Chapter Seventeen
Rain hammered the windows, gusts rattling the frames as the room fell into a weirdly suspended silence.
“So, we are what now? Going after someone named Tatum?” Law broke the quiet.
“Like Dave said, we will see,” Stone said, turning toward a noise outside in the hallway.
“Yeah, this could be a ruse to throw us off,” Viper growled, earning a scowl from both Titus and Walt.
The noise at the war room’s door drew Stone’s gaze, and four men stepped through the doorway, and the atmosphere shifted instantly.
Ace Gray led the way, authority dripping from every line of his towering frame. Dark stubble shadowed a jaw cut sharp as stone, steel-blue eyes sweeping the room once and missing nothing.
Most of the men stiffened at the sight of Pegasus—not out of fear, but rather respect because the unit had that effect.
At Ace’s flank was Jacob, lean and coiled, curls tumbling over his forehead, dimples at odds with the fierce blue gaze that pinned Titus like a knife. His fingers twitched as though he wanted something in them—blade, pistol, didn’t matter.
Behind them, Owen shouldered in, broad chest and scruffy jaw, husky voice carrying as he ordered the stragglers outside to clear the hall. Tattoos inked the edges of his collar, promises of violence just under the skin.
Jordan brought up the rear—tall, solid muscle, dark curls shadowing sharp blue eyes.
Ace strode to the center, presence looming like a wall. “We’ve got the grounds locked down,” he said evenly. “Perimeter secure, estate swept. Nothing moves without Pegasus knowing it.”
Jacob’s gaze flicked to the photo still lying on the desk, then to Titus. “So, this is him.”
Titus smirked through blood on his teeth.
Ace’s steel-blue eyes swept the room once more before settling on Dave. No test, no challenge—just recognition. A soldier acknowledging his commander.
Ace gave a short nod, clipped and sure. “Perimeter’s yours, sir. Pegasus is locked in tight.”
Owen and Jordan drifted wider, fanning out with the silent efficiency of wolves circling a wounded animal.
Stone felt the shift in the room like a storm front—Viper’s heat, Walt bristling at Titus’s side, Ace’s presence locking the space down tighter than steel bars.
Dave didn’t flinch. “Ace, you and your team hold the perimeter.”
“I’ll help,” Winter shoved from his spot against the wall.
Ace nodded. And just like that, Pegasus swept out of the room and folded seamlessly into the command structure.
The room collectively turned to Dave, every man waiting for the next move.
Before Titus could speak, the door opened once again.
“God damned revolving door,” Walt snarled, earning a scowl from Titus.
Black and Micah slipped in with water dripping from their jackets. They moved to Law and Sage’s side like shadows drawn to a fight.
Viper leaned in, voice a low growl at Titus. “Aren’t you worried about losing your man? Snake’s been slithering through our lines for months.”
Titus chuckled, bitter and hoarse. “You don’t even see it, do you?”
“See what?” Viper straightened, eyes glaring.
Titus’s gaze shifted from Viper to Dave. “Franklin isn’t working for me. He thinks he’s clever, hiding his tracks. Truth is, he’s serving Tatum. My brother’s got him on a leash. Franklin believes he’s fooling me, but I’ve known for a long time.”
Stone’s cool blue stare didn’t move. “And you let him keep running?”
“Yes, until I figure out how to use him to get to Tatum,” Titus said simply.
All eyes turned back to Dave.
“What was your play, storming my beach?” Dave asked Titus.
He’d bait him first—see what the man had up his sleeve.
“I planned to get Franklin’s laptop and phone and crack them to reach Tatum,” Titus said. He glanced at Dave. “But I need one of your tech guys to get into the devices.”
“Why not get Franklin and his fucking shit and bring them here?” Viper rasped.
Dave held up one hand, and Viper gnashed his teeth but closed his mouth.
“I would have, but I didn’t know if you would help me,” Titus admitted, gazing at Dave, and then frowned. “What was your plan?”
