Chapter 717
“Because they don’t care when the antidote is finished. They aren’t waiting for a cure. They’re waiting for me p>
When Sienna finished her sentence, it felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the conference room.
Jarred sat at the far end of the table, his jaw clenched into a sharp, unforgiving line.
The last trace of calm in his deep, dark eyes vanished entirely, replaced by a freezing, predatory chill.
He had a feeling this would happen.
When Sienna was at the old lab, the mastermind had everything under control.
Even though they didn’t know when the enemy would strike, they weren’t completely in the dark.
But ever since she was transferred to the new facility, no one except Sienna knew the specifics of the drug trials.
Their enemies had lost all their leads.
Worsening Maloney’s condition was just a tactic to force Sienna out of hiding.
Thea’s diversion at the old lab hadn’t fooled them.
It only proved they already knew it was a decoy.
The enemy didn’t want the medicine; they wanted the person.
They wanted the one and only Sienna, the woman capable of curing this unique condition.
Thea and Luna both felt a cold chill run down their spines.
Only Marcus reacted with mild indifference.
Sitting on a folding chair by the window, he paused his finger on the report he was holding when he heard Sienna’s words.
Jarred stood up from his chair, his breathing heavy.
“You can’t be alone anymore p>
His gaze locked onto Sienna’s face with an undeniable certainty.
“From now on, I have to be by your side. Close-quarters protection p>
Sienna shot him a cold look. “Do you remember what you promised this morning p>
“I do,” Jarred replied without a second of hesitation. “But that was before. Things are different now.
At no point will I let you put yourself in danger p>
Sienna looked right back at him. “Mr. Sterling can do that just fine p>
“Protecting you is his job, but you are my life Jarred took a half-step forward, closing the distance between them to less than a foot
He looked down at her, his voice dropping into a low, uncompromising huskiness.
“Even if you try to chase me away, I won’t leave. This isn’t up for debate p>
Sienna was just about to argue back.
By the window, Marcus suddenly closed the report in his hands.
He stood up, his movements unhurried, and walked over to stand just off to the side of them, a hint of helplessness in his expression.
“Stop arguing for a second. I have an emergency situation to share p>
He pulled up an encrypted file on his phone and turned the screen toward them.
“A joint investigation notice just came in from the city bureau. Traces of smuggled special-ops equipment have been spotted near the border.
They need someone with a special forces background and cross-border investigation experience to lead the team.
The first name on the list is Jarred p>
Jarred’s face instantly darkened.
He took Marcus’s phone, scrolled through a couple of pages, and furrowed his brows.
The document’s header bore the city bureau’s official seal, and a senior official’s signature sat at the bottom.
The mission priority was explicitly marked: [Urgent and Immediate. No Substitutions p>
Almost at that exact moment, Jarred’s phone began to ring.
It was indeed a call from the city bureau leadership.
Jarred walked over to the window to answer, and the conversation mirrored the file on Marcus’s phone perfectly.
The commander’s voice blared through the speaker like a death warrant: “Orders from the top are to assemble in thirty minutes.
I don’t care where you are; report back to base in fifteen p>
The call disconnected.
Jarred’s fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.
He looked over at Sienna, an unconcealed wave of anxiety flashing in his eyes.
She had her head turned, looking out the window, her profile distant and aloof in the fading twilight.