Page 25 of Shadowed Hearts: Frost (Nightfall Syndicate #2)

eighteen

Asher

S acramento's morning fog cloaks Vertex Models' entrance. I adjust my binoculars for the third scan in fifteen minutes, the dense mist simultaneously concealing our position and obscuring potential hostiles. A double-edged tactical situation.

"This fog's perfect cover, but visibility's shot to hell. Good thing I could drive this route blindfolded." Jax's fingers drum an incessant rhythm against the steering wheel, his restless energy filling our armored SUV.

My jaw tightens. "Cut the drumming. We need to focus."

Jax rolls his eyes but stops, shifting in his seat instead. I return to methodically arranging my equipment in the back of the vehicle, checking sight lines, confirming thermal imaging calibration, verifying our comms are secure.

Beside me, Vanessa's fingers fly over her keyboard, her dark hair pulled back in a messy bun, revealing the neon pink streaks. Something tightens in my chest watching her work, her intensity, her single-minded concentration unnervingly similar to my own, yet completely different.

"You stay in the vehicle with Cole. Period." I keep my voice flat, not looking up from adjusting my gear.

Her typing pauses. "I've done surveillance before, you know. Maybe not with a gun, but information gathering is literally my specialty."

Cole turns in the front passenger seat, extending his hand with that measured politeness he uses for recruitment. "We haven't been properly introduced. Cole Tanaka, strategic operations."

Vanessa shakes his hand, her eyes lighting with recognition. "Wait, you're C.T. The job offer guy."

"Guilty as charged." Cole's mouth quirks into what passes for a smile on him. "Your expanded Paradise Elite analysis caught our attention. The network scope you identified represents exactly the kind of tactical intelligence we specialize in."

She glances between us, pieces clicking together in that rapid-fire way her mind works. "So when I sent Asher that data about the twenty-three agencies, you were already analyzing it."

"Standard protocol," Cole confirms. "Though your encryption methods were... impressive."

"Look, I'm not asking to kick down doors," Vanessa continues, her leg bouncing against the seat. "But I need real-time access to their systems. Live feeds, not screenshots you take later. That's how I caught the financial patterns that led us here."

Heat rises up my neck. The image of someone coming after her in her loft flashes through my mind. Blood spatter on her walls, her body crumpled on the floor. If I hadn't been there... My hands freeze on the equipment.

"This isn't some coffee shop recon." My voice comes out harder than intended.

Cole looks up from his tablet. "Her technical insights would be valuable, Frost. I can monitor her position from here."

Something raw and territorial stirs inside me. Cole doesn't understand the stakes. What nearly happened to her. What I felt when that operative had his hands on her.

"Negative." The word comes out like a bullet.

In the rearview mirror, Jax's eyes meet Vanessa's with a knowing smirk, and something inside me clenches tight. Her presence in this vehicle, in my world, has disrupted everything. My precision. My focus. The barriers I've maintained for years.

Vanessa catches my eye, her expression challenging but something else there too, understanding, maybe. She breaks the tension by turning back to her equipment.

"Fine, I'll be your eyes from here. But you're missing out on my exceptional skills."

"I'm well aware of your skills," I murmur, and a flush creeps up her neck.

The fog thickens outside, swallowing the building across the street. Jax adjusts our position slightly, maximizing escape routes while Cole activates thermal imaging to compensate.

"Better position now," Jax announces.

Vanessa watches me as I inspect my rifle, and I sense her gaze. Even surrounded by mission gear and tactical equipment, something powerful and undeniable connects us. Like a current runs through the space between our bodies.

I check the time on my watch: 7:43. Two hours and no activity worth reporting. My body's used to stillness, the waiting game. My mind isn't.

Vanessa mutters something under her breath, fingers dancing across her keyboard.

The soft blue glow from her screen illuminates her face, highlighting the intensity in her eyes.

She's been working on Vertex's security since yesterday, staying up all night to identify vulnerabilities, but now she's finally executing the breach protocol she prepared.

"Almost there," she whispers, not to me but to herself. "Come on, you stubborn... got it!"

She bounces slightly in her seat, the motion drawing my attention to where our thighs nearly touch in the cramped backseat. The proximity feels dangerous in ways gunfire never has.

"You're in?" I keep my voice neutral despite the unwelcome heat coursing through me.

