Page 89 of Protect Thy Enemy

That’s when I see her.

My breath hitches, the air catching in my lungs as my eyes lock onto the figure standing near the edge of the shadows. She’s partially lit by the dim glow of a security light, but it’s enough for me to catch a glimpse of her red hair.

It’s impossible.

She’s supposed to be gone. Missing. The woman from FLETC, quiet but good and always a step ahead during drills. I remember the way she moved with an efficiency that could make anyone second-guess themselves.

Then she disappeared.

My stomach twists as fragments of conversations from FLETC surface in my mind. People asking where she went. Speculation. Whispers that no one could get in contact with her.

“Gone dark,”they said.“No trace, no explanation.”

Yet here she is.

I blink, half convinced she’ll vanish like a shadow in the wrong light, but she doesn’t. She’s standing there, as real as the tension coiling in my chest.

I glance toward Holden, who’s outside the car, his focus on Fallon. He hasn’t noticed her, hasn’t seen the way she’s lingering near the warehouse like she belongs here.

I check the rearview mirror instinctively, wondering how far behind Park and Tate are. They were supposed to be trailing us, keeping an eye from a distance. Would they see her too? Would Park recognize her?

My hand thrums on my thigh, a maddening rhythm that’s supposed to calm, but it doesn’t. My thoughts spiral as I stare at the woman.

Why is she here?

Does she know I saw her?

What the hell happened to her after FLETC?

A dozen questions flood my mind, each one heavier than the last. My heart races, adrenaline sharpening my focus as I try to make sense of the impossibility in front of me.

She shifts slightly, stepping closer to the edge of the light. Her face is partially shadowed, but there’s no mistaking her. The same high cheekbones, the same calculating expression.

No one disappears without a trace like that without a reason. No one comes back without one either.

The hairs on the back of my neck rise, a chill spreading through me despite the warmth of the car. I force myself to breathe, to stay calm, but the shock of seeing her isn’t fading.

“Everything good?”

Holden’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts. He’s leaning down, his gaze sharp as it flicks between the windshield and me.

“Fine,” I say quickly, the word steady but hollow in my ears.

His eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn’t push. He straightens, shutting the door with a sharp thud before walking back toward Fallon.

I glance back toward the warehouse, but she’s gone.

The unease in my chest tightens, spreading like a dark cloud through my thoughts.

What the fuck is going on? What does she have to do with Fallon?

No one knew what happened to her at FLETC. No one could explain why she vanished without a trace. And now she’s here, at a place she shouldn’t be, tied to people she shouldn’t know.

I glance at Holden again through the windshield. He’s focused, his stance tense but controlled as he waits for whoever Fallon is supposed to be meeting.

I should tell him.

But the words won’t come.

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