Cole's POV
Marcus fitted the wire at six-forty-five.
I watched from across Zara's apartment while he taped the small device under her collarbone and tested the audio feed three times. The signal was clean. Range was good. Battery life would hold for four hours minimum.
None of that changed the fact that I was sending her into a room with a man who had spent months orchestrating her destruction.
"If he asks you to move locations, you refuse," I said. "The restaurant is public and we have sight lines from three positions. Anywhere else and we lose coverage."
"I understand."
"If he touches you, if he makes any physical move at all, Marcus will be inside in under thirty seconds."
"Cole." She looked at me directly. "I know the plan. I know the risks. You need to trust that I can handle t
