Sera’s expression didn’t change, but her eyes softened, and that was how he knew she was choosing the most careful version of the truth.”I’m saying it’s tied to my access level,” she admitted. “Because the probe touched paths that only respond when my credential exists in the ecosystem. Whoever did it wasn’t just testing you. They were testing me.”
Alaric’s restraint tightened until it became like steel under his skin.”That’s why you came in hereyourself,” hesaid.
“I was already on it,” she answered. “And I’m not delegating this.”
He could respect that. He respected it too much.”Do you understand what it implies?” he asked.
Sera’s chin lifted slightly. “That someone wants to know if they can move through the system using me as a bridge.”
“And,” Alaric said, voice colder, “that if they can’t, they may decide to remove the bridge.”
A flicker of something crossed her face. Not fear. Acknowledgment.”I know,” she said quietly.
Alaric didn’t offer reassurance. Reassurance made people sloppy. He offered clarity.”We don’t give them time,” hesaid.
Her lips parted, then closed. “Agreed.”
He nodded once. “We can’t fix this here. If we do, whoever tested that door will know we noticed.”
Sera’s expression stayed professional, but warmth lived in her eyes anyway. “Yes.”
Alaric’s mouth tightened. “Solve it.”
A faint smile flickered at her mouth, quick and contained. “I will.” Methodically. Clearly. She didn’t embellish. She didn’t soften the implications. She spoke as if shetrusted him to understand exactly how dangerous curiosity could be in the wrong hands.
As she talked, Alaric watched her the way he watched hostile negotiations. Not for weakness. For tells. For alignment. She anticipated his questions before he voiced them, adjusted when she saw his attention shift, rerouted explanations without ego when she realized he was already three steps ahead.
She wasn’t trying to impress him.She was trying to solve the problem.That competence drew his focus in a way that had nothing to do with desire. At least, that’s what he told himself.
She finished and held his gaze. “If we address this on corporate systems, it leaves residue. Logs. Timestamps. Shadow copies. Even if we shut it down cleanly.”
“I know.”
“There’s only one way to scrub it completely.”He already knew what she was going to say. He’d known the moment he saw the access pattern.”Your private environment,” she said. “The air-gapped system at your house.”
The room went still.”That’s not a casual request,” hesaid.
“I’m not makingit casually.”
Her tone didn’t soften. Sera didn’t hedge truth to make it easier to swallow. She assessed, then acted. It was one of the reasons he’d given her access few others had. It was also why he trusted her withit.
Alaric nodded once. “Grab what you need. We leave in five.”
A faint smile curved her mouth. Not relief. Confirmation.
They moved fast. Secure drives. Handwritten notes. No phones, no cloud access, nothing that left a trail. Alaric canceled the rest of his evening without explanation. No one questionedhim.
They took his car.
It wasn’t a discussion. Alaric didn’t offer options, and Sera didn’t ask for them. The data couldn’t be copied, and he wasn’t willing to split the risk. If they were going to do this, they were going to do it his way, together, without debate.
The data didn’t leave her possession, and he didn’t allow copies. That rule had been carved into him long before Severin Holdings had been worth this much, back when information about his family got people killed and loose ends never stayed loose for long. It wasn’t paranoia. It was pattern recognition learnedthe hardway.
Sera slid into the passenger seat without comment, tablet secure in her bag, posture composed. She didn’t pretend this was casual. She didn’t try to make it lighter than it was. That steadiness was one of the reasons he trustedher.
Alaric started the engine and pulled out of the underground garage with the same efficiency he applied to everything else. Dallas had settled into evening, traffic thick but predictable, lights reflecting off glass towers like spilled ice.The enclosed space of the car should’ve been nothing.
It wasn’t.
