“Because they’re not old anymore,” Viper said, his gaze shifting to Sage. “Caldwell reopened them. Something’s active.”
Sage’s fingers paused over the keyboard.
Then he scanned the list again as his eyes flicked across the resurfacing names.
He flicked his eyes up to Viper. “This is going to get messy?”
“Probably,” Viper said quietly.
The room shifted into motion almost immediately.
Memphis dragged a chair closer. Black folded his arms beside the counter, studying the screen with quiet intensity while Micah leaned in beside Sage, scanning the resurfacing names.
Questions started moving around the room—low, focused, practical.
Sage half-listened while continuing to work. His fingers moved across the keyboard, opening archived files and cross-checking timestamps as the old database unfolded across the screen.
Beside him, Law stayed where he was.
Sage could feel the weight of his attention without looking up.
After a moment, Law said quietly, “Find something?”
Sage kept typing.
“Working on it.”
Law’s mouth twitched faintly.
Sage flicked another file open, the screen populating with a fresh set of cross-referenced records. Something small caught his eye—an access flag buried deep in the log.
He frowned slightly.
“That’s new.”
Law leaned closer to the laptop. “What is?”
Sage scrolled back through the log, isolating the entry.
“One of the other boys just flagged,” he said, tapping the screen.
The name appeared in the file header.
The access timestamp had just been updated.
Sage leaned back on the counter, considering it.
“No criminal activity,” he said after a moment. “No reports, no warrants, nothing.”
Memphis frowned. “Then why flag it?”
Sage tilted his head, tracking the log.
“Looks like he went from dormant to active.”
“That means someone was pulling strings again. Who’s this guy?” Winter murmured, stepping closer, coffee in hand.
Sage glanced up briefly. Icy blue eyes under dark brows, a square jaw shadowed by a cropped beard—Winter carried himself like the SEAL he used to be. Big but lean, miles of muscle under deliberate movement. Despite his size, he moved almost silently, like a shadow slipping into the room.
