Page 13 of A Ballad of Blackbirds and Betrayal

Atticus held Sabrina’s gaze for a moment longer, weighing the risks against the potential benefits.There was something in her unwavering stance that reminded him of Jane—that same steel-spined determination that brooked no argument when she knew she was right.

“Fine,” he finally conceded, stepping back to break the charged connection between them.“You’ll go with Nate on external surveillance.But you follow his lead, you stay out of sight, and at the first sign of trouble, you extract.Are we clear?”

“Perfectly,” Sabrina replied, the slight upward curve of her lips suggesting she’d known she would win this battle all along.

“I’ll keep her safe,” Nate promised, his expression serious despite the glint of amusement in his eyes as he observed their interaction.“Besides, it’s not even the most dangerous thing I’ve done this week.I forgot to compliment Eden’s new haircut.I thought she was going to shiv me in my sleep.”

“It was a very expensive haircut,” Eden confirmed, adjusting her catering uniform.“And he was watching football when I came in and didn’t even look in my direction.”

“In my defense, it looked exactly the same,” Nate said.

“Men,” Jade said through comms.

“Comms check,” Cal interrupted, all business as he handed Sabrina an earpiece.“Channel secure, encryption active.Call signs only from this point forward.Frost, visual confirmation?”

“I’ve got eyes on the north perimeter,” Jade’s calm voice replied through the system.“Exterior security making standard rounds.No deviations from pattern.Weather conditions optimal.Wind at 3 mph, humidity 42 percent.Perfect night for a party…or an infiltration.”

“Copy that,” Atticus replied, compartmentalizing his concerns about Sabrina to focus on the mission parameters.“Deployment in sixty seconds.Remember, our primary objective is intelligence gathering.Mitchell’s hosting this fundraiser dinner for his upcoming reelection campaign, and he’s meeting with at least three potential buyers tonight.We need to identify them and any shipment details.Secondary objective is locating documentation related to BioGenix and the bioweapon development.”

“Tertiary objective: not getting dead,” Max added dryly.“I’m fond of that one.”

“It’s on the list,” Atticus assured him, the corner of his mouth quirking slightly.

“Thirty seconds,” Cal announced.

Atticus met each team member’s eyes in turn, carrying out his pre-mission ritual.It was an unspoken acknowledgment of the risks they were about to take, and a silent promise to bring everyone home safely.His gaze lingered on Sabrina last, the newcomer to their finely tuned unit.

“Stay safe,” he said quietly, the words more intense than he’d intended.

“You too,” she replied, her expression softening momentarily before the professional mask slipped back into place.

“Ten seconds,” Cal called.

Nate handed Sabrina a small but powerful pair of night-vision binoculars and a dark jacket that matched his landscaping uniform.“These will give you enhanced visual capability without light signature.Remember, we’re landscapers checking the irrigation system.If anyone approaches, let me do the talking.”

She nodded, tucking the binoculars into a pocket of her tactical vest.“Understood.”

“Five seconds,” Cal said.“Operation Counterforce is a go.”

Eden slipped out first, melting into the darkness beyond the van’s rear doors.Nate and Sabrina followed moments later, moving in the opposite direction toward their surveillance position near the estate’s elaborate gardens.Atticus was last, adjusting his bow tie before stepping into the cool night air, instantly transforming from commando to wealthy businessman with the fluid ease of someone who had compartmentalized his hatred to serve a greater purpose.

As he walked toward the front gates of Mitchell’s estate, Atticus forced himself to focus on the mission parameters rather than the unexpected complication of Sabrina Wells in the field.It would take every ounce of his self-control to face Mitchell tonight—to shake the hand of the man who had ordered Jane’s murder, to engage in polite conversation, to smile and nod as if they were simply colleagues.But that control was what had kept him alive for eight years of planning, waiting, and hunting.

He had a job to do, one that had been eight years in the making.Nothing—and no one—would distract him from that purpose.

Not even an infuriatingly competent doctor with amber eyes and a spine of pure steel.

ChapterFive

Sabrina crouched beside Nate in the shadow of an ornate garden trellis, the smell of climbing roses heavy in the still night air.From their position, they had clear sight lines to both the conservatory’s glass walls and the side entrance to the study, along with the advantage of blending with the landscaping crew if spotted.

“You handled that well,” Nate said quietly, adjusting his surveillance equipment disguised as gardening tools.“Most people don’t stand their ground with Reaper.”

“I’m not most people,” Sabrina replied, focusing her binoculars on the conservatory windows.“And I don’t respond well to being sidelined.”

Nate’s soft chuckle carried genuine amusement.“I noticed.For what it’s worth, he’s not usually that protective of team members.We’re all expected to handle ourselves.”

Sabrina glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.“I’m not a team member.”

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