“To get to Franklin to get to you. Or as you say…your brother,” Dave said.
“Are we talking a setup here?” Micah piped up before Dave could answer. “Black and I are really good at that kind of thing.”
Viper’s bark cut like a knife. “This isn’t a sandbox for kids.”
Micah’s cheeks flushed, but he held his ground. “Fuck you. You don’t know my story.”
Black cracked his knuckles in the sudden silence.
Law chuckled under his breath. “Careful, Viper. He has a pistol.”
Viper’s eyes snapped toward Law, heat flaring. “Shut it, Steel.”
“Bite me,” Law smirked.
“Enough. Stay focused,” Dave said, every word measured.
The former SecDef’s words hit the room like a hammer. Lightning flared, shadows slashing across the walls. Thunder rolled a heartbeat later, sharp and punishing.
“If Franklin supposedly works for you, why can’t you just make a house call?” Viper snapped.
“And so, what if I do? You think he’s going to take me to Tatum?” Titus asked, incredulous. “Franklin has information on his laptop and phone that I can’t crack into,” Titus said.
“You can’t hire someone?” Viper sniped.
“No, we already tried. The encryption is like nothing I’ve ever come across before,” Titus snapped and then turned to Dave. “I can get to Franklin. I will get the phone and laptop. Your guys can crack it.”
“Now that you’re here, there’s no way in hell you’re going after Franklin without us,” Viper snarled.
“I can get closer than any of you can,” Titus said, chin tipped in a silent challenge.
“No,” Dave shook his head.
“I agree,” Stone said. If they let Titus out of here and he really was the culprit, then they would have lost the prize plus Franklin.
“You can’t get close to Franklin. He has trust issues,” Titus shook his head.
“What if…someone went in as…say a buyer of merchandise?” Dave said.
Titus hesitated, frowned, and then murmured. “That…might work.”
“You call Franklin and set up a meet,” Dave said.
“A meet with who?” Titus squinted at them. “You?”
Stone met Dave’s gaze. “He doesn’t know us. That could be our edge.”
“He will see you two coming a mile away,” Walt chimed in with a snort.
“It stinks of a setup,” Titus agreed.
Dave’s nod was slow, thoughtful, his gaze shifting around the circle. “Then we’ll send in someone who looks non-threatening. Someone Franklin won’t see coming.”
Dave’s eyes landed on Sage—the slender young man already straightening under the weight of the attention.
Then Dave’s gaze drifted to Boston, silent against the far wall.
Rip tensed beside him, fists going white. Stone caught the muscle ticking in his jaw—the fight he was swallowing down. Rip didn’t need to speak; the silence coming off him said enough.
Titus broke it. His voice cut through the quiet like glass. “Tatum is a fucking child molester, just like Tanis. His taste is for young boys. You send in someone like them alone…” He jerked his chin at Boston, then Sage. “You risk losing them forever.”
Boston laughed, sharp and low, already fingering the edge of the blade he kept sheathed at his thigh. “That fucker won’t see me coming.”
“That’s right,” Rip muttered. His jaw clenched at the memory of Boston’s snarky comments on the beach. “You were raised to slit throats in your sleep.”
Boston’s cheeky smile curved, dimples flashing even under the tension. “And you snore loud enough to wake the dead.”
Rip scowled. “You don’t know how loud I snore.”
Boston smirked. “News flash. I’ve crashed in the bunkhouse.” His gaze swung back to Dave, dark eyes bright with adrenaline. “Count me in.” His eyes slid to Sage. “Send us both in. Sage is also YA.”
“I’m not a teenager.” Sage spun his pen.
“But you could pass for one,” Boston insisted.
“He’s right, you could,” Dave said, looking over Sage’s slender build and curly blond hair.
Sage squinted, then nodded. “I’ll do it.”
“Alright, then that’s the plan,” Dave said.
The room came alive—boots shifting, chairs scraping, the low thrum of voices trading strategy and risk in equal measure.
