She nods under me, stiff with adrenaline. I help her up. My hands stay on her longer than they need to. She doesn’t seem to mind.
“Whoever did this,” she mutters, “owes me a new subroutine and a court-martial.”
“I want front-row seats,” I say.
Security moves fast. Chen’s barking orders. The drone gets bagged for evidence. Riley kneels beside it like she’s mourning a fallen soldier.
“It used one of my override commands,” she says quietly. “But not the way it was meant to. Someone rewrote it.”
“You get anything off the logs?”
“Maybe. I’ll try. Even scrambled, I’ll find the shadow.”
Her eyes meet mine. “Thank you. For saving me.”
I don’t say “always,” but it’s implied.
Back at the lab,Security's already waiting. Clipboards. Forms. Suspicion.
Chen grounds the program while they investigate.
Riley stiffens. “Fine. Ground it. But I’m not locked out. If I’m going to prove I didn’t do this, I need access.”
Chen looks at me. I nod.
She gives the go-ahead. “Hawthorne stays with her.”
Security doesn’t like it. I do.
We’re barely ten minutes into analyzing the drone data when Riley’s phone buzzes.
She barely glances at it—then freezes. Her entire expression changes.
“What?” I ask.
She doesn’t speak. Just flips the phone so I can see.
A photo. Us. On the range. Me covering her with my body.
CALL IT OFF OR WE MAKE IT WORSE.
Another message. Her code. Corrupted.
WEAR YOUR SEATBELT, RILEY. LOTS CAN SPILL.
I take the phone out of her hand. Gently. Her fingers graze mine, and it hits me all at once—how wrong this is. How someone dared to threaten her.
“They have my number,” she says quietly. “Ihatethat more than I hate cheddar cheese.”
Her voice shakes. But only a little.
I place the phone down carefully. “Here’s what happens next. The program’s grounded. But I’m not going anywhere. We find whoever did this, and I make sure they regret it.”
“You’re very… intense when you’re reassuring someone,” she says, eyes lingering on my mouth just long enough for my heart to take notice.
“I’m not trying to reassure you,” I say. “I’m giving you the plan.”
She exhales. “And if I said I hate plans?”
