What shehid.
And maybe, just maybe — why.
I exhale slowly. “You give me full access?”
“Level Seven,” he confirms. “Redacted only where necessary for security.”
I nod once. “Then we have a deal.”
Tarek smiles like he just won.
And maybe he did.
But he doesn’t know me like he thinks.
Because I’m not doing this for the Alliance.
I’m doing this for me.
And for the ghosts that haven’t stopped whispering since I opened my eyes.
The door hisses closed behind him, and the room falls quiet again.
But everything inside me is screaming.
I close my eyes and picture her — not the woman who lies with military precision, but the one who once touched me like I was something fragile.
I remember the sound of her laughter over a cracked comm. The way she used to fall asleep on my chest mid-briefing. The promise in her eyes when she told me I wasn’t just another weapon.
And now I have to dig through her past like it’s a crime scene.
I should feel guilt.
But all I feel is need.
Ihaveto know.
Because something’s not right.
She looks at me like I’m a curse. She flinches like I might explode.
And underneath it all — that flicker of fear in her eyes when I ask about the past.
That’s not about war.
That’s about something else.
Something deeper.
And I’m going to find it.
Even if it kills us both.
CHAPTER 5
RYNN
The moment I see the ping, I drop my stylus.
