Page 101 of Reckless: Collision

I meet his gaze steadily. “Copy that, Alpha.”

He doesn’t quite hide his wince at my tone. Good.

“Well then,” Finn speaks for the first time, his lips curved in a slight smile. “Shall we discuss why the PCA’s most notorious wet work team is being called back into the field?”

“So what’s this job?” I ask, settling into one of the leather chairs. The atmosphere in the room has shifted from tense to focused, like a weapon being primed.

Finn and Ryker exchange looks before Finn clears his throat. “Got a call at 2:30 the other morning from Quinn.”

“Aria’s Quinn?” I raise my brow at Finn’s nod.

“There was an attack,” Finn continues, his accent thickening with what I recognize as guilt. “At the Omega Guardian building.”

“What kind of attack?” Theo’s voice carries an edge I haven’t heard before.

“Someone tampered with the air filtration system.” Finn pulls up schematics on the wall screen, the Omega Guardianbuilding’s layout glowing in harsh blue lines. “Added some kind of accelerant. If Quinn hadn’t caught it...” He swallows hard. “We still didn’t catch it in time for everyone.”

“How bad?” Jinx’s question comes out like gravel.

“One omega in a coma.” The words fall like stones in the quiet room. “Could have been dozens more. The doctors had to sedate her when the accelerant triggered an immediate heat cycle.”

My fingers itch for a keyboard. For access. For control. “You think it was Sterling Labs.”

It’s not a question. I’ve seen enough of their research to know exactly what they’re capable of.

“We know it was,” Ryker cuts in. “But we can’t prove it. Not legally.”

“Which is where we come in.” Finn brings up another schematic, this one familiar enough to make my pulse jump. Sterling Labs’ main research facility. “We need a sample of the accelerant to compare. But we can’t go through official channels.”

“Because if Sterling knows we’re coming...” I start.

“Evidence has a way of disappearing,” Theo finishes, that dangerous smile still playing on his lips.

“The team needs to infiltrate their biotech research center,” Finn explains, pointing to a location I know all too well. “Level 5 containment. Multiple security checkpoints. But we need someone who really knows their systems. Someone who can run interference while we extract the sample.”

Understanding dawns. “That’s why you need me. For remote access.”

“You’ve already been in their systems once,” Ryker says, and there’s something like reluctant respect in his tone. “We need that expertise now.”

The pieces start falling into place in my mind, but something doesn’t add up. The tension in the room feels heavier than a simple sample extraction would warrant.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I look between them, reading the subtle shifts in their expressions. “There’s more to this than just getting proof, isn’t there?”

The silence that follows confirms everything.

Ryker’s jaw works before he speaks. “Sterling Labs won’t stop at one attack. They’re testing boundaries, seeing what they can get away with.”

“Because of me.” The realization settles like ice in my stomach. “I was poking around in their systems, and now they’re retaliating against any vulnerable target they can reach.”

My mind flashes to the USB drive hidden somewhere in this mansion, filled with data about suspicious beta illnesses that I still haven’t told anyone about. That investigation had led me down a rabbit hole I hadn’t expected, and now an innocent omega was paying the price for my curiosity.

“No.” Theo moves closer, his presence both comfort and catalyst. “Because they’re monsters who’ve been waiting for an excuse. You just made them sloppy. Made them rush their timeline.”

But the guilt still claws at my chest. One omega in a coma because I kicked the hornet’s nest. Because I thought I could dig up truth without consequences. And I’m still holding back the biggest truth of all—whatever Sterling Labs is doing to betas, it’s somehow connected to all of this. I just haven’t figured out how yet.

“We’re going to give you back your tech.” Finn’s words snap me from my spiral of guilt, but my mind immediately goes to the USB drive. If I get access again, I could finally decrypt the rest of those files about the beta illnesses. “Limited access at first, butenough to get into their systems. To monitor their security feeds, their door controls, their?—”

“Everything.” I finish, understanding the magnitude of what they’re offering. Of what they’re risking. The trust they’re placing in me, while I’m still keeping secrets. My throat feels tight. “You’re trusting me with everything.”

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