Page 21 of Rogue Hope
“Valid concern,” Finn acknowledged. “But isolation makes you more vulnerable. His hired muscle is already here, surveillance established. Question isn’t if they’ll move—it’s when and how.”
“Your solution, Cipher whisperer?” Axel challenged.
“Controlled engagement,” Finn replied instantly. “When he makes contact, we set parameters that appear to give him what he wants while creating openings to identify and neutralize.”
“Just that simple,” Zara’s voice dripped sarcasm. “Play patty-cake with a psychopath. What could possibly go wrong?”
“I didn’t say ‘simple.’ I said ‘controlled.’”
“And we trust your judgment?” She leaned forward, eyes flashing. “The same stellar judgment that had you working for Cipher in the first place?”
Finn maintained his composure despite the direct hit. “You don’t need to trust me. How about you trust your team? Trust your instincts? I’m offering intel and experience, not asking for the keys to the kingdom.”
“I wouldn’t give you the keys to the bathroom,” she muttered.
Before he could respond, a sharp chime from her phone sliced through the tension.
“It’s him,” she said, casting a screenshot onto the large monitors.
When the monitors came alive, every voice in the room fell silent instantly. Zara’s phone screen—now mirrored across every monitor—displayed an incoming message.
She braced herself. Here it came. Cipher, outing her medical history.
But he didn’t. For some reason, Cipher changed the threat. Not that she believed for a second he wouldn’t destroy her for his own ends.
Proveyou can breach Sentinel’s first gate. Nothing sensitive yet. Just pull the encrypted header from tonight’s Ops Summary. Harmless, but impossible to fake. Awaiting confirmation.
Refuse, and intel on Knight Tactical operations will be disseminated to … hostile entities.
Finn’s stomach tightened into knots. It sounded simple, innocuous even. But he understood exactly what the enemy was after. A small breach, something as seemingly harmless as a document header, was enough to trigger alarms throughout Sentinel’s outer perimeter. Zara would leave a digital footprint behind—one Sentinel would find and pursue relentlessly. She would risk everything: her freedom, her reputation. Maybe her life.
Finn clenched his fists, fighting the surge of protective anger. Cipher had them where he wanted them—cornered, desperate, and facing an impossible choice.
Ronan pushed back in his chair. “What intel could they possibly have?”
“We can’t risk finding out.” Zara replied tightly.
“Sentinel Network’s supposedly nonexistent,” Griffin noted, studying the message. “Black boxed even to most intelligence agencies.”
“Yet Cipher knows exactly what it is and believes Zara can access it,” Finn pointed out. “That’s deliberate.”
“Could you do it?” Deke asked her directly.
She hesitated. “Theoretically. I helped design some security methodologies during my agency days. With the right equipment and enough time ... maybe.”
“Then maybe we do what Novak suggested. We comply,” Kenji said calmly. “Superficially, at least.”
Zara’s jaw dropped. “You want me to help Cipher access covert operative identities?”
“No! I’m suggesting,” Kenji clarified, “appearing to comply while implementing a controlled operation. Like Finn suggested. Give Cipher what he thinks he wants—for now—while positioning to neutralize the threat permanently.”
Yes! Her team, at least, understood. Finn clamped down on the premature celebration. “We comply, but we add a little surprise of our own. Along with the confirmation data, we feed Cipher a little electronic tracer cocktail.”
“Honey trap.” Griffin nodded. “I like it. Use what they want against them.”
“Suicidal,” Zara objected forcefully. “Cipher isn’t easily played, and Vanguard has resources beyond what you’re anticipating.”
Ronan’s calculating gaze moved between them. “What if we had all of it? Finn’s Cipher expertise, our operational capabilities and Zara’s skills?”
