“It’s here.” Ruby highlighted a section of code and flung it back to JRad. “That’s their location. You work on that and I’ll make sure the rest of my security measures are holding. I only need a few more bits to come up with a quarantine protocol we can sell to the banks and publish so we can disarm this shit for good.”
Jordan and James must have joined them, though she didn’t turn around to verify. James handed her a headset and Jordan spoke into her ear. Well, into the whole team’s ears, she suspected. “Aven is standing by. Let me know if we need the chopper or a plane based on distance.”
Ruby focused on the ones and zeros and commands zooming through her mind. Talking to herself, but also for JRad’s benefit, she said, “Confirm security measures holding. No copies have been made except the one I just exported for our use. We have everything we need, including a decrypted list of contacts for sales and blackmailing and the identities of the original coders. If you can destroy that drive, and the only physical proof of this shit with it, I can do the rest from here. We’ve got this.”
“Good work, Ruby.” Jordan’s praise warmed her, though not as much as a hug from Liam would have right then.
Focus. She worked furiously, securing everything they needed and developing her antidote code so she barely registered it when JRad barked, “Chopper. The signal is originating about 185 miles from here. Coordinates on screen.”
“Team of six,” Jordan snapped. “Liam, Ace, Tavish, and Legend, you have unfinished business with this asshole. Aarav cover their asses. Kennedy, you’re in. Stay with Aven in the chopper unless needed.”
Ruby ignored the implications. If they had a use for Kennedy, it was a bad day.
“Be safe, babe,” Marcus murmured before he and Knox took turns kissing Kennedy.
They hated letting her go without them, but they did. They trusted her. And Ruby would have to do the same for Liam and Ace, though she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel some kind of way differently than she had when they’d left on missions in the past.
Jordan interrupted their sweet goodbye with a chilling realization. “Given the information Ruby has now—which will allow us to shut down the entire operation—and the confirmation that the data has not been replicated, there’s no need to take our masked man alive anymore. Do so if possible. If not...it’s more important to destroy that drive.”
“Will do,” Ace promised.
Liam was silent.
“Guys, can I talk to you?” Ruby asked.
Ace rushed to her side but not Liam.
“We shouldn’t distract you right now,” he said quietly, though Jordan didn’t object.
“Fuck that.” Ruby reached up with one hand and dragged Ace to her for a scorching kiss. “Pass that along to Liam for me, would you? And come home safe. I love you, both of you.”
“I love you too, Ruby.” Ace smiled, his forehead resting against hers for a long moment before he separated them. Elation bubbled through her veins like champagne until she realized that Liam hadn’t said it back, nor had he taken a single step closer to them.
She and Ace turned together toward him. He stared, stony faced, red dye smeared over his palms. He looked down at the stains and then at them, then at the thick red liquid again before pivoting on his booted heel and departing.
Beside her, JRad cursed.
“Aven is landing on the roof in two minutes. Get your asses up there.” James winced as he looked to Ace and Ruby and mouthedsorry.
Ace bolted after Liam and the rest of the field team.
And then they were gone, the command center eerily quiet, and Ruby had to concentrate on the job at hand. But all she could see burned into her mind was Liam and the look on his face when he’d thought she’d been grievously injured.
Maybe no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t open himself up to that kind of agony. Could she really blame him? He’d been honest about it from the start.
If she’d fallen for him anyway, it was her own fault, not his.