Page 20 of Hardline Torque
Tane felt it happen the way pressure changes before a storm.That was way too close to home for the Pathfinders and Bravo.
They looped Dev and Bateman in not long after.The screen flared to life, both men appearing with the same sharp focus Tane had come to trust.
“So,” Dev said, leaning back slightly.“You’re the ghost we keep hearing about.”
Victor met his gaze evenly.“Depends on who’s asking.”
Bateman’s mouth twitched.“I like him already.”
The questions came fast.Not hostile.Curious.Probing.
Dev circled first, leaning back in his chair as if relaxed, voice casual.“You ever work joint tasking before, or you just freelance chaos?”
Victor didn’t bristle.He tilted his head instead, considering.“I work outcomes.Tasking is just noise if you don’t understand the terrain.”
Bateman cut in sharper.“Terrain meaning people or infrastructure?”
“Both,” Victor replied.“But people break first.”
There it was—the edge.Not arrogance.Precision.
Dev smiled faintly.“You’re careful.”
“I’m alive,” Victor said.“There’s a difference.”
They pressed on.Timelines.Verification chains.How he knew what he knew.Victor answered without embellishment, pushing back when they pushed, redirecting when they tried to corner him into sources or methods.He gave them enough to prove he wasn’t guessing—names, overlaps, behaviors—but never the connective tissue that would burn someone else to protect himself.
Tane watched Dev’s posture shift, interest sharpening into respect.Bateman stopped smirking and started listening.
Victor didn’t posture.He didn’t grandstand.He met professionals where they stood and refused to let himself be reduced to an asset on a screen.
By the time the questions slowed, something unspoken had settled into the room.
This man was dangerous.
And not because he wanted to be, but because he had to be and he was one hell of an asset to the team.
Tane watched it all unfold, something tight easing in his chest.
“All right,” he cut in eventually.“That’s enough.”
Dev stopped, staring into the screen, and Tane knew it was right at him, his brow lifted.“It’s like that?”
“Yeah,” Tane said without hesitation.“It’s like that.”
Victor frowned but kept going, laying out what he knew about the local sect.Names.Patterns.A supply line that had gone dark and then resurfaced with new players.
Dev and Bateman both straightened.
“Send everything,” Bateman said.“All of it.”
“We’ll handle this,” Dev added.“Kids don’t get to be collateral.”
Victor nodded once.“I’ll forward it.”
There was only one hitch.
“I need to get my stuff,” Victor said later.“From where I was staying.”
