“I figured if I couldn’t overpower you, I should target the structural weakness.”
She’s not looking at me like a victim anymore. She’s looking at me like a lawyer. Analyzing the evidence. Finding the loophole.
Competence.
It hits me harder than the elbow.
She didn’t fight like a soldier. She fought like her.
“Good,” I say.
She blinks. “Good?”
“You found the vulnerability. You exploited it.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“It’s a survival skill.” I check my watch. 0715. “We’re done.”
“I can go again.”
“No. We’ve been exposed for over an hour. Drone window opens in ten minutes.”
I start walking back to the cabin.
“Halo?”
I stop.
“You okay? I hit you pretty hard.”
I look back at her. “I’ve had worse.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you get.”
Inside the cabin, the mood has shifted. The adrenaline is fading, replaced by a sharp, nervous energy.
“Pack up,” I say. “Trash goes with us. Wipe every surface you touched. We leave this place sterile. Like we were never here.”
“Where are we going?”
“Another safe house. We live by staying mobile. Let’s go.”
We walk out to the F-150. The sun is fully up now, cutting through the mist. The woods are bright. Too bright.
Cassie reaches for the passenger door.
I pause.
My hand hovers over the driver’s side handle.
Something is wrong.
“Halo?”
“Quiet.”
