Page 29

Leo rubbed a hand across his chin, the stubble rough against his palm. Every time he closed his eyes, images from last night surfaced. He refocused on the monitors before him. Professional distance. That’s what they both needed.

His secure office within his apartment hummed with quiet efficiency. Three curved monitors dominated the desk, their displays casting cool blue reflections onto the polished surfaces.

Behind him, Kat sat with his laptop balanced on her knees, watching the morning news. He tugged at his collar.

She’d dressed in fresh clothes, her dark hair still damp from the shower. Barefoot.

He made himself turn back to the monitors to focus on the task at hand.

Mercifully, she’d dropped from the headlines—replaced by a government minister embroiled in a sex scandal and an upcoming NATO convention.

Leo plugged in the compact drive he’d used to download the security footage and waited as the system decrypted the data. “Anything?”

“Nothing from MI6.” Kat didn’t look up. “They’re regrouping—or deliberately quiet.”

Well. That was something.

He called up the Platinum Club surveillance footage and entered the date Brock had specified. Three angles filled the screens. Time stamp: 3:27 a.m. The private dining area was draped in low light and expensive shadows.

Victoria Eldridge appeared at the edge of the frame, navy suit impeccable. Adrik Korolov was already seated. He rose as she approached.

“There it is.” Kat came and stood at his side. “Proof of the connection.”

Leo studied their interaction. “Proof they met—not proof of what they’re planning.”

Eldridge slid something across the table beneath a folded napkin. Something small. Too small to identify on the grainy footage.

Kat narrowed her eyes. “And not their first meeting. She’s too at ease. So is he.”

Before Leo could respond, a soft chime cut through the room. The secure comms system lit up—a familiar icon pulsing on the side monitor.

“Eli,” he muttered, accepting the call.

The rightmost screen flickered, resolving into his brother’s face, sunshine streaming through the window of the Guardsmen Security base behind him.

“Give me good news.” Leo rotated a pencil between his fingers to dilute the tension thrumming through him. “You got something?”

“More than something.” Eli’s gaze shifted, catching Kat at Leo’s side. “Agent Landon. My brother has kept you out of custody?”

“Eli.” Her nod was crisp. “Yes, he has been... helpful.”

Leo’s fingers froze on the pencil mid-twirl. His brother’s eyes were too knowing.

Voices sounded in the background, and Eli turned. A shadow fell over the camera as another figure leaned in.

“Leo, what Russian did you piss off this time?” Fox’s unruly beard almost touched the camera lens. His expression transformed when he spotted Kat. “Agent Landon. Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Fox.” Kat’s tone warmed. “Good to see you.”

“You keeping Leo out of trouble?” Fox asked, adjusting the camera to include himself properly in the frame.

“I’m trying.” The corner of her mouth lifted.

“So I see.” Fox’s eyes darted between her and Leo, his grin widening. “Interesting development.”

Leo exhaled through his teeth. “Can we focus?”

“Just saying hello to my favorite MI6 contact.” Fox smirked. “After the Dorchester, we had rapport, you know.”

Kat coughed quietly, covering her mouth.

Leo exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. He loved Fox like a brother, but not in moments like this. “Eli. What do you have?”

Eli’s expression sobered. “Korolov’s phone.” He tapped a few keys. “Found something tasty. Buried deep in a ghost partition—took a bloodhound and my bodyweight in coffee to locate.”

The screen split—Eli’s face shrinking to one corner as data visualization filled the rest. A folder structure appeared labeled in Cyrillic.

“Project Nightshade.” Eli navigated through encrypted files. “Can’t access the technical specifications yet, but an operational timeline is clear enough.”

Kat leaned in, her shoulder brushing his.

Nightshade. That name again. Like poison in the blood. “Timeline for what?”

“Some kind of demonstration.” Eli highlighted a calendar entry pulsing in red. “Scheduled for Thursday at 06:00 a.m.” His voice was blunt. “That’s less than 72 hours from now.”

Shit. The pencil snapped between Leo’s fingers. “Location?”

“Coordinates only.” Eli pulled up a map of Europe. “London.”

“Can you get an exact location?” Leo asked.

“Already on it.” Eli’s fingers flew across the keyboard, the soft clicking sharp in the tense silence. “Translating coordinates now.”

The London marker expanded, resolving into a precise location. Kat sucked in a breath. “That can’t be right. The Royal London Hospital?”

Leo frowned. “You know it?”

“It’s an old MI6 black site.” Her voice dropped. “They shut it down after the Harding Hearings. Or said they did.

Skin prickled on the back of Leo’s neck. Black ops hidden in plain sight.

“A black site inside a civilian hospital?” Fox pushed back into the frame, his eyes dark. “Fucking unethical.”

“Perfect cover,” Kat said. “Medical equipment, restricted access, legitimate reason for unusual power consumption.”

“There’s more.” Any levity drained from Eli’s face. He pulled up a different screen. “I ran an analysis on the call logs and message timestamps.” He highlighted a series of entries. “The initial contact pattern is... unexpected.”

“How so?” Leo asked.

“First communication didn’t come from Korolov.” Eli’s voice sharpened. “It originated from Eldridge’s personal device. She approached him nine months ago.”

Kat tensed beside Leo. “She initiated contact?”

“Multiple times before he responded.” Eli expanded the timeline.

Leo exchanged a glance with Kat.

Her eyes had narrowed. Professional assessment overtaking the initial shock. “Financial records?”

“That’s where it gets interesting.” Eli’s image shrank further as banking data populated the screen. “I did some digging through Korolov’s bank accounts. Significant transfers to numbered accounts in the Cayman Islands. Account holder is masked through multiple shells, but the timing...”

“Aligns with Eldridge’s meetings with Korolov,” Leo finished.

“Exactly. Matches the data you gave me from Brock.” Eli highlighted a transaction. “Some funds pass through Geneva. There’s this outfit—Arken Institute. Could be a holding company, maybe research.”

“Arken.” Kat blew out a soft breath. “Gage found that name when he was digging on Eldridge.”

“What kind of research?” Leo rubbed a tender spot on his temple.

“Don’t know. Their digital infrastructure’s tight. Overkill, if you ask me.”

“We need to check the Royal London.” Kat turned to Leo. “Whatever they’re planning?—”

“I’m sending everything now.” Eli’s voice had lost all its earlier satisfaction, replaced by grim urgency. “Floor plans, security protocols, everything I could find on the Royal London facility.”

Fox leaned in one last time, expression hard. “Hate to say it, Leo, but whatever’s happening there—the clock’s ticking. Seventy-two hours is nothing.”