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"It's me."

The door flew open.

Katherine stood there in jeans and my Army t-shirt, blonde hair pulled back, eyes red from crying or exhaustion or both. She took one look at my face—at whatever expression I couldn't hide—and her hand flew to her mouth.

"What happened?"

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, locked it, and engaged the chain. Then I turned to face her.

“Simon and Krause should be here shortly. When they get here, we’re going back to Jasper Creek with Simon.”

"Code, what⁠—"

"Viktor knows, Katherine. He knows about Sophie and it won’t take him long to figure out she’s with us. He knows about Jasper Creek. He knows you were there. Eddie Pope broke during interrogation and gave up everything." The words came out flat, tactical. Easier than facing the emotion behind them. "I got there in time to save Eddie. Not in time to stop the leak."

Her face went pale. "Angelica. Jase. The twins."

"They're targets now. Or they will be once Viktor figures out the connection." I moved to the table where my laptop sat, started shutting everything down. "We go to Jasper Creek, we control the battlefield. We make them come to us on our terms."

“But so many people will be in the crossfire.”

“No they won’t. Like I said, we’ll control the battlefield.”

“This is too much Code,” she said as she walked to stand in front of me. “Everybody’s putting their lives on the line for me, especially you.”

I pulled her close, pressing her face into my neck so she couldn’t see my pained expression. “I would die for you, Katherine. You’re it for me. That’s just the way it is.”

She tried to pull away, but I wouldn’t let her. I stroked her hair until she relaxed. “I love you too, Code.”

I held her close, breathing in the scent of her hair, letting myself have this moment before the next fight.

Katherine jerked away from me when we heard a soft knock on the door. Sophie must have seen me arrive and gave us a few minutes of alone time. It was a shame he brother had gotten her involved in this mess.

“I’ll get it,” I told her. “You start gathering your things.”

“Okay.”

I caught her behind her neck and gave her a hard wet kiss. When we parted we were both breathing hard.

“I love you too, Katherine.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

I turned to open the door, so I could break the news to Sophie that without a doubt, Viktor was now after her too.

Damn Russell.