Outside the black site in the early hours, Hunter and Rink talk about Walter’s decision to let Wyatt Carling escape punishment for the councilman’s murder. Hunter is uneasy, but accepts that Carling’s usefulness now outweighs immediate justice. Their conversation briefly turns to Jon Cutter, the drunken action star Hunter subdued at Carling’s estate, before both men refocus on the real objective: avenging Sue and using Carling to strike back at Arrowsake.

After about an hour, Walter and Jason Mercer emerge with Carling. Hunter immediately sees that Carling’s attitude has changed. Walter confirms that Carling has agreed to cooperate, and Mercer’s threatening presence makes clear that the billionaire’s new loyalty has been forced. Carling tries to act familiar and entitled, but Hunter understands that the interrogation has produced the one result they needed: Carling will help them set their next trap.

Hunter, Rink, Mercer, and Carling drive back to the airstrip, fly to Virginia, and then return to Carling’s estate at dawn. Walter stays behind to shut down the black site and arrange his own extraction. At the estate, the atmosphere is tense: house staff, guests, and a larger armed security detail are waiting, and Hunter recognizes the risk that law enforcement or Arrowsake could have turned the handover into an ambush. Instead, Carling’s guards hold position, watching for their employer’s cue.

When Hunter opens the van, the guards react, but Carling steps out and prevents any fight. He demands clothes and shoes, silences his head guard Ronnie, and openly admits that Ronnie was not good enough to stop Hunter from taking him. Carling then casually offers Hunter and his team jobs, showing both his arrogance and his attempt to normalize what has happened. Hunter refuses the gesture of friendship, returns Carling’s gun without its bullets, and leaves with Rink after Carling disappears back into the house.

By the end of the chapter, Carling has been restored to his world but not to his former freedom. He is now a coerced asset rather than a captive, and Hunter accepts that sparing him is part of a larger, dirtier strategy. The handover succeeds without bloodshed, preserving their chance to use Carling in the coming move against Arrowsake.