Page 12 of A Ballad of Blackbirds and Betrayal (Dynamis Security #4)
Chapter Seven
The Crimson Café occupied the ground floor of a renovated textile mill in Dallas’s trendy Design District, its brick walls and industrial beams a testament to the building’s history.
Morning light streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows, casting golden patterns across polished wood floors while patrons chatted over artisanal coffee and pastries.
The scent of freshly ground beans mingled with the sweetness of baked goods, creating an atmosphere both sophisticated and welcoming.
Sabrina had arrived early, selecting a corner table that afforded a clear view of both entrances while positioning herself with her back to the wall—a habit from her Navy days that had saved her life more than once.
She’d chosen her outfit with care: tailored black pants and a silk blouse in deep teal that brought out the amber in her eyes without attracting undue attention.
Professional enough to meet a colleague, casual enough not to look out of place in the fashionable café.
“Frost’s in position at the corner table,” Atticus’s voice murmured through the nearly invisible earpiece nestled against her skin. “I’ve got eyes on the south entrance from across the street. No sign of Cho yet.”
She acknowledged with the barest nod, lifting her coffee cup to mask the movement.
The weight of the Glock at her ankle was both reassuring and foreign—she’d spent years saving lives, not preparing to defend her own.
But after the events at Mitchell’s estate, there was no denying the reality of the danger they faced.
Jade sat at a nearby table, pretending to read a dog-eared paperback while maintaining perfect awareness of the room.
She’d positioned herself close enough to reach Sabrina within seconds if needed, yet far enough away not to draw connection between them.
Her casual attire—jeans and an oversized sweater—concealed both her lethal capabilities and at least three weapons Sabrina had counted.
“Someone matching Cho’s description approaching from the north,” Atticus reported, his deep voice bringing unexpected warmth despite the clinical recitation of his words. “Alone, carrying a travel mug and file folder. Walking with purpose but checking her surroundings continuously.”
Sabrina scanned the entrance, spotting Dr. Elaine Cho immediately.
The woman’s dark eyes darted around the café with the wary assessment of prey sensing predators nearby.
Her austere charcoal pantsuit hung slightly looser than at Mitchell’s gala, evidence of meals missed to stress and fear.
The BioGenix security badge still clipped to her waist confirmed she’d come directly from the laboratory, risking everything to be here.
Their eyes met across the room, and Sabrina raised her hand in a subtle signal. Relief visibly washed over Cho’s features, followed immediately by renewed wariness as she approached with the measured steps of someone crossing a minefield.
“Dr. Wells,” she said, her voice pitched low and controlled despite the tension radiating from her. “Thank you for agreeing to meet.”
“Dr. Cho.” Sabrina gestured to the empty chair across from her, positioning Cho with her back to the room—a subtle power play that didn’t go unnoticed by the researcher. “Please, sit.”
Cho’s gaze swept the café again, lingering on exits and patrons she deemed suspicious. “I see you’re alone. Smart move. Less conspicuous.”
“You mentioned it was urgent,” Sabrina replied, taking a measured sip of her coffee.
She didn’t mention that Atticus and Jade were watching their every move, or that Dynamis operatives posing as baristas and customers had secured the entire establishment before she’d arrived. “I thought discretion was appropriate.”
“It is.” Cho’s fingers drummed a nervous rhythm against her travel mug, the silver thermal container clutched like a lifeline. “I swept myself for trackers before leaving BioGenix. I took three different routes to get here. If I’m being followed, we’re both already in danger.”
“Yet you came anyway,” Sabrina observed, studying the woman’s face. Dark circles shadowed eyes that darted continuously to the door. “Why?”
“Look, I didn’t have a choice about the legal response when you started asking questions, Dr. Wells. The protocols are clear—any external inquiry gets routed to legal. I tried to warn you off with the HIPAA excuse.”
“Warn me off?” The implication hung between them, heavy with meaning.
“You’re good at your job—too good. You recognized patterns no one else connected.” Cho’s fingers wrapped tighter around her mug, knuckles whitening with the strain. “I knew it would put you on their radar. I hoped the legal threats would scare you enough to back off.”
