Page 22 of Cold Ignition

“I’ll take that,” Ethan said. “Keep anything from reinforcing once we go in.”

Drew nodded. “I’ll back him. Someone’s gotta make sure things stay messy in the right direction.”

Kael grinned faintly. “That’s your entire personality, Drew.”

“Thank you, baby,” Drew said.

Tane glanced at Keanu. “Entry?”

Keanu didn’t answer immediately. Because they all knew what that meant.

Kael’s gaze settled on him.

“Say it,” he said.

Keanu exhaled slowly.

“They were taken through Crucible,” he said. “Which means whoever’s running this expects drivers. Movement. Skill.”

A beat. “They’ll recognize Ahi.”

Luca tilted his head slightly. “You’re thinking you walk in.”

“I’m thinking I get close enough to matter,” Keanu replied.

Niko frowned slightly. “And then what? You knock on the door and ask nicely?”

Keanu’s mouth twitched faintly. “Something like that.”

Kael studied him for a long moment.

“You’re the only one who can get that close without setting off alarms,” he said.

Keanu nodded once.

“They’ll be watching the roads,” he added. “Patterns. Movement. They won’t expect Ahi to come back after all this time.”

“That works for us,” Tane said.

“It also makes you a target,” Ethan pointed out.

Keanu met his gaze. “I already am.”

That settled that.

Kael looked around the room, taking in each of them in turn.

“We move together,” he said. “No deviations. No lone plays.”

Luca snorted softly. “You say that like you haven’t met us.”

Kael didn’t react.

“Together,” he repeated.

This time, no one argued.

Bateman’s voice cut back in. “You’ve got a window. Twelve hours, maybe less, before they move whatever’s inside that site.”