Page 77 of Rescuing Sophia

Sophia is at the center of it all.

“Forest’s right.” CJ steps forward, his presence commanding attention. “We follow the data. Both from your badge and from the Trojan. We don’t know Sophia’s true intentions. She might be working for the Sentinels, or she may have been forced into this. Either way, she’s our best lead to the entire Sentinel organization.”

“Remember, this is still a rescue mission.” Sam clears his throat. “Until we know otherwise, we assume Sophia is acting under duress.”

The words are meant to be reassuring but twist in my gut like a knife. Because deep down, a part of me wonders if that’s true. Or if the woman I thought I knew was just another lie.

As the team strategizes its next moves, I stare at the screen, tracing Sophia’s digital footsteps. Somewhere in this data is the key to finding her, and I won’t rest until we do.

“Blake.” Ethan’s voice pulls me back to the present.

“What?”

“I need you focused. Can you handle this?”

“I’m good.” The question stings, but I understand the necessity. I straighten in my chair, pushing down the tumult of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. “What do you need me to do?

“Work with Mitzy.” Ethan seems satisfied with my response. “You know Sophia better than anyone. If there’s a pattern to her movements, you’re the one who’ll spot it.”

I focus on Mitzy’s station and scan the scrolling data across her screens. The familiar layout of Guardian HQ is overlaid with a maze of colored lines, each representing a different day’s movements.

“Here.” I point to a recurring pattern. “She visited the north server room every day at 1400 hours. That’s when I usually hit the gym.”

“What else?” Mitzy isolates the pattern.

We work silently for several minutes, the rest of the team’s voices fading into background noise as I lose myself in the data. It’s easier to think of Sophia as a puzzle to solve rather than the woman who’s torn my world apart.

A flash of color catches my eye. “Wait, go back. There, in the drone storage room.”

Mitzy rewinds the footage, zooming in on the grainy security feed. A figure slips into the room, emerging moments later with something clutched to their chest.

“Can you enhance that?” I lean closer, my heart pounding.

The image sharpens, revealing a familiar face. Sophia’s eyes dart around furtively as she tucks something into her pocket. My breath catches. Even knowing what she’s done, the sight of her sends a jolt through me.

“What did she take?” Gabe asks, peering over my shoulder.

“I can’t tell.” I shake my head, frustration building. “Whatever it was, she didn’t want anyone to see it.”

“I want a full inventory of that storage room, ASAP.” Sam’s voice cuts through the tension. “Mitzy, keep digging into those server logs.

“Come.” Ethan tugs at my sleeve.

I follow him out into the hallway. Ethan leads me to a small conference room, closing the door behind us with a soft click.

“Sit.” Ethan’s voice carries the weight of command.

I lower myself into a chair, my body tense, ready for whatever’s coming next. Ethan remains standing, his imposing frame backlit by the window. For a long moment, he stares at me, his expression unreadable.

He’s going to berate me for losing my badge and not reporting it.

“I need to know if you can handle this.” Ethan’s voice is low and intense. “Because if there’s even a shadow of a doubt, I’ll pull you off this mission right now.”

“You can’t do that.” The words burst out of me, raw and desperate. “I need to be part of this. I need to find her.”

“Whatyouneed doesn’t matter.” Ethan’s harsh tone cuts through my protests. “What matters is the safety of this team and the success of our mission. So I’ll ask you again—can you handle this?”

I want to argue, to insist that I’m fine, but the truth is, I’m not sure. The image of Sophia sneaking through Guardian HQ, betraying everything we stand for, plays on a loop in my mind.

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