Ryan pushed through the door, sweat still on his brow from his jog home. His expression was carved from stone, jaw tight, eyes burning. He found Brooklyn sitting cross-legged on the couch, a half-eaten sandwich on the coffee table, her focus fixed on a folded map she had pulled from Tyrone's stash.
"Brook..." Ryan said, voice low but firm.
She looked up immediately, sensing the weight in his tone. "What happened?"
He shut the door behind him, leaned against it for a second, and exhaled. "AFOSI was at my apartment this morning."
Her brows lifted. "Already?"
"Yeah." Ryan continued, pacing across the small room. "A guy named Daniel Wayne is already on to you, Brook."
"I guess..." she said, voice steady, "we better get to the truth before he gets to me."
Before Ryan could respond, the back door creaked open and Maya stepped inside. She had her jacket half-zipped, her phone in one hand, tension clinging to her shoulders like armor.
Both Brooklyn and Ryan turned toward her.
"Well?" Ryan asked. "Did you get the payer's name?"
Maya shook her head, frustration flickering across her features. "Not yet. My contact's dragging his feet. I'm still waiting on a response."
Tyrone, who had been quietly cleaning his Glock at the kitchen table, finally spoke. His voice was calm, almost casual, but his eyes tracked each of them. "And what happens when we do get this payer's name? What's the plan?"
Brooklyn sat forward, elbows on her knees, tone sharp with certainty. "I'm going after him."
Ryan's head snapped toward her. "No, you're not."
Brooklyn chuckled lightly, as if his resistance was expected, even amusing. "Ryan..." she said softly, "You know, I'm starting to feel like you're forgetting who I am."
Her gaze swept over them, steady, unblinking.
Tyrone leaned back in his chair, smirking as he slid the cleaned slide back into place. "Oh yeah," he said with a mock salute, "she's an Airforce Captain, remember?"
Ryan opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Maya's phone buzzed sharply against her palm. She glanced down, eyes widening slightly at the name on the screen. Without hesitation, she answered.
"Yeah?"
The room quieted instantly.
On the other end, a gravelly male voice filled the silence. Calm, deliberate, edged with the kind of menace only earned from a lifetime in the underworld.
"Maya...." he said. "It's your old man."
Her throat tightened but her voice stayed firm. "Talk to me."
"I got your name." Kenneth Torres replied. "The one who paid Cooper to take the fall. Her name is Gabriella Hamilton."
Maya's eyes flickered toward Brooklyn, then Ryan.
"Gabriella Hamilton?" she repeated.
"That's right, pumpkin." Kenneth confirmed. "And hey, be careful out there."
The line went dead.
Maya lowered the phone slowly, her pulse hammering. "The person who paid Anderson Cooper is Gabriella Hamilton."
Ryan immediately spun his laptop around on the table, fingers flying across the keys. He muttered as he typed. "Hamilton… Hamilton…" Then his screen filled with results.
"This might be her..." he said, tapping one profile. "Age thirty-nine. Lives in a gated neighborhood in the East side. And... She's General Pierce's stepdaughter."
Brooklyn rose to her feet, her decision already made. "Okay." she said firmly. "I'm going."
Ryan's chair screeched back as he stood, facing her down. "Not without a plan, you're not. That's Pierce's daughter you're going after."
Her eyes gleamed, that reckless fire burning brighter than reason. "It doesn't matter even if she was the president's daughter." she said, voice steady, "The plan is to get her to talk. Nothing else to it."
Ryan stepped closer, lowering his voice but not his intensity. "We both know that's not a plan."
Brooklyn tilted her head, lips curving faintly. "Yeah, but it might be the only way forward."
Maya shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting between them. Tyrone watched silently, arms crossed now, expression unreadable but intrigued.
Brooklyn didn't blink. Didn't falter.
"Fine. But you do this smart..." Ryan said finally, the word dragged out like a concession in a war he couldn't win. "Now, here's the situation. Gabriella's estate is listed under the KMY Security. Meaning there's most likely four men guarding her place... two at the gate, two outside her door."
Brooklyn arched a brow. "Four men, huh? Sounds like a warm-up."
"I'll take them out from a sniper position." Ryan said, tapping the map with precision. "That should give you a clear pass inside."
Brooklyn smirked, a spark of excitement in her eyes. "Alright... that's no fun for me. But let's pack and go now."
Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her gear. Ryan exhaled, shaking his head with a reluctant grin.
Minutes later, they moved out together, slipping into the night with the quiet determination of soldiers on a mission.