Page 30 of Lost Hope

“Yeah. Suppressing fire aimed high, herding tactics. They weren’t trying to kill us.” Ronan marked positions on the display. “They wanted us alive.”

“We managed to break through their roadblock,” Axel added. “But that was probably their plan all along—separate us from Benson.”

Ronan nodded grimly. “By the time we ditched our vehicle and circled back to help ...”

“They’d already forced his SUV down to the boat ramp,” Axel finished. “Two shots, close range.”

“They killed him to keep him from calling reinforcements,” Maya said quietly. “While their main team went after you two.”

“Question is—why do they want you alive?” Christian asked.

The room went quiet. Finally, Jack spoke. “How long had you been investigating Sullivan?”

“We weren’t.” Maya shook her head. “No active investigation until Phillips’s call.”

“Marcus contacted me last week,” Axel said suddenly. All eyes turned to him. “Said he was in trouble. Needed help from people he could trust.”

“What kind of trouble?” Christian’s voice was sharp.

Ronan shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve been ... out of touch since leaving the service. But Marcus was solid. Best heavy weapons specialist I ever worked with. Built like a linebacker, but he’d give you the shirt off his back.”

“He was an outstanding SEAL. No one better with heavy explosives,” Axel added. “Always looking out for the team.”

Christian shot Axel a sharp look. “So why didn’t he come to you directly with whatever he found?”

Ronan shifted in his chair. “I haven’t ... exactly been too social since—” Since taking the fall. Since watching his entire team’s careers flash before his eyes and making the call to shoulder all of it. “Since leaving the teams.”

“I’ve pulled up Sullivan’s file,” Star announced, saving him from fumbling through that explanation. “The classified one.”

Axel whistled softly, exchanging a look with Ronan. Yeah. He felt it too. The power these people had at their fingertips to pull up whatever intel they needed. Must be nice.

Star’s frown deepened as she read. “This doesn’t track. Your friend wasn’t intelligence. Not even close. He was pure combat operations. And since leaving the teams, he’s been working at a local VA hospital. Strictly civilian-level stuff.”

“Yet he accessed Naval Intelligence files,” Christian said, leaning forward. Ronan identified with the posture—the same tension in the shoulders, same way of bracing an elbow on the table.

He moved his hands into his lap. “Not hard to conclude something in those files got him killed.”

“Fair to assume that’s what the people who offed him thought,” Jack added, glancing between the brothers. Ronan caught the slight raise of Jack’s eyebrow—he’d noticed their mirrored positions too.

“We need to trace his—” Christian and Ronan spoke simultaneously, then stopped, glaring at each other.

“His recent contacts,” Austin jumped in smoothly, diffusing the tension.

Across the table, Angie silently slid her coffee toward Maya, who looked ready to vibrate out of her skin with contained energy. Maya’s quick nod of thanks spoke volumes.

“Star, you’re amazing,” Axel breathed, leaning over her shoulder to study the screens. “Is that real-time satellite tracking? I didn’t know civilians could access?—”

“We’re not exactly civilians,” Star’s husband squeezed her shoulder as he passed, a casual gesture that spoke of years of partnership.

Ronan watched Christian with his team, the easy flow of information, the trust in every interaction. His brother had built something real here. Something Ronan had thrown away when he’d stepped up to take the blame for that final mission.

“Focus,” Jack’s voice cut through his thoughts. “We need to figure out what Sullivan was investigating. Before anyone else dies.”

“I appreciate the help,” Maya cut in, her voice steady but strained. “But I’ve got twenty-four hours. Then I’m heading back to San Diego.”

The room erupted in protests. Jack raised his hand for silence, but Maya pushed on.

“My father won’t stay on the sidelines. The longer I’m gone, the more likely he is to start his own investigation.”

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