Chapter 13
The platform felt like a prison and actually would make one hell of a prison, minus the luxury comforts installed to pacify the employees.
Steel and ocean pressed in from all sides.
There was no horizon that wasn't controlled by glass or metal.
No space that wasn't monitored. No breath that wasn't filtered through systems designed to keep the sea out and the people in.
Reece stood near the free weights, a towel draped over his shoulder, watching the room without appearing to watch.
A junior engineer was struggling through bench presses near the far wall.
Two analysts were on ellipticals by the windows, earpods in, gazes fixed on the ocean beyond the glass.
Security personnel moved through on their rotation, checking equipment, scanning badges, and ensuring everything was exactly as it should be.
He clocked her the moment she entered.
Not recognition. Confirmation.
Maggie Brooks stepped through the door wearing black leggings, a faded Nebraska t-shirt, and sneakers that had seen better days.
Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, loose strands already escaping.
She carried a water bottle and a small towel.
She looked exactly like every other employee using the gym during off-hours.
She was exactly as he remembered. Same presence. Same intelligence behind the eyes. Same way of moving through space, like she was solving a problem just by existing in it.
Reece felt the pull immediately. It was merciless, unhelpful, yet impossible to ignore.
He did not approach her.
She did not approach him.
Their acknowledgment was silent. A look. A pause. Mutual recognition that neither could afford to act on.
Maggie moved toward the treadmills, setting her water bottle in the holder, adjusting the settings with quick efficiency. She started walking, building gradually to a jog. Her gaze stayed forward, fixed on the window and the dark water beyond.
But her posture had changed. Shoulders slightly tighter. Awareness radiated from her in a way that told Reece she knew exactly where he was in the room.
The comm activated quietly in his ear.
"Evening, Ranger." Max's voice was calm and precise. "Your girl just arrived."
Reece scratched his ear once. Acknowledged.
"Just for your information, we did a deep dive on her. We had to, you know. She's who we believe she is," Max continued. "Clean return. No flags. Jonah Pike spoke with her immediately upon arrival. I've got the audio. He's measuring her, but he hasn't done anything suspicious yet."
Reece kept his expression neutral, adjusting the weight on the bar in front of him.
"I'll give you thirty seconds to talk," Max said. "Starting when I tell you."
Reece understood immediately. A window of time to speak to his woman and reassure her that he was there for her.
He lifted the bar, settled it across his shoulders, and began his set. Controlled. Steady. Routine. His eyes tracked Maggie in the mirrored wall. She was jogging now, pace even, breath controlled. She hadn't looked at him.
Not directly.
But she'd adjusted her angle twice, positioning herself so she could see him in her peripheral vision.
The gym lights flickered once.
Brief. Dismissible. Intentional.
"Now," Max said quietly. "Thirty seconds. Make them count."
Reece moved at the same moment she did.
He racked the bar with deliberate care, grabbed his towel, and crossed toward the water station positioned between the treadmills and the weight racks. Maggie slowed her jog to a walk and reached for her water bottle, stepping off the treadmill with practiced timing.
Neither rushed.
Timing mattered.
They both ended up at the water cooler. He bent down to fill his bottle and spoke to the cooler. “We have less than thirty seconds,” Reece said. “Are you okay?”
“I am,” she answered behind him. “I’m gathering information and evidence. The Guardian guy is copying it as I pull it. Do you trust him?”
“With our lives. He’s working on communications for us.”
“I’d like to be able to talk to you.” He stood up and moved away from the cooler, gesturing for her to fill her bottle. She unscrewed the top and bent over. “I’m a wreck. I suspect everyone.”
“Good. That’ll keep you sharp.”
The tension was physical. Awareness crackled between them like static electricity.
Max spoke again, low and fast. "Each night at seven thirty, she can call anyone.
Family. Friends. Whoever. The call will be rerouted to your number.
I'll spoof the monitoring system. The cameras will show her making a normal call.
The mics will record an AI conversation made from her voice. You'll have time to talk."
Reece told her what Max had just said. "Okay, move away. Not much time," Max continued.
