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I set the mug down, the coffee turning bitter in my stomach. “I'm tracking the payment. Following every digital breadcrumb, setting up alerts for any system that might process those pickup instructions. When they send them, I'll know instantly.”

“And if they don't send them?”

The question hangs between us, the possibility I've been avoiding since the screens went black.

“Then we're fucked.” There’s no sugarcoating that. We’re out of the money, and Luca. The latter is a more devastating blow than the former. We can always make more money. We can’t do the same for Luca.

Talon doesn't flinch at my bluntness. “We'd find another way. We always do.”

“This was our best shot,” I admit, the words tasting like ash. “The most direct line to The Collector's operation. If they ghost us after taking the money...”

“They won't.”

“You don't know that.”

“I do,” Talon insists. “Think about it. The Collector's entire business model depends on reputation. If word gets out that he takes the money and doesn't deliver, his whole operation collapses.”

It's logical, but logic feels tenuous right now. “Unless this was never about business. What if it's personal? What if they know who we are—where she is?”

“Then they'd have made their move already,” Talon says, his voice steady with a confidence I wish I felt. “They wouldn't play games with sixteen million dollars just to mess with us.”

He's right. I turn back to my screens. Talon watches me work in silence for a few minutes, his expression unreadable in the blue glow from my monitors. “You should get some sleep.”

“Not an option.”

“Alex—”

“I said no.” My voice comes out harsher than intended. I exhale slowly. “I can't, okay? Not until I know we haven't completely fucked this up.”

Talon studies me. “This isn't just about the auction, is it?”

I keep typing, ignoring his question.

“You're punishing yourself. For what happened with Vesper,” Talon finishes. “For watching her through the cameras.”

My fingers freeze over the keyboard.

“You weren't going to bring that up. Not until all of this is done. Have you changed your mind?”

“That was before you decided to spiral into self-destruction.” He leans closer. “You think drowning in guilt is going to help her? Help us find Luca?”

I slam my laptop closed, the sound sharp in the quiet room. “What do you want from me, Talon? A fucking apology? Fine. I'm sorry I watched. I'm sorry I'm a goddamn creep who couldn't look away. Happy now?”

“This isn't about me being happy.” His voice remains infuriatingly calm. “It's about you being functional. We need you at your best, not wallowing in self-loathing because you made a mistake.”

“A mistake?” I laugh, the sound hollow and bitter. “Is that what we're calling it? I violated her privacy in the worst possible way, then lied to her face about it.”

“And you took down the cameras like you promised.”

“Only after getting caught,” I snap. “Let's not pretend I'm some noble bastard who did the right thing. I was jerking off to her getting fucked. There's no coming back from that.”

“Do you honestly think I would have outed you? Get a fucking grip, Alex. I would have lorded it over you in private, but I would have never say anything to her, Z, or Oz. I don’t havea death wish for you.” Talon says, leaning back. “We need you here. Fighting for her. Trying to find her brother. This fucking rescue mission doesn’t happen without you.”

I shake my head, unable to accept the absolution he's offering. “It doesn't erase what I did.”

“No, it doesn't.” Talon's frankness catches me off guard. “But beating yourself up isn't going to help her.”

The truth in his words stings worse than any accusation. I reopen my laptop, illuminating the screen.