“Damien,” Harper cut in, firm but not unkind. “Listen to me.”
He stopped.
“Volkov’s attention is already on the two of you. If you leave with them, he splits his focus.”
Her gaze flicked briefly to Maya and Jaime, then returned. “That’s when people get hurt.”
“But if you stay,” she continued, “he locks onto you. Every resource he has follows your trail. That clears the airspace, the borders, and the handoffs for everyone else.”
Damien’s jaw tightened. “And what are we doing while he’s hunting us?”
“You play your role,” Harper replied. “You move exactly how he expects you to move.”
She tapped the screen once, a clean timeline snapping into place. “We’re just giving them a head start.”
She leaned forward now, tone sharpening.
“Then we’ll trigger all attacks on the same day.”
“Four
