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“We can’t just sit here twiddling our thumbs,” Graham grumbled, breaking the tense silence.
Tai leaned against the kitchen counter, a wry smile on his face. “We could always toss Cody back to his wolves. Save us the headache.”
“Very funny,” Paige shot back, but her voice lacked conviction. Part of her couldn’t help but consider the idea, however briefly. He couldn’t be trusted. No one knew that better than she.
Bridger stepped forward, his steady gaze meeting hers. “We need to see this through. If there’s even a chance Cody can help us get to Jason ...”
Fenn nodded in agreement. “He’s our best lead right now.”
Kate chimed in, “I’m with them. We’ve come too far to back out now.”
A wave of gratitude washed over Paige. Their support steadied her, anchoring her amidst the storm of her own doubts. She’d made the wrong choice with Cody once before; the shame of that mistake still burned. Could she trust her judgment now?
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration cut through the fog of her uncertainty. “I’ve got it!”
“Care to share with the class?” Mason quipped.
Her fingers twitched, already itching to get to work. “I can create something that mimics the signal from Cody’s chip.”
“Create a decoy?” Bridger asked, catching on quickly.
“Exactly. We can’t stay hidden forever, and we need to buy time to figure out Cody’s angle. This way, we can make the Consortium chase shadows while we work.”
The room buzzed with renewed energy as the team considered the plan. Paige felt the weight on her shoulders lighten slightly. It wasn’t a solution to all their problems, but it was a start. And right now, that was enough.
“Well then,” Fenn said, clapping his hands together, “let’s get this party started.”
9
Half an hour later,Paige caught herself staring at the clock. “I can’t believe Cody’s not awake yet.”
Mason rubbed the golden stubble on his chin, avoiding her eyes. “Musta given him a bigger injection than I thought.”
She shot the man a quick glare. Seriously doubtful. Mason was precise. And pretty high on the OCD scale. The man didn’t do anything he didn’t intend.
Well maybe he hadn’t intended to fall in love a few months back, but other than that ... She was pretty sure he’d given Cody exactly the dose he planned.
And Cody would be perfectly safe. Between Mason and Bridger and Graham, there was enough emergency medical experience in the room to save an entire battalion.
She forced her mind back to the task at hand. The soft click of keys mixed with the whir of cooling fans as she and Tai raced to activate their digital decoy.
“Hand me that signal amplifier, will you?” Paige asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.
Tai passed her the small device. “You sure this will fool their systems?”
Paige connected the amplifier to their makeshift transmitter. “It has to. We’re replicating Cody’s chip signal down to the last byte.”
Tai leaned in, examining her handiwork. “Looks like a mess of wires and circuit boards to me.”
Paige smirked. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This ‘mess’ is our ticket to buying some time.”
She typed in a final command sequence, and the small LED on their creation blinked to life. A steady, pulsing signal appeared on her laptop screen.
“We’re live,” she announced.
The aroma of something delicious wafted from the kitchen. Tai’s nose twitched appreciatively.
“Hey, Gordon Ramsay!” Tai called out. “What’s cookin’? Smells like you’re trying to impress someone.”