Page 35 of A Ballad of Blackbirds and Betrayal

“So I’m learning.”She took another sip of coffee, using the moment to collect her thoughts.“After that tour, I had opportunities.Research positions, private practice offers.But none of it felt…enough.”

“So you chose trauma surgery.The front lines of medicine, where every day is a battle between life and death.”Atticus leaned forward slightly, his gaze holding hers.“Where you could prove yourself over and over again, not to your father, but to yourself.”

The insight struck too close to home, cutting through layers of self-protection she’d built over years.Sabrina looked away, uncomfortable with how easily he’d read her.

“We all have our demons,” she said softly.“What are yours, Atticus?Besides the obvious.”

For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer.His expression shuttered, the professional mask slipping back into place.Then he exhaled slowly.

“Failure,” he said simply.“Not being enough to protect the people who matter.”His gaze drifted to the security feeds, where a small window in the corner showed a college campus quad.“Anna was twelve when Jane died.Old enough to understand what happened, young enough to have her entire world shattered.”

“She looks like you,” Sabrina observed, studying the campus scene.“From the photographs I’ve seen.”

“She has Jane’s heart,” Atticus said, his voice softening with a tenderness that made Sabrina’s chest ache.“Her compassion, her stubbornness.She wants to change the system from within—political science major with a focus on legislative reform.”Pride colored his words, undercutting the worry that never seemed far from his expression when he spoke of his daughter.

“You’re a good father,” Sabrina said quietly.

Atticus’s laugh held no humor.“I wasn’t there when she needed me most.When bullets were tearing through her body, I was three steps away—close enough to see it happen, too far to stop it.”

The raw pain in his voice sparked an answering ache in Sabrina’s chest.Without thinking, she reached across the table, her fingers closing over his.His hand turned beneath hers, their palms pressing together, fingers intertwining in a connection that went beyond comfort into something far more dangerous.

“You were there for everything that came after,” she said softly.“The surgeries, the recovery, the nightmares.You’ve built an entire organization dedicated to stopping the people who hurt her.”

His fingers tightened around hers, the calluses on his palm creating a delicious friction against her skin.For a moment, neither of them spoke, the contact between them saying more than words could convey.

“We should get back to work,” she said, though she made no move to withdraw her hand.

“We should,” he agreed, his dark gaze dropping to her mouth for a brief, heated moment before returning to her eyes.

The air between them seemed to thicken, charged with possibilities neither of them was ready to name.Sabrina felt caught in his gravitational pull, helpless against the tide of attraction that had been building since their first meeting.

The intercom buzzed, shattering the moment with brutal efficiency.

“Atticus,” Cal’s voice carried an urgency that instantly shifted the atmosphere.“We’ve got movement at BioGenix.They’re loading transport vehicles now.”

Atticus released her hand, the transition from man to commander happening in the space of a heartbeat.“Show me.”

The screens on the wall shifted to display thermal imaging of a loading dock where figures moved, transferring what appeared to be refrigerated containers from the facility to unmarked trucks.

“They’re not waiting for the demonstration site to be ready,” Cal continued, his voice tight.“They’re moving it now.”

“Where?”Atticus demanded.

“Working on that,” Cal replied.“But there’s more.Mitchell sent a two-man team to Georgetown.”

Atticus’s expression shifted to one of grim satisfaction.“Anna?”

“Already extracted,” Cal confirmed.“Griffin got her out last night.She’s at the Florida compound with Evangeline—security protocols alpha through delta.Mitchell’s team is surveilling an empty dorm room.”

“Good,” Atticus said, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly.“Let’s make sure it stays that way.I want hourly updates on her status.”

Sabrina watched the interplay, understanding dawning.Dynamis hadn’t just been reacting—they’d been anticipating, moving pieces on the board before Mitchell even knew the game had started.It spoke to the level of preparation and foresight that defined Atticus’s operation.

Sabrina watched him closely, noting the intensity of his focus, the way his entire body seemed coiled with purpose.The man who’d shared coffee with her minutes before had transformed into the commander of Dynamis—strategic, decisive, and utterly formidable.

“We need to move on this,” she said quietly.“Mitchell won’t wait, and neither should we.”

His gaze snapped to hers, something like appreciation flickering in his eyes.“Agreed.How close are you to a viable countermeasure?”

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