Page 36 of Broken Trust
She turned back to her screens, getting back to work. After all, there were eleven more handlers. They were out there, going about their normal lives, likely having no idea they were chess pieces in Cipher’s game. Each one probably had their own version of “all clear,” their own daily routine that kept catastrophe at bay.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard as footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. Her body recognized Liam’s gait before her mind processed it, every nerve ending quivering on high alert.
She stared at the screen, watching code scroll past, but her awareness had narrowed to the SEAL’s footsteps. Her pulse throbbed in her throat as a single thought consumed her.
He was coming for her, and this time, she didn’t know if she had the strength to survive it.
EIGHT
Mason found her exactly where he knew she’d be—hunched over the computer, fingers flying across the keyboard like she could solve all the world’s problems if she just typed fast enough. She didn’t even look up when he approached.
He stepped up beside her. “Come on,” he said quietly. “Time to take a break.”
“I’m not leaving.” Her voice was flat, exhausted but determined. “There are eleven more handlers out there. Eleven more people who probably don’t know they’re part of this.”
Mason moved closer, close enough to catch her scent, clean and familiar. His chest tightened. “What are you going to do? Chain yourself to the leg of the desk?”
That got her. She bit back a laugh, the corner of her mouth twitching, and her cheeks flushed pink in the monitor’s glow. The sight hit him low in the gut, a punch of desire so intense he had to clench his fists to keep from grabbing her.
Christ, even exhausted and stressed, she was beautiful. The way she tucked that strand of hair behind her ear, the determined tilt of her jaw, the way her whole body leaned into her work like she could will the answers onto the screen… Everything about her called to him.
Before he could say anything else, Con entered the lab. His commanding presence filled the space, and his assessing gaze swept over them both, missing nothing.
“Did you get all that?” Con asked Elin, nodding toward the monitors still displaying data from the interrogation.
“Got it.” She straightened in her chair. “I plan to work until I find every single one of the handlers. But I think you can agree Silverton appears to be innocent.”
Con’s expression remained neutral. “That’s yet to be determined. But good work.”
He looked her over, taking in the dark circles under her eyes, the tension in her shoulders, the way she gripped the edge of the desk like it was the only thing keeping her upright. Then his gaze fixed on Mason. A look passed between them that he read as an order.
“Take a break.” Con’s tone left no room for argument.
She seemed to deflate at his words, shoulders sagging with either frustration or relief—Mason couldn’t tell which. Maybe both. She pushed back from the desk and stood wordlessly, not looking at Mason or Con as she headed for the door.
He watched her go, her shoulders hunched like she was barely keeping it together.
He stepped into the corridor to watch which direction she took and was relieved to see she was heading to her room.
If he attempted to follow her, she’d probably just shut him out, but he wasn’t walking away this time. He was going to take care of her.
He made his way to the kitchen first. Kennedy was at the counter, working on a laptop. She looked up when he entered, her gaze sharp and assessing. “Everything okay?”
“Yes.” He started putting together a tray filled with a sandwich cut into triangles, fresh fruit, a couple of protein bars and a large bottle of water. She’d need the calories and hydration after pushing herself so hard.
“Need any help with that?” Kennedy was one of the sweetest yet misunderstood women he’d ever met. She carried herself like a queen, but she was so giving with her time, always jumpingin where she was needed—and sometimes when people didn’t know they needed it.
He arranged the fruit so it didn’t roll off the tray. “Just getting food for Elin. She doesn’t know when to quit. She’ll work herself until she’s sick.”
Kennedy’s expression softened, a knowing in her eyes. “I’m glad she has you then.”
The words stopped him cold. He looked at her, wondering what she knew. What any of them knew. Sophie said not all the women had met Elin yet, but Kennedy did.
Did Elin tell them about their history? About how he’d left her with nothing but a flag and a broken heart? Would Kennedy judge him if she knew the truth—that he’d chosen Blackout over the woman he loved?
The weight of that choice pressed down on him, as heavy now as it had been two years ago. He’d told himself it was for the greater good, that he was saving her.
But standing in this kitchen, preparing food for the woman he’d abandoned, he wondered if he’d just been a coward.
