Chapter 30 Gage
THIRTY
GAGE
The second I see River’s face after her phone buzzes, I know something’s wrong. Her brows pinch, her mouth opens just slightly, and then she turns the screen toward me. I walk over to her desk, reading the message.
MASON: We need to talk. Please.
Every cell in my body tightens like I’ve been electrocuted. My jaw clenches so hard it cracks. “He texted you?” My voice is low and dangerous. I have to work to keep it from coming out like a growl.
She nods slowly, still staring at the message like it might change if she blinks hard enough. “Why now?”
Good fucking question.
I pull out my phone and type into the secure thread.
Gage: Mason texted River. Wants to meet.
Arrow: Damn. What do you wanna do?
Knight: It could be nothing… or it could be Cathedral fishing.
Juno: Set up the op?
I look back at River. She’s biting her lip now. “You okay?”
“No,” she says. “But I want to do it. I want to meet him.”
That sets my blood on fire. “You sure?”
Her eyes meet mine. Brave. Steady. Scared but unyielding. “He might have answers.”
I nod, jaw tight. “Okay. But you’re not going alone.”
River heads to Riverside after work, and I head home to grab more clothes and meet up with everyone. Knight’s already pacing when I arrive. Juno tosses a protein bar at my chest and I catch it on reflex.
“River’s ex-boyfriend now wants to chat?” she says, arching an eyebrow. “Convenient timing.”
“He knows something,” I say. “Has to. He wouldn’t reach out now if he didn’t.”
Arrow leans back against the brick wall, arms crossed over his broad chest. “Could be Cathedral’s panicking. We’ve been making noise.”
“Or he’s one of them,” Knight says, too easily.
I whip my head toward him. “No way.”
Juno chimes in. “You sure? It wouldn’t be the first time an ex turned sour. Especially if he thinks she’s off the market.”
I grit my teeth. “He’s scum, but I don’t think he’s that deep. Still—” I rake a hand through my hair. “We’re going to treat it like he is.”
Arrow nods. “Good. What’s the play?”
“I want full surveillance on the meet. Audio, video. Taser in her purse. I’ll be nearby.”
“You mean breathing down his neck,” Knight mutters.
“Damn right.”
Arrow grins. “Okay, Daddy Gage, relax. You’ll be two blocks away max.”
I shoot him a look, but I can’t help the tiny smirk tugging my lips.
Juno’s already typing on her tablet. “We’ll use the Julia café off Fairfax. Outdoor seating, two exits, decent cover.”
I nod. “Perfect. Make it look casual. River’s got good instincts.”
Knight rolls his eyes. “You mean she’s a hacker who’s accidentally been hunting Cathedral without even knowing it? Yeah, instincts.”
“She's brilliant,” I snap. “And brave as hell.”
A beat passes.
Then Juno smiles. “You’re falling hard.”
I don’t deny it. “I fell a long time ago.”
Knight groans. “Kill me now.”
Arrow chuckles, grabbing his beer. “Don’t let him fool you. This is how he was with Lark’s college roommate.”
“That lasted a week,” I mutter.
“This isn’t that,” Arrow says. “This is real.”
It is. God help me, it is.
Later that night, I walk River through the plan. We’re sitting on the couch, laptop open, comms gear laid out like a spy movie. She’s biting her thumbnail, something she does when she’s overwhelmed and trying not to show it.
“Hey,” I say, brushing her hand from her mouth. “We’ve got you. You’re safe.”
Her eyes search mine. “What if he doesn’t show?”
“Then we regroup. But if he does… we might finally get closer to the source.”
Her voice drops. “You really think Regent’s pulling the strings?”
“I know it,” I whisper. “They’re coordinating too well. The leaks, the videos, the timing.”
She shudders slightly and leans into me. I pull her close, heart twisting. I want to keep her here forever, wrapped in my arms, far from the bullshit of fake boyfriends, traitorous HR, and anonymous usernames poisoning her life.
Instead, I press a kiss to her hair and whisper, “We get him. Together.”
The next day we’re in position. River’s wearing a navy blouse, her hair loose around her shoulders. She’s seated at the café, sipping coffee like it’s just another afternoon. But I can see the way her fingers twitch. She’s nervous. She’s strong. She’s mine.
My comm crackles. “Target approaching,” Knight says from his perch. “Gray hoodie. Baseball cap. It’s him.”
I freeze.
“Mason’s here,” I murmur. “Eyes sharp.”
River looks up.
Their gazes lock.
He looks older. More haggard than when he was fired. His mouth moves, and River nods. They start talking.
I can’t hear the words yet, but Arrow’s got a mic trained on them.
Mason leans in. River stiffens slightly.
“What is he saying?” I hiss.
Juno’s voice filters through. “Something about a ‘deal gone wrong.’ He’s scared, Gage. Real scared.”
“Turn up the gain.”
We listen.
“…I didn’t know who they were at first. Cathedral just… messaged me. They had photos of me, River. Stuff no one should have. They said if I didn’t help them get to you, they’d ruin me.”
River’s voice: “So you just let them?”
“I didn’t know what else to do!”
I slam my fist into the steering wheel.
“I’m going over there,” I growl.
“No,” Arrow snaps. “Not yet. Let it play.”
“I need to talk to Gage,” Mason’s saying now. “Please. I’ll tell you everything. Just—don’t let them find me again. It’s getting real now.”
I stare at the scene like it’s on fire.
And maybe it is.
My phone buzzes. A new alert.
I open it—and my breath stops.
Another video.
Another fucking deepfake.
Me. River. Kissing. Tangled in sheets. Her moan, my voice, the bed, the fucking watermark of her old apartment in the background.
Son of a bitch.
Juno gasps. “Gage…”
“I see it,” I grind out. “It’s fake.”
River’s phone buzzes a second later. She blinks down at it mid-conversation, goes pale, and shoots me a panicked look across the café.
I’m already out of the car.
Already storming toward her.