Page 74 of Rogue Hope
Her head snapped up. “What?”
“You’ve been reviewing evidence for three days straight, but you haven’t been back to see him. Maybe it’s time.”
Zara stared at her hands. The truth was, she couldn’t face him. Couldn’t bear to see that look of betrayal again. “I need more time.”
“To find what?” Kenji asked quietly. “Proof he’s guilty or proof he’s innocent?”
The question hit too close to home. Her mind flashed to the timestamp inconsistencies she’d discovered yesterday—small errors that might mean nothing. Or everything.
“I just need to be certain,” she said finally.
Kenji nodded, respecting her decision. “The medication should take effect within thirty minutes. Try to rest until then.”
“I will.”
They both knew she was lying.
The moment Kenji left, Zara slid off the exam table, gritting her teeth against the wave of dizziness that followed. She needed coffee. Needed to clear her head and refocus on the evidence.
Her tablet chimed with an incoming message. Harrison Reynolds.
Her finger hesitated over the screen before accepting the call. Reynolds appeared, his normally impeccable appearance slightly disheveled. A thin scratch marked his cheek.
“Zara,” he said, voice low and urgent. “Are you alone?”
“Yes, sir.” She straightened instinctively. “What’s happened?”
“I’ve found it.” His eyes darted to something off-screen. “Cipher’s main server farm. It’s in an abandoned mining complex outside Hope Landing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I’ve been tracking anomalous power consumption for weeks.” He lowered his voice further. “But I’ve been compromised. Cipher’s operatives discovered me thirty minutes ago.”
“Are you safe? Do you need extraction?”
“Affirmative.” Reynolds glanced over his shoulder. “I’m sending coordinates now. But Zara, this isn’t a standardextraction. The intel on these servers could expose Cipher’s entire network. We can’t risk losing it.”
Her tablet pinged as the data package arrived. “I’ll alert the team?—”
“Zara.” Reynolds’ tone sharpened. “I need your entire team. The site is too large, the security too extensive for anything less than full deployment.”
Something about his urgency tickled at the back of her mind, but she pushed the thought aside. “I’ll brief Ronan right away.”
“Good.” Relief softened his features. “And Zara? Be careful. If Novak truly is connected to Cipher, they might already know about this discovery.”
The call ended, leaving Zara staring at the incoming intelligence package. She forwarded it to the team leaders and headed for the command center, moving as quickly as her painful joints would allow.
By the time she arrived, Ronan and Axel were already reviewing the data on the main display.
“Initial satellite imagery confirms Reynolds’ assessment,” Ronan said as she entered. “Power usage at that site is inconsistent with an abandoned facility.”
“What do we know about the complex?” she asked, easing herself into a chair at the command console.
Axel pulled up historical records. “Former copper mine, shut down in the eighties. Miles of underground tunnels. Perfect place to hide a server farm.”
Deacon entered the command center, already geared up. “Transport’s prepped. We can be on-site in twenty minutes.”
Ronan studied the overlay. “Reynolds has indicated at least six hostiles. We’ll need the full team.”
