Page 172 of Shadowed Sins: Nitro

And whether the man I mourned has been watching me fall apart this whole time.

Vanessa opens a folder marked with date codes that make my stomach drop. October 15th. The exact day Remy and Vanessa went undercover at that Sacramento gala.

"Wait." I stop pacing, turning toward the screen. "That's the Winchester charity event."

High-resolution photos flash across the monitor. Crystal clear images of Remy in his perfect tuxedo, Vanessa in that stunning evening gown. They look like they belong at the fancy event, but something's wrong with the angles.

These aren't security cameras. Someone was hunting them with professional equipment.

"Those aren't official surveillance photos." Asher moves closer to the screen, his tactical mind analyzing the positioning. "The angles are wrong for building security."

Cole shifts around the table, studying the timestamps. "Cross-reference with our mission reports from that night."

More images load. A waiter approaching Vanessa's table with a tray. Another guest bumping into Remy near the bar. Small moments that seemed random at the time.

Vanessa goes completely still in her chair. "The gas exposure that nearly killed me... look at the timestamp on this photo."

On screen: A fire alarm panel, someone's hand reaching toward it. The timestamp shows thirty seconds before the neurotoxin was released.

"Someone triggered the emergency ventilation." Her voice gets smaller with each word. "Right before the gas hit. That's why I survived long enough for medical intervention."

Holy shit. Someone was watching, waiting, ready to save her.

I resume my restless movement, weaving between the server racks. The patterns are becoming impossible to ignore.

"This is detailed counter-surveillance." I gesture toward the screen where more photos cycle through. "Whoever tookthese knew exactly where to position themselves to monitor a professional operation."

Mira steps into my path, her predator instincts fully engaged. "We're not random targets. We're investments."

"Investments in what?" The question scrapes out of my throat.

Kade circles behind us, his massive frame casting shadows across the data. "Someone's been managing our survival probability."

Cole pulls up another chair, leaning forward to examine the technical details. "Look at the quality. Military-grade equipment, professional timing, perfect positioning."

"Are we assets? Experiments? What the hell are we to these people?" My voice rises as the questions multiply faster than answers.

Vanessa scrolls deeper into the folder. "There's no indication of who was hosting the surveillance. Just the watching."

Someone powerful enough to infiltrate high-society events. Someone with resources to monitor multiple operations simultaneously.

"They've been protecting us." Mira's clinical assessment cuts through my spiraling thoughts. "But protection always comes with a price."

The room falls silent except for electronics humming and my heart hammering against my ribs.

The silence stretches too long. I can feel my team processing what we've just seen, the same way I analyze racing lines before a risky turn.

Everything we thought we knew...

Cole moves to the other side of the room, his strategic mind working. "So we've got Roman alive somewhere, and someone called Cipher playing puppet master."

"Not puppet master." Mira shifts position, always moving like she's tracking prey. "Guardian angel. There's a difference."

Vanessa pulls up another screen, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. "These videos are recent, but there's no location data. Scrubbed clean."

I start pacing again because sitting still feels impossible. The server racks create a maze, and I need to move through it.

Seven months of grieving a ghost while someone watched us stumble through missions.