Chapter Forty-Two
Raine
I stand at the window, watching the rain carve trails down the glass. The laptop sits on the coffee table, powered down and waiting.
Asher makes sure his footsteps are audible as he crosses the room. He does that. Every single time he moves—unless I’m watching him. Then he’s utterly silent.
He knows I need the anchor.
“You’re stalling,” he says, offering me his hand. I stare at it for several seconds before draping my fingers over his. “Why?”
“You,” I whisper.
His brows draw together. “That…needs explanation.”
The way his palm feels against mine, the steadiness of his breath—of his entire being—steadies me.
“There’s no quiet version of what comes next. If Jonas gets the message, GSD will know I’m coming for them. They’ll increase the pressure on everyone around me. Especially you.”
His fingers curl slightly around mine. He’s not trapping me. Just…letting me know he’s here. I don’t have the words to tell him what that means to me.
“I can handle pressure, and I don’t break easily. My eyes are open, Raine.”
Nodding, I use the heat of him to center me. “The logs aren’t enough to stop them. Without names, without testimony from other agents who’ve survived, they can write me off as unstable—even with the photos of my injuries. I need information from inside GSD and Coherent Path.”
Asher frowns. “What does that look like?”
“I’m still working that out. But it’s not going to be easy. I won’t be able to hide away with you forever—even if I might want to.”
“I don’t like the idea of you…exposed,” he says, his voice rough.
A tremor runs through my fingers. “I don’t like it either. You saved me once, Asher. I don’t need you to do it again. But I do want you here. I trust you.”
“That’s a dangerous thing to give someone,” he murmurs.
“I know.” Stepping closer, I settle my other hand flat against his chest. Against the softness of his shirt. His heartbeat thuds under my palm. “I’m choosing it anyway. With you.”
Asher leans in, stopping just before his lips would brush mine. “Is this okay?” he whispers.
“Yes.”
The kiss is gentle. Slow. Tender. There’s no panic at his touch. No worry that I need to see his hands. There’s only him, and a warmth deep inside me aching for more.
“I’m here, Raine,” he says, resting his forehead against mine. “I don’t spook easily, and I don’t run when things get complicated. Send the message. If we can keep even one person out of that hell hole before we blow it sky-high, it’s worth the risk.”
I wish I had the language to tell him what he’s given me. I’ll find it. Eventually. For now, I squeeze his hand once before letting go and turning to the laptop.
Asher returns to the kitchen, giving me time and space to do this—make this move I won’t be able to take back—on my own. Water runs. The kettle starts to bubble as I open an encrypted message service and create a new account. One-time use. In another ten minutes, it won’t exist.
No possibility of a reply. No chance GSD could use what I’m about to send to find us.
They have enough already.
Asher’s face is the most dangerous variable. He’ll be on a traffic camera somewhere. Before he found me. Before he drove to the black site at all. Landing at the airport. Picking up a rental car.
He’s aware of the exposure vectors. He’s doing his best to lock them down. But eventually, it won’t be enough. I need leverage. Until I have it, I’ll warn the people I can.
Jonas’s face flashes behind my lids. His easy smile. The way he handled his sniper rifle with precision and ease. The calm he could call up on the tensest of ops. If Coherent Path takes him, he’ll probably survive. But he won’t be the same.
I think about Ellen’s voice. How I’d never heard her truly scared until this morning. I tell myself she’ll run, even though it’s probably a lie.
With one last, slow exhale, I type.
You’ve been scheduled for a meeting tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.
This isn’t a routine reassignment. It’s something you won’t come back from.
Don’t go to work.
Don’t go anywhere you can be isolated.
Run. Now.
-Your friend from Hungary
I read it twice. There were only four of us on that mission in Hungary. I hope that’s enough for him to put the pieces together.
My finger hovers over the trackpad. There’s no going back after this.
I’m going to expose them. GSD. Coherent Path. Whoever authorized it. Whoever created it. And when I do, they’re going to pay for what they’ve done.
Send.