Page 34 of Rogue Hope

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“Fine.” She relented quietly, grateful he hadn’t explicitly mentioned her condition.

The elevator’s silent descent felt painfully slow, tension filling the confined space. Zara focused on the task ahead, deliberately blocking out the waves of discomfort radiating through her limbs.

When the doors opened, Finn moved ahead cautiously, scanning surveillance patterns and guiding them between rotating camera sweeps.

Reaching the reinforced archive door, Zara checked the time. “Four minutes until reset.”

Finn positioned himself carefully. Zara retrieved the specialized case for the target file, her fingers trembling slightly. She forced them steady, her determination overcoming the exhaustion threatening to engulf her.

The lights flickered, plunging them briefly into darkness, signaling the anticipated reset. Finn immediately pushed the door open. “Go,” he urged.

Inside the archive now, she scanned the organized shelves, adrenaline sharpening her focus despite physical discomfort. She located the correct file and secured it into the case, checking the time again. Three minutes remained.

Finn signaled silently, and they retraced their steps rapidly, pausing only briefly as voices echoed down an adjacent corridor. He quickly guided Zara into another shadowed alcove, instinctively positioning himself slightly ahead of her, protective even in tense silence.

Zara’s heart pounded painfully as the patrol passed. When the voices faded, Finn led them swiftly outside, securing theaccess panel just as the facility lights flickered back to full operational status.

“Two kilometers to the vehicle,” Zara said quietly, her voice strained but controlled.

They moved silently,the rugged terrain once again challenging her endurance. Each step was a deliberate act of will, her body protesting fiercely. By the time they reached their concealed ATV, Zara’s breathing was labored, her legs screaming from prolonged exertion.

“Let me drive,” Finn said softly, gently taking the keys from her trembling hand.

She climbed into the passenger seat without protest, grateful for the reprieve. As Finn started the engine, she stared out at the lightening sky, wrestling with the emotional aftermath of her accidental confession. The silence stretched uncomfortably, tension thickening with each passing moment.

Finn broke the quiet gently. “Medical kit’s in the glove box.”

Zara hesitated only briefly, then reached in, quickly swallowing two tablets without water. “Thanks,” she murmured softly, embarrassment still warming her cheeks.

The landscape rushed past in quiet monotony, each mile increasing the distance from their narrowly completed mission. She leaned back, closing her eyes momentarily against the lingering pain and exhaustion.

Finn’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant. “About what you said earlier?—”

“We’re not discussing it.”

“Zara, I just?—”

“No one knows about my diagnosis. Not Ronan, not the team. No one. And that’s how it stays.”

Finn’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his profile tense in the growing light. “Kenji knows,” he said quietly. “I see the way he watches you.”

“Kenji is my doctor. That’s different.” Her voice hardened. “This isn’t up for debate, Finn. You forget what I said. You didn’t hear it. It never happened.”

He glanced at her, concern evident in his expression. “You need support?—”

“What I need,” she cut him off, “is your silence. Can you manage that, or should I start questioning your operational reliability as well as your personal trustworthiness?”

The barb landed precisely as intended. His jaw tightened, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

“Understood,” he said finally, voice carefully neutral.

Zara turned back to the view, wishing desperately she could believe him, wishing she had the power to ensure his compliance. The file they’d risked everything to retrieve sat securely between them, but in this moment, it seemed far less dangerous than the secret she’d accidentally revealed.

To Finn, of all people. The cruelest twist of fate.

The airfield appeared on the horizon, their extraction plane waiting. Whatever came next—whatever the file contained, whatever Cipher planned—she now faced an additional complication. Finn knew her vulnerability, held power she hadn’t willingly given him.

Secrets, once shared, were never truly safe again.