Logan looked back at the eighteen-year-old-looking guard. “Where’s Jackson Archer?” He motioned to the empty briefing room. “Is he late?”

“No, but you might be.” The kid looked at Holly when she walked in and said, “Hello, ma’am.”

“Late for what? Did he move the meeting somewhere else?”

“The runway,” the kid said. “Mr. Archer has his jet warmed up for takeoff. I’ve been told to—”

“What jet?” Logan already started toward the door, collecting Holly on his way out. He heard the guard yell, “the Lear,” as he entered the hall. Logan jogged along, tugging Holly by her hand, not caring that he’d left the Mexican food and likely something else of mild importance on the table back in the boardroom.

“What’s going on?” Holly struggled to say as she matched Logan’s pace.

“I don’t know, but I think he’s taking off.” He stopped at a T-section of hallway, glancing around for another guard. Or anyone in a uniform. Or just anyone.

“But we weren’t even late.”

“Holly?”

“Yes?”

“If we had to leave right now, could you?”

“Leave? Like in his jet?”

“Could you drop everything and just leave?”

A strange look came over her face, confusion and then a subtle brightness. “Just get up and go?” she said. “What about my stuff?”

“Like what?”

“Another bag,” she said, “in the car. Clothes.”

“You don’t need it,” he said, a silly grin coming on outside of his control.

“What about you?”

“I don’t need anything.”

“Where are we even going?”

“Two rental cars, right?” He found his guard, an older, more highly ranked officer approaching him. “Isn’t that it?” Logan said. “Cars and a bag? We can just get up and leave.”

“Yeah, but where are we going?”

“Wherever he’s going.”

“Jackson?”

“Come on,” he said, walking up with her to the guard and asking for permission to run outside to the tarmac. “We’re gonna run out those doors, okay?”

“I don’t care what you do,” the guard said.

Maybe he wasn’t a guard. Though Logan hoped that he was, and that the rest of the personnel at the base were just as nonchalant. It would be a particular help as they surged through a heavy double door and spilled out into the bright sun over the runway. He could almost feel the heat mirage around his knees as he walked with her, quickly now but not running, trying not to gain any extra attention. He only cared about Jackson’s attention, needing him to stick around on the ground a little while longer.

Logan could hardly believe he’d put himself in this situation again. But looking at Holly by his side, hearing her feet thudding next to his, her breathing, he suddenly knew how it all happened. He knew the answer why. A clear vision of who he needed to protect and how he’d do it.

Logan knew, also, what Jackson’s Lear looked like. And he knew what an impatient Jackson standing next to that Lear looked like. The man himself, leaning against the stairway handrail, one leg crossed at the other ankle. “You just got here,” Logan said. “What’s the hurry to leave?”

Jackson didn’t take his eyes off Holly. Logan introduced them, Holly uncustomarily quiet and demure as she took his hand and introduced herself, properly, with her specific title as a CIA analyst.

“I know all about you,” he said to her. “I took a look at your file.”

“My file?”

Logan asked her if she knew she had a file. Holly shrugged and said, “I assumed I would, I never bothered to look.”

“You came up on our radar,” Jackson said, “independently, a few years ago.”

“I was probably on a lot of people’s radar a few years ago.” She smiled, turning to Logan and said, “He’s talking about my big claim to fame with the college hack job. It was supposed to be buried, but I’m sure fellow hackers could dig it up.”

“It wasn’t I who did the digging,” Jackson said. “Actually, compared to some of my personnel, I’m almost computer illiterate. But don’t worry; I’ve got him here—the digger.”

“The what?” Logan said.

He winked at Logan and said, “I’ve got someone she can talk to, someone on her level. You guys want to make your way aboard?”

The tension Logan had felt since he’d arrived leached out of him. He had expected Jackson to be at least a little surly about the timing, the request, and definitely surly about what Logan had just done. But he seemed to be welcoming them both with open arms aboard his private jet. He thought the worst when he was told about the early takeoff, but now, climbing aboard with Holly, he felt his confidence soaring. He felt proud to still be part of the team.

They entered the cool dim lighting of the private jet as Jackson said, “I’ve arranged a car service to transport your vehicles.”

“Oh,” Holly said, as if just remembering. “The car, the bag.”

“Mine’s a rental,” Logan said.

Holly said the same. And then she said, “I’ve got some personal things in the—”

“Don’t worry about that,” Jackson interrupted, “I’ve got that all taken care of.”

“By whom?” Logan said. “You’ve got someone local?”

“Normally I’d get a newbie like Logan to take care of this detail,” Jackson said, “but seeing as how you’ve got him tied up... Right this way,” he waved toward the rear of the plane, where a man stood out of a bucket seat. He wore a suit and tie, and a tired, blasé grin. Logan knew him. Tansy. He’d never worked with him before, but he’d heard the stories.

