Stone’s jaw tightened. “Which one?”
“The Nevada site,” Viper said. “North of here. Old tunnels, built into the desert during the war games program. Our teams have stocked it with comms gear, weapons, and fallback supplies. It’s been safe for years—until now.”
Dave leaned forward, scanning the maps. “What kind of compromise? Are we talking about full breach?”
“I don’t know for sure, but my sources have picked up movement,” Viper replied. “Mercenaries sniffing around, too close for coincidence. If they get into that site, they’ll walk away with our weapons, gear, supplies, equipment, and the intel to every safehouse tied to it. That’s not just dangerous—it’s catastrophic.”
“We can’t let them get close,” Dave agreed.
“You’ll take point,” Viper went on, eyes sliding to Stone. “And you won’t be alone. Law will join you.”
Stone’s eyes narrowed. “So you said. Why him?”
“His past with that program and his boots on the ground give him an edge,” Viper said evenly. “Law also knows the terrain; knows the way those strongholds were built. But I can’t have him go in alone. You two have worked together in the past. So, Stone, you’ll run point. Dave, do I have your approval?” Viper deferred to Dave for the final orders.
“Yes. I’ll anchor the operation,” Dave murmured.
The silence that followed pressed thick against the walls.
Law’s name had left a sting, but Stone kept his expression unreadable. Yet inside, something old stirred. What was it? Regret? Nostalgia? He had walked away from Law when his heart had started shifting toward Dave.
Law was capable, brilliant even, but he carried with him the kind of memories Stone hadn’t revisited in years.
Stone didn’t look at Dave, not directly, but he felt him—steady, watchful, the air between them already charged from lunch was now threaded with something heavier.
Finally, Dave spoke. “If Law’s part of this, I want clear parameters. He goes off-script, I’ll shut him down.”
Viper’s mouth twitched into something like approval. “That’s why the President wants us all on this. Stone and Law for the Titus hunt. Dave for the leash and me for additional intel.”
Stone leaned back, arms folding. “Then we’d better move fast. Because if the wrong people find that bunker first, none of us will like the fallout.”
Viper nodded once. “Then it’s settled. You meet up with Law in the morning.”
Stone felt the familiar surge of mission-focus settling in, sharpening his edges. But even as the table filled with maps and orders, his eyes slid to Dave.
And as he held the man’s gaze for one long moment, he couldn’t shake his misgivings, nor the knowledge that before this mission ended, he’d have to face not just the ghosts of his pasts—but the ones sitting across from him.
They left the briefing room side by side, the door shutting with a heavy click behind them.
For a few steps, neither spoke, their boots echoing in the narrow hallway. Stone kept his eyes forward, but every nerve was tuned to the man walking beside him.
Dave broke the silence first, his voice low. “Law is going to test this team.”
Stone’s jaw worked, tight. “He’s not the only one.”
That earned him a glance—sharp, assessing—but Dave didn’t rise to the bait. He adjusted his cuffs instead, the picture of composure. Except Stone saw the small betrayals again—the quick flicker of his pulse at his throat, the subtle hitch in his breath.
“Don’t let Law throw you off,” Dave said finally, tone even, though his gaze lingered a second too long.
Stone’s mouth tilted faintly. “Him? Or you?”
The silence that followed stretched taut as a wire.
Dave looked away first, his steps resuming, the soldier-mask snapping back into place. But Stone had seen it—the crack beneath—the want Dave wouldn’t name.
And for the first time that afternoon, Stone felt the mission ahead wasn’t the only dangerous ground they’d be walking.
Stone stood at the edge of the building, his gaze tracking Dave’s commanding form as he strode toward the main ranch house.
