Page 15 of Iron Willed Warrior

“I also heard about their attack on the lieutenant governor last year.” I tipped my head at River, since I was referring to his now-wife. “River mentioned afterward that he and Charlotte discovered some actionable intel.”

Brynn nodded. “Charlotte and River got access to an encrypted list of all of Stillwater’s moles in the state and federal government.Traitors.”

Chills ran down my skin. Actionable intel indeed. “Then why haven’t I heard of this before? Sounds like the kind of thing that should be made public.”

“We decided not to go that route,” Brynn said. “After River decrypted it, the Protectors agreed to share the list with my boss Michael Stanford at the Bureau.”

I shot a glare at River. “You turned over intel of that value to the very government that allowed traitors into its ranks in the first place?”

“It allowed us to create a secret task force within the FBI,” Brynn replied, though I hadn’t been talking to her. “My boss, myself, and a handful of others were the only ones who knew. We flipped some of Stillwater’s moles back to our side. In the months since, those individuals have been working for us as double agents. They’ve turned over essential information to help us understand Stillwater’s operations and hierarchy.”

I tightened my grip on the back of the couch.“You mean, you let Stillwater’s agents continue to work. To keep causing damage and screwing over innocent people. As if those lives don’t matter.”

Like Luciana and her daughter. More casualties of a system they’d had no chance against. Dammit. I pushed away from the couch, pacing across the room. Fury made my pulse race.

Yet Brynn responded with typical government callousness. “It was necessary to get us to the position we’re in now.”

“Sure, it’s always necessary to step on someone if you want to make progress. Collateral damage. Cost of war.Right?”

These were the excuses those in power used to justify their actions. That kind of bullshit was extremely personal to me. It was the very reason I’d lost part of my leg and nearly lost my life. Some of the others in my unit hadn’t been so lucky.

“I don’t like the secrecy either,” Brynn said softly. “But we had to do it.”

River cut in. “When Brynn first proposed this partnership to the Protectors, we knew keeping the list secret was part of the deal. Every one of us signed off on it, including Trace.”

“Ididn’t,” I growled. “You could’ve told me about this before. You chose not to.” I tried to get my heart rate under control, but my body wasn’t listening. Aiden and Trace hadasked me to become an official Protector last year, and I’d declined. But that seemed beside the point right now.

“Look,” River said, “we brought you in because Stillwater knows the rest of us. Me, Trace, Aiden, Owen. Stillwater’s watching for us to make a move. We needed an outsider. Someone we can trust with this. And that isyou. We’ve confirmed through the FBI’s sources that you’re not on their radar.”

“And what about her?” I lifted my chin toward Brynn. “You said she’s best friends with Charlotte. And she’s an agent. How is it possible Stillwater won’t see her coming a mile away?”

She huffed. “I’ll be in disguise as part of my cover story. But Stillwater isn’t watching me, anyway. To them, I’m a washed-up agent who just resigned. They’ll underestimate me. Same thing you’re doing.”

My jaw was clenched tight. I stopped and leaned against a wall, my fingers itching for a cigarette. “So your secret FBI task force has been working with this intel. Why’s this coming to a head now? What’s the rest of it?”

Brynn licked her lips and went on. “One of our double agents shared new intelligence. Something that the typical Stillwater operative or lieutenant doesn’t even know. We found out who’sreallyin charge. The man at the very top of their hierarchy.”

I blinked at her, letting that info sink into my head.

Stillwater conducted its business in the shadows, relying on a decentralized organization to shield those truly in power. If Brynn’s task force had discovered its real leader, then it was no wonder that news had changed everything.

And…maybe it was slightly more understandable that the Protectors had chosen to go along with this.The chance to go after the head of Stillwater. That wasn’t something I could justwalk away from with no regrets. As River had definitely known.

“You’re sure?” I asked.

“Positive. Not only that, we know where he’ll be a week from now. A secluded resort in Arizona. This is our best shot at getting access to him, and we have to take it.”

I rounded the couch and walked toward her. “I need to know who I would be working for. Who’s in charge of this op? Is it the Protectors? Or do you still answer to the FBI?”

Brynn lifted her chin and crossed her arms as I neared. “Only the FBI task force knows my real objective. And I told you I resigned from the Bureau as of this morning. We’re making our own calls.”

“Who iswe?”

“Me and the Protectors. And you, assuming you’re a part of this.”

“But do you report to the FBI? Yes or no.”

“I’ve already answered that.”

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