Page 48 of Lost Hope

“If you ever tell anyone I admitted to having feelings,” his brother literally from another mother cut him off, “I will break your neck.” He pushed off the wall. “Okay. Enough family bonding.”

But there was something almost like approval in his eyes as he walked away, leaving Ronan to process this new piece of the puzzle that was his bio bro.

23

INSIDE LANGUAGE

Maya leanedagainst the command center wall, watching the two teams settle into a rhythm as natural as breathing. The soft symphony of typing from multiple keyboards mixed with the gentle hum of cooling fans from overworked computers. Even after two years apart, Ronan’s people moved around each other like dancers in a well-rehearsed ballet. And the Knight Tactical crew was no different—each person anticipating the others’ needs, finishing sentences, sharing looks that spoke volumes.

Seven years in law enforcement, and what did she have? A dead partner and a father who thought helping meant taking over.

Lord, what are you trying to show me here?

Zara worked three keyboards simultaneously. “Got something on Griffin. Digital signature, forty-eight hours old. He accessed a terminal at the Santa Monica Public Library.”

“Finally, the ghost made a mistake,” Austin said.

“Griff Hawkins doesn’t make mistakes,” Kenji and Izzy said in perfect unison.

Deke nodded. “Man’s been off-grid for two years. If he left a trace?—”

“He wanted us to find it,” Axel finished.

“I’ve got a visual,” Ethan announced. “It’s fuzzy, but?—”

Ronan leaned over his shoulder. “That’s our boy.” He pulled back, face contorting as if he’d been slapped.

Maya touched his arm. The man vibrated tension in waves. “What?”

He pointed at the reflection in the tiny reading glasses perched on his friend, Griffin’s wide face. “The mermaid. It’s the Hans Christian Andersen Mermaid statue. In Copenhagen.”

The temperature in the room plummeted. The subtle change in breathing patterns rippled through the room like a wave. Quick glances exchanged between team members like a silent morse code.

“You’re talking about Copenhagen. Why?” Axel’s voice was carefully neutral.

Ronan nodded. “Griff’s telling us this has to do with Copenhagen.”

“Copenhagen.” Axel repeated the word, as if it tasted like ash. “As in the Copenhagen Op? Just want to be clear here.”

Ronan met his friend’s gaze. “‘Fraid so.” He stepped away from the group and shoved his hands in his pants pockets, staring at the ground.

The op where he’d killed a civilian. Whatever Ronan was about to say, it was bad.

“The facility we compromised?” Kenji’s voice held old pain. “The one where you?—”

“The one where I violated ROE. Yup.” The bleak look in Ronan’s eyes made her tear up. “I think they found a connection,” Ronan said. “Between Copenhagen and these deaths. Griffin was trying to tell me without tipping off anyone watching him.”

The room fell silent again as implications sank in.

“Why didn’t he come to us directly?” Izzy asked finally.

“That’s what we need to find out,” Ronan said. “Before they find him first.”

He eyed the Knight Tactical crew who were watching all this, faces carefully blank. “Look, guys, I can take the time to explain the op to you, but it’s probably quicker if you just access the files. There’ll be details there I probably don’t remember. And background that might lead us to our next clue.”

“On it,” Ethan said and jumped back onto his computer. “I’ll check all the way up the chain of command.”

“I’ll check State and the CIA,” Star added.

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