Reece backed away and dropped down to stretch his back. Maggie moved past him toward the stretching mats, brushing him just barely. The contact was electric. Deliberate.
"Cameras back online," Max said.
Reece stepped away first, returning to the weight rack without looking back. He knew she was watching him leave without appearing to do so. He could feel her gaze tracking him across the room.
He loaded the bar with more weight and began another set. His pulse was elevated, but not from exertion—from thirty seconds of standing close enough to touch her but not being able to do so.
Reece finished his set, racked the bar, and wiped down the equipment with mechanical precision. The junior engineer was still struggling with bench presses. The analysts had moved from ellipticals to stationary bikes. Security rotated through again, their eyes passing over Reece without interest.
Everything normal. Everything routine. Max went silent in his ear. Reece grabbed his towel and headed for the showers, his mind already counting until seven thirty tomorrow. It would be the longest day in recorded history.
The thirty seconds they had tonight had been enough to confirm what he already knew.
Whatever had started between them in Florida wasn't finished.
Not by a long shot. The month they'd spent together, the trust they'd built, the way she'd looked at him on the beach before they come to this place …
it was all still there. Complicated now by surveillance and distance and the fact that they couldn't acknowledge each other without risking everything. But still there.
He made his way back to his quarters. The corridors were quiet at this hour. A few late-shift workers moved past, eyes tired, minds already focused on sleep. No one paid him any attention.
Inside his room, Reece went through his usual evening routine. Checked his tablet. Reviewed fabricated reports. Made a phone call to a colleague who didn't exist about a project that didn't matter.
All of it performed for the cameras and microphones he knew were watching. Then he lay in bed, hands folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling, and waited for tomorrow night.
Seven thirty. She would call. And for the first time since arriving on this platform, he'd be able to hear her voice without surveillance between them. The thought settled in his chest, warm and steady.
* * *
The next day passed with excruciating slowness.
Reece moved through his cover role with practiced ease. Evan Reid, operational resilience consultant, asking polite questions, taking notes, observing infrastructure and behavioral patterns. He attended a meeting with maintenance supervisors about corrosion control protocols.
And that was his opening to inspect the lower bays.
The escort they provided was more interested in getting to lunch than in showing Reece the very boring items he was looking at.
“You know, I’m not going to get into any trouble.
Go grab yourself some lunch. I’m going to make the rounds here, and I’ll be up in about thirty minutes.
His escort glanced at his watch. “My lunch break will be done by then. Boss doesn’t accept any excuses for not being back at work, including escort duties.” He glanced at the way back to the elevator. “You get in any shit, they’ll fire me, and I have kids to feed.”
“If I get you into any problems, I’ll handle everything.
Your kids will eat well.” The guy looked at him as his stomach rumbled loud enough to be heard over the hum of machinery.
Reece chuckled. “Go. Eat. I’ll be fine, and I have access to this level for the day, remember? ” He waved his badge. “Consultant.”
“Yeah, okay. Don’t do anything stupid.” Then the man turned and power walked toward the elevator while Reece continued on at a stroll. He knew where he was going, but he didn’t make it obvious.
“Dex is on the same level as you. He’s alone.
Not a setup as far as I can see,” Max said in his ear.
Max had gone on a one-sided dissertation this morning about Dex’s background.
The man sounded like someone Guardian would hire.
How he’d ended up at Blackwater was yet to be determined, but from what Max was able to find out about him, he had a solid military history with great evaluations.
He’d left a distinguished career to care for his father.
By all accounts, he was a decent human. But Reece would be cautious.
If he were caught and taken off the platform, Maggie would be by herself.
Then again, having at least one ally on the platform would be a benefit if shit got real, and given the direction of Maggie’s searches, both he and Max thought it would.
Reece took out his flashlight and concentrated on looking like he was working. He made it to the location Dex had suggested at exactly noon, then he took out his tablet. There was no Wi-Fi to hook up to in the location. “He’s coming up on your six.”
Reece felt the presence before he saw him.