Chapter 89 Havoc
Havoc
Idon’t like his answer.
I don’t like any of this.
“Relocate them.”
No.
That’s not strategy.
That’s control.
And I’ve seen that play before.
Doesn’t end well for the people being “protected.”
I shake my head once.
“No,” I say again.
The agent exhales slowly.
Like he expected that.
“Then you’re putting them at risk.”
“They’re already at risk,” I reply. “The difference is—right now, I know where they are.”
That lands.
Because it’s true.
Because control works both ways.
Silence stretches between us.
The room is still.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
I glance at the tablet again.
At the network.
The routes.
The structure.
Something about it—
Doesn’t sit right.
Briggs shifts beside me.
“You’re missing something,” he mutters.
“Yeah,” I say quietly. “I know.”
The agent’s gaze sharpens.
“What?”
I don’t answer right away.
Because I’m still working it through.
Still lining it up.
Tank.
The mission.
The target.
The timeline.
The way everything went sideways.
Then—
It hits.
Hard.
I straighten slightly.
Eyes narrowing.
“Tank didn’t lose it,” I say.
The agent goes still.
“What?”
“The intel,” I clarify. “He didn’t lose it.”
A beat.
Then—
“We never said he did,” the agent replies.
“No,” I say. “You didn’t.”
I turn fully now.
Face him.
“But you also don’t have it.”
Silence.
Sharp.
Cutting.
That lands harder.
Because it’s true.
Because if they had it—
They wouldn’t be here.
They wouldn’t be guessing.
They wouldn’t be trying to take control of her.
Briggs lets out a low whistle.
“Damn…”
The agent’s jaw tightens.
“You’re making assumptions.”
“I’m making observations,” I correct.
I step closer to the table.
Tap the screen once.
“If you had the intel,” I continue, “you wouldn’t need grandpa.”
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then—
“He was a potential source,” the agent says.
“No,” I reply. “He’s a fallback. We handed the flash drive over. We cleared the warehouses. But that isn’t what was important; you need them to find what no one has. The maps.”
That lands.
Because now we’re getting somewhere.
Because now he knows I see it.
I glance at Aspen over my shoulder.
She’s watching me.
Trusting me.
Waiting.
Good.
Because this is about to change everything.
“Tank knew he was compromised,” I say.
The agent doesn’t interrupt.
Doesn’t deny it.
Which tells me enough.
“He lost contact with you two days before he went dark,” I continue. “Which means he knew something was off.”
Briggs nods slowly.
“Meaning he wouldn’t carry the intel on him,” he adds.
“Exactly.”
I look back at the agent.
“So where is it?” he asks.
I almost smile.
Because now?
Now he’s asking me.
“Not where you think,” I say.
His eyes narrow.
“Then where?”
I don’t answer.
Not yet.
Because I’m still putting it together.
Tank.
The kind of man he was.
The way he operated.
The way he thought.
Not digital.
Not trackable. It wasn’t in the locked box.
Not something that could be intercepted.
No.
Tank would go old school.
Physical.
Hidden.
Secure.
My gaze shifts.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
To Aspen.
Then—
To grandpa.
Sitting quietly in the chair. Staring at the television even though the voice was down.
Petting Buddy like none of this is happening.
Like the world isn’t falling apart around him.
And then—
It clicks.
Fully.
Clear.
Sharp.
Final.
I turn back to the agent.
“Where did Tank go on his last mission?” I ask.
The agent frowns.
“What?”
“Answer the question.”
A beat.
Then—
“We lost his trail about sixty miles from here,” he says.
I nod once.
That tracks.
That fits.
“He came here,” I say.
“Maybe.”
“Tank hid what he had.”
“Possibly.”
Not possibly.
Definitely.
“He hid it,” I say.
The words land in the room like a dropped weapon.
Everyone goes still.
Even Aspen.
“What?” she whispers.
I look at her.
Hold her gaze.
“He didn’t trust anyone,” I say.
Her brow furrows.
“Not even them,” I add, jerking my chin slightly toward the agents.
That lands.
Hard.
The agent doesn’t deny it.
Doesn’t argue.
Which tells me everything I need to know.
“So he hid it,” Briggs says slowly.
“Yeah.”
“Where?”
That’s the question.
The one that matters.
The one that changes everything.
I turn slightly.
Look around the Tavern.
The old wood.
The beams.
The structure.
Then—
My gaze shifts again.
Past it.
Beyond it.
To where I know the land stretches out.
To the farm.
To the place Aspen came back to. So she can take care of grandpa.
To the place grandpa knows… even if he doesn’t remember it clearly.
My jaw tightens.
“He didn’t pick random,” I say.
Aspen’s voice is barely there.
“What does that mean?”
I step closer to her.
Lower my voice.
“He picked somewhere safe,” I say.
“Somewhere no one would think to look.”
Her breath catches.
“Havoc…”
I hold her gaze.
Let her see it.
Let her feel it.
“The farm,” I say.
Silence.
Absolute.
Crushing.
“No,” she whispers. “No, he wouldn’t—he didn’t even know I was coming back—”
“He didn’t need to,” I reply.
Her head shakes.
Confusion.
Fear.
Hope.
All of it crashing together.
“That’s his grandfather’s land,” she says.
“Exactly.”
That’s why it works.
That’s why it’s perfect.
That’s why Tank would choose it. He knew she would never ignore his grandpa. He had no idea we would inherit this old tavern and also live here in Eagle River. He didn’t have time to tell us what he was working on, so he hid it.
Because no one questions an old man’s property.
Because no one expects anything important to be there.
Because it’s forgotten.
Overlooked.
Safe.
Or at least—
It was.
The agent steps forward.
Interest sharp now.
Focused.
“You’re saying the intel is on the farm.”
“I’m saying,” I reply, “that’s where I’d put it.”
A beat.
Then—
“That’s where we’re going,” he says.
And just like that—
The tension spikes again.
Because no.
No, we’re not.
I shake my head slowly.
“No,” I say.
His eyes narrow.
“This is an active federal—”
“I don’t care what you call it,” I cut in. “You’re not going near that place without me.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Then—
“Fine,” he says.
Again.
Too easy.
Too fast.
I don’t trust it.
Not even a little.
But I don’t have a choice.
Because if I’m right—
And I know I am—
Then whatever Tank hid out there…
Is the reason he died.
And the reason they’re still coming.
I glance at Aspen.
Her eyes are locked on me.
Searching.
Terrified.
Trusting.
And I make her a silent promise.
Clear.
Unbreakable.
I’ll find it.
I’ll protect it.
And I’ll keep her safe.
No matter who I have to go through.
Even if it’s them.