Page 110 of Hunt Me

“I know it.” I lean closer. “Sentinel operates in shadows because they can’t survive exposure. Wearethe shadows. We control them.”

“The government has resources?—”

“So do we. Nikolai’s been running this empire for a decade. Erik has connections in every intelligence agency from Moscow to Langley. Dmitri’s network reaches into places Sentinel can’t touch.”

“And you?” she asks quietly. “What do you have?”

I smile at her. “I have every backdoor into every system that matters. Including theirs.” I pull her against me. “They want a war? I’ll burn their digital infrastructure to the ground before they finish typing the declaration.”

“It might make a difference,” she admits. “Having an army at our backs.”

“It will makeallthe difference.” I grab her hand and squeeze. “Come on, let’s head to the kitchen and see if everyone is ready.”

She nods in agreement, and I stop only a moment to grab my shirt and pull it over my head as we exit the room.

Once we get to the kitchen, the strong scent of coffee hits my senses.

Everyone’s already gathered around the granite island. Nikolai stands to one side with Sofia beside him, looking sharp in dark slacks and a blazer. Dmitri leans against the counter with Tash perched on a barstool. Erik has Katarina tucked against his side.

Maya sits alone at the far end, the cut on her face healing but still bright red.

All conversation stops when we enter.

“Status?” I ask, heading straight for the coffee maker.

Nikolai’s steel-gray eyes flick between me and Iris. “We leave in forty minutes. Three vehicles. Erik’s team will establish a perimeter outside the Federal Building. Dmitri’s handling our legal cover.”

“Who’s going inside?”

“You. Me. Dmitri.” Nikolai’s tone brooks no argument. “Erik stays outside with his men.”

I pour Iris a coffee, too.

“That’s it?” Alexi’s voice carries an edge. “Five people total?”

“The women stay here,” Nikolai says flatly. “With a security detail.”

Maya’s shoulders relax slightly.

Iris’s, on the other hand, tense.

“No,” she says.

Every head turns toward her, and I already know what’s coming.

“This is my fight,” she continues, meeting Nikolai’s icy stare. “Morrison killed my parents, and Sentinel came after me. The data they want? It’s in my head.”

“Which is exactly why you’re staying here.” Dmitri straightens. “You’re the asset they want most.”

“I’m not an asset.” Iris sets her mug down hard enough that coffee sloshes over the rim. “I’m the only person who knows what’s in those files.”

Sofia shifts beside Nikolai. “She has a point.”

“Stay out of this,” Nikolai warns.

“You can’t protect us from everything.” Tash’s quiet voice cuts through the tension. “And treating us like children who need to be locked away for safety isn’t the same as actually keeping us safe.”

“This isn’t a debate.” Nikolai’s tone could freeze vodka. “The three of us go. Everyone else stays.”