I slid my phone back into my pocket, already knowing what came next.
The bureaucratic approval process.
A fucking headache.
Normally I skirted the edge of what was formally required. Just enough paperwork to keep Command off my back while we handled things our way. But an operation this big meant everyone suddenly cared about rules, forms, briefings and sign offs. Every damn person needed to cross their I’s and dot their T’s before we could kick a door in.
Lena had already done half the boring work for us.
She’d sorted through the intel, connected the patterns, organized the information so cleanly even Command couldn’t ignore it. All that was left was packaging it into neat little briefing packets for the brass.
I hated that part so I was grateful for her. What she had done with that information… most operatives couldn’t have pulled it off.
She wasn’t some helpless omega meant to sit in a nest and pump out pups And once this operation was over, she wouldn’t just be someone we protected.
She’d be part of the unit. Arealteammate.
Lena was sharp, impressive, and capable.
And also, very fucking stealthy. I hadn’t even heard her softfeet padding across the floor until she was nearly behind me, leaning over my shoulder to look through the camera’s viewfinder.
She gasped the moment she saw the photos on the screen, my thumb toggling between shots of Marco.
“I know,” I whispered. “The fucking guy was right there.”
I turned slightly, fixing her with a stern look.
“Relax. He’s gone now.”
I wasn’t sure if seeing him that close would trigger something in her, but any reaction was cut short when the same SUV from earlier pulled up to the curb.
A man stepped out of the house.
Luca.
A smug grin spread across his face.
The kind of grin men wore after sex.
He hopped into the idling vehicle as I took more photos.
"Nevermind, looks like Daddy came back to pick him up."
Lena didn't respond, so I turned. Her face was pale, emotion stripped, color gone.
"Do you know that guy?" I asked, zooming in on one of Luca's photos.
She nodded, then hesitantly lifted her hand, turning and lightly touching her back. The place where her scars traveled across her shoulders.
The gesture was clear. Luca had hurt her.
For a moment, an urge hit me hard enough that I almost moved.
I could go downstairs. Slip out the back, climb into thesurveillance van we had parked a few blocks over, and trail Marco's SUV.
I pictured it perfectly.
Their SUV turning onto the main road. My headlights cutting through the dark behind them as I closed the distance. The engine screaming as I pushed the van faster and faster until I was right on their bumper.
