They rode back to the city through the night, exhaustion pressing at every joint, the letter tucked inside Mercer's coat like a stone he couldn't set down. Nobody spoke much on the ride. There wasn't much left to say that hadn't already been said in that empty room.
Isla broke the silence once they reached the warehouse, gathering everyone around the same desk where they'd first pieced together Hale's operation weeks earlier.
"We have until noon tomorrow," she said. "That's not enough time to plan a rescue properly. It's barely enough time to plan anything at all."
"He Said come alone," Mercer said. "If I bring anyone visible, the deadline moves closer."
"You're not going alone." Tamsin's voice left no room for negotiation. "I don't care what the letter says."
"He'll know if you're th
