Page 124 of Make Them Cry
Rae’s fingers dance. “I’ll spoof a rodent parade on the marina side to keep the security guard bored. Also pulling a false fire panel failure two blocks down so patrol cars pivot off the grid.”
Ranger nods. “Noise away from us.”
Knight taps the screen where the skylight sits. “You want a top-side contingency?”
Dean cuts me a glance. “Gage?”
I know what he’s asking without him saying it. Do I need to be the first face River sees?Yes.Do I trust myself not to blow the op if I am? Also yes, but I understand what happens if I’m wrong. I breathe around the barbed wire in my chest.
“Put me where I get to her fastest,” I say. “But don’t let me ruin it if I lose my head.”
Sawyer’s mouth curves, sympathy without condescension. “We’ve all got a person,” he says. “We’ll keep you aimed.”
Dean keeps going. “Rules of contact. Minimal flashbangs—unknown hostiles, unknown hostages. If Helena’s there, she’smine. Gage, Arrow, and Knight… this is new for you, so we’ll make sure we hit and you follow behind.” Dean stares at me. “I’ll deal with Helena.”
That cuts through the static in my skull. “She took River—” I start.
“And she’ll face charges that stick,” Dean says, calm as winter. “You want River backandHelena in a cage. Let’s do the one that makes the second possible.”
I bite down. Nod once.
Rae raises a hand. “Heads up. Cathedral just spun up chatter.” One of her screens fills with a dark forum thread—handles, timestamps, nested replies. “UserVaingloryposted ‘Psalm88 closes tonight.’”
Knight goes still. “That handle hit our sandbox last week.”
Ozzy leans to his mic. “Pulling IP… bouncing… gotcha. It resolves to a VPN endpoint in—” She blinks. “NovaPlay HQ.”
I choke out a laugh with no humor in it. “Of course it does.”
Rae keeps reading. “There’s also a DM chain betweenVaingloryand an admin-level handle. Timestamped five minutes ago.” She flicks the text on the central screen.
Vainglory:van delivered. she’s secure.
Regent:accelerate protocol.
Vainglory:confirmed.
My hands curl. “They’ve got her in there.”
Dean: “We move.”
The gear-up is daunting,and needed. I’m not military, so this is new to me, but I’ll do anything for River. Ranger throws me a plate carrier and a comm bud, Sawyer a breaching kit shaped like a backpack but heavier with purpose. Arrow checks my straps and smacks my shoulder plate—a ritual more than correction. “Breathe, Dawson.”
“I’ll breathe when she’s in my arms.”
He doesn’t argue.
We roll out in two vehicles: Dean up front with Knight, Ozzy and Sawyer, Ranger driving me, Poe, and Render with a trunk full of toys. Rae’s voice fills our ears—cool, professional, threaded with something like care.
“Units, be advised—marina guard just sat down to watch a baseball replay. Fire panel false failure in progress. Two patrol units heading north to investigate a ghost alarm.”
“Copy,” Dean says. “Time to door?”
“Four minutes,” Rae answers. “Lark, you’ve got the grid?”
Lark’s voice is bright but tight. “On the breaker board. I can give you thirty seconds of darkness or a flicker to cover a cut.”
Dean says, “Hold it till I say.”
