Chapter 70 Aaron
Aaron
Location: En Route — Portugal
Time: Night
Enough waiting.
Enough reacting.
“Ronan,” I say, already pulling out my phone. “Get Cal on the line.”
He snorts, glancing over. “You mean our team?”
I don’t look at him.
“I mean Delta Five.”
That gets Lark’s attention.
Sharp. Immediate.
“You’re calling your entire team in,” she says.
Not a question.
A realization.
I meet her eyes.
“I’m calling the people who end wars before anyone knows they started.”
A beat.
Then I dial.
One ring.
Two—
The line clicks.
“About damn time,” Cal says. “You finally break something big enough?”
Despite everything—
I almost smile.
“Yes,” I say. “And I need all of you.”
A pause on the other end.
Not hesitation.
Calculation.
Then—
“Where?”
“Europe,” I reply. “Portugal. We’re already moving.”
Another beat.
Then his voice shifts.
Sharper. Colder. Ready.
“What’s the objective?”
I glance at Lark.
At the weight she’s carrying.
At the choice someone is trying to force on her.
My voice drops.
“It’s not a capture mission.”
Silence.
Then—
That sound.
That dangerous, unmistakable edge in Cal’s voice.
“Good.”
I hang up.
Ronan exhales slowly. “Well,” he mutters. “There goes subtle.”
I slide the phone back into my pocket.
“Subtle doesn’t win this one.”
Lark is still watching me.
Not afraid.
Not uncertain.
But something in her expression shifts.
Like she understands what this means.
Like she knows—
This just became a war.
And I’m not letting her fight it alone.