Noah didn’t argue. His gaze stayed locked on the photo still frozen on the main screen. Riley’s swollen, bloodied face. His niece. He muttered a curse under his breath and dragged a hand over his mouth, trying to steady himself.
“Once they give us a meeting point,” he said finally, “we’ll work on a decoy.”
A hand shot up from across the room. “I’ll volunteer,” Isla said.
Avery turned toward her, shocked. “No. You could be killed.”
Isla gave a quick shrug, her expression calm. “That sort of comes with the job.”
Jackson frowned. “You sure about this?”
“Completely,” Isla said, already pulling something up on her computer. “Avery and I have similar builds. All I’ll need is a wig and a five-second mask.”
Avery blinked. “What’s a five-second mask?”
Isla grinned slightly, spinning the monitor toward her. “This.”
On the screen was a digital image of Avery’s own face. Isla tapped the corner of the image. “It’s a thin polymer layer that can mimic facial features. I can print it right here. It takes five seconds to apply and another five to peel off.”
Avery stared at the screen, both uneasy and impressed. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious,” Isla said. “If they want Avery Hastings, they’ll get her.”
Avery looked at the photo again, then at Isla’s determined expression. Her chest tightened. “I don’t want you dying for me.”
Isla gave her a soft smile. “Then make sure they don’t get the chance.”
Across the room, one of the techs looked up from his console. “Incoming call through dispatch,” he said.
Noah didn’t hesitate. “Put it through.”
The line clicked open, and a familiar voice filled the room. Avery’s stomach tightened at the sound of it.
“I want to speak to Avery now,” the woman snarled.
Charlotte Barker.
She wasn’t calm this time. Her voice came through sharp and shaking with anger. “Someone has my son,” she snapped. “What the hell did you people do?”
Avery stiffened.
Noah kept his tone even. “Who is this?”
“Don’t play games with me,” Charlotte shot back. “You know exactly who this is. Mick’s missing, and your team is behind it. Did Crossfire Ops take him as a bargaining tool?”
Jackson muttered something under his breath, but Noah stayed composed, his expression unreadable. “We’re looking into a number of things right now, Mrs. Barker,” he said. “If you believe your son’s missing, you should file a report with the sheriff’s office.”
“Don’t insult me,” Charlotte snapped. “You think I don’t know what you people are capable of? If you’ve touched him, I swear you’ll regret it.”
Charlotte’s voice came through again, sharp and accusing. “Did Warren have any part in my son being taken?”
Noah’s expression didn’t change. “We’re still sorting through information, Mrs. Barker. There are several moving parts right now.”
“That’s not an answer,” Charlotte snapped.
Before Noah could respond, Avery stepped closer to the console. “Maybe it wasn’t Warren,” she said. “Maybe Darian took him.”
There was a short silence on the line, just the faint hum of static. Avery pressed on. “I saw Darian slap you outside of Warren’s place.”
