"No."
"Daniel, you don't understand?—"
"No."Iclose the distance between us.Myhands clamp down hard on her shoulders.Ineed her to feel the anchor, to know she is tethered to this ground and to me. "Youaren't walking anywhere.YouthinkCostahonors trades?Youthink he's going to let the boy go just because you ask nicely?"
"Ihave to try!"
"Youwill die,"Igrowl, giving her a slight shake. "Hewill kill the boy in front of you.Thenhe will use you until there is nothing left but code and bone.Isthat what you want?"
Sheflinches.Thetension drains right out of her posture.Sheslumps forward, resting her forehead on my chest. "Ipromised my mom," she whispers. "Beforeshe died.IpromisedI'dkeep him safe.Ifailed."
"Youhaven't failed until the game is over."
Iguide her back to the desk.Isit in my modified, reinforcedHermanMillerchair and pull her directly into my lap.Sheresists, then completely folds.Exhaustionradiates from her skin.Herbrain has run at maximum capacity for eight months, and she needs to power down.
"Lookat the screen,"Icommand.
Sheblinks, swiping the back of her hand over her damp eyelashes. "What?"
Reachingpast her, my arm brushes against her side.Heatflares at the contact.Itserves as a problem and a distraction, yet keeps me entirely focused.
Ipull up my personal sandbox, bypassing the standardMCinterface.TheGhostProtocol.
Amap of theGrizzlyPeakDistrictappears, obsessively detailed with topographical lines and thermal pockets.Oldmining tunnels that haven't graced an official map since 1950 glow in neon green.
"Ihaven't just been sitting here waiting for you to trip a wire,Kaila,"Isay. "I'maTracker.It’swhatIdo."
Itype a command string.Reddots populate the grid.
"Costasurveillance drones.Ihijacked their feed three weeks ago."
Anotherstring of keystrokes sends blue lines weaving through the mountain render.
"Thepatrol routes used by theCleanersrun on a predictable algorithm.Theyexecute a shift change every six hours, leaving blind spots in the ravines."
Kailaleans forward.Hereyes scan the data, tracking the illuminated pathways.Thehacker is back online. "Howdid you get this resolution?"
"Satellitepiggyback and a weather station relay."Itap a cluster of thermal signatures on theEasternCliffs. "Thisis where they operate.Theabandoned chromium mine."
Shetouches the monitor. "That’swhereKevinis?"
"Thetransaction node we found confirmed my suspicions.Seethe heat signature variance?"Itrace a ventilation shaft on the schematic. "Thatshaft runs too hot for an empty mine.They’rehousing servers and people."
Shiftingin my lap, she turns to face me.Herfeatures hover inches away.Goldflecks catch the monitor light in her brown eyes.
"Youknew?" she asks.
"Isuspected.Ilacked confirmation until you cracked their encryption tonight."
"Whydidn't you tell the club?Whydidn't you go?"
Istroke my palm down her back, tracing the curve of her spine through the heavy leather. "BecauseIneeded the key.Ineeded to pinpoint the exact cell.Themine possesses four miles of tunnels.Goingin blind guarantees they execute the hostage and vanish.Ineeded you."
Sheinhaled sharply. "Youused me."
"Iwaited for you."Correctingher takes priority. "Iknew theGhostwas out there, hacking us while hurting them.Ifigured waiting long enough would force you to make a mistake or reach out.Ididn't know you’d look like this."
Mythumb brushes over her lower lip, relishing the swollen texture left by my mouth.