Page 36 of Rescuing Ally: Part 2

“You heard me.” Gabe closes the distance in two strides, his chest nearly brushing mine. “While you’re calculating acceptable losses, Ally is being tortured.”

“We don’t know that.” Fury spikes, hot and immediate.

“We don’t not know that.” He jabs a finger toward the ops table.

Why is it so damn hard to get him to listen?

“It makes no sense for Malfor to torture them.” I grit the words, each one clenched between my teeth.

Gabe snorts, incredulous. “Why the hell not? He’s using them for bait.”

“Exactly,” I snap. “Which is why torture doesn’t make sense. You damage bait, you weaken leverage.”

His jaw flexes. Mine does too. The air between us buzzes with unspoken threats and years of brotherhood fraying at the seams.

“That’s enough.” Ethan’s voice cuts through like a blade—cold, commanding. “Both of you. Outside. Cool off.”

Silence snaps into place like a vise.

No one moves.

The whole team feels it now—the fracture line. Wide. Splintering. And it’s got both our names on it.

“I’m not going anywhere with him,” I snap, but my eyes never leave Gabe’s face.

“Then separate,” Ethan says coldly. “But the two of you need to get your shit together. Because right now, you’re more dangerous to this mission than Malfor is.”

Around us, our teammates pretend not to notice the fracture line running through Gabe and me.

But they all see it.

The way Gabe’s hands clench into fists. The way my breathing has shifted to combat-ready. The space between us feels electric with unresolved violence.

“We’ll continue this later.” I keep my voice level despite the fire building in my chest.

“Will we? Because every hour we wait is another hourmy womanspends in his hands.” Gabe spins on his heels and walks away, leaving me standing in the conference room with the taste of blood in my mouth from grinding my teeth.

Two hours later, we’re back in the secure conference room, but the tension from earlier hasn’t dissipated.

If anything, it’s gotten worse.

My woman.

Did he really say that?

To me?

Ethan spreads reconnaissance photos across the table. “Based on Mitzy’s preliminary analysis, we’re looking at three potential locations where the quantum signature originates.”

Gabe leans against the far wall instead of taking his usual seat beside me. The distance is deliberate. Pointed.

“We go in three teams.” Ethan traces routes on the tactical map. “Coordinated assault, multiple entry points. Alpha takes primary breach, Charlie handles extraction, Bravo provides overwatch and containment.”

“That’s exactly what he’ll expect,” Gabe counters, pushing off from the wall. “Standard Guardian HRS tactics. He’s been watching us for three months—he knows our playbook better than we do.”

I lean forward, supporting Ethan’s assessment. “Which is why we stick to proven methodologies. Discipline under pressure?—”

“Discipline?” Gabe laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “We should hit hard and fast. Overwhelming force before he can adapt.”