Page 38 of Rogue Hope
Some debts couldn’t be repaid. But they could be honored.
He would protect Zara at any cost.
20
Zara shouldn’t have worried.
After a sleepless night, stressing about the coming mission, and most definitely NOT thinking about how Finn Novak might actually have changed, the transmission to Cipher had gone flawlessly.
Exactly as planned, the traceable markers embedded within the encryption algorithm activated the moment the file was accessed, sending back precise geographic coordinates to Knight Tactical’s secured servers earning them the first real lead on Cipher’s physical location in seven years.
“Trace confirmed,” Deke had announced, his normally relaxed demeanor intensely focused as coordinates materialized on the command center’s main display. “Southern Germany. Black Forest region. Signal stability at ninety-seven percent.”
“That’s it then,” Ronan had said quietly, the weight of the moment evident in his voice. “We’ve got our first good clue.”
“You mean the start of one,” Finn had cautioned. “We need to give the trace time to stabilize before we make plans.”
“Time to punch out,” Kenji insisted. “As team physician, I’m ordering everyone out of here for the rest of the day.”
Hours later, Reed Lake stretched before them like a sheet of polished silver, catching the late afternoon light in dazzling fragments. Zara sat on the edge of a weathered wooden dock, bare feet dangling above the water’s gentle ripples. Behind her, laughter and animated conversation drifted from the rest of the team as they set up the impromptu celebration. A volleyball net appeared between two carefully positioned poles. Griffin methodically arranged the portable grill while Kenji unpacked coolers filled with sparkling water, craft sodas, and enough food to sustain a small tactical unit for weeks.
The summer day was perfection—azure sky uninterrupted by clouds, temperature hovering in the comfortable mid-eighties, a light breeze carrying the scent of pine from the surrounding forest. It should have been restorative, this brief respite before tomorrow’s mission planning session that would determine their approach to the Black Forest location.
Instead, a persistent tension coiled through her muscles. It had nothing to do with her physical condition and everything to do with the way Finn was ingratiating himself with her team.
Now, for example, he hovered, helping Maya unpack beach towels and chairs from the SUVs. The invitation had come from Ronan directly after the successful trace, his tone making it clear this wasn’t something she could veto. So here they were, playing happy family with the man who’d betrayed her so thoroughly she still felt the cracks seven years later.
“Earth to Khoury,” Axel called, dropping onto the dock beside her with his characteristic lack of subtlety. The wooden planks vibrated beneath them. “Your face is doing that thing again.”
“What thing?” She kept her gaze on the horizon.
“That thing where you’re smiling on the outside but plotting something on the inside.” He nudged her shoulder gently. “Thetrace worked perfectly. We’ve got a solid lead on this Cipher idiot. Even you need downtime occasionally.”
“I’m fine.”
He followed her gaze to where Finn was now helping Deke assemble a complicated contraption that apparently transformed into a portable shade structure. “For what it’s worth, I think Ro’s right about this one.”
No, he wasn’t.
“Novak’s solid. Whatever happened between you two?—”
“Is none of your business,” she interrupted, more sharply than intended.
Axel raised his hands in surrender. “Fair enough. Just saying, the guy knows his stuff. That embedding technique he developed for the file? Pure genius. Without it, we wouldn’t be celebrating here.”
Before Zara could respond, Griff called from the grill. “Food’s ready in fifteen! And someone please tell Ronan to stop reorganizing the coolers by content temperature!”
Axel grinned, rising to his feet. “Duty calls. You coming?”
“In a minute.”
Alone again, she closed her eyes briefly, drawing in a deep breath of the clean lake air. The medications Kenji slipped her were working effectively, providing blessed relief. Physically, she felt almost normal—a deceptive state that never lasted long enough.
When she finally rejoined the group, they had transformed the shoreline into something resembling a magazine spread for “Tactical Operators on Vacation.” A long table covered with a checkered tablecloth held an impressive spread of grilled vegetables, lean proteins, and Kenji’s infamous “performance-optimizing” sides that somehow managed to be both nutritionally perfect and surprisingly tasty.
“There she is!” Maya called cheerfully, waving Zara over. “We’re debating teams for volleyball. Griff thinks age and experience trump youth and enthusiasm.”
“Incorrect,” Griffin responded calmly, flipping kabobs. “I said strategy trumps chaotic energy, which certain members of this team possess in abundance.” He nodded meaningfully toward Axel, who was demonstrating what appeared to be an unnecessarily acrobatic serving technique to an amused Finn.
