Chapter 16
Reed stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the STAR Enterprises conference room, watching the Seattle skyline fade into the gray afternoon light.
Two days had passed since they’d pulled Elena off that jet in Vancouver, two days of debriefings and strategy sessions and sleepless nights spent analyzing every scrap of intelligence they could gather on Marcus Webb’s movements.
The virus had worked. Elena’s brilliant, desperate gambit with Webb’s phone had succeeded beyond anything they’d dared hope.
WATCHDOG was corrupting from the inside out, its surveillance capabilities crumbling like a sandcastle against the tide.
But Webb himself remained free, and that knowledge sat in Reed’s chest like a stone.
He turned as the conference room door opened, and his pulse quickened at the sight of Elena entering beside Walker.
She looked better than she had in Vancouver—the shadows under her eyes had faded slightly, and she’d borrowed one of Sarah’s blazers for the meeting, which gave her a professional air that reminded Reed of their early days at the facility.
But he could still see the tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes swept the room automatically, cataloging exits and threats.
She caught his gaze and offered a small smile that made his heart clench.
They hadn’t had much time alone since the rescue.
There had been too many urgent matters demanding attention, too many pieces still in play.
But every stolen moment, every brush of fingers when they passed in the hallway, reminded Reed of what they were fighting for.
James and Terrel filed in behind them, James moving more carefully than usual to protect his healing shoulder. The wound was mending well, but Reed had noticed his youngest brother wincing when he thought no one was looking.
“The FBI liaison should be here any minute,” Walker announced, checking his phone. “Security just cleared him through the lobby.”
Reed nodded, but his attention was fixed on Elena as she took a seat at the conference table. She was reviewing something on her tablet—probably the latest data on WATCHDOG’s deterioration—but her leg bounced nervously beneath the table.
The door opened again, and Reed felt a jolt of recognition that nearly made him laugh out loud.
Vince Quinn walked into the conference room like he owned it, which was how he walked into every room Reed had ever seen him enter.
The man was built like a linebacker, with close-cropped dark hair showing the first hints of gray at the temples and a face that bore the weathered look of someone who’d spent too many years in too many hostile environments.
“Well, well,” Vince said, his deep voice carrying a hint of amusement. “Reed Star, running his own corporate empire. Never thought I’d see the day.”
Reed crossed the room and clasped Vince’s hand, pulling him into a brief one-armed embrace. “Vince Quinn, working for the FBI. Never thought I’d see that day either.”
Vince laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Yeah, well, even old SEALs have to find somewhere to land eventually. Turns out the Bureau pays better than I expected, and they let me chase the really bad guys.”
“Like Webb.”
The humor drained from Vince’s expression. “Like Webb. That’s why I’m here.” He glanced around the conference room, his sharp eyes taking in Reed’s brothers and lingering on Elena. “This the team?”
“This is the team.”
Reed made the introductions, watching Vince assess each person with the same tactical precision Reed remembered from their deployment days. They’d served together for three years in some of the worst places on earth, and Reed had never met anyone he trusted more in a firefight.
Vince’s gaze settled on Elena last. “Dr. Vasquez. I’ve read your file. The real one, not the sanitized version the Agency released after your supposed death.”
Elena met his stare without flinching. “Then you know what we’re dealing with.”
“I know what you created,” Vince said, taking a seat at the table.
“I also know what Webb turned it into. WATCHDOG’s been on the Bureau’s radar for two years now, but we could never get close enough to build a case.
Too many layers of protection. Too many powerful people who didn’t want it exposed. ”
“That protection is gone now,” Elena said. “The virus I uploaded is systematically destroying WATCHDOG’s core functions. Within a week, maybe two, the entire system will be unusable.”
“Which is why Webb is desperate,” Vince replied.
He pulled a tablet from his briefcase and slid it across the table toward Reed.
“My guys have eyes on him in L.A. We have footage of him near the docks about six hours ago, but...” He paused, frustration flickering across his features.
“We don’t know where he went after that. He slipped our surveillance.”
Reed studied the surveillance photos on the tablet’s screen. Webb looked different than he had in Vancouver—harried, disheveled, nothing like the polished predator who’d taunted Elena on that jet. His expensive suit was wrinkled like he’d slept in it.
“He slipped you?” Walker asked, leaning over Reed’s shoulder to look at the photos. “How?”
Vince’s jaw tightened. “The dock area is a maze of shipping containers and private terminals. By the time my team repositioned, he was gone. Could be anywhere by now.”
“So we have nothing,” James said, his voice tight with frustration.
“We know he was at a private shipping terminal owned by a shell company that traces back to one of his known associates,” Vince said. “We think he might be trying to arrange transport out of the country—somewhere without an extradition treaty. But without eyes on him, we can’t confirm that.”
“If he runs, we might never find him,” Terrel said quietly.
“If he runs with whatever copies of WATCHDOG’s source code he still has,” Elena added, “he could rebuild the system somewhere else. Somewhere we can’t touch him. He needs to be taken down.”
The implication hung heavy in the air. Everything they’d sacrificed, everything they’d risked—it would all be for nothing if Webb escaped with the tools to start over.
“We need to draw him out,” Walker said. “Force him to make a move before he can disappear.”
“How?” Vince spread his hands in frustration. “The man’s paranoid and now he knows we’re watching. He’s not going to surface again unless he has a damn good reason.”
