Chapter Fifty-Three
Raine
I wrap both hands around my coffee mug and stare into the steaming brew. Asher finishes the last of the breakfast dishes, sets the dishtowel down, and leans against the counter. “You’re processing something.”
A weak laugh jerks my shoulders. The right one twinges with something that’s more than an ache, but less than pain. Progress. Even if it is slow. “Am I that obvious?”
He grins. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m really good at reading people.”
“You are,” I admit. “It’s…inconvenient.”
A single brow arches. “For you?”
“For anyone trying to pretend they’re fine.”
His smile softens, but he doesn’t press for more. Just waits until I’m ready.
“What I have…it’s not enough.” I lift the mug to my lips and let the rich taste of coffee ease some of my nerves.
“Not enough to stop GSD?” he asks.
“No. The log files you stole from Coherent Path are a start, but without the Procedure Index, I can’t prove the codes mean anything. Even if I could interpret all of them, GSD will have records of my…instability ready and waiting to discredit me.”
“Fake records.” His spine goes rigid, and a muscle in his jaw ticks. “You are not unstable.”
“Are you sure?” I crack a smile, though there’s no actual humor in it.
Pushing off the counter, Asher sinks into the chair next to me and takes my hand. “Yes. I am.”
His confidence helps, but I need a hell of a lot more than that to take down Coherent Path and stop GSD from replacing it with something even worse.
“The archive directory gave me a lot. But without knowing who approves the escalations…” I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear.
It’s finally starting to feel like mine again.
“If I could get access to GSD’s systems, it’d be a start.
I might be able to find out who created the program.
But even that information won’t be enough.
I need copies of the personnel files for the agents who went missing.
As well as my own. I have to prove they’re using Coherent Path to eliminate agents—women—they think are problematic. ”
Asher’s fingers tighten on mine. “If I’ve learned anything about you these past few days, it’s that you don’t say a word unless you’ve thought ten steps ahead.
” His thumb drags slowly across my knuckles.
“I know you’re not talking about walking through GSD’s front door and asking for your old job back. So…what is it?”
“I want to talk to my Assistant Director, Claire.”
Asher’s expression doesn’t change, but something sharpens behind his deep blue eyes. “Do you trust her not to hand you over on sight?”
I don’t have an answer. Only a plan. “Claire doesn’t need to trust me. All I need is a couple of hours with her access card.”
He nods. “And how are you going to get that?”
“She leaves the office for lunch. Every day. Walks out at 1:00 p.m. on the dot, heads down to Pike Place Market, and eats lunch somewhere along the overlook.”
“So that’s where we intercept,” he says. “Rules?”
“Claire has to walk away without a single bruise.” I sit up a little straighter and roll my right shoulder in a gentle arc. “If I were stronger, I’d handle it alone. But—”
“You’re not weak.” Asher grits his teeth hard enough, I hear his back molars grind together. “And you’re not alone, Raine. You never will be if I have anything to say about it.”
The rough edge to his voice thrills me in ways I’m not ready to name. I don’t want to need his protection. But I do want him at my side.
“If you can get Claire into one of the quieter hallways with no cameras—somewhere she and I can really talk,” I say softly, “I’ll have a chance to plead my case. And maybe…she’ll be willing to help me.”
“And if she’s not?” he asks.
I dip my hand into my pocket, find the edges of his challenge coin, and run a finger along the rough groves.
“If she’s not, we’ll find another way,” I whisper. “But I don’t know what that is yet.”