My knuckles are white on the steering wheel. The closer we get to a signal, the closer we get to the end of the contract. The closer we get to the end of the line.
I pull into the gravel lot of a rundown, cinderblock motel on the edge of a dying mining town. It's off the main grid, but the rusted satellite dish on the roof means it has a hardline.
I pay cash for a room at the back.
The door locks with a heavy deadbolt. The room smells of stale smoke and bleach.
Addy doesn't hesitate. She pulls the hardshell drive from her pocket, plugs it into the terminal sitting on the scarred desk, and boots it up. I stand by the window, watching the parking lot through a crack in the blinds.
The silence in the room is suffocating.
"Uplink established." Her voice is hoarse. "Transmitting to the encrypted server."
I don't turn around. "Guardian HRS will get the ping in sixty seconds. A recovery team will be here in under two hours."
The keyboard clicks. A long, drawn-out beat of silence.
"Will Frost be with them?"
"Unknown." I keep my eyes on the empty parking lot. "Depends on who survived the ridge."
Another beat. Then the terminal chimes.
"Transfer complete. The offshore accounts are frozen. The evidence is logged."
A second chime. A secure text window opens over the upload bar.
Addy reads it. Her shoulders drop in a massive, silent exhale. "Guardian HRS acknowledges receipt. Extraction is airborne.ETA ninety minutes." She looks up from the screen. "Lead element is Frost. The team made it to the cellar."
The knot in the center of my chest loosens. My brother is alive.
The contract is done.
I let the blinds snap shut. I turn to face her.
She's standing by the desk, the blue light of the terminal washing across her face. She looks exhausted, battered, and devastatingly beautiful.
"They'll be here soon." I check the action on my sidearm out of pure muscle memory, sliding it back into the holster. I keep my voice flat. Deadened. "You're safe now. The job is done."
I pick up my tactical jacket from the bed.
Addy steps in front of the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I've got the perimeter to patrol."
"Frost's team is coming. We don't need a perimeter."
"Addy." I look at the floor. I can't look at her eyes. If I look at her eyes, I'll never walk out that door. "Move."
She doesn't flinch. "No."
I step closer, the frustration and the fear bleeding through the crack in my armor.
"You don't understand what this is. You don't understand what I am."
I grip the edge of the doorframe, leaning down, my voice a rough, desperate scrape.
