Page 77 of The Gentleman

Kat climbed in, wincing as she settled onto a bench. Leo followed, ducking his head under the low ceiling. The space smelled of mint and gun oil.

Brock slammed the doors shut and dropped onto the opposite bench. It protested as he reached into a mini-fridge and passed out two water bottles without a word.

Leo cracked his open and drank deeply. When he lowered the bottle, Brock was staring at him. Expecting.

“So?” Brock leaned forward, gripping his knees. “Spill it. And I don’t mean the water.”

Leo exchanged a glance with Kat.

Kat wiped water from her mouth and looked up. “Project Nightshade isn’t just a weapons program. It’s a neural manipulation system. They’ve upgraded Raptor’s original tech—the kind that needed brain implants to control soldiers. This?” She tapped the side of her head. “This uses the airwaves. It’s control without contact using radio frequencies.”

“Radio frequencies?” Brock frowned.

“They can target neural pathways through common broadcast channels. No physical implants needed.” She rested her elbows on her knees. “No scars. No surgeries. Just tuned frequencies. You wouldn’t even know it was happening, that it was nudging you in just the right direction. You’d think every decision was still yours.”

“Anyone who controlled it could manipulate elections. Start wars. End them. All without lifting a gun,” Leo added.

“And no one would ever know.” Kat scrubbed a hand over her face. “They’ve built a weapon no one can see coming.”

“Mind control?” Brock’s expression darkened.

“And not just for adults.” Leo hesitated. “Children.”

“Bloody hell.” Brock’s mouth fell open. “How far along are they?”

“Final testing stage,” Kat answered. “Phase two is scheduled to run in forty-eight hours. During the NATO convention in London this week.”

Brock’s fingers drummed against his knee. “Korolov?”

She shook her head. “Probably financing it. But I don’t think he’s the end user. That’s not his style. More like a broker—matching the tech to global buyers.”

“Anything linking Korolov and Eldridge directly?”

Leo screwed the cap back on his water. “Not yet.”

Brock grinned. “Positive attitude. I like that.”

“We have to stop them.” Kat pinned Leo with her gaze. “We need to go to the police.”

Brock gave her a flat look. “And tell them what? They think you’re a traitor. Eldridge made damn sure of that.”

Kat bit her lip. “I know.”

“Eldridge just flipped after all these years?” Brock’s brows shot up.

Kat exhaled hard. “Yes. No. I don’t know. Fuck.” She leaned back, thudding her head against the wall. “We’re missing something. I just can’t see what.”

A phone buzzed.

Kat pulled her burner from her hip pocket and stared at it.

“You going to answer that, lassie?” Brock asked.

“It’s my brother.” She swiped it open and hit speaker. “Gage?”

“Kit Kat. I’ve got maybe thirty seconds.”

She straightened on the bench. “Where are you?”

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