Page 25 of Rescuing Ally: Part 2

“Accessing records,” Mitzy interrupts, eyes fixed on her tablet. “I’m seeing multiple unauthorized entries into the Collins family secure server over the past month. File access timestamps during off-hours.”

“What files?” Forest asks.

“Ally’s research notes. Her academic records. And—” Mitzy’s fingers pause over the screen, “—personal medical files from after the Kazakhstan incident.”

I exchange a glance with Hank. There it is. The connection we needed.

“He was looking for something specific,” I say, the pieces aligning in my head with the precision of a well-designed explosive. “Malfor wanted Ally for her quantum research in Kazakhstan. Now Harrison is accessing those same files.”

“It’s not about ransom,” Hank concludes, his voice cold enough to freeze nitrogen. “It’s about whatever Ally knows. Whatever she can do.”

“Security footage,” Mitzy announces, pulling up video on the main screen. “Collins residence, past month. Multiple instances of Harrison making calls from secluded areas. Outside normal security channels.”

The footage shows Harrison in various locations around the Collins’s estate—garden pathways, empty corridors, the perimeter fence line. Always alone. Always checking his surroundings before engaging his phone.

“Look at the body language,” I note, pointing to his stance in the most recent clip. “Weight shifted forward. Shoulders tense. He’s stressed, but trying to project confidence. That’s not a man making normal calls.”

“Can we recover the communications?” Forest asks.

Mitzy shakes her head. “Not from this. He was using a personal device, not security-issued equipment. Smart. Kept it completely separate from monitored channels.”

“Mr. Collins,” Hank asks, eyes never leaving the footage, “did Harrison have any connection to fusion research? Energy technologies? Quantum physics? Anything that might link him to Malfor’s interests?”

Collins’s brow furrows. “Not that I’m aware of. His background was strictly security and protection. He’s detail-oriented, methodical, but not scientific.”

I study the man on screen—Harrison’s careful movements, his vigilance, his precision. There’s something practiced in his caution. The kind of behavior that comes from extended planning, not sudden opportunity.

“This wasn’t an impulsive betrayal,” I say, more thinking aloud than addressing the room. “He’s been setting this up for months. Maybe longer.”

“But why?” Collins demands, frustration finally breaking through his controlled exterior. “Why would he do this? After everything—after years of loyalty—why turn now?”

“It’s either money or coercion,” I reply, eyes still tracking Harrison’s movements in the footage. “Men like Harrison don’t flip without reason. If it’s not financial, then he’s being controlled.”

“Could be family,” Ethan suggests. “Even estranged children can be leveraged.”

The memory of Sophia hits me—her desperation when she confessed how Malfor used her son Luke to force her betrayal. How she sabotaged Guardian systems, leaked information, compromised security—all to keep her child alive.

Rebel did something similar. Disappeared after being rescued, only to be found working on the wrong side of a human trafficking ring. All in a desperate attempt to find her sister’s child, Zephyr.

It happens.

“We need everything on Harrison’s family.” I turn to Mitzy. “Every detail. Current locations. Communications. Financial transfers. If someone’s got hooks in them, we’ll find it.”

“I’m on it,” she responds, fingers already flying. “Running deep background now.”

Collins watches this exchange, his expression hardening with each revelation. “I want to be clear,” he says, voice dropping to that dangerous register that made him a business legend. “I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care about collateral damage. I want my daughter back. And I want Harrison to pay.”

“Mr. Collins,” Forest replies, matching his tone, “I assure you—Harrison will face consequences, but our priority is recovering the women. All of them.”

Collins nods once, sharp and decisive. “My resources are at your disposal. Aircraft. Security teams. Satellite access. Name it, it’s yours.”

“We’ll need your complete security logs,” Hank says. “Everything Harrison touched. Every location he accessed. Every system he interfaced with. The pattern will tell us where he’s vulnerable.”

“And where he took Ally,” I add.

As Collins issues commands to his staff off-screen, I let my mind work the problem from other angles. Harrison knows Guardian HQ’s security protocols. He knows Collins’s resources. He knows Ally’s routines, preferences, and vulnerabilities.

Which means he’s planned for our response. For this exact moment.