Page 91 of Rogue Hope
Maya nodded. “He was your mentor, Z. Of course you trusted him. Plus, Finn earned your distrust. After what he did to you in Paris, you would have been justified taking him down the minute he showed up here.”
Zara looked up. “Wait—how did you all make it out? I never got the chance to ask.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Ronan’s face. “The Griffster had a feeling something was off. Before we even stepped foot in that facility, he released those new micro-drones—the ones with the biometric mimicry tech.”
“Seriously?” Zara’s eyebrows rose.
“Left them broadcasting our signatures while we slipped out the maintenance shaft,” Maya added, a hint of pride in her voice. “Reynolds’ team blew the whole place, thinking they’d buried us alive.”
Ronan’s eyes glinted. “By then we were already headed back to extract you two. Our boy Griff doesn’t trust coincidences.”
And their Savior had been watching over them. Zara couldn’t suppress the shudder that racked her.
Kenji moved closer to Zara, his gaze subtly assessing her condition. “How are you feeling? Any increased joint pain? Fever?”
“Now that I’m on real meds, I’m fine, Kenji,” she assured him with a small smile. “Really.”
His skeptical expression made it clear he wasn’t entirely convinced, but before he could press further, the door burst open with considerably more force than necessary.
Izzy stood framed in the doorway, her vacation attire—flowing beach pants, loose tank top, sunglasses perched atop her head—creating a surreal contrast to the sterile hospital environment. She surveyed the room with dramatic disbelief, hands planted on her slim hips.
“Girl, I leave town for a week and you start an international incident without me?”
The familiar, irreverent greeting loosened something in Zara’s chest, and for the first time in days, a genuine smile spread across her face. “Good to see you too, Iz.”
Ronan, Maya, and Kenji exchanged amused glances.
“We’ll give you two some space,” Ronan said, nodding toward the door. “The team’s meeting at 1800 for full debrief. You’re both excused, of course.”
“Thanks,” Zara said softly, grateful for the understanding—not that she would’ve left Finn’s side anyway.
After they’d filed out, Izzy crossed the room in three quick strides and pulled Zara into a fierce hug. The solid presence of her best friend caught Zara off guard, and she felt tears prickling behind her eyes.
“You okay?” Izzy whispered against her hair.
When they separated, Zara drew a steadying breath, finding it difficult to meet her friend’s concerned gaze. “Iz, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner—about the lupus. I just couldn’t?—”
“Hey, none of that, amiga.” Izzy waved her off with gentle firmness. “You don’t owe anyone explanations about your health.” Her expression softened into a mischievous grin. “But you do owe me lunch and a long, detailed gossip session.”
Relieved, Zara nodded, blinking back the moisture in her eyes.
Izzy turned her attention to Finn’s still form, arching a skeptical eyebrow. “So this is the guy? The jerk turned hero?” She jerked a thumb in his direction, her tone deliberately unimpressed. “Doesn’t look like much to me.”
Zara choked back a laugh, shaking her head. “He took a bullet for me, Izzy. Give him a little credit.”
“Eh, anybody can take a bullet,” Izzy replied with a dismissive shrug, though her eyes twinkled with humor. “You really care about him, huh?”
Zara hesitated before nodding. “More than I should.” She sighed softly. “But he’ll leave as soon as he’s cleared. It’s what he does.”
Izzy crossed her arms, her expression serious. “So tell him you want him to stay.”
The blunt statement caught Zara by surprise. Her eyes widened slightly. “Izzy, after everything—how could I? He made a fool of me in Paris?—”
“Look, Z,” Izzy cut her off firmly but gently, “I’m no expert on men. But it seems to me the guy we got here isn’t the same guy who threw you under the bus seven years ago. Agreed?”
She nodded slowly. “Agreed.”
“So ifthisguy means something to you, you have to tell him. Otherwise, he’s gonna disappear, and you’ll always wonder.”
