Page 47 of Critical Mass
He rolled onto his side, ignoring the protest from his ribs, and stared at the wall until the gray light of dawn crept through the window.
Sleep never came.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FOUR
The next morning,Hudson sat across from Colton and Ty in the strategy room, a cup of black coffee growing cold in his hands. All night, his mind had run through every possible scenario of what could go wrong when Natalie went back to Norfolk.
“We’ll need to maintain your Timothy Shaw cover,” Colton said, studying the tactical map spread across the table. “Keep up the relationship publicly. It gives Natalie a reason to be distracted and explains any unusual behavior Ravenscroft might notice.”
“Agreed,” Ty added. “We’ll have surveillance teams in place—rotating shifts so they’re not obvious. Jake and Atlas will be primary, with Maverick as backup. If anything goes sideways, we can extract her within minutes.”
Hudson nodded, but the knot in his stomach only tightened. Minutes could mean the difference between life and death.
“What about the men from the marina?” he asked. “If they’re watching her house, they’ll know she’s back.”
Colton and Ty exchanged a glance, and Hudson knew there was an update.
“We sent Rocco and Maddox to follow those guys last night,” Colton started. “They caught one of them.”
Hudson’s breath caught. “And?”
“And . . . they don’t work for Sigma,” Ty said. “They got that much out of the man before he clammed up.”
“Do they have any idea who hedoeswork for?”
“He wouldn’t say,” Colton said. “But he scoffed when Sigma was mentioned. He clearly wasn’t a fan.”
His thoughts continued to race. “And where is this guy now?”
“We had no choice but to turn him over into federal custody.”
Hudson crossed his arms and frowned. “So our days of questioning him are done.”
“Most likely,” Colton agreed with a tight frown.
Ty leaned back in his chair. “This is why we need to move fast. Get Natalie back into position, gather the intelligence we need, and shut down Sigma before they realize she’s compromised.”
They spent the next twenty minutes discussing protocols—dead drops, coded messages, emergency extraction points. Hudson committed every detail to memory, even as part of his mind rebelled against the entire plan.
Finally, Colton set down his pen and looked directly at Hudson. “We need to address the elephant in the room.”
Hudson’s jaw tightened. “Sir?”
“Your feelings for Natalie Ravenscroft.” Colton’s voice was neutral, but his eyes were sharp. “This operation requires objectivity. We need to know where your head is.”
Hudson met his commander’s gaze. He’d been ready for this question. “I kept things professional. The relationship was a cover and nothing more. I gathered the intelligence we needed, and now we’re using it to stop Sigma.”
Ty studied him a long moment. “And if something goes wrong? If she’s in danger and following protocol means letting her get hurt—can you make that call?”
“Yes, sir.” The lie came easily—too easily. Hudson had always been good at compartmentalizing, at saying what his superiors needed to hear. “The mission comes first. It always has.”
Colton nodded slowly. “Good. Because if we get any indication that your judgment is compromised?—”
“It’s not,” Hudson interrupted. “I know what’s at stake.”
What his commanders didn’t know—what they couldn’t know—was that Hudson’s feelings for Natalie made himmoredangerous, not less. He’d break every protocol, ignore every order, sacrifice the entire mission if it meant keeping her alive.
