Reclaiming Control

CATARINA

I was still shaking with rage when I pulled through the gates of the Connelly compound.

The entire drive back, I'd replayed the conversation with my father over and over in my mind, each repetition making me angrier.

When you've earned that right.

Like I hadn't already earned it a thousand times over.

Like every scar on my body, every life I'd taken, every mission I'd completed wasn't proof enough.

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• Forged In Fire   Safe House Recovery

  "That's what I need to find out," Jameson said. "The Colluccis don't have the resources to pull off something this sophisticated on their own. Someone had to finance this operation, coordinate the logistics, brief them on the restaurant layout.""You think they have backing?""I think it's possible. Which is why we need to get back to the compound and interrogate those Collucci men. They'll know who's pulling the strings, who's funding them, whether this is part of something bigger.""And if they don't know?""Then we figure out who benefits from destabilizing the Connelly-Vitale alliance. Who has the resources and the motivation to orchestrate something like this." He paused, his expression hardening. "And we find out if this is just the beginning.""One problem," I said."What?""You're still half-drugged. You're not interrogating anyone in this state. You need at least another hour of rest, some food in your stomach, and probably a shower to help your body process the chemicals fas

• Forged In Fire   The Collucci Trap

  JAMESON The bedroom was tense as I dressed for the lunch meeting. Cat sat on the edge of the bed, still in her tank top and shorts, arms crossed over her chest. She hadn't spoken to me all morning. Not when I'd kissed her forehead. Not when I'd invited her to shower with me. Not even now, as I buttoned my shirt. "You're sure about this?" I asked, trying one more time. "I'm sure you're leaving me behind," she said flatly. "Because you're just getting your strength back. Because I need to know you're safe.""Mmhmm." I crossed the room and tilted her chin up so she'd look at me. "Cat, I'm coming back. This is just a business lunch." "With a family that wants to take over my father's territory." "Which is why I'm meeting with them. To see what they really want. To assess the threat level." S

• Forged In Fire   An Invitation

  JAMESONPatrick Fitzpatrick looked small in the interrogation room.That was my first thought when Declan hauled him in, zip-tied and terrified. The mid-level associate who I'd thought was solid, loyal, was now looking at the cold steel table like it might bite him."Leave us," I said to Declan."Sir—""I said leave."Once he was gone, I pulled out the chair across from Patrick and sat down slowly. Deliberately. I let the silence stretch between us, watching the way his eyes darted around the room like a cornered animal."Patrick," I said finally. "We need to talk about your Russian friends.""I don't know what you're talking about," he said, but his voice cracked."Really?" I leaned back in the chair. "Because we have evidence suggesting otherwise."He started sweating. Actual beads of sweat forming on his forehead."I swear, Mr. Connelly, I'

• Forged In Fire   Reclaiming The Night

  JAMESON"We'll find him," Declan said, studying the surveillance footage. "Give us a few hours."I wanted to argue, wanted to push forward, but I was exhausted. More than that, I was done. Done with Patrick, done with threats, done with everything except the woman standing quietly in the corner of the war room."No," I said, surprising myself. "Call it for the night. Send teams to his known locations, but nothing aggressive until morning. If he runs, we track him. We have time."Declan looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "You sure?"I glanced at Cat. She was watching me with an unreadable expression, but there was a slight curve to her lips that suggested she knew exactly what I was thinking."Yeah," I confirmed. "I'm sure. Get some rest. We reconvene at 0600."The team filed out quietly, sensing that their boss had reached his limit. I waited until the last man left b

• Forged In Fire   A Traitor Among Us

  JAMESONWe settled on the couch, and I pulled her close, needing to understand what had shifted during that meeting."Tell me everything," I said.Cat took a breath and laid it out: Viktor Volkov, the new Russian leader. More vicious. More vengeful. A direct threat not just to me, but to both families."Your father's not wrong," I said when she finished. "We do have a problem with loyalty. I've been discussing it with Declan. We've identified at least six men who were close to Isaac. Patrick Fitzpatrick is flagged as a priority suspect.""Fiona's father?" Cat's eyes narrowed."He has grievances," I confirmed. "And opportunity. Someone fed Isaac information about your schedule that day, Cat. Someone knew when you'd be on that road."She was quiet for a moment, processing."So we have external threats and internal ones," she said finally."And the two are

• Forged In Fire   The New Threat Emerges

  JAMESONThe study felt too quiet as I paced, my mind churning through the list Declan had compiled."Six men," I said, stopping at the desk. "Six men we know had contact with Isaac in the weeks before the attack."Declan nodded from his position by the window. "At minimum. There could be more we haven't identified yet.""Patrick Fitzpatrick," I said, the name tasting bitter. "Fiona's father. He was close to Isaac.""He was," Declan confirmed. "And he's not happy about his daughter's rejection by you. Grievance plus opportunity."I ran a hand through my hair. "Isaac didn't act alone. I know he didn't. Someone fed him information about Cat's schedule that day. Someone told him when she'd be on that road.""The drivers," Declan said quietly. "One of them has to have been compromised. They knew the route. They knew the timing."I nodded slowly. The drivers. Of course. The most obvious vulnerability, and Isaac had exploited it perfectly. Or rather, whoever had put Isaac up to it had exploit

• Forged In Fire   After The Battle - Healing Together

  JAMESONDr. Sullivan arrived within the hour, his medical bag in hand and his expression professionally neutral despite the blood still staining my jacket."Let's have a look," he said, gesturing for me to sit at the dining room table.I lowered myself into the chair carefully, my shoulder screamin

• Forged In Fire   The Coordinated Strike

  CATARINAA few days had passed, and I looked less like I'd been hit by a truck and more like I'd merely been in a serious bar fight.Progress.The swelling around my eyes had finally gone down enough that I could see out of both again—a small

• Forged In Fire   The Talk & The Kiss

  JAMESONTrue to my word, I returned forty-five minutes later with two bags from Portillo's and a determination to finally have the conversation we'd been dancing around for weeks.Cat was exactly where I'd left her—propped up against the pillows in my be

• Forged In Fire   Going Home

  CATARINATwo days later, the doctor finally cleared me for discharge."Strict bed rest," he said for what felt like the hundredth time. "No strenuous activity. Keep the arm elevated. Follow up in one week.""I understand," I said, resisting the urge

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