Whether on purpose or not, Tansy seemed to have skipped Logan’s introduction and instead zeroed right in for Holly. “Hello there, heard a lot about you.”

“Oh?” she said, Logan looking over to notice her embarrassed, red reaction to the spotlight of the now world-famous hacker. “Oh, well, I’ve heard about you, too, certainly.”

“If everything I’ve heard about you is true,” Jackson said, “then you’re supposed to be the female version of Tansy here.”

“That’s what I hear,” Tansy said.

Holly chuckled nervously. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad thing.”

Jackson was staring at Logan. He said, quieter, “Good to have you aboard.”

“Aboard the jet?”

“Aboard in general,” Jackson said. “I didn’t want to give you the wrong idea with our last conversation.” He showed him the seats, as if steering him away from Tansy and Holly, Logan giving her one last look before Jackson got his attention again with a little more elaboration. “I was thinking over a lot of things.”

“Me, too,” Logan said.

Jackson, for the first time that Logan could remember, almost looked . . . uncomfortable? “I might have overreacted,” he said. “Or at least been reactionary.”

Was there was a difference? He sat in one of the seats and crossed his legs like a civilized, off-duty soldier. He heard Holly laughing at something Tansy had said. He tried thinking back, trying to remember if Tansy had a wife or girlfriend. Or if it was possible he was looking for another.

Jackson stole his attention before Logan’s thoughts could get too out of control. “Some information has come to light about Cordoba. I don’t want to get back into it, but let’s just say our window of opportunity was a little smaller than I first thought.”

Logan had to blunt the impulse to lurch into the defensive, from talking and trying again to justify what he’d done. He tried to stop his mind from wondering about the what ifs, and for wondering about Tansy and Holly. He wished they could all be sitting together.

Jackson said, “And I understand, I think, part of the way you feel about this.”

“Thanks,” Logan said, choosing his words perhaps too carefully and not having much at all to say to his boss.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Jackson said. “It’s not important now.”

“Am I still on probation?”

“Yes.”

Logan glanced around the jet. It was empty aside from the four of them. At the front, there was a projector screen already lowered. Jackson loved his projector screens. Logan couldn’t imagine him being in a room without one already drawn.

“So what’s with the rush?” Logan said. “Where are we off to?”

“It’s been a strange mix of things, but ultimately, I think we should all head home.”

“Home? To your home, you mean.”

Jackson said, “You live there, too.”

“Holly doesn’t.”

“So you want us to stay here in San Antonio? She has a home here, too? A job here?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Logan said.

“I will,” Jackson said. “Are we all good or not? What is it?”

“We’re good.”

“Good.”

Logan exhaled audibly. “We’re very good, but we’ve always been that way. What’s made you wonder?”

Despite what steps he took to keep it private, Logan began to wonder if Tansy had hacked into Logan’s computer and read that unsent resignation email. A little bit to do with how Jackson was now treating him so gently, with kid gloves, and with an almost pleading smile. Like he’d known something was about to break and was rushing back in to mend it.

“I need you to stick around,” Jackson said. “After this.”

“You’re not worried about the loose cannon?”

“I am,” Jackson said. “But there are times and situations that might call for that cannon. Now isn’t that time, obviously. But I’m sure down the road, right?”

“What does now call for?”

Jackson said, “Us. DARC Ops. Your friend there needs our help and our resources. You need a job. And I need you.”

He watched how Jackson’s face shifted back to that sudden vulnerability when he confessed his need for a sniper and all-around badass utility soldier who wasn’t afraid of taking initiative. A man like Logan who wasn’t afraid of doing the right thing even if it meant he’d immediately get in shit for it. Or get in the grave even faster.

“So that’s the deal, then?” Logan said, trying to make sure he was on the same page. “You help me here, and I stay on for another year?”

“Another year at least. On probation.”

Logan laughed.

“For the whole year,” Jackson said.

“Are you serious? I’m threatening to leave, and you’re threatening me with probation? Do you see how that doesn’t make any sense?”

Jackson shrugged, looking over Logan’s shoulder. Logan followed his gaze and Jackson’s answer was immediately clear. The two hackers approached them, Holly looking energized and glad for the help. Tansy looking as calm as ever, hiding behind a façade of almost boredom.

“We’re all good here,” Jackson said to Tansy. “You want to fill us in on where we stand on the dark web?”

“The dark web,” Tansy said, mocking his boss and then glancing at Holly with it. “Listen to him . . .

“Let’s listen to you,” Jackson said. “Go ahead, you’ve got the floor.”

