The news about Isla cut through the command center like a frigid gust of wind, sending a deep chill snaking through the air. The betrayal hung heavily, souring the atmosphere with an almost tangible poison. Damon’s team, once filled with fervor, now moved with a grim determination born from a sense of shattered trust; their faith in any intelligence gathered from the villa had been irrevocably broken.

Mara stood frozen in place, her coffee congealing into bitterness on her tongue as Isla’s ...