Page 103 of Rescuing Ally: Part 1

“I didn’t want them to get hurt if Malfor discovered it.”

“Well, it’s elegant work. Like I said, I live for data,” she says with a mysterious smile. “And you left breadcrumbs in your work—patterns that someone who knows what to look for might recognize.”

Malia delivers our drinks herself, setting them down with a flourish. “One boring black coffee,” she announces, placing mine in front of me. “One pretentious hipster latte,” she adds, sliding Gabe’s toward him. “And one ‘I’m too manly for flavors’ Americano.” She winks at Hank, who accepts his cup with dignified grace. “And an Echo Enigma for Mitzy.”

“Thanks,” I say, wrapping my hands around the warm ceramic. “This smells amazing.”

I take a sip of my coffee—perfectly brewed, rich without being bitter—and savor the momentary normality. No captivity, no quantum physics, no?—

Gabe settles into a chair beside me. “Did Mitzy tell you she wants to adopt you?”

Mitzy shoots him a look. “I did.”

“Let me finish my thesis and get my PhD. before we start deciding where I’ll work,” I laugh. “Right now, I just want my laptop to work.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Mitzy asks, immediately alert.

“It’s on the fritz. Battery draining unusually fast, everything running slower than it should.”

“When did it start?” Interest sparks in Mitzy’s eyes.

“I don’t know. Recently. It was with my father while I was in Kazakhstan. I just got it back.”

“Interesting,” she says, her mind already working on the problem. “And you said the battery drains quickly?”

“Yes.”

“What were you doing with it when this started?”

“Going over my research. Trying to dust the cobwebs off my thesis work.”

“Did you attach any external devices? USBs? External hard drive?” Her tone shifts, almost like an interrogation.

“Just my USB.” I take another sip of coffee, watching her reaction. “The one with my thesis work.”

“Where was this USB drive before you connected it to your laptop?” Mitzy asks carefully.

“I’ve had it with me the whole time,” I explain. “It’s the only thing I managed to keep when I was kidnapped.”

Mitzy’s eyes widen. “Wait—this USB drive was in Kazakhstan with you? At Malfor’s facility?”

“Yes, but I kept it hidden,” I explain. “I had it on me when Iwas kidnapped.”

“No one knew about it?” She leans forward, her colorful hair falling across her forehead.

“Nobody.” I think back to the small metal case I modified to shield the drive from detