NATE'S POV
Ryan's ultimatum echoed in my mind: walk away and save your career or walk back into that cage and lose everything.
I did not move from the booth for ten minutes after he left, and my hands were shaking so violently I had to curl them into fists in my lap. The mug of cold coffee sat untouched, and my focus was not on the docks, or the weapons shipment, or the pending sunrise bust. It was on the small, black recording device sitting next to the burner phone, containing the audio proof of my undoing. Ryan was right, and his logic was undeniable. I had to cut Adrian off and file the report, suspend the cooperation, and treat him as the high-security threat he was. That was the professional, sane course of action.
