Page 184 of Operation: Defiance

I think about Ellen’s voice. How I’d never heard her truly scared until this morning. I tell myself she’ll run, even though it’s probably a lie.

With one last, slow exhale, I type.

You’ve been scheduled for a meeting tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.

This isn’t a routine reassignment. It’s something you won’t come back from.

Don’t go to work.

Don’t go anywhere you can be isolated.

Run. Now.

-Your friend from Hungary

I read it twice. There were only four of us on that mission in Hungary. I hope that’s enough for him to put the pieces together.

My finger hovers over the trackpad. There’s no going back after this.

I’m going to expose them. GSD. Coherent Path. Whoever authorized it. Whoever created it. And when I do, they’re going to pay for what they’ve done.

Send.

Chapter Forty-Three

Raine

The mug of tea Asher made me is half gone by the time my thoughts settle. When they do, fatigue hits in a way I can’t ignore.

I set the cup on the coffee table, tuck my legs under me, and curl against Asher’s side. He has his arm draped over the back of the couch. I don’t feel trapped. Just…supported. He’s warm. His scent wraps around me like a blanket, stopping the memories from pulling me under.

“Do you want to lie down?” he asks, his voice low and soft.

“No. I want…this.”

It’s been less than a week, but I’ve come to depend on his steadiness. That should scare me. I can’t make sense of why it doesn’t.

Maybe because he’s never tried to take control. Never asked for anything I couldn’t give him.

I curl my arm around his waist. His hand slips from the back of the couch, landing gently on my shoulder for half a second. “Shit. I’m sorry,” he says as he pulls it away.

“Wait. If your hand is a little lower—on my arm?—you could try holding me.”

“Raine. That’s⁠—”

I tip my head up and press my lips to his. The kiss is gentle. Almost sweet. But my core flutters with a heat I’m unprepared for. I should stop, but instead, I cup the back of his neck and pull him closer.

My tongue flicks against his mouth. I want more.

Asher doesn’t press, doesn’t move except to kiss me back in a way I didn’t know could make me feel so…alive.

I follow the shape of his jaw with my fingertips, memorizing the heat of his skin, the rasp of stubble, the beat of his pulse. Each sensation gets filed away, precious now that there’s so much we could lose.

The rush sharpens. Thrilling, yet steadying at the same time. Every nerve lights up, my thoughts narrowing to the space between us. The ache deep inside me demands more. I lean into him, chasing the heat building inside me. I’ve never felt anything like this before. Want and need so sharp, I can hardly breathe.

Asher exhales softly against my lips. “You’re going to undo me if you keep that up.”

I ease back half an inch. Far enough to take a breath. To make a choice. To let Asher see my eyes when I do.