"Better than in. I'm invisible. Their system thinks I'm an administrative refresh cycle." Pride colors her voice as she turns her laptop toward me. "See? Complete access to their security feeds, door controls, everything."

Cole nods appreciatively from the front passenger seat, his tablet displaying a detailed schematic of the building.

"Excellent work. I've mapped all potential exit vectors and contingencies." He zooms in on the southwest corner. "Primary extraction route secured."

"Financial transactions confirmed," Cole states with precision, swiping to a new screen. "Vertex Models shows quarterly payments to Paradise Elite coded as 'consultant fees.' Six figures each transfer."

"Fucking knew it." I lean closer to the screen, my shoulder brushing against Vanessa's. The contact sends a surge through my body that I refuse to acknowledge.

A delivery truck pulls up to the building's loading dock, and Vanessa literally bounces in her seat, pointing at her screen.

"There, see how they're checking ID twice but only logging it once?" Her entire body vibrates with excitement that reminds me of a predator spotting prey.

I exchange a meaningful glance with Cole, who gives a single, deliberate nod. His strategic mind is already calculating what this means.

"Dual verification system," he confirms. "One official, one off-books."

Jax interrupts from behind the wheel, his body suddenly alert like a hunting dog. "Southeast entrance has movement. Two security guards just changed shifts without overlap. There's your access window."

Without missing a beat, Cole begins recalculating on his tablet. "Adjusting approach vectors now. That gives us a seven-minute window if their pattern holds."

I shift closer to Vanessa, drawn to her intelligence and energy like a moth to flame. The respect I have for her isn't just professional anymore, and that understanding melts through my hard-built defenses.

"Good catch. All of you." The words come out gruffer than intended.

Vanessa's eyes lock with mine for a heartbeat, something unspoken passing between us. Her entire world narrows into a single thread of intensity, making her movements quick but calculated.

The usual scattered energy transforms into something laser-focused, each motion deliberate as her fingers dance across the keyboard. I've never seen anyone work systems like she does, breaking them down, finding patterns others miss.

Jax suddenly straightens in his seat, his body tensing. "Hold up. Vehicle approaching the private entrance."

I lean forward, muscles tensing as the sleek vehicle appears around the corner. My senses sharpen, body coiling with predatory focus.

"Black Bentley, diplomatic plates, tinted windows. Definitely not your average modeling client," Jax announces, his fingers already tapping coordinates into his navigation system. His eyes dart between the vehicle and potential escape routes.

Cole magnifies the thermal imaging display. "Single occupant besides driver."

I reach for my binoculars and twist the knobs until the image clears. Through the lens, a man emerges from the vehicle, elegant yet dangerous looking. His face partially obscured by what appears to be a designer mask. Something cold settles in my gut.

"Target acquired. Male, approximately six foot, tailored suit, moves like had military training." My voice stays level despite the adrenaline coursing through me.

Cole's gaze narrows as he studies the figure's movement pattern. "His positioning suggests awareness of surveillance vectors."

Beside me, Vanessa's body radiates heat as she leans closer to her screen. Her typing intensifies, the clicking almost musical in its rhythm.

"I'm trying to access the exterior camera feed, but this fucker is..." She pauses, frustration evident in the sharp exhale through her teeth. "Look at this. He moves where the cameras can't see him."

Her coconut scent fills my nostrils, making it harder to concentrate. I shift slightly, creating space while keeping my eyes locked on the target.

"Running partial facial recognition... nothing. He knows exactly where the cameras are." The thrill in her tone mirrors the tingle of awareness crawling up my back. This is no ordinary visitor.

Jax whistles low, a sound of professional appreciation. "Whoever he is, he's a professional."

His fingers stop drumming, body completely still, the surest sign he's fully engaged.

I catch Cole's eye, the silent communication between us perfected over years of operations. He gives a single nod. "Worth pursuing."

My mind calculates variables, weighing risk against potential intelligence. The decision crystallizes in an instant.

"Vanessa, see if you can get into their scheduling system. Find out who rates a private entrance." I touch her shoulder without thinking, and a current rushes through my fingertips at the contact.

She doesn't flinch away. She leans into the touch for a heartbeat before her fingers resume their dance across the keyboard. "Already on it."