His jaw flexed once.
“She didn’t tell us.”
That hurt worse somehow.
Because Ava had protected me.
Helped me.
Warned us.
But now?
Nothing felt certain anymore.
Trigger flipped the photo over carefully.
More writing.
Different handwriting than the senator’s notes.
This time it read:
Assets remain viable. Team loyalty confirmed.
A cold chill crawled straight down my spine.
Assets?
Wolf read it twice.
Slowly.
Then muttered:
“What the hell does that mean?”
Nobody answered immediately.
Because suddenly, Ava Moreno didn’t feel like just a deputy marshal anymore.
She felt connected to something bigger.
Something hidden.
And downstairs?—
a floorboard creaked.
Every Ranger in the room reacted instantly.
Weapons up.
My pulse exploded.
“Hersh—”
He moved in front of me automatically.
