Page 180 of Cobra
Cain mutters, “Christ.”
Carter leans in. “Matteo.”
A pause.
Then Matteo says, “Once she is secure and the delivery team exits, Nico will follow. Alessandro will coordinate with Dom. You will receive directions in real time. You will move when told, not before. You will maintain distance until the transport stops. Then you may be yourselves.”
Joker’s grin widens.
Hammer says, “Finally.”
Logan’s gaze sweeps the room. Every man here hates it. Every man here understands it. That is the worst kind of agreement. The kind you can’t avoid. “We do it your way,” Logan says. The words cost him. They would cost any president.
Matteo knows it. “Smart.”
“Don’t mistake necessity for obedience,” Logan says.
“I never do.”
Carter looks at the phone. “What do you need from us before then?”
“Restraint.”
Blaze laughs once, sharp and humorless. “We’re fucked.”
“No,” Matteo says. “You are motivated. There is a difference.”
I look at the laptop screen.
Olivia’s lot page has changed.
Sold.
Not bought. Not won. Sold. My vision cuts into hard lines.
Logan watches me from the corner of his eye. “You good?” he asks.
No.
But my answer doesn’t matter. I stare at the word until it turns into something else. Not helplessness. Not failure. Coordinates waiting to happen. Access purchased. Door opening. A route forming. Kill instinct pushes against my ribs. I press it down. Timing. Targeting. Control.
“I’m good,” I say.
No one believes me.
Good. They shouldn’t.
Matteo says, “Cobra.”
I go still. The room shifts around my name. “What?”
“She will be frightened.”
My teeth grind. “She already is.”
“Yes,” he says. “But tomorrow will be different. Bought and transferred is psychologically distinct from captured. They will make her believe ownership has changed hands.”
The office goes quiet again.
