Athena squirmed in Karoline’s arms, reaching toward the colorful displays.Her movement drew Atlas’s attention to them, his eyes lingering on the silver locket around Karoline’s neck.
“May I see that?”he asked, directing the question to Karoline rather than speaking around her.
She hesitated, looking to me.I nodded slightly, trusting Wire’s son implicitly when it came to finding hidden information.If he wanted the locket, there had to be a reason.She set Athena down on a clear spot on the desk, the child watching solemnly.Karoline reached up and removed a locket from around her neck.
“Kris sent this as a birthday present,” she explained, handing it to Atlas.
Atlas examined the silver heart, turning it over in his slender fingers.His brow furrowed in concentration.“There’s something odd about the weight,” he murmured, pressing gently along the edges.“And the seam isn’t quite right.”
Wire rolled his chair closer, peering at the locket.“Might be a hidden compartment.”
“Or something embedded in the metal itself,” Atlas countered.He reached for a magnifying glass from the desk, examining the surface more closely before popping it open.“There’s an inscription inside.”His voice sharpened with excitement.“But it’s microscopic.Deliberately so.”
Athena watched intently as Atlas carefully turned the locket to show everyone a small photo -- Kris in his military uniform.But it was the inner rim that had the key detail to figuring out this situation.He connected the locket to a small device, which in turn linked to his computer.Within seconds, the magnified image appeared on the main screen -- tiny, precise lettering etched into the silver, as well as what looked to be another opening.
“Holy shit,” Sticks breathed, leaning forward.“What is that?”
“Coordinates,” Wire answered, already typing.“And what looks like access codes.Encryption keys.”He glanced at Karoline, something like respect in his eyes.“Your brother was one clever son of a bitch.”
“It looks like it opens again,” Karoline said.
“I think it does, but if we try to open that, we might break it.Your brother clearly knew they might be watching him,” Atlas added, fingers flying across his keyboard as he worked.“This would be virtually undetectable unless you knew to look for it.Even a standard security scan would miss it.”
Karoline had gone pale, one arm wrapped protectively around Athena who seemed fascinated by the locket displayed on the big screen.“What does it mean?”she asked, her voice steady despite the tension I could feel radiating from her.
Wire sat back, a grim smile spreading across his face.“It means your brother left us a roadmap.If I’m guessing right, these coordinates and codes will give us access to a secure server containing all the evidence he gathered against the rogue faction within Ghostwalk.”
“I thought Ghostwalk was trying to take down corrupt individuals,” I said.
Wire shrugged.“That’s what they were supposed to do.However, it looks like some of those corrupt officials were part of Operation Ghostwalk.Probably wanted to make sure they weren’t found out.”
“The information your brother gathered was enough to burn them to the ground,” Atlas confirmed, looking up from his screen.“Names, dates, transactions, recorded conversations -- everything needed to expose the entire operation.It’s what I would do.”
The room fell silent as the implications sank in.This wasn’t just about protecting Karoline and Athena anymore.This was about finishing what Kris had started -- exposing corruption that reached into the highest levels of government.
“They’ll come back,” Tank said, voicing what we all knew.“They lost men here.They’ll regroup, bring more firepower.”
“Let them come,” Savior responded, his voice cold.“We’ll be ready.”
I felt Karoline’s hand slip into mine, her fingers squeezing tight.I looked down at her, at the determination in her eyes that mirrored my own, at Athena watching us both with that solemn gaze that seemed to understand far more than a three-year-old should.
“We need to move on this now,” I said.“Get that information to someone who can use it publicly.Someone they can’t silence.”
“I’ve got contacts at three major news outlets,” Wire offered.“People who’ve broken stories like this before.People who know how to protect their sources.If Kris tried to get this into the hands of journalists before, he sent it to the wrong ones.”
“And we need to prepare for their return,” Saint added.“Double the guards, set up additional perimeters.Repair the damage done by those assholes already.No one gets within a mile of this compound without us knowing.”
I nodded, then turned fully to face Karoline, placing my free hand gently on her shoulder.“You and Athena will stay at the safe house.We’ll have brothers with you around the clock.”
She straightened, chin lifting slightly.“I want to help.This is about my brother.About what he died for.”
Pride surged through me at her courage, even as fear for her safety tightened my chest.“You’ll help by keeping Athena safe.By being there when Wire and Atlas need more information about Kris.”
I turned back to the room, my decision made.“We end this now.We use what Kris left us to burn these bastards to the ground, and we make damn sure they can never threaten Karoline or Athena again.”
Around the room, brothers nodded, determination hardening their features.Tank checked his sidearm, Sticks straightened, and Savior gave a single, sharp nod of approval.It looked like the Pres was still fine with me leading the way for now.Even though this was now so much more than just protecting Karoline and Athena.
“Your brother trusted you with his daughter,” Wire told Karoline as he carefully removed the locket from the scanning device.“And he trusted Viking with you both.Smart man.”
