Page 160 of Operation: Defiance

Chapter Thirty-Four

Asher

The water hits my back, hotter than I can usually stand, but necessary. A night of mostly solid sleep—horizontal—helped more than I want to admit.

If I thought it was safe, I’d find a good massage therapist and have them work the rest of the kinks out. But Coherent Path has me on camera in their facility the same day Raine went missing.

I was careful during the extraction. Clocked every one of their security cameras. The small cell they had her in was clean. No one wanted what happened there recorded for posterity.

And her decision to keep the hood on until we were through the worst of it is the only reason they might not immediately link me to her escape. I was just another contractor escorting a random detainee.

But eventually, they’ll make the connection. If they haven’t already.

I stay under the spray for too long. I don’t like being out of her line of sight. Or having her out of mine. She’s mostly solid this morning. Even if she is diving back into the record of what was done to her.

It’s not just the shower though. Or the time I spent shaving. It’s the prospect of going out for groceries. Picking up the new laptop I ordered so we can work in tandem. The mobile hotspot with triple-hashed encryption. And the extra 9mm Beretta. Just in case.

I towel off, tug on my briefs, and step into a fresh pair of jeans. Before I can grab a shirt from the closet, my phone buzzes on the bed.

Inara.

“I was wondering when you were going to get back to me,” I say.

“I do have a job, you know. Two of them. As well as an overprotective husband who insisted I take…precautions checking out Calder’s apartment.”

“Husband? That’s new.” The former Army Ranger sniper I met years ago wasn’t the settling down kind.

“Not so new any more.” Inara’s voice softens. “We’ve been together for a few years now. You’d probably get along. Or you’d kill one another.”

“I rarely kill people,” I mutter.

“Good for you.” She pauses for a breath. “I mean it, Asher. This life…it takes a toll.”

A part of me wants to ask if she’s all right, but even if we were close enough for that, I doubt she’d answer.

“So, what did you find out?”

“Well, good news first,” Inara says. “Raine’s apartment hasn’t been breached. No broken locks, no tripwires, no broadcast signals where there shouldn’t be. I scoped it out from the roof of the building across the street and it looks pristine. Took some long-range shots, and I’ll send those over to you when we’re done. She can take a look to see if anything’s been moved.”

That’s more than I expected. More than I had any right to ask for. I blow out a breath and lean against the dresser. “Thanks. And the bad news?”

“Someone’s definitely looking for her. Her DMV records were hit twice in the space of ten minutes. The source traced back to a government IP address. And her medical profile? That’s worse. There’s a soft flag there that wasn’t set by any healthcare provider. The second she walks into a hospital, clinic, or hell—veterinarian’s office—she’ll be blown.”

“Fuck.”

“It gets worse. There’s a verification request on her public records. That only happens when someone high up is rattling the doors. They’re using civilian tools. For now. You only do that when you’re not sure how public you want things to be.”

“She should hear this from you,” I say. “Give me a minute to read her in?”

“Sure.”

I drape the towel over my shoulder and stride down the hall. Raine hasn’t moved from the table, but she has a notepad at her elbow and a mug of tea in her hands.

“What—?” She looks up, and her cheeks take on a hint of color. Fuck. I should have put on a shirt.

“I called in a favor last night. Inara and I were in the same place at the same time eight years ago. One of those jobs where I had to decide between taking one life or saving a dozen.”

She nods. No judgment. Acceptance without conditions. “And the favor?”