“Yet here you are, meeting with me despite those same threats,” Sabrina countered, keeping her voice level despite the adrenaline beginning to course through her veins. “Why?”
“Because Martinez disappeared yesterday.” Fear flashed across Cho’s face, raw and undisguised.
“Lead containment technician at BioGenix. Third one this month. Williams and Chen last week, now Martinez.” Her voice dropped to a whisper that barely carried across the table.
“They’re cleaning house, Dr. Wells. Anyone who knows too much about Blackbird is being… removed.”
“Tell us about Operation Blackbird,” Atticus instructed through Sabrina’s earpiece, his voice calm and commanding.
Sabrina took a measured sip of her coffee, using the motion to mask her response to Atticus before addressing Cho directly. “What exactly is Operation Blackbird? I need to understand what we’re dealing with.”
“It started as legitimate research into targeted immunotherapy—using engineered proteins to attack specific cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue untouched.” Cho’s hands trembled slightly against the stainless steel of her travel mug.
“Mitchell’s foundation provided the initial funding.
The applications were groundbreaking—revolutionary, even. ”
“Until someone realized the targeting mechanism could be reversed,” Sabrina concluded grimly, opening the folder Cho had placed on the table to find molecular diagrams and testing protocols.
Her medical training immediately recognized the implications.
“Instead of protecting healthy cells, you could program it to destroy them.”
“Exactly.” The word carried the weight of Cho’s guilt, her voice bitter with self-recrimination.
“The switch happened gradually, so subtle most of us didn’t realize what we were creating until it was too late.
By then, we were in too deep. Mitchell’s security team made it clear there was no walking away. ”
“The victims I treated?—”
“Accidental exposures during early development,” Cho confirmed, her gaze dropping to the diagrams spread between them.
“The delivery system was still unstable. But that’s changed.
” She tapped a complex molecular diagram with a perfectly manicured nail that couldn’t quite hide the tremor in her fingers.
“This is the current formula. They’ve stabilized it for aerosol dispersal.
Colorless, odorless, with a ninety-minute dormancy period before symptoms appear. ”
Sabrina studied the diagram, her medical training translating the complex chemical structures into practical implications with efficiency. “The incubation window makes it nearly impossible to trace exposure back to its source.”
“That’s the point. By the time symptoms appear, the perpetrators are long gone and the delivery system has dispersed.
” Cho’s fingers tightened around her mug again, the metal creaking slightly under the pressure.
“Mitchell’s already scheduled a demonstration for potential buyers.
Three days from now, at a private facility outside of Dallas. ”
“Names,” Atticus prompted in Sabrina’s ear. “We need names of the buyers.”
“Do you have names of the potential buyers?” Sabrina asked.
“I don’t have them. Security compartmentalization—no one knows more than they need to.
” Cho reached into her jacket pocket with controlled movements that belied her fear, withdrawing a small flash drive and sliding it across the table.
“But this contains the complete formula, including the molecular triggers that make it so lethal. If you have someone who understands biochemical engineering, they might be able to develop a countermeasure.”
Sabrina picked up the flash drive, its weight insignificant compared to the knowledge it contained. Lives and deaths, packaged in plastic and metal smaller than her thumb. “Why are you doing this? Why now?”
Cho’s composure finally cracked, a flash of naked fear crossing her face like lightning across a stormy sky.
“Because I’m next on the list. I know I am.
I’ve seen the pattern—after every major development milestone, the key researchers disappear.
Martinez knew the delivery system better than anyone.
Now he’s gone, which means the system is perfected.
” She inhaled shakily, the sound catching in her throat.
“I helped create this monstrosity. I can’t undo that, but maybe I can help stop it. ”
The conviction in her voice seemed genuine, but Sabrina had been played by experts before.
In this world where lives were weighed against profit margins, apparent sincerity was just another form of currency, easily counterfeited and freely spent.
She glanced across to where Jade sat, the woman’s eyes briefly meeting hers over the edge of her book before returning to their vigilant sweep of the café.
“Proceed with caution,” Atticus murmured in her ear, the low timbre of his voice sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. “Get what we need, but don’t trust completely.”
Sabrina nodded slightly, acknowledging Atticus’s assessment before asking, “What’s your exit strategy?”