Page 274 of Operation: Defiance

Inara looks up, smiles.

“When.” She pulls the laptop closer and opens the first disposal order. “When you survive this.”

I’m already halfway down the hall by the time her words register. I crawl into bed and let myself sleep.

“Raine?” Inara knocks softly. I sit up so quickly, the room spins. I’m still clutching Asher’s pillow to my chest, and the ache of it—of it being only his pillow and not him—hits before I’m fully conscious.

“I…what?” My words are too thick, sleep still clouding the edges of my mind.

“Shit. I’m sorry. Brett’s affidavit came in. Transcript too. I thought you’d want to know. And I finished the redactions.” She doesn’t hover. Doesn’t fidget. Inara seems to radiate calm in everything she does.

“I’ll…give me a minute. I’ll come out.” I push off the blanket, setting my feet on the floor briefly before I try to stand.

Inara sits at the table, laptop still open, her phone propped up next to it. The kitchen is spotless again. “We don’t need to watch the whole thing—unless you want to. Natasha sent a transcript too.”

A full French press sits next to the laptop, along with a fresh mug, and I pour myself a cup. The scent helps enough for my brain to catch up. “Natasha?”

Inara smiles. “She’s one of ours. Kind of. Another former Ranger. The first, actually. She doesn’t work for Hidden Agenda, but the Canada job hasn’t quite wrapped up yet. So she’s the one I called to get Brett somewhere safe.”

I nod, filing that away as if it will matter later. As if I’ll still be…here.

Inara launches the recording, and we watch in silence.

Brett sits at a table I don’t recognize, in a room with neutral walls, Toby curled up in his lap. His voice is steady, and he looks directly at the camera. His entire demeanor is that of a man who’s been waiting a long time to tell his story in a way that matters. After seven minutes, I pause the recording.

“He’s good. Credible. Can I see the transcript?”

I scan it quickly. The first death. The incident report. How approvals were requested. And, finally, what manual disposal looked like. Waiting up to twenty-four hours for a cardiac event to occur on its own. Then inducing it with a single injection and watching the detainee die. I don’t let myself dwell on that part. Not now.

“The second video is all about Voss,” Inara says with a delicate snort. “The transcript reads like a blackmail how-to manual.”

“That’s part of my final drop. The one I’ll use to get Asher out.”

I’ve already written the cover letter for the third packet, so it takes me less than five minutes to get everything together, add it to my SecureDrop folder, and hit Send.

“Done.”

The word sits there for a moment. Everything I’ve been working toward since Asher carried me out of Coherent Path—barely alive—is now in the hands of the Public Integrity Project.

This last packet proves that GSD purposely ordered multiple agents’ deaths for nothing more than being…difficult. Which means Asher has very little time left.

My stomach flips. Coffee…might not have been the best idea.

“Voss will contact me soon,” I say, forcing strength I don’t feel into my voice. “After this hits. He won’t have a choice. So…I need to ask you for one more favor.”

Inara sets her coffee down, giving me her full attention without making it feel like pressure. “I’m listening.”

“Asher is being held at a GSD interrogation facility in Kent. I need someone outside with enough firepower to cause a distraction if things go sideways. And…possibly a getaway driver.”

Her eyes narrow, head tilted slightly to one side. “Is this a full extraction with multiple hostiles? Do I need blueprints? I can get a team⁠—”

“No. If you can give me that distraction, then the calculus changes. My response to Voss changes.” I press my fingertips to the table top. It’s smoother than the one in Seattle. Fewer grooves and scratches for me to ground against. But after a moment, I can feel my pulse enough to speak again. “He wants to win. So I let him think he has.”

“You are not walking in there and giving yourself up.” Inara’s dark gaze sharpens. “Not an option. If I call the guys in Boston right now—hell, I’ve got a guy in Texas. No…two guys in Texas⁠—”

“Asher doesn’t have six hours. Or even three. I’m not surrendering. That’s just the play. Make Voss think I am, and he gets cocky.” Wrapping my hands around the coffee mug, I tell her the plan.

When I’m done, she glances at her watch. “If I don’t get to Hidden Agenda and raid the weapons locker, we’re doing this with the M4 stashed under my spare tire and whatever firepower Asher has hidden in that closet. The minute Voss contacts you, let me know.”

“I will.”

She pauses at the door, the box of donuts tucked under her arm. “What would you have done if I’d said no?”

“Told Voss he had to release Asher or I’d expose him.” I offer her a small smile. “Hoped for the best. Tried not to die in the process.”

She doesn’t flinch. “You don’t strike me as someone who leaves things to chance.”

“No.” I shrug, pleased when my shoulder doesn’t do more than twinge. “But I’m trained. And Voss didn’t manage to kill me the first time, despite how hard he tried.”

I lift my gaze to hers. “If he boxes me in—if I can’t get clear—I’ll remind him he’s digging his own grave. That tends to focus people.”

Something in Inara’s expression settles. Almost…understanding. “I’m glad you called me,” she says quietly.

And then she slips out the door.