“I’ll do it.”
Elena’s voice was calm, certain. Everyone in the room turned to stare at her.
Reed’s blood ran cold. “What?”
“I can draw him out,” Elena said, meeting his gaze with that fierce determination he’d always loved and feared in equal measure. “Webb is obsessed with me—with what I know, with what I can do. If he thinks there’s a chance to get me back, to force me to help him rebuild WATCHDOG, he’ll take it.”
“No.” The word came out of Reed’s mouth before he could stop it, hard and absolute. “Absolutely not.”
“Reed—”
“No.” He pushed back from the table and stood, his whole body rigid with tension. “Elena, you spent five years running from this man. He kidnapped you less than forty-eight hours ago. I’m not using you as bait.”
Elena stood too, squaring off against him with her jaw set. “This isn’t your decision to make.”
“The hell it isn’t.”
Walker cleared his throat. “Actually... it’s a good idea.”
Reed whipped around to face his brother, disbelief and anger warring in his chest. “What did you just say?”
“I said it’s a good idea.” Walker’s expression was sympathetic but resolute. “Reed, think about it tactically. Webb wants Elena. He’s obsessed with her, just like she said. If we can use that obsession to bring him into the open...”
“We’d have a chance to end this,” James finished. He was watching Reed with careful eyes, clearly aware of how close his brother was to losing control. “Reed, I know how you feel, but Walker’s right. This might be our best shot.”
Terrel nodded slowly. “We could set up a controlled environment. Multiple layers of security, backup extraction plans, surveillance on every approach. If Webb takes the bait, we’d be ready for him.”
Reed looked from one brother to another, feeling like the ground was shifting beneath his feet. They were supposed to be on his side. They were supposed to understand why this was impossible.
His gaze landed on Vince, who was watching the exchange with an unreadable expression.
“What do you think?” Reed demanded.
Vince was quiet for a long moment. Then he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face in a gesture Reed recognized from long nights on deployment.
“I think Dr. Vasquez is right. Webb’s spooked.
His empire is crumbling around him, and he’s running out of time and options.
A direct approach is risky, but an opportunity to recapture the one person who might be able to salvage WATCHDOG?
” He shook his head. “That’s something he can’t ignore.
It might be the only thing that brings him out of hiding. ”
Something cracked in Reed’s chest. “You’re all crazy. Every single one of you.”
“Reed.” Elena moved toward him, stopping just close enough that he could smell the subtle perfume she’d started wearing again—something floral and warm that made him want to pull her into his arms and never let go.
“I know you want to protect me, and I love that about you, but I’m not the same person I was five years ago. I’m not running anymore.”
“This isn’t about running. This is about walking straight into the lion’s den.”
“With you watching my back.” Her hand found his, her fingers intertwining with his own.
“With all of you protecting me. Webb took five years of my life, Reed. He took my mother—I wasn’t able to be there with her when she died.
He took us.” Her voice cracked slightly on the last word.
“I need to end this. I need to be part of ending this. Please.”
Reed looked down at their joined hands, at the woman who had somehow become the center of his entire universe despite five years of separation and grief. He thought about the kiss on the cabin deck, the promises they’d made, the future he was desperate to build with her.
He thought about what it would mean if Webb escaped. If Elena had to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder.
“If we do this,” he said slowly, his voice rough, “we do it my way. My rules. My security protocols. And if I say abort at any point, we abort. No arguments.”
Elena’s face broke into a smile that made his heart stutter. “Deal.”
“Okay then,” Walker said. “We need a plan.”
Elena turned back to the table, her expression shifting from relieved to focused.
“I know how to send him a message. There’s an old email address—an encrypted channel we used to communicate through back when I was with DARPA.
He probably still monitors it. Old habits die hard, especially for someone as paranoid as Webb. ”
Vince raised an eyebrow. “You think he’ll respond?”
“He won’t be able to help himself.” Elena’s voice was cold now, calculating.
The brilliant strategist emerged from behind the woman who had trembled in his arms after her rescue.
“Webb’s ego is his weakness. He never believed I was smart enough to escape him—that’s why he kept coming after me all these years.
If I reach out, if I make him think I’m desperate and ready to deal. .. he’ll bite.”
“What would the message say?” James asked.
Elena was quiet for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. “Something to make him curious. Something that suggests I might be willing to trade my expertise for safety. Webb always believed everyone had a price. He’ll want to believe I’ve finally found mine.”
“And when he responds?” Terrel asked.
“We arrange a meeting. Somewhere public enough that he feels safe but controlled enough that we can box him in.” Elena looked at Vince. “Can your people handle the takedown?”
“If you can get him to show up, we can handle the rest.” Vince’s expression had shifted from skeptical to engaged, the hunter in him clearly warming to the strategy. “I’ll need to coordinate with the L.A. field office, get teams in position. But yeah—if this works, we can end this.”
Reed listened to them plan, his jaw tight, his hands clenched at his sides. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to shut this down, to find another way, to protect Elena at any cost. “I don’t agree with this at all,” he said finally. “There are other ways we could end this.”
Everyone was quiet.
But Elena’s eyes were determined, her voice full of conviction. The combination terrified him.
She caught his eye across the table and gave him a small nod. “It will be okay.”