Page 10 of Shadowed Hearts: Frost
"Or someone who works in the area," Remy adds casually.
My face gives nothing away, though irritation crawls up my back. We need more intelligence.
"Too many variables to narrow down without additional intel."
"Agreed." Kade stands, signaling the end of discussion. "But until we have that intel, nobody operates alone. Echo's had weeks to study our patterns—we change them. Now."
He looks directly at me. "Frost, pack up your surveillance. You're not going back."
"The location is still strategically valuable—"
"And potentially compromised." Kade's tone leaves no room for argument. "If Echo's been monitoring that area as intensively as the data suggests, continuing surveillance puts you at risk."
The logic is sound, even if I don't like it. Going into a potentially hostile environment serves no tactical purpose.
"Understood."
Cole shuts down the screens, but pauses at one display.
"There is one interesting detail." His voice carries that note of curiosity that means he's found something particularly clever. "Echo left us another present."
"What kind of present?" Damian asks, wariness evident.
"Another security upgrade. This time to our vehicle tracking systems." Cole's lips quirk in what might be admiration. "They identified three vulnerabilities we didn't even know existed and patched them."
"So they're watching us, learning our routines, but also... helping us?" Xander shakes his head.
"It's like having a guardian stalker with advanced computer science degrees," Cole muses. "Professionally speaking, it's fascinating. Personally, it's deeply unsettling."
"Guardian stalker?" Jax's eyebrows rise. "That's either the best or worst thing anyone could be."
"Focus," Kade commands, bringing us back to operational reality. "Cole, I want comprehensive counter-surveillance measures active within the hour. Remy, medical supplies on standby. Xander, prep the safe house. Jax, vehicle rotations every six hours."
He turns to me last. "Frost, extraction in two hours. Clean extraction—assume hostile observation."
The meeting breaks up, each team member moving to their assigned tasks. But as I gather my gear, one thought keeps circling through my mind.
Sacramento. The surveillance cluster. The timing of everything.
Coincidences happen. Variables align. Sometimes a target chooses you.
The question is: what exactly is Echo planning next?
I tap my fingers against the console, bringing up holographic displays that flicker through data profiles in front of me. I blink a couple of times as the command center's blue-tinted light comes to life and I scan through employee records from the café.
This is standard protocol. The location's proximity to our secondary communications relay makes it strategically significant. Nothing more.
The system purrs as it searches, cross-referencing employment records against known security threats. I create filters to highlight individuals with suspicious patterns—unexplained absences, inconsistent background checks, unusual technical skills.
None of these people should be able to bypass our security.
A profile appears: Casey Mendoza, barista, two years of employment. Clean record. Scrolling past.
Next: Michael Thornton, shift manager, minor possession charge three years ago. Not relevant.
Another appears: Vanessa Reyes, barista, eighteen months of employment.
My finger hovers over the screen as her image loads. Dark hair with pink streaks, pulled back, intelligent eyes that seem to look directly at me through the digital display. The same woman who served me yesterday, who read my posture and movements with unsettling accuracy.
