Chapter Sixty-Seven
Jackson
Morris brings my attention back to the floor plan once more, but we already know it by heart. We’ve gone over every exit, every blind spot, every place Teddy could pull a weapon or stash Brooklyn if he decides to get cute. Everyone’s on edge, even the ones who pretend they aren’t.
I sit with my hands clasped tight between my knees because if I don’t, I’m gonna start pacing. Brooklyn sits across from me, sleeves shoved up, hair tied back, breathing shallow. I watch every breath. I can’t help it.
Morris taps the paper, going back over the plan, “We open with the staggered entry. Brooklyn takes the south stairs and Monroe takes the north. Teddy can’t know you two arrived together, same as last time.”
Brooklyn nods, and even though she’s trying to look steady, her hands give her away. I want to reach for her, but there are seven pairs of eyes in this room and they don’t need to see how close I am to losing my shit.
“We keep audio the whole time,” Nash says. “Video too, but it’s gonna be garbage until they’re inside.”
Creed leans forward. “We need Teddy calm at first. If he panics right away, he’ll shut down.”
“He won’t panic,” Brooklyn says, voice low but sure. “He’ll get greedy. He always does.”
Everyone looks at her but she doesn’t blink.
Enzo nods. “Then let him. Greedy men slip.”
Morris continues speaking, this time to Brooklyn. “If he sees you and pulls you in quickly, that’s good for us. If he freezes, also good. If he tries to keep Monroe out, that’s good too. Every reaction tells us something.”
Her voice is still low and quiet when she asks, “And if he tries to grab me.”
No one answers right away, so I do.
“He won’t get the chance,” I say, and my voice comes out tight. “You won’t be alone for one second.”
Her eyes meet mine, soft and scared and strong all at once. “I know.”
She’s lying, I can tell but she’s doing it because she knows I’m hanging on by a thread.
Morris looks at both of us. “You remember the goal. We want intel on the pipeline. We want to know where Grant is moving. We want the connection between Teddy and Grant confirmed on record.”
I nod once. “We’ll get it.”
Brooklyn swallows. “He’s gonna act like he owns me.”
“He doesn’t,” I say. “Not anymore.”
She pulls in a shaky breath and looks back at the map. “Yeah. I know.”
Nash claps his hands. “Alright. Suit up.”
We move.
They give us the disguises. Nothing major, just enough to shift how we look without drawing attention. I slick my hair back, throw on Monroe’s jacket, the same one he wore months ago. Brooklyn changes into something simple, jeans and a hoodie. Something she feels safe in.
Amriel wires us up, her fingers quick and gentle. She clips the mic to the inside seam of Brooklyn’s hoodie. “Keep your hair down,” she says softly. “If he steps too close, it’ll muffle a bit, but we’ll still hear you.”
Brooklyn nods, throat tight.
She moves to me. “Chest mic,” she says, tucking it under my shirt. “Don’t touch it, don’t adjust it. If Teddy talks low, angle your body toward him.”
“Got it.”
She gives me a look that says *Don’t screw this up,* but I’m pretty sure I already am.
When the team steps out to load into the vans, it’s just me and Brooklyn in the little prep room. She looks small, arms wrapped around herself, chin tucked.
I walk over slowly. “Hey.”
She lifts her eyes but doesn’t speak.
“You good?”
“No,” she whispers. “But I’m going anyway.”
I nod, having suspected as much and say, “I know.”
She steps closer, like she’s drawn in without thinking. “I keep thinking about how I used to knock on his door and feel like I didn’t have a choice. And now I’m walking back there on purpose.”
“You’re walking back in with backup covering every corner,” I say. “And with me.”
Her lips tremble. “Yeah.”
I touch her cheek, just for a second. “We don’t go in unless you’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” she says, but her voice shakes like the floor’s still moving under her.
We leave before either of us can fall apart.
The building Teddy lives in is the same kind of old concrete and bad lighting as every other place he’s ever operated out of. It smells like stale smoke and mold. Nothing’s changed.
Brooklyn walks in through the south door with a hood up and her chin down. I come through the north, keeping my steps slow and casual. We planned the timing so we’d hit the stairwell at the same second.
She turns the corner and sees me.
Her eyes widen for half a breath, then she covers it. Anyone else would think we’re strangers. I’m proud of her for that alone.
We move past each other like we don’t know each other, Monroe brushing her shoulder just enough to sell it. Her gaze flicks up, just once, but it's enough to steady me.
Our goal is the third floor.
She gets there first but stops at the landing. I watch as she takes in one shaky breath, then continues down the hall. I stop two doors down, pretending to check my phone. Teddy’s peephole is angled enough that he’ll see me but he’ll see her first.
Brooklyn steps into his line of sight.
There’s a beat, then another, and then I hear the deadbolt shift from inside the apartment.
He opens the door, and I see the exact moment his whole face changes. There's shock, lust, and possession written clearly on his face.
And they're all three things that make me want to put him through a wall.
“Kitty,” he says, smiling like she’s a gift he wasn’t expecting but deserves anyway. “Well, look at you.”
Brooklyn freezes, just like we trained her not to. I want to step toward her but I hold.
He looks her up and down slowly. “Where you been, girl? Thought you were dead or somethin.”
She doesn’t answer. Good, her silence will rattle him.
He steps into the doorway more. “You here for me or you just wanderin around hopin I’d open up.”
That's when I walk forward and knock, watching as Teddy’s entire body jerks like he didn’t expect another soul on the planet to interrupt him.
Brooklyn steps back fast, putting her head down, and moving to the side of the hall like someone who’s used to disappearing.
The door swings wider and Teddy’s face snaps over to me.
“Monroe,” he says, all charm and sleaze. “What’s happenin'. You got it?”
I smirk, tapping the pocket of my jacket. “Right here.”
He nods at Brooklyn without taking his eyes off me. “You see who decided to show up tonight? Thought she was long gone.”
I shrug like I don’t care, even though my blood’s on fire. “Didn’t know she was yours.”
He laughs, then grabs her chin and tilts her face up. “She’s always been mine.”
Brooklyn flinches and I want to kill him but instead, I lean against the doorframe and say, “Funny, you didn’t say anything about her last time. Thought you said you had something good for me and then you sent her to the door and acted like it wasn’t planned.”
Teddy freezes for half a second and I know I've him.
He covers it with a grin, saying “You liked her though, didn’t you? You liked her a lot.”
I smirk, playing my part, but he honestly doesn't even have a clue. “Yeah, she was worth the trade.”
Brooklyn’s eyes flicker, like she’s reliving every second of that night, but she stays quiet and steady.
“Come on in, both of you. Let’s catch up.”
Brooklyn hesitates but steps past him, her shoulders tight and her breath shaky.
I step in after her, with my every muscle locked and every nerve ready.
The door shuts behind us with a click that hits my spine like ice.
Game on.
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