I repeated what I could remember. When I finished, he was quiet for a moment.
"They didn't use names?"
"No. They used thehepronoun."
"And the context suggested—"
"Someone on the inside. Someone they are monitoring."
Griffin's jaw tensed. "That could be anyone."
"No, it couldn't."
I saw when understanding kicked in for him.
"Rune—"
"Yoon-jae," I whispered.
He stopped.
"They're planning something," I continued. "Before Seattle. Before we're on your territory, where you have more resources. They're going to move first."
"I know." His voice was low. "Kang told me on the plane. Said there's been a request to adjust security protocols. Rotate personnel. They want me off the detail when the LA show is complete."
The words hit like cold water.
"When?" I asked.
"That's five days from now."
Five days. Not eight. Five days before they separated us and made whatever came next impossible.
He raised his hand, not touching me, but close enough to feel the pull of it. His fingers hovered near my jaw, trembling with restraint.
"If I leave, you'll be safer. They'll back off. The threat will de-escalate."
"Or they'll find another way to control me." I didn't step back. "You said it yourself. This isn't about external danger. It's about managing variables."
"And I'm the variable they can remove."
"I'm one, too."
His hand dropped. "What do you want to do?" he asked.
I'd been asking myself the question all day. What the girl had been answering without knowing it. What the system had been trying to prevent me from choosing.
"I want to stop hiding," I said. "I want to stop pretending that compliance equals safety, and I want—" My voice failedmomentarily. "I want to trust you completely. Even if it costs me everything."
Griffin took a step closer. "It might cost you everything."
I wanted to close the distance and press my cheek to his. Gain reassurance from something solid while the ground shifted underneath us.
"I know," I said.
"And you're choosing it anyway?"
"Yes."