“How about Holly?” Tansy suggested. “Maybe she should start.”

The energy and drive seemed to diminish now that Holly was called upon to speak. She’d just met Logan after the seven-year hiatus, then she met the DARC Ops leader and their star hacker in a private jet. And now she was called to address them with some sort of speech. Logan felt a little more sympathy, knowing that public speaking was never her strong suit.

“Well,” she said, her voice croaking with the word. Logan figured she might finally have her long-awaited mental breakdown. But she suddenly seemed emboldened, empowered, saying with a stronger voice, “Well, the first thing I want to clear up . . . is that I won’t be like your usual customer.”

A laugh came from Tansy.

Jackson said, “Customer?”

“I don’t think it’s like that,” Logan said.

“Yeah,” she said, “it’s definitely not like that, because I can’t afford to pay anyone for this. So, if you have some other reason for helping me, or if by helping me blow up this slavery ring, you’ll reach some other goal of yours, then . . .” She trailed off, seeming to wait for Jackson to explain his sudden interest in her case.

“You’re overthinking it,” Jackson said. “We see a friend in need, so we want to help.”

“But I’m not really a friend, am I? I mean, I just walked onto your plane.”

“You’re a friend of Logan’s,” Jackson said. Then he said, “Excuse me,” stood, walked toward the front of the jet, passed the screen without looking at it, opened the cockpit door, and said something to the pilots before the turbines of the jets kicked on.

“I guess we’re all friends now,” Tansy said.

“Everyone ready for this?” Jackson said, walking back. “We’re good to go? We sort of have to jump on this pretty quickly, as I’m sure Holly can understand.”

Logan wanted to see her eyes. He wanted to get a sense of how she was feeling with diving right into the controlled madness that usually encircled DARC Ops. Logan was used to it, Jackson’s quick turns and his laser-like precision. It was what made him a great leader. Flexible, yet determined.

“I’m in,” Holly said, “at least for discussing this further with you.”

Jackson laughed as the jet began to move very slowly, the scenery out the window beginning to creep by. “Well,” he said, “we’re at least all in for heading to Washington for a few days.” Then he looked at Logan and said, “I’ve got Matthias taking care of things back in Mexico. The legal stuff, the paperwork. He’s getting better at dealing with all the kind of crap that I always hated.”

“What are you talking about?” Tansy said. “Matthias always did that.”

“He started with office IT problems like routers,” Jackson said to Holly. “Now he’s pretty much got his own division.” He looked over at Logan. “I want you to know that there’s always room for advancement here, if you show the right aptitude.”

“What does that say about me?” Tansy said, “Me being stuck on the same job for five years . . .”

“It says that you’re excellent at what you do.” Jackson smiled, almost gloating.

“See?” Tansy said to Holly with a wry grin. “It’s a curse.”

The engines grew louder as the scenery began to speed up. Jackson told Tansy to stop scaring her away, and Holly’s straight face seemed to shut them both up from any further hilarity. All eyes were on her when she finally said, “So are we really leaving right this second? I’m sorry, but I’m . . . I’m a little frazzled.”

“I know,” Jackson said. “I’m sure. It’s a lot.”

“I’ve been taught to always be wary of overly kind strangers. Not that you’re strangers, but . . .” She drifted off, her sad look grazing across Logan’s face. “Well, I guess you are sorta strangers.”

That stung him a little bit. It shouldn’t have, but it did.

“I bet after this flight,” Jackson said, “we’ll feel a little more familiar than strangers.”

“And I’m totally appreciative,” she said. “Please don’t get me wrong.”

Logan said, “No, it’s totally understandable.”

It was so understandable.

Jackson had returned to his seat slowly, then, brushing the wrinkles out of his pants, said, “Maybe it’ll make you feel better if we explain our position a bit.”

“Please,” Holly said. “I’m sure you’re all nice guys and everything, but, like I said . . .”

“Too nice, right?” Jackson smiled and said, “Don’t worry, there’s something in it for us, too, besides reining in our little spitfire over here.” He had reached over and grabbed a firm handful of Logan’s shoulder. “Let’s just say there’s some overlap in this case. Some unfinished business on our end, some new business on yours. I think we can come together and work together and find a mutually beneficial result.”

Logan had watched her face for the change, to see if she bought it. It seemed like a reasonable explanation of DARC Ops’ interest, even though he had no idea about what case Jackson was referring to. If it had even been a real case at all. But he silently and very quickly reminded himself that he was the new guy, and there had likely been a shitload of cases before and after him.

He could feel the jet taking a sharper turn, and then pausing at the foot of the runway.

“Here we go,” Jackson said. “Everyone buckle up.”