared for the mission ahead. Paige watched in awe as the disparate pieces of their plan began to coalesce into a cohesive strategy.

Bridger's voice rose above the controlled chaos once more. "Remember, people, our primary target is Lorna Michaels. She's our best lead on the virus. We go in fast, we go in quiet, and we get out with our target. Questions?"

"Let's do this, people." Mason clapped his hands. "I've got Chateaubriand that needs to hit the oven by seventeen hundred if we're gonna have dinner on time."

Mason's boots echoed on the hardwood as he left to secure a van. Paige's stomach fluttered at the thought of being cooped up in close quarters with Cody again, running the comm center alongside him and Tai and Graham.

Tai's drone equipment clinked as he gathered it, preparing for surveillance duty. The rest of the team buzzed with anticipation, ready to join Bridger in apprehending the woman and searching her residence.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll even be home," Cody suggested, a hint of his old cocky grin playing at the corners of his mouth.

She snorted, the sound sharp in the tense atmosphere. "I'm never that lucky," she muttered, but a tiny spark of hope flickered despite her cynicism.

The team filed out of the safe house, their movements purposeful and synchronized. Paige fell into step beside Cody, acutely aware of his presence. Too aware.

As they climbed into the van and took off, the city sights blurring past the windows, she found herself torn between exhilaration and dread. They were hurtling towards answers, but at what cost? Were they the hunters, or the hunted?