Mila
The room is quiet again,but it feels different now. Not empty. Grounded.
I sit at the table, turning the flash drive over in my hand. It feels heavier than it should. Not because of what it is—but because of what it means.
Jase steps into the room, dressed now, focused again. But when his eyes meet mine, that same intensity is still there.
“Thinking about running again?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No.”
That gets his attention.
“Good.”
I hold up the drive. “This is bigger than me.”
His expression sharpens. “I know.”
“No,” I say. “You don’t.”
I stand and step closer. “This isn’t just a list. It’s funding routes, safe houses, people embedded in places they shouldn’t be. Systems that are already compromised.”
His jaw tightens. “We figured.”
“It’s worse than that.”
A beat passes, heavy with everything we both understand now.
Then I place the drive in his hand.
“I’m done running with it,” I say.
He looks down at it, then back at me. “You’re trusting us with this?”
I hold his gaze. “I’m trusting you.”
Silence settles between us, real and solid.
He closes his hand around the drive. “Then we finish it.”
I nod once. “Yeah.”
My voice lowers. “We burn it all down.”
33
Jase
Location: Safehouse — War Room
Time: 10:02
The room fills fast.
Not with noise.
With tension.
