Page 275 of Operation: Defiance

Chapter Eighty-Three

Asher

The tremor runs down my arms, and the cuffs bite deeper into my wrists. The smallest movements bring pain. My toes cramp in my boots. I don’t remember my last drink of water.

I’m starting to forget what it felt like to stand on my own.

Something’s…different.

I can’t⁠—

Jay said… Earlier. An hour? Two? Time has gotten creative in ways I can no longer track. But something… What was it…

“Voss said he was handling this.”

I surface from…where? Not here. A place with a soft bed and a softer voice and…

Phil snorts. “If he doesn’t, shit’s gonna get ugly.”

They were both on edge. Meaner. The questions faster. Less methodical. Every one followed by a punch or a change of position or⁠—

My head is full of static. Is that my heartbeat? Their words are already gone.

My head drops. Snaps back up. The lapses are getting worse. If I fall out of this chair, I’ll break my wrist. Dislocate my shoulder. I’ve had better days.

The paper. Still in my hand. Won’t let it go. Can’t. Fingers barely straighten.

Follow my lead.

Something’s…different.

She’s working the angles.

I can’t⁠—

I choose you, too.

Chapter Eighty-Four

Voss

He watches Calder’s video for the third time.

Halfway through the fourth viewing, he stops taking notes. There’s nothing left to catalogue. The evidentiary weight is immense. The Public Integrity Project won’t let this go.

With the clarity of someone who’s spent thirty years building something that was never supposed to be seen, he knows exactly how much damage this annoying woman has done.

He still watches the recording seven more times.

What he can’t stop looking at is her face.

She’s composed. Calm. Her voice only wavers once, briefly, when she mentions the man who helped her escape. He notices the slight change in register. The way her eyes move.

Predictable. Women are too sentimental. Too emotional for a job like this. They let feelings cloud judgment. Attachment becomes vulnerability. Commissioner Adams understands that. Always has. It’s why Voss respects him—unlike the others in the Directorate’s leadership.

The man currently restrained three doors down is Calder’s pressure point. And she’s just handed him everything he needs to use it.

He’s still watching when his phone rings.