“Because the leak originated on this base.”
I absorb that. “Thought this was a recovery station.”
His smile is all teeth. “It is. And more.”
I feel my jaw tighten. “And the ‘more’ involves me?”
He glances around, then leans in. “You weren’t sent here at random, Vael. This place was chosen for a reason.”
I already figured as much. “Cut to it.”
Tarek’s tone drops, and his next words are careful. Too careful. “Dr. Sorala’s proximity to the breach timeline is... notable.”
A sharp spike of heat flares through me, but I clamp down on it.
“She saved my life.”
“Did she?”
I don’t answer. Because Idon’t know.
Tarek steps back, posture crisp. “We’re not accusing her. Yet. But we are watching. And so are you.”
There it is.
The real reason he’s here.
“You want me to spy on her.”
“We want eyes inside. You’re recovering. You have access. She trusts you — ordid.”
He says it like it’s a chess move. Like Rynn’s just a piece on a board.
I stare him down. “She was a field medic. A damn good one. She wasn’t part of anything dark.”
Tarek lifts a brow. “People change.”
That much, I can’t argue.
“You’re asking a lot for a man you left in a wreckage,” I growl.
He doesn’t flinch. “Which is why I’m offering something in return.”
I wait.
“Access.”
That gets my attention.
“You want something from her?” he asks, already knowing the answer. “I’ll authorize clearance. Her personnel files. Medical logs. Deployment records. All of it.”
My throat goes dry.
Rynn.
I could finally find out what happened after Luria.
Where she went. What she did.
