Volume Two
Chapter Fourteen: Shadows and Whispers
EXT. PARKING GARAGE – NIGHT
Rain pattered on concrete as the coalition followed Lieutenant Commander Samara Bishop into the dimly lit structure. Gibbs and Voight flanked her, hands near their weapons. The rest of the team fanned out, eyes sharp for any sign of a trap.
Walter whispered to Paige, "If this goes sideways, get everyone out."
Paige nodded, her nerves taut.
Samara led them to the far corner, where a lone figure waited in the shadows. He wore a hooded jacket, face obscured, but his posture was military—alert, precise.
"Commander Bishop," the man greeted, his voice low. "You brought company."
"They're the only reason I'm still alive," Samara replied. "This is the coalition. Coalition, meet Agent Cole, CIA—off the books."
Gibbs stepped forward, his gaze icy. "You're the one leaking intel?"
Cole shook his head. "I'm the one trying to stop the real leak. There's a rogue cell in the CIA, and they're embedded deeper than you know. They set up Taylor, and they're framing the cartel to cover their tracks. You're all targets now."
Lightman, lurking near the edge, watched Cole's every microexpression. "You're nervous. Not for yourself—for us. Why?"
Cole's eyes flicked to the exit. "Because they know about this meeting. We have maybe five minutes before this place is crawling with people who want us dead—or disappeared."
Happy, scanning the area, muttered, "We need proof, not just warnings."
Cole handed Samara a flash drive. "Everything I've got—names, locations, the next planned hit. But you have to move fast. Trust no one outside this circle."
Penelope took the drive, already plugging it into her laptop. "Encrypted, but I can break it. Sly, help me."
Sylvester nodded, and the two techs huddled over the screen.
Suddenly, headlights swept across the garage. Black SUVs screeched to a halt, doors flying open. Armed men poured out, guns drawn.
Gibbs barked, "Move! Cover the exit!"
The coalition sprang into action. Olivia and Voight led the charge, laying down cover fire as the team retreated. Paige grabbed Penelope and Sylvester, dragging them toward the stairwell as bullets ricocheted off concrete.
Samara covered their rear, firing with calm precision. Cole melted into the shadows, vanishing as quickly as he'd appeared.
INT. STAIRWELL – CONTINUOUS
Breathless, the coalition regrouped. Penelope clutched the flash drive, her hands shaking.
"We got what we came for," Walter said, voice grim. "But now they know we're onto them."
Gibbs locked eyes with Samara. "You trust Cole?"
Samara hesitated, then nodded. "With my life. But that doesn't mean we're safe."
Paige looked around at the battered, determined faces. "Then we do what we always do. We fight smarter. We fight together."
As the rain intensified outside, the coalition slipped into the night—armed with new intel, but more hunted than ever.
END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN