"Partnership requires communication." She released his hand, trying to ignore how warm and solid it had felt. "Equal partnership means no more surprises."
"Fine. No more unilateral decisions." He paused. "Within reason."
"Define reason."
"Imminent death scenarios void the consultation requirement."
Despite everything, she laughed. "Fair enough."
He rubbed a hand through his short hair, his expression a mix of consternation and humor. “Alrighty. Let’s see what you brought, Super Spy.”
Yeah. This wasn’t going to impress. She limped to the couch. Time to face the evidence. She unzipped it, pulling the bag wide. Portable drives cascaded out like digital dominoes.
"You packed THREE laptops?" Griff's voice climbed toward the ceiling.
"Hello? Redundancy." The words tumbled out defensive and sharp. "Different operating systems, encrypted partitions, backup protocols?—"
"What about food?" He stared at the electronic mountain. "Warm clothes? Shoes that don't require duct tape?"
He peered over her shoulder. The warmth from his body hit her. Hard.
"They’re fabulous boots!"
"For sidewalks."
The reminder hit like ice water. Her life—her real life—was gone. Vaporized.
His phone buzzed. He glanced down, and she caught him fighting a smile.
She sidled closer, reading over his shoulder. "You tossed my phone. I have to read something."
To her surprise, he didn't angle the screen away. A long group text lit up the screen.
Axel: Someone filled my truck with packing peanuts.
Zara: Allegedly.
Axel: I'm SWIMMING in foam. SWIMMING.
Izzy: Video or it didn't happen.
Axel: [sends video of him waist-deep in packing peanuts]
Kenji: Z, THAT WAS YOU??
"Who's Finn?" Sarah asked, watching another name appear.
"Hacker. Former bad guy. Now on our side." Griff's tone was casual, but she heard the fondness. "Recent addition to the team."
Finn: That's my girl. Hypothetically. If she did it. Which she didn't.
"Dating someone who fills trucks with packing peanuts?"
"Allegedly." Definitely fighting that smile now.
"You miss them."
The walls slammed back up. He pocketed the device. "I'm protecting them. That's why I'm here instead of there."