Stone quietly made his way over to Owen and Jordan. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
Owen smiled and draped his arm around Jordan’s shoulders. “Thank you.”
Jordan—aka J—smirked. All focus. All control. Stone had seen that look before. The hacker didn’t miss much on or off a screen—he’d once cracked open a top-secret grid and renamed all the files “oops.”
“You keeping Owen on his toes?” Stone asked, one brow lifting with the ghost of a smile.
Jordan’s gaze flicked toward Owen, affection clear in the look. “As much as I can.”
The room broke into a low rumble—papers shifting, voices overlapping, plans tossed across the table—and the moment slipped away.
Hours passed in strategy and debate until it became clear they were running in circles.
They were getting nowhere.
Finally, Dave called it. “That’s enough for tonight.”
The war room emptied slowly, men dispersing with clipped words and heavy stares.
Pegasus took the perimeter, Genesis settled deeper into the estate, and Titus was pulled to a holding room under guard. Walt, still rain-soaked, stayed close, a shadow at his side. Both men were provided with clean, dry clothes and food.
Stone shadowed Dave through the hallway and into the study.
The storm had softened, rain easing into a steady hush that folded into the surf. The warmth of the room enveloped them with the smells of coffee and leather, softer than the gun oil and tension they’d left behind.
“We got nowhere tonight,” Stone said.
“I know,” Dave said, rubbing at his forehead. “So, we’ll hit it again in the morning.”
Stone leaned against the desk, watching Dave unbutton his cuffs and roll his sleeves. The simple gesture made him look human again, not just the commander every man leaned on.
“You don’t have to carry all of it,” Stone said, keeping his voice low.
Dave gave a tired smile. “You’re helping.”
Stone snorted softly. “How so?”
“Just by being here.”
Stone folded his arms. “For years, you’ve built this team to survive without you. Maybe it’s time you let them prove it. Plan the meeting with Franklin and command it from here.”
“Maybe next time.”
“So, when will you step back?” Stone murmured.
Silence stretched, the only sounds—the tick of the mantle clock, the fire crackling in the hearth.
“You’re talking about me retiring,” Dave said at last, feeling the weariness in his bones.
“Not tomorrow,” Stone answered roughly. “But one day soon. You’ve given everything you’ve got. I don’t want to watch it burn you down.”
“And then?”
Stone’s eyes softened, though his jaw stayed hard. “We could make a life outside this. Still together.”
The thought slid sharp through Dave before he could stop it—a cabin in the Colorado quiet, snow stacked at the windows, no alarms, no maps, no war table. Just mornings that started slow, Stone’s boots by the door because there was nowhere to be but with each other.
It wasn’t impossible.
Not anymore. Not with Stone saying it out loud.
Dave exhaled slowly. He turned the words over before answering.
“Will’s stepping up more every month,” he said finally. “Retirement won’t be overnight, but… it’s in motion.”
“I’m included in your plan,” Stone murmured. It came out like a statement, but Dave heard the question beneath it.
“Always,” Dave said, voice low.
Relief flickered in Stone’s eyes, and Dave hated that he’d ever made him doubt it.
“Good. Means I can stop nagging,” the man said gruffly.
Dave’s mouth tugged into the faintest ghost of a smile. He reached across the desk, hand brushing Stone’s. “You’d miss it if you stopped.”
“Maybe.” Stone let their hands rest together, steady and warm, his tone suggestive. “But I’ll find other things to occupy my time.”
Dave laughed, he couldn’t help it, then sobered. “So…how would this work?”
“If you go, I go. I’ll retire.”
“You’re young. Way younger than me.”
“You think that matters to me?” Stone’s eyes glittered in the light.
“No,” Dave whispered after a moment.
“Damn right,” Stone growled. “I want us together for whatever years we get. I don’t want to waste a fucking minute.”
Dave swallowed hard, emotion tightening his throat at the raw rasp of Stone’s voice.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Stone’s grip on his hand said more than words ever could.