Chapter 26 Morgan
Morgan
Iheard the van before I saw it. Tires crunching on gravel, headlights sweeping over the walls. Relief surged so strong it made me dizzy.
They were back.
I scrambled to stack my notes, the Holloway Trust file on top, the recorder tucked in my pocket.
My heart hammered as the door swung open and Damian stepped in first, broad and steady, River and Cyclone behind him.
His eyes went straight to me, sharp and searching, like he had to make sure I was whole before he could breathe.
“I found something,” I blurted, before he could even ask.
Damian’s jaw flexed, but he nodded once. “Show me.”
I slid the papers across the table, the Holloway Trust name circled so many times the ink smudged.
“It’s not just Caldwell moving shipments.
This trust — it’s bankrolling the routes.
Money laundering through charities, donations, offshore accounts.
If Caldwell hides the bodies, Holloway hides the money. ”
River let out a low whistle. Cyclone leaned in, scanning the pages. “She’s right. Same pattern I’ve seen in two other ops. Only she spotted it faster.”
Heat climbed my cheeks, but I pressed on. “If we follow the money trail, we don’t just find the shipments. We find where Luthor’s network bleeds. Cut that vein, and the rest collapses.”
For a beat, the room was quiet. Then Damian’s hand came down on the table beside the files, his fingers brushing the edge of my notes. His eyes locked on mine, storm-gray and burning.
“You did good, love,” he said, low. “Bloody good.”
My chest squeezed at the praise, unexpected and fierce. I swallowed hard, trying not to let it show how much those words mattered.
But he didn’t look away. His gaze lingered a beat too long, and suddenly the air felt different. Heavy. Charged. My skin prickled where his nearness brushed too close, even though he hadn’t touched me.
I dropped my eyes to the papers, forcing myself back to the mission. “So… what happens next?”
“We use it,” Damian said, his voice rougher than before. “We use everything you’ve given us to tear Luthor’s network apart.”
River grinned. “Guess we’ve got ourselves a new analyst.”
I laughed nervously, but Damian didn’t smile. He just kept looking at me, like he was weighing more than strategy. Like he saw something in me I wasn’t ready to name.
And God help me — I wasn’t sure if that scared me more than Luthor, or if it made me want to breathe for the first time since Ruby was taken.