Morning cos too soon.
I wake to voices - Tony’s already up, coordinating with Timothy.
But then I hear it, a familiar voice that makes my heart jump.
"Katherine? Seriously, you’re sleeping in a warehouse? I raised you better than this."
I bolt upright. "Susan?"
My best friend was standing there in designer jeans and a cashre sweater, looking completely out of place in the abandoned warehouse. Behind her, an expensive SUV is parked inside the loading dock.
"Susan!" I’m running to her, throwing my arms around her.
She hugs back fiercely. "Jesus Christ, Katherine. I saw the news. Terrorism? Really? That’s the best Morrison could co up with?"
"You believe we’re innocent?"
"Of course, I believe you’re innocent. You’re the most boringly law-abiding person I know. If you’re wanted for terrorism, soone’s lying." She pulls back to look over. "Blonde? Interesting choice."
"It’s a disguise."
"Honey, we need to work on your disguise ga. You look like you did it yourself in a gas station bathroom."
"I did do it myself in a gas station bathroom."
"I know. I can tell." She’s already pulling things from her SUV. "I brought supplies. Cash, laptops, phones, clothes that actually fit, and food that won’t give you food poisoning."
"Susan, how did you find us?"
"You gave an ergency number, rember? I still had it. Called it, tracked the pings, followed you here." She looks around the warehouse. "I also brought soone who’s been very worried about you."
A figure erges from the SUV. Thin, awkward, and familiar.
"Elliot!"
My brother looks terrible - exhausted, scared, overwheld by the number of people in the warehouse. But he’s alive.
I rush to him and hug him, despite his discomfort with physical contact. He tolerates it for three seconds before pulling away.
"Hi, Katherine." His voice is quiet. "I’ve been... hiding. Columbia’s library basent. Susan found ."
"I’ve been looking for you for days!"
"I know. I saw your ssages on the dark web, but I couldn’t respond safely until Susan showed up with actual security asures."
Tony approaches and extends his hand to Susan. "Tony Marvin. I believe we t briefly at."
"At Katherine’s birthday party held in her ho last year, yes." Susan shakes his hand firmly. "So you’re the man who broke my best friend’s heart, dragged her into a mafia war, and got her frad for terrorism."
"That’s... accurate."
"Well." Susan smiles, but it’s sharp. "Let’s fix it. What do you need?"
Over the next hour, Susan reveals the extent of her resources. Her family isn’t just wealthy; they’re old money wealthy: trusts, offshore accounts, properties, connections spanning generations.
"Why didn’t you tell ?" I ask.
"Because I liked being normal. Having normal friends who liked for , not my family’s money." She looks at seriously. "But normal’s over. You need help, and I’m here to help. No argunts."
Elliot’s already set up with Lisa, both of them geeking out over computers and encryption protocols.
"I have the complete Commission database," Elliot’s explaining. "Everything I compiled over months. It’s comprehensive."
"I’ve been inside Morrison’s systems for half a year," Lisa counters. "I have real-ti access."
"We should combine resources."
"Absolutely."
They’re imdiately in their elent, fingers flying over keyboards, speaking a language the rest of us don’t understand.
Timothy pulls us all together for a strategy session.
"With Susan’s resources, Elliot’s database, Lisa’s hacking skills, Katherine’s financial analysis, and Tony’s tactical expertise - we actually have a shot at this."
"We need leverage," Tony says. "Sothing that forces Morrison to co to us."
"We have leverage," Elliot speaks up. "The database. Morrison doesn’t know I copied everything before going dark. She thinks I only had partial information."
"So we tell her we have everything," I follow the logic. "Every na, every account, every operation. Force her to et us."
"Where?" David asks.
"Public but isolated," Tony’s thinking tactically. "Sowhere she can’t just have us killed without witnesses, but controlled enough for confrontation."
"Brooklyn Navy Yard," Timothy suggests. "Public enough to prevent outright murder, isolated enough for privacy. We can control the space."
"When?" Sarah asks.
"Forty-eight hours," I say. "Give us ti to prepare, but soon enough, she can’t mobilize everything against us."
"Agreed." Tony nods. "We send the ssage today. eting in forty-eight hours."
Lisa’s already typing. "I can route it through FBI channels so she sees it’s really from us."
The ssage was simple:
We have everything. Every na, every account, every operation. Complete Commission database. et us in 48 hours at the Brooklyn Navy Yard 11.
Co alone, or we will release everything to every dia outlet simultaneously.
This is your only chance to negotiate.
-A. Marvin & K. Blaire
"Send it," Tony orders.
Lisa hits enter and we wait.
Morrison’s response arrives within an hour.
You think you’re setting a trap for ? Adorable. I’ll be there, but Katherine, I’m bringing friends.
Hope you said goodbye to your brother because one of you isn’t leaving that eting alive; my choice will be which one.
See you soon.
-M
Elliot goes white. "She’s threatening to control Katherine."
"She’s not getting near you," Tony says imdiately. "We set this up right, she never gets within a hundred yards of you."
But I’m rereading the ssage. One of you isn’t leaving that eting alive; my choice will be which one.
She’s not just threatening Elliot; she’s threatening too, making choose between protecting my brother and attending the eting.
Classic Morrison - psychological warfare before the actual battle.
"We need better security," Timothy says. "Multiple layers. Snipers, backup teams, escape routes."
"I can provide that," Susan volunteers. "My family has private security - Ex-military... very discreet."
"Elliot stays here," I decide. "Hidden and protected. He won’t be anywhere near that eting."
"But the database-" Elliot starts.
"We’ll have copies. You stay safe, that’s non-negotiable."
He looks like he wants to argue, but Susan puts a hand on his shoulder. "She’s right, let us handle Morrison. You handle keeping that brilliant brain of yours intact."
Tony’s face is grim. "Morrison always has a plan; she always stays ten steps ahead. This eting is going to be dangerous."
"More dangerous than anything we’ve faced?" I ask.
"Yes, because this ti, she’s cornered and desperate. That makes her most dangerous of all."
"So what do we do?"
"We prepare for war." Tony looks at our assembled group. "And we make sure that when Morrison cos for us, we’re ready."
I look at my brother, at my best friend, at Tony, and at these FBI agents who’ve lost everything fighting the sa enemy.
We’re a strange alliance. Fugitives and ghosts. Wanted terrorists and disgraced agents. Supported by old money and computer hackers.
But we’re all we’ve got.
And in forty-eight hours, we face Morrison.
Together.
One way or another, this ends at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
I just hope we all survive to see the ending.
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