Page 67 of Code Name: Grit

“We’ll time insertion for a rotation,” I decided. “Maximum confusion during the changeover.”

“Movement at the facility,” Dragon suddenly announced. “They’re prepping for transport. Three men loading equipment into one of the SUVs.”

I cursed under my breath. “They’re not staying. They’re moving her.”

“Accelerate deployment,” Admiral ordered. “Kodiak, status?”

“Fifteen minutes out.”

“Vehicle departing the compound’s eastern gate now,” Atticus reported.

“Track it,” I ordered, securing the last of my gear. “We’ll adjust intercept coordinates in transit.”

As I headed toward the helipad, Dante stopped me. His eyes were red-rimmed but focused.

“I’m sorry I flipped out,” he said, his voice low. “But if anything happens to her?—”

“I know,” I interrupted. “I feel the same way.”

He nodded once, extending his hand. I took it, and he pulled me into a brief, fierce embrace.

“Bring her home,” he said against my ear.

The helicopter rotors were already spinning when I arrived. Tank, Atticus, and Admiral waited in full tactical gear.

“Extraction parameters?” I heard Kodiak ask through the comms.

“Primary objective: secure and extract Luminous. Secondary: neutralize opposition.”

The helicopter lifted off, cutting through the morning mist hanging over the lake. I checked my weapon again, then studied the display showing our intercept course.

“Target vehicle maintaining northern heading,” Dragon’s voice came through the comms. “Current speed sixty miles per hour. Appears to be heading toward the Adirondack Park boundary.”

“Satellite tracking?” I asked.

“Continuous,” Dragon confirmed. “Weather conditions optimal for visual monitoring.”

I ran through the potential scenarios in my head. They were moving Lumi because they’d either gotten what they wanted out of her or because they feared their location had been compromised. Both possibilities suggested a narrowing window of opportunity.

“Third K19 team deployed,” said Admiral. “ETA to your position twenty minutes behind you.”

Tank leaned toward me, keeping his voice low. “We have a small tactical advantage—they don’t know we’ve tracked them from the beginning. They expect to have at least a few more hours before we figure out their twenty.”

I nodded, watching the display for each new image. The SUV carrying Lumi had turned onto a less-traveled road leading deeper into forested terrain.

Dragon’s voice came through. “I’ve got a lead on where they’re going. Remote hunting lodge, privately owned through a shell company with Patriarca ties. Approximately thirty miles from their current position.”

“That’s their destination,” I said with certainty. “Isolated, defensible, difficult to approach undetected.”

“Satellite confirms increasing security presence at the location,” she added. “Four heat signatures already on site, vehicle movement suggesting preparations for arrival.”

I studied the topographical map of the area. Dense forest, limited road access, a small lake bordering one side of theproperty. A perfect location to hold someone you didn’t want found.

“Adjustment to extraction plan,” I said, addressing both the team with me and those monitoring at the command center. “We’ll deploy short of the target and approach on foot through the eastern forest. Reduced risk of detection.”

“Concur,” Admiral responded. “Secondary team will establish a perimeter once you’ve made entry.”

As the helicopter carried us closer, I found myself thinking about Lumi’s face when she’d fallen asleep next to me last night. The trust in her expression. The vulnerability she’d allowed me to see.

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