Page 99 of Loco

Kapono was there, too, staring at his phone like it had just delivered a threat.

“What is it?” I asked, stepping into the room.

Judd didn’t look at me right away. “DB got back in touch. He dug into the information from Ned and found something.”

Kapono turned his phone so I could see the screen—a still image of a man standing at a street corner, partially obscured by shadow.

“That’s the one calling himself Russo,” he explained, his tone flat. “Only this photo was taken two months ago at a secure facility in Virginia thatonly federal contractorshave access to.”

My stomach tightened.

“He’s not just some washed-out former agent,” Keir added. “He’sactive. Somewhere in the grey zones, off the books but still connected.”

“And here’s the kicker,” Judd said grimly. “He’s not just using that name—he has real credentials and current clearance. Either someone gave them to him, or the Bureau’s compromised.”

I stared at the photo, my heart thudding in a slow, deliberate rhythm. This wasn’t just a cover identity, he was a sanctioned ghost.

“So, either the Bureau’s been infiltrated,” I hedged, the weight of it setting in, “or someone on the inside’senablingthis.”

Kai looked up, his pacing slowing. “Which means this whole thing—Sayla, the kids, Briggs, Titian—it’s all part of something bigger than we thought.”

Keir nodded, looking rattled. “Much bigger.”

I turned my head, eyes drifting toward the stairs. Sayla and the kids were just feet above us, safe for now, but only just. We weresitting on top of something massive, and we still didn’t know how deep it went.

“Okay, so what’s the play?”

Imogen answered without hesitation. “We get to Piersville in the morning and put everything in front of Hurst and Ned. We go full exposure. No shadows. No filters.”

Judd nodded. “Time to drag this into the light.”

I looked around the room at my people. The ones I trusted to hold the line. The ones who’d bled for the truth before and would again if we had to.

“Then let’s do it,” I shrugged. I just hoped we weren’t already too late.

I closedthe bedroom door quietly behind me, careful not to make a sound in case Sayla had fallen asleep. The second the latch clicked into place, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

The relief that she and the kids were safe was unlike anything I’d ever felt. The whole time they’d been gone, it was like breathing through smoke, like my skin was on fire and the world had lost all its structure. But now that they were here, I could see them with my own eyes and hear her voice in the quiet of the night, I could finally breathe.Reallybreathe.

The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a pool of golden light across the room, and there she was, tucked beneath the covers,her eyes already on me. That small, familiar smile tugged at her lips.

“I’m still awake,” she assured, her voice low and warm.

I crossed the room slowly, pulling my T-shirt over my head as I went, her gaze following every move like it was tethered to me. “I can see that. I was going to jump in the shower really quick. You think you can stay up a bit longer?”

She tilted her head, eyes glinting. “You’re giving me inspiration enough to make that happen.”

I chuckled, heat already stirring beneath my skin, and disappeared into the en suite.

The water was hot, almost scalding, and it felt like washing off the last remnants of fear, dirt, and the hours spent fighting shadows. I let the spray pound against the back of my neck until the tension faded, then turned off the water and grabbed a towel.

I returned to the room a few minutes later, drying my hair with the towel as I walked. Sayla was still awake, still watching me, but now she was sitting up against the headboard, the blanket slipping low around her hips. Her hair fell around her shoulders in soft waves, and the look in her eyes wasn’t just desire. It was something deeper.

The silence between us felt electric.

I dropped the towel aside and slid beside her. My hand found her waist, fingers brushing her warm skin as I leaned in to kiss her—slow, lingering, reverent. She tasted like a breath held too long and finally released.

“I was going crazy without you,” I murmured against her lips. “Every hour you were gone…”

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