Rae’s voice comes through my phone a second later, patched into the team channel. “Ozzy, I’m on comms. I’m pulling traffic cams and station security now. Keep your eyes on your surroundings.”
I clench every part of me that wants to unravel until it hurts to breathe. “Copy.”
Sawyer strides toward me. “Ozzy, give me the entire story.”
I nod, telling him everything again, faster this time but clean. Bathroom. Time lapse. Back door cracked. Tracks. No van visible. My guilt sits in my chest like a weight, but I push it aside because Sawyer is reading facts, not feelings.
Riggs takes notes on his phone, then angles his head toward the back of the building. “We’re going to check the alley and pull video.”
Sawyer’s gaze cuts back to me. “You stay here.”
My jaw clenches. “I can help.”
Sawyer’s expression doesn’t change. “You can help by not getting shot.”
“I know how to move,” I snap.
Gunner’s gaze flicks to me, unimpressed. “Not like us.” That lands exactly where it hurts.
Sawyer’s voice stays calm, but there is steel under it. “Ozzy, I get it. You care. But we donotbring civilians into a breach. You are not cleared, and you are emotionally compromised. Stay put.”
I swallow hard. I want to argue. I want to shove past them and sprint into the dark like speed will fix what I broke. But Salem is the one paying for my pride right now. I force myself to nod. “Fine. What do you need from me?”
Sawyer’s gaze softens a fraction. “Stay on comms. Answer questions. Tell us anything you remember.” He places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “We’ll get her back.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
Riggs and Miller peel off to the back corner of the store. Tanner and Jaxson head inside to talk to the clerk.
Rae keeps feeding updates through my phone. “Station has four cameras. Front entrance, aisle three, pump lane, and rear corner. Rear camera may have been disabled. I’m seeing gaps.”
I force myself to breathe. “Someone planned it.”
Sawyer hears me and nods like he already knew.
A vehicle pulls into the lot then. An older sedan, fast and ugly in the way it parks. Poe gets out before it fully stops. He moves like a man who has decided the rules are optional. He walks straight toward me, eyes hard, jaw tight.
Sawyer’s gaze flicks to him. “And you are?”
“Poe,” Poe says without stopping. “I’m with him.”
Sawyer looks him up and down. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Poe narrows his eyes at him. “I’m not leaving.”
Sawyer’s mouth tightens. He turns his attention back to me. “Your friend is going to wait with you.”
Poe gives a humorless laugh. “That’s what I came for.”
We wait near my SUV while BRAVO finishes gathering intel. The air feels thicker now, as if the whole place knows what is about to happen.
Riggs returns and gives Sawyer a quick update. “Rear corner camera is dead. Cut clean. That’s deliberate.”
Sawyer nods once. “Warehouse lead still holds. We move.”
My stomach drops. They think she was taken to the warehouse. The same one we found. And maybe she was. It’s seriously the best we’ve got right now.
Poe’s gaze locks on mine. “Told you it was a message.”