Page 10 of Code Name: Tank
“When we’re at Apex tomorrow, we need to look for escalation patterns,” she said. “If they refined their methods after Titan. We should be prepared for more sophisticated countermeasures.”
“Good progress today,” I said as she closed her laptop.
Her eyes met mine briefly, then she looked away. “Thanks, Tank.”
Atticus leaned forward. “Be sure to keep your focus on the investigation instead of how Dragon’s eyes change color in the light.”
I felt heat creep up my neck when she raised her head. Had he meant for her to hear him? “Atticus has an overactive imagination.”
“Among other things.” When I picked up on the amusement in her voice, I decided he could live another day.
Admiral returned to check on our progress. “Anything else we need to cover before we call it a night?”
“We’re all set for Fort Worth tomorrow,” I confirmed. “Same timeline as the Titan visit.”
“What time do we leave?” Dragon asked as we walked toward the exit together.
“Zero seven hundred departure?”
“That will be fine. I should get some rest too. We have another long day ahead of us,” she said.
Our footsteps crunched on fallen needles on the path to Whisper Point that wound through tall pines.
“Atticus wasn’t entirely wrong earlier,” I said as we approached her camp.
Dragon glanced at me. “About what?”
“About my, um, situational-awareness issues when you’re around.”
She stopped walking. “Tank?—”
“I’m just saying I’m aware of it too. And I’m working on it.”
For a moment, something shifted in her eyes—not amusement, but not annoyance either. “Good to know.”
“Sleep well,” I said.
“You too.”
We stopped at her door, and for a moment, the facade slipped. Dragon’s eyes met mine with an intensity that drew me in.
“Tank—” she began, then stopped herself. “Good night.”
“Good night, Dragon.”
I waited until her door closed before heading to Granite Ridge. Inside, I poured two fingers of bourbon and settled on the porch, staring out at the water that reflected the last light of the evening.
The brief exchange outside her door played through my mind. For once, I’d been direct about the effect she had on me instead of pretending it didn’t exist. Her reaction suggested she wasn’t entirely opposed to the acknowledgment.
However, while I needed to do better at compartmentalizing, I also needed to acknowledge that Dragon was becoming important to me in ways that went beyond the job. The question was whether she’d ever trust me enough to let me matter to her.
4
DRAGON
The transaction records from Apex Aerospace’s systems on my portable monitor made my stomach drop. The patterns weren’t exactly the same as what we’d found at Titan—they had evolved.
“Tank,” I called across the production floor where he was reviewing account records with Dr. Sarah Rainier, the facility’s operations director, near the main assembly line. “Can you take a look at this when you have a moment?”
