Every eye in the room shifted toward him.
Because they heard it.
That edge in his voice.
The difference.
Russ studied him carefully.
“We’re still gathering intel.”
Not fast enough.
“We don’t wait.”
The words came out sharper than intended.
Immediate.
Instinctive.
Lucas glanced sideways toward Miles.
Miles didn’t say a word this time.
“You volunteering?” Lucas asked carefully.
Clay looked at him flatly.
“You already know the answer.”
Silence stretched.
Then Russ nodded once.
Slow.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I do.”
Another beat passed before he pushed away from the table.
“Gear up.”
Just like that.
Decision made.
Mission live.
Clay shoved to his feet hard enough the chair legs scraped sharply across concrete.
Pain flashed through his ribs again.
He ignored it.
Nothing mattered except the image still burned into his head—
Hannah’s file photo.
