Page 19 of Rogue Hope
“Always do.”
“It really is good to see you, Zara.”
Then he was gone.
Zara maintained her stance for thirty seconds before lowering her gun. Reality slammed into her.
Finn alive.
In her home.
Possibly telling the truth about an imminent threat from one of the world’s most dangerous criminals.
She secured the door methodically, mind racing through implications and contingencies. For ten seconds—precisely ten—she allowed herself to feel everything: anger, fear, confusion, and betrayal.
Hot, seething betrayal.
Ten seconds. Then she locked it all away, reached for her phone, and got to work.
12
Finn stoodmotionless at the center of Knight Tactical’s conference room, a gazelle surrounded by lions who hadn’t yet decided whether to pounce. No exit remained uncovered, no angle unprotected. Their collective combat experience likely exceeded a century, and every ounce of it was currently focused on him with laser intensity.
Even at full strength, no way he could fight his way through these specimens. With messed up ribs … ? Yeah. No.
The renovated hangar might maintain its industrial facade, but the interior bristled with the kind of security architecture that would make Pentagon officials nod in appreciation. Retinal scanners, pressure-sensitive flooring, and the faint electromagnetic hum of countermeasure systems revealed Knight Tactical’s paranoia was backed by serious capital. These were people who understood that in their world, paranoia was just good planning.
Which only made his job harder. Because after seeing Zara last night, the truth had smacked him upside the head. He hadn’t drawn Cipher to her door.
The man had already arrived.
Cipher needed Zara. She was the quickest way for him to get what he wanted. And now Finn had to persuade the woman, and her loyal band, to believe him.
So far, things weren’t going well.
Zara sat as far from him as physically possible, eyes betraying what her neutral expression masked—anger, wariness, and something deeper he couldn’t identify. She hadn’t addressed him directly since their confrontation, happy to let her friends deal with him.
The team’s leader, Ronan Quinn, stood at the head of the table, arms crossed over his broad chest, radiating the unmistakable presence of someone who’d commanded men in combat. His gaze flickered over Finn’s healing eye.
“Let’s cut straight to it,” Ronan said flatly. “You’re supposed to be seven years dead. Talk.”
Axel Reinhardt—mission specialist. “Agency confirmed the kill. Dental records. DNA. The works.”
“Agency confirmed what they thought was true,” Finn replied. “I had a friend on the inside. One friend who was able to construct an airtight fiction. She’s gone now.”
“She,” Zara repeated, her first acknowledgment of his presence. “Of course.”
“Current threat,” Finn said, ignoring the jab and reaching slowly for his tablet. “Cipher went dark five years ago after I gutted his infrastructure. Since then, four attempted restarts, each more sophisticated.”
He didn’t mention it took him two years after betraying Zara to come to his senses. Two more years of working for Cipher before he saw the light.
He activated the tablet, sending files to the giant display screens surrounding them. Timeline data, surveillance photos, intercepted communications appeared in sequence.
“Three months ago, I detected movement from known associates.” Finn highlighted data points rapidly. “Money flowing through dormant channels. Recruiting of cyber specialists. Specialized gear acquisition.”
“Vanguard,” Deke Williams said, eyes locked on the display.
“Bingo,” Finn confirmed. “Self-contained elite unit. Cyber, infiltration, tactical, and psyops capabilities in one package.”
