Kawan didn’t know what was worse, hospitals or being told he had to take a couple of weeks off due to an injury. Both were equally bad for different reasons. One reminded him of his mortality, which he loathed. The other just reminded him he wasn’t getting any younger, and that was simply depressing.
But give him a bland beige hotel room with buzzing lights, uneven AC, and four people crouched around a low coffee table like they were back on mission—now that felt more familiar.
Safer, somehow—regardless of how his thigh throbbed.
Specs sat cross-legged on the floor, tapping furiously at Jupiter’s laptop, dark circles etched under her eyes. Occasionally, she’d pause, glance up, rub her neck, and her gaze would dart around the room as if she were assessing the exits for a quick escape.
Jupiter leaned over her shoulder, muttering a string of encrypted jargon Kawan only half followed, but Jupiter seemed to get off on every single word.
Jupiter and Specs had already developed their own language. They stared at each other with fire behind their gaze—a look that was equal parts dangerous and sensual. They spoke to one another as if they were separate from everyone—as if no one could decipher their carefully crafted secret language.
Kawan might find it endearing if Specs wasn’t unraveling, and Lark hadn’t taken over every operational corner of his brain.
Lark paced near the window, arms folded tight across her chest, holding herself together with visible effort. Like if sherelaxed even an inch, she’d shatter. Every once in a while, she’d roll her shoulder.
She hadn’t said much since they’d regrouped here, but the silence surrounding her had weight. Guilt. Pain. Grief. It touched them all, but it seemed to engulf Lark.
And Kawan couldn’t stop watching her.
“You sure it’s from Grady?” Kawan asked.
“Positive.” Specs never looking up. “Burner account. Encrypted chain that bounces through half a dozen proxies. Style matches past transmissions. Same phrasing, too. It's him.”
“I did a deeper dig,” Jupiter added.. “Looked at other things. Other sources. He left enough breadcrumbs for us to identify him.” He waved a hand across the laptop. “He knew the line wasn’t secure but didn’t say anything that could be flagged. If anyone asked, it’s his job to talk. Lark’s being forced on admin leave. It could be about that, and if he’s smart, which he is, that’s what he’d say.”
“What’s our play?” Kawan asked.
“We find a way to respond without anyone seeing it because we don’t need that kind of scrutiny,” Lark said without missing a beat. “Especially from Lorre.”
“I’m not sure I agree,” Kawan said. “Having people see the response isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We don’t know if Grady’s part of what went down or not. Until we know what side of the fence he sits on, we need to keep him at arm's length. If that means playing both sides, then that’s what it means.”
That earned a faint flicker at the corner of Lark’s mouth. Not a smile exactly, but not nothing either.
“Okay, then we respond cautiously,” Lark added. “Let him know we received it. We could ask for a location. Somewhere public. Controlled. Nothing traceable. See if he responds. If he does, I guess we know he’s on the other side. If he wants to chat on another channel, then we know we’ve got something… else.”
Specs was already typing.
“Do you believe Grady could be setting a trap?” Kawan asked.
Lark finally turned from the window. “Outside of this team, I don’t trust anyone right now. Not even him.”
Kawan studied her face in the hotel lamplight—shadows curling under her eyes, the set of her jaw rigid. She looked like a woman balancing on a knife’s edge. He could see the weight in her posture, the exhaustion stitched into her bones.
But beneath all that—she was still standing.
Still leading.
Still her.
“Message sent,” Specs said.
I’ll stay up,” Jupiter said. “Monitor responses. If something happens, I’ll let you know.”
“We can split watch,” Specs added, dragging the laptop with her as she settled into the armchair, hugging the device as if it were a security blanket. “Jupiter, I’ll take first watch and wake you up in a couple of hours.”
“Sounds good.” Jupiter stretched his arms over his head.
Lark stood and looked at Kawan. “You good for the night?”
