"As in dangerous," Sebastian clarified, looking to Ike for confirmation. "The brass always denied it, but ..."
“We knew," Ike finished. "Certain operators couldn’t handle it when ops failed or got shut down by the powers that be. They wanted to see things through to the end by any means necessary. They were running their own sites. Black sites within black sites."
Lachlan felt a chill creep up his spine. During his time as a pilot, he'd heard whispers, rumors that some PISCOs took justice into their own hands. He'd dismissed them as paranoia. Now his daughter's life depended on those rumors being true.
Sebastian said, "Whatever Thomas thinks he's doing, he's convinced himself it's righteous. That makes him unpredictable and extremely dangerous."
Everett pointed to the monitors. “Look who was on point as the PISCO operative when Britt made her deal with the PIIB. He was assigned to escort her from witness protection when it was time for her to testify … but she reneged on the deal.”
Lachlan slammed his palm on the table, his vision blurring with rage. “When Britt decided not to turn on her father, you’re telling me this bastard took it personally? Went after her to what?”
“Force her to do what she said she would,” Ike said. “Help the PISCOs and the PIIB take Quattro down.”
Everett said, “Wesley Thomas was definitely in a position to pull off everything and not get caught. The car bomb, faking Britt’s death, getting her treated at the Rakestraw Blake Center?—”
“Holding her captive. Keeping her from me for three fucking years. Now he has my child,” Lachlan said, his voice breaking as images of Paloma, frightened and alone, threatened to drown him in grief. “I’m going to fucking kill the bastard.”
“Alright, so we’re dealing with an anti-hero, delusional bitch who has kidnapped Lachlan’s kid,” Adonis said. “How do we find him?”
“If he's truly gone rogue, he could’ve taken Paloma anywhere,” Kane said.
“Rogue or not, he still needs resources. Facilities. Power.” Ike went to the biometric safe embedded in the wall. He turnedaround and held up a small brass compass. “And he’d get it from the PISCOs.”
"How does this help us find Paloma?" Lachlan asked, unable to keep the edge of desperation from his voice. The faces around the table softened momentarily—these men, ex-operatives, undercover agents, and gang bangers, all understood what it meant to fear for a child. They each loved Paloma like she was their own.
"All PISCO facilities use a proprietary power source with a unique electromagnetic signature," Ike explained. "This detects that signature."
"The official sites are all mapped," Sebastian added, deferring to Ike with a gesture. "But a rogue facility ..."
"Would stand out like a lighthouse on a moonless night," Ike finished.
For the first time in twenty-two hours, Lachlan felt something other than dread. His pilot's mind immediately started calculating variables—range, topography, interference patterns.
"We still need a starting point," Rocco pointed out as he bit into an apple. "The islands are too big to sweep entirely. That could take days, and we need to find her in hours.”
Adonis popped up from his chair, his eyes distant with thought. "Britt," he said finally. "She escaped from Little Turkey."
“That’s right.” Lachlan felt his heartbeat quicken. Adonis was the only native Palmchatter in the room. His network of relationships on the island rivaled the most connected politicians.
“Wesley Thomas is from St. Killian,” Adonis said. “He grew up in Little Turkey. If he was going to set up a black site, it would be right in his own backyard. Where he felt most comfortable.”
"Exactly," Ike confirmed, a spark of the old fire lighting his eyes.
"Hiding in plain sight," Everett muttered, finally breaking his silence. “Clever bastard.” His fingers flew across the keyboard. "Pulling satellite imagery now. We need to go back to where we first started.”
“The landfill,” Kane said. “How quickly can we get mobilized?”
“Thirty minutes is all we need.” Everett turned to Lachlan. “Can you get the plane ready in that time?”
“Damn straight I can,” Lachlan said, already reaching for his jacket and keys.
“I’ll go with Lachlan,” Adonis offered, which Lachlan appreciated.
"I'm coming too," Ike said, clutching the brass compass.
Sebastian shook his head, a rare moment when he contradicted his friend. "You're not back to full strength. We can’t take a chance that you’d slow us down.”
Ike visibly bristled at the rebuke and the truth.
