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“You could have put the entire team at risk. You know we’ve got your back, Tank, but that was just plain reckless.”
He stood his ground, defending his actions. "We didn't have time for a meticulous plan, Joey. Every second counted," Tank asserted, meeting her gaze with unwavering determination. “I couldn’t just let him take them without trying to stop it.”
As it was, he’d failed and Lia had been taken. As glad as he was that Kaylie was safe, he knew it was tearing her apart that Lia was with Lowell and they hadn’t been able to stop it. The guilt threatened to overtake him, but Tank pushed through it. It wasn’t the time.
Joey huffed in frustration but didn't press further. The team was gathered around a large table. Ross, the former Secret Service agent, leaned over the table, his eyes narrowing in focus. His dark, sharp suit accentuated the aura of authority that always surrounded him.
"The defense bill has to be more than just a political maneuver. It's a power play by Lowell to ensure Citadel's influence extends into areas we never anticipated," Ross asserted, his voice carrying the weight of years spent navigating the intricacies of governmental affairs.
Flint nodded in agreement. "There is no doubt that Lowell is upper-echelon Syndicate. If this bill passes, it opens doors for Citadel to control military contracts, access classified information, and gain unprecedented influence over national security. And somewhere along the line, QuinTech and Marshand Chemical are involved too.”
Marshall chimed in. “Everyone we’ve spoken to indicates that this bill is the key to whatever the Syndicate is planning.”
Tank, standing at the edge of the table, absorbed the gravity of the situation. He exchanged glances with the team, the shared understanding of the imminent threat fueling their determination.
Joey, ever the voice of dissent, interjected with her signature intensity. "Thwarting the bill is one thing, but taking down the Syndicate altogether is another. We have to hit them where it hurts the most—their operations, their finances, every single thing that matters to them."
“You’re right.” Flint nodded at Joey. “That’s the end game. But right now, we focus on the bill, and we focus on Lia,” he said with a pointed nod to Kaylie.
Flint added, "We also need to find any connections between Citadel, QuinTech, and Collins. There might be a leverage point there we can exploit."
The room buzzed with discussions, but Kaylie remained a silent figure in the corner, her eyes distant and withdrawn. Tank longed to bridge the emotional gap that had formed between them, to offer comfort or reassurance. Yet the weight of guilt shackled him and kept him from reaching out.
The team, aware of the urgency of the situation, shifted focus to the immediate concern—rescuing Lia from Citadel's clutches. Tank's gaze flickered to Kaylie, her silence echoing louder than any words. He couldn't shake the feeling that her daughter's peril was a direct consequence of his choices.
The door opened and Jackson came in, his arm in a sling.
“How’re you feeling?” Tank asked.
“I’ll live,” he said with a half-smirk. Jackson was ever the jokester, but Tank would always want him on his team. “But in the excitement of being shot and all that, I forgot to tell you.” He ran his uninjured hand over the back of his head, like he was nervous. "I think I managed to tag the SUV before they left the motel. If it didn’t fall off when he jumped the curb. Joey, can you find the signal and see if it worked?”
Tank’s heart leaped at Jackson's revelation. Part of him was ticked that the information didn’t come out sooner, but logically he knew that Jackson had been bleeding out and things like that tended to take priority.
Questions and exclamations erupted from the team, the prospect of a tangible lead invigorating the entire group.
Joey leaned forward over her ever-present laptop, eyes narrowing in focus. "Of course, I can find the signal. Give me a second," she replied, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she accessed the tracking software. The room fell into a tense silence, anticipation building as Joey worked her magic.
A series of keystrokes later, the tracking software displayed a pulsating blip on the digital map. The room erupted into cheers, but Joey's attention was fixed on the screen. Her brows furrowed as she studied the data.
“It’s at Leesburg airport. Let me check the registered flight plans.” The team fell silent, awaiting Joey's analysis. Tank held his breath and flexed his toes inside his boots.
"Almost got him. Stupid shell company assets," Joey muttered.
Tank's heart pounded with a mix of relief and urgency. They had a lead, a direction to follow. Joey continued to dissect the data, her fingers dancing across the keyboard with practiced precision. The room, moments ago filled with tension, now buzzed with renewed determination.
"We've got them," Joey declared, a triumphant grin breaking across her face. "The plane is scheduled to land at a private airstrip on the outskirts of Chicago.”
Tank’s eyes flicked to Flint’s and his boss raised a single eyebrow. The man had hired him almost six years ago, and of anyone in Tank’s life, other than Kaylie, he knew the most about Tank’s past. Even he didn’t know the details, though.
Chicago, the city of his past, now held the key to rescuing Lia. A surge of familiarity and discomfort intertwined as he faced the prospect of returning to the place he had once tried so desperately to escape. For Lia's sake, Tank would have to go back there for the first time in twenty years.
Tank turned his attention back to Joey and gave her a nod. It wasn’t exactly high praise, but Joey’s eyes flashed as if she understood the gratitude he was trying to show. “Find everything you can about Citadel’s operations in Chicago. It’s a big city, so we need to know where they might be holding her. Miranda,”—he pointed at his friend—“we’re going tonight. Make it happen.”
“Already on it,” she said, her thumbs moving furiously across her phone screen. He knew they’d have flights, weapons, and everything they would need waiting for them in a matter of hours.
The team mobilized, preparing for the mission ahead. Yet, amidst the newfound optimism, Tank's gaze drifted to Kaylie.
She sat on the periphery of the room, a silent observer to the unfolding events. The flicker of hope in her eyes mirrored Tank's own, but the emotional distance between them remained. As the team geared up for the mission, Tank wrestled with the guilt that tethered him, preventing him from bridging the gap with the woman whose life had become entangled with his own.
