(Jay's POV)
"They're here."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
Nobody spoke after that.
The photographs remained scattered across the table.
Every single one connected to the same person.
Kyle.
The man who had managed to stay ahead of us for months.
The man responsible for more damage than I wanted to think about.
The room felt heavier as I picked up the first photograph.
Warehouse.
Brooklyn.
Three days ago.
The second one.
Meeting records.
Suspicious transactions.
The third.
Security footage.
A blurry image.
But it was enough.
Kyle.
For the first time in months, we had something real.
Not rumors.
Not theories.
Actual evidence.
"He got careless," Alex muttered.
"No," Luna said immediately.
Everyone looked at her.
Luna opened another page.
"He wants us to find this."
Silence.
I slowly lowered the file.
That made more sense.
Kyle wasn't stupid.
He never had been.
If we found this information, there was a reason.
A trap.
A distraction.
Or something worse.
Deniel leaned forward.
"So what's the plan?"
Luna pressed a button.
The large screen behind her lit up.
A map of New York appeared instantly.
Several locations were highlighted.
"We split into two teams."
Everyone immediately focused.
Luna pointed toward the first location.
"The warehouse."
Then the second.
"A financial office."
Then the third.
"An abandoned property connected to one of Kyle's former associates."
I studied every location carefully.
Trying to memorize everything.
Trying to find flaws.
Trying to find a way to be useful.
"We don't engage," Luna continued.
"We observe."
Alex nodded.
"Information first."
"Exactly."
The room remained focused.
Questions were asked.
Assignments were made.
Routes were discussed.
Backup plans.
Emergency exits.
Communication protocols.
Everything.
Precise.
Organized.
Professional.
Exactly how it should be.
And the entire time—
I already knew what was coming.
The moment the meeting ended.
The moment teams started forming.
The moment names were assigned.
My name never appeared.
Not once.
I waited.
Maybe they forgot.
Maybe they planned to tell me later.
Maybe—
"Alex and Deniel take the warehouse."
"Luna and Cora take the office."
I stared.
Still nothing.
My jaw tightened.
"What about me?"
The room went silent.
Immediately.
I hated that.
The way everyone suddenly avoided looking at me.
As if they had already discussed this.
Without me.
"What about me?" I repeated.
Luna sighed first.
"No."
I laughed once.
A short disbelieving laugh.
"No?"
"You're not going."
My grip tightened around the folder.
"I'm fine."
Nobody reacted.
Because nobody believed that.
Not even a little.
"I'm serious."
"Jay."
"No."
I pushed my chair back.
"I've been chasing Kyle just as long as all of you."
"And you've also been injured longer than all of us," Alex replied immediately.
I looked at him.
Then Luna.
Then Cora.
Nobody looked convinced.
Nobody looked uncertain.
They had already made their decision.
Before the meeting even started.
Anger slowly built inside my chest.
"I can handle surveillance."
"No."
"I don't even need to fight."
"No."
"It's literally observation."
"No."
Every answer came immediately.
Like they had rehearsed it.
My frustration grew.
"This is ridiculous."
"No," Cora said softly.
"What's ridiculous is thinking you're ready for field work."
That one actually hurt.
Because part of me knew she was right.
I hated it.
I hated how weak I felt.
I hated needing help.
I hated being left behind.
Most of all—
I hated that everyone was treating me like glass.
"I'm coming."
"No."
"I'm serious."
"So are we."
The room fell silent again.
Nobody raised their voice.
Nobody argued.
Which somehow made it worse.
Because they weren't debating.
They were protecting me.
And that meant their minds were already made up.
Luna finally stepped closer.
Her expression softened slightly.
"Jay."
I looked away.
"We need somebody here."
I rolled my eyes.
"That's a terrible excuse."
"It isn't."
I frowned.
Luna placed another folder on the table.
One I hadn't noticed before.
"We have hundreds of reports left to analyze."
My eyes dropped toward it.
The folder was thick.
Very thick.
"Someone needs to stay behind and connect everything."
I immediately knew what she was doing.
Giving me a job.
Giving me a reason.
Trying to make me feel useful.
The annoying part?
It actually made sense.
I hated that too.
For several seconds nobody spoke.
Then finally—
I sat back down.
The room relaxed instantly.
Which was irritating.
"You all suck."
Deniel laughed.
"Love you too."
I threw a pen at him.
He caught it.
Still laughing.
A few minutes later everyone started preparing to leave.
Weapons checked.
Communications tested.
Vehicles prepared.
The atmosphere shifted from discussion to operation.
I stood near the briefing room entrance as they gathered.
Alex adjusted his earpiece.
Luna reviewed final notes.
Cora checked her weapon.
Everything looked normal.
Professional.
Controlled.
But something in my chest felt wrong.
Like this lead mattered more than we realized.
Like Kyle wanted us to follow it.
Like something was waiting for them.
Luna must have noticed my expression.
Because before leaving, she stopped beside me.
"We'll be back."
I nodded.
Not fully convinced.
Then one by one—
they left.
The room slowly emptied.
The doors closed.
And suddenly the massive underground base felt far too quiet.
I looked down at Kyle's photograph still sitting on the table.
His face stared back at me.
Calm.
Confident.
Like he already knew every move we were about to make.
My eyes narrowed.
"You're planning something."
The empty room gave no answer.
And somehow—
that worried me more than anything.