Zadie coughed. “Pretty sure that’s sexual frustration but…” She grunted when Wynn swatted her in the arm. “Like we all haven’t noticed how you and Darwin look at each other.”
Wynn rolled her eyes, a hint of blush staining her cheeks. “But you’re right. Iwillbust in if I think you’re breaking ranks, so… looks like you two will be just as frustrated as the rest of us until your ribs heal.”
Neve smiled at Coulter, loving the way he stared at her as if he was already picturing how their next round would play out. “Good thing I’m a fast healer. Which reminds me, I was a bit out of it at the end. I need a SIT REP.”
Scout leaned against the far wall, looking edgier than usual. “Well, to start, Ramsey’s dead, courtesy of Coulter, which, while not ideal, was definitely the right call. His men are in the wind, though I suspect they’ve scurried back to Finch and Hyperion. Not that they’ll be staying long because while the rest of you were trying to get yourselves killed, Zadie was transferring as much of Ramsey’s files off his internal servers as she could before everything went off the rails.”
Neve perked up. “What did you get?”
Zadie shrugged. “Just the roster of the Blackridge off-book team along with deployment logs. Proof that they were the ones who attacked us up in Bralorne, right down to the GPS coordinates and the exact minute they opened fire. Gus took a copy. Said he’d find a way to have Blackridge dismantled — take responsibility for our deaths.” She sighed. “Give our families some closure. Let everyone know it wasn’t a training accident.”
Neve nodded. “Not nearly enough, but I’ll take it.”
“I’ve also got some performance data. Darwin’s going over it, though, he doubts he’ll be able to deduce anything usable off it. Just more of what he saw at Hyperion before he had to bug out. But, it gives us some snapshots. Intel for when we face those enhanced buggers again. Because we all know we’ll be facing more of them before this is over.”
“Which I assume means, we didn’t uncover anything that will link Ramsey back to Finch and Hyperion.”
Zadie shook her head. “Not yet. I traced the funds to a couple of numbered, offshore accounts under several shell corporations. But none of them link back to Finch.”
“So, Finch is still on the table.”
Coulter moved over. “For now. But we just eliminated his best tactical squad. And with all the fallout Gus is going to bring to Blackridge, anyone on that roster will either get booted or have an untimely accident. Finch will have to start fresh, and his next crew won’t have someone like Ramsey at the helm. It’s not a bad start.”
Wynn nodded. “And we got the men who hurt Kane and tried to kill us. That’s got to mean something.”
Neve smiled. “More than enough for now.”
Zadie started toward the door. “I’ll keep digging. I’ve got more GPS coordinates to decrypt from that hard drive Coulter grabbed. Maybe it’ll give us another location we can tie to Finch. And there’s still those patches and watch we recovered. Finch can’t hide from us forever.”
She left, Wynn following behind. Scout shifted on her feet, looking as if she wanted to say something but wasn’t quite sure.
Neve arched a brow at Coulter.
He glanced between them, then stood. “I’ll grab us some coffee. And I swear Shepherd made some kind of pie. I’ll be right back.”
Neve waited until his footsteps faded down the hall before huffing. “Okay, out with it.”
Scout crossed her arms over her chest. “Out with what?”
“Whatever’s got your panties in a twist. And don’t even try to deny it. You’re antsy at the best of times when you’ve been stuck underground for a few days. But I know for a fact you went on a supply run this morning, which means, you should have gotten your fix, and yet, you can’t stand still, so… spill.”
Scout toed the floor, rubbing one hand along her arm. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s very much something.” Neve studied her, noting her pinched lips and furrowed brow, a look Neve recognized. “I have a feeling this isn’t about Ramsey or Finch.”
Scout paced the room, glancing at the door, then back to her, plastering on a fake smile. “I’m fine. Really. Just don’t freaking nearly die on me, again. I thought…”
“I’ll do my best.” Neve took a chance when Scout turned, headed for the hall. “Coulter told me Quinn was in that chopper that flew right over us while I was busy bleeding in the backseat. Second time you’ve nearly been face-to-face with him. I don’t suppose that’s what’s on your mind.”
Scout stopped, shoulders tense, hands fisted at her side. She looked back at Neve. “Maybe I’m just having a bit more trouble acclimatizing to our new… normal than everyone else.”
“Or maybe you downplayed your relationship. You said you and Quinn got back together. I’m guessing it was more than just coffee?”
Scout broke eye contact, then turned. “We spent those two weeks together. Made some longer term plans, then…”
Neve’s heart sank. “Then, you died.”
“Basically.”
