Chapter 33 #2
I examined the device. My years with Pendragon had acquainted me with high-end equipment, but Reynolds tech—from such a small company—consistently impressed me. The integration of multiple communication channels into a single device and the seamless switching capability were very effective.
“And I have a quick update on Dr. Norris,” Brie said. “He made a few phone calls yesterday to colleagues about the suits and the coatings, but it doesn’t look like he’s actually digging for more information.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
Malcolm held up his phone. “When I was in his lab with you yesterday, I got close enough for Brie to do her magic, and now we’ve got access to his calls.”
The casual admission of unauthorized surveillance didn’t surprise me. Ethical boundaries blurred when lives hung in the balance. I’d long ago made peace with such compromises, though I still felt the occasional twinge of the idealistic scientist I’d once been.
We spent the next several hours reviewing the maps and finalizing equipment loadouts. Mario had long since left for work, and Bobcat checked in a few times to let us know the trucks were still moving.
And by three o’clock, it was time for Rav and me to suit up.
“Let’s get the incursion suits on,” I said, glancing at my watch.
Rav nodded, and we headed back upstairs. When we reached the bedroom I’d shared with Scarlett, I noticed immediately that her things were gone. “It’s that easy, is it?”
He swatted my ass before laying his suit on the bed. “My team is my family. I’ve done the same for the others.”
I laid my suit out next to his, running my fingers along the seams. “Norris is a jerk, but his team did a great job.”
After stripping down to my underwear, I pulled on the suit, the smart fabric molding to my body while still allowing a full range of motion. “This is ridiculously comfortable.”
“Need help with the zipper?” Rav asked, already suited up to the waist.
It zipped up the front. “Not really.”
He came closer, his chest bare, and waggled his eyebrows. “Please?”
I planted my hands on my waist to humor him. “Fine.”
“Let me check the seams first.” He hooked a finger to the inside of the zipper, running it up one breast, then down the other.
I exhaled slowly, savoring the touch. “Structural integrity test?”
“Exactement.” He zipped me up and folded over the neck seal to keep even the tiniest molecules out. He pressed a kiss to my temple that warmed my belly. “All set.”
We completed suiting up, then layered regular clothes over top—loose jeans, casual shirts, light jackets. To anyone in Pompeii, we’d look like ordinary tourists unless we needed to remove the outer layer.
Rav bent to test the knee articulation, shifting the fabric so it sat just right.
“The old hazmat suits Pendragon’s using make you feel like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.” I leaned down to touch my toes and even considered a few yoga moves. “But these?”
“Will refuses to patent anything.” He tucked the incursion suit’s hood under his shirt. That part would come later, along with the gloves and facemasks. “We’ve used them in sub-zero jobs, too. They have integrated heating systems that he can control remotely.”
With one last twist of my torso to make sure everything was in the right spot, I checked my watch. “It’s almost three thirty. We should head down.”
As we moved to the door, Rav caught my hand. “Brooke.”
I turned, meeting his eyes.
“I wanted to say…” He paused, seeming to search for words. “Last night wasn’t only because of what we’re walking into.”
“I know.” After Afghanistan, I’d become an expert at separating the adrenaline-fueled connections of fieldwork from genuine emotion.
The heightened danger, the compressed timelines, the constant proximity—all created conditions that mimicked intimacy but could too easily evaporate once normal life resumed.
What had happened between us went far deeper than pre-mission tension. I’d known that even five years ago, when I’d drunk-dialed him, scars and broken heart still fresh.
“When this is over—”
“When this is over,” I echoed, squeezing his hand once before releasing it. “But first, we have work to do.”
Gear was packed, roles confirmed, and contingencies established. The team gathered at the base of the stairs, waiting for us. They all still had hours to go, disguises to don, conversations to have with Pendragon.
But for Rav and me, it was time. It would take about half an hour to drive to Pompeii, a two-hour walk through the tunnels, and we’d arrive under the amphitheater by six. Two hours before the concert started. We’d find the equipment, surprise Fenix, and shut down their plan.
Or call in a bomb threat and scare everyone out of the park and away from danger.
Scarlett touched Rav’s arm. “If anything goes sideways, don’t wait for authorization. Take out anyone trying to set up the Greek Fire. Our priority is stopping the deployment.”
Unlike my previous operations with Pendragon, where we’d focused on securing the formula and stopping anyone from finding it, this mission required direct action against the people transporting and setting up the weapon.
“This is going to be a big day,” Scarlett said, looking around at the assembled team. “Dangerous, but also straightforward. We know the target, we know the threat, and we have the right people in place. If we stick to the plan, everything will be fine.”
It had to be.
Because I had years of missed life to catch up on.