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Brooklyn Sloane

June 2025

Wednesday — 3:27 pm

B rook measured her breathing, counting to ten. She hadn’t had to utilize such an exercise in quite some time. Her therapist had taught her the technique many years ago. While she had been hesitant to believe such a method could work, it had proven a useful emotional tool over the years.

She relied heavily on it today.

The overwhelming guilt and rage battling within her were almost too much to bear. She couldn’t allow Jacob to believe that anything had changed in the past half hour. He had no idea that the team had spoken to Mekhi Hale, which had led to the discovery of the old cabin…and then something else entirely.

Sally hadn't been resting in peace at all. Part of her had been here all along, at Jacob's disposal, stored like a trophy in a natural freezer. Brook rested a hand over her stomach, willing the nausea away.

“Ma’am?”

“Let me grab the bags,” Brook managed to say without her composure crumbling. She had been discussing the route down the mountain with the lead agent of the team that had been lowered from the chopper. They had agreed to maintain some distance should any intervention be necessary, as well as to carry the equipment bags that were no longer needed. “I’ll be back momentarily.”

The agent glanced toward Jacob, who stood between Victor and Russell, handcuffed but somehow still managing to look as if he were exactly where he wanted to be. She rejoined them, forcing herself to meet Jacob’s gaze directly. His eyes—the same shape as their father's but lacking any of the warmth she remembered from their childhood—tracked her movements with interest.

“This is what I love about you, dear sister. Such a challenge.”

Brook reached for the nearest bag, its weatherproof canvas rough against her fingers. She hefted its weight while nodding toward Russell to grab the remaining two.

“This hasn’t really been a challenge,” Brook responded to Jacob while waiting for Russell to help collect the equipment. “Oh, and I misspoke before. Nanuq wasn’t in custody, but he is now. Nathaniel just informed me of the arrest. Apparently, while Justin and another agent were escorting your defense attorney down the mountain, Nanuq thought the clearing would be free of prying eyes while he dug up Lusa’s remains. It looks as if the Kalluk family will get their closure, after all.”

Jacob simply tilted his head, another gesture reminiscent of their father's mannerisms. He remained leaning against the mountainside, his prison jumpsuit a stark contrast to the gray stone behind him.

“See? The day hasn't been wasted, after all.” Jacob's tone held a conversational quality that suggested Brook may have overlooked something. He glanced at the bag she was holding. “I must have a faulty memory. I genuinely believed the young girl’s remains were in this ice cave. Do you think Nanuq moved them during the years I was…well, otherwise occupied?”

Russell hefted the two bags in his hands and stepped forward, his movements deliberately placing his body between Brook and Jacob. She would have nodded her appreciation, but Jacob continued speaking as if there had never been an interruption.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“No.” Brook waited for Russell to stand beside her before turning to face the other federal agent. “Victor, make sure he’s ready to go.”

“Really?” Jacob asked once more, though this time a little less casually. “You’re no fun, sis.”

Brook halted, a sigh escaping her lips before she could trap it. She could sense Russell watching her. When she met his gaze, his expression was carefully neutral. Still, there was enough concern that he didn’t proceed without her.

She turned back, adjusting her stance to appear unconcerned.

“I was wondering something, actually. Did you ever ask yourself why my colleagues didn't join me on this little hike of ours?”

A flicker of something—not quite uncertainty, but a recalibration—passed through his expression. His gaze once again dropped briefly to the bag in her hand before returning to her face.

“Perhaps they finally realized that being associated with you isn't in their best interests,” Jacob offered, his tone suggesting he was merely continuing a friendly conversation. “Professional hazard, I imagine. How many careers have you derailed over the years, Brooklyn?”

“Being in prison must have really solidified your place in fantasyland.” Brook noted the slight narrowing of Jacob's eyes in response. “You see, we've known about Mekhi Hale for months. Turns out, he's been a wealth of information.”

“And what pearls of wisdom did the old fisherman share with them?” Jacob asked after a long pause.

“I'll catch you up on the flight back to D.C.,” Brook said, turning again to leave.

“Why not tell me now?” Jacob called after her. “We have such a lovely view up here. Perfect setting for the end of a story, wouldn’t you agree?”

Brook paused and shifted her stance once again. She studied her brother with renewed interest. His posture remained comfortable against the rock face, but there was a new intensity in his focus. Not just on her, but on the conversation itself.

He was stalling.

The question was why.

“It's over, Jacob,” Brook replied quietly, the words carrying in the still mountain air. “Whatever you had planned, whatever you thought would happen up here…it's done. We found Lusa. We figured out who killed Kate. Our objectives are complete.”

Jacob's gaze dropped again, but she realized that he wasn’t interested in the bag. His attention was slightly above the handle. She followed his line of sight to her wrist, where her watch displayed the time—3:29 pm.

A cold dread settled in her stomach.

He had been tracking the time.

“Is it over, Brooklyn?”

“Boss?” Bit's voice came through the radio before she could respond to Jacob’s taunt. “Boss, you have to get out of there.”

Russell muttered a harsh expletive while Victor took a step closer to Jacob, his hand moving to the restraints as if to verify they were still secure.

Brook swept her gaze across their surroundings. The ridge where they stood, the steep slopes falling away on either side, the narrow trail leading down…nothing seemed immediately amiss. Still, years of working with Bit had taught her to trust his warnings.

“Boss?” Bit's voice had taken on an edge of panic now, the sound distorting slightly through the small speaker. “Boss, do you copy? Something bad is?—”

A thunderous boom cut through the air, the sound rolling across the mountain peak like a physical wave. She quickly scanned the incline above them, where a cloud of dust and debris was already billowing outward from a point several hundred yards higher.

“Go, go, go!”

Brook was already moving, lunging toward the entrance of the cave as the first rocks began to tumble down the mountainside. They gained mass and momentum, causing Brook to duck instinctively as pebbles and rock fragments pelted her. Victor disappeared into the crevice behind Jacob. Russell, on the other hand, had lifted one of the bags to protect them, all but pushing her through the crevice first.

She didn’t waste time, somehow managing to slip through the thin entrance at a rapid pace. She hadn’t released the bag, so she dragged it in behind her as jagged edges of the wall cut into her cheek. The severe vibration of the explosion made it so she didn’t feel any pain, but that could have also been due to her adrenaline.

Time seemed to compress and expand simultaneously.

She was acutely aware of each individual heartbeat pounding in her chest, each labored breath as the air grew thick with particles. The sound was overwhelming, a continuous roar punctuated by sharp cracks as boulders collided violently with the trees outside the entrance.

She finally managed to push herself all the way through the narrow gap, though she couldn’t avoid stumbling over something in the darkness. Unfortunately, she had dragged the bulky bag behind her, leaving her no cushion to soften her fall. The impact was jarring as she tumbled onto the hard, unyielding, cold floor of the cave.

Suddenly, there was a deafening silence.

Two thoughts registered in Brook’s mind—the mountain had come crashing down around them, and Jacob was exactly where he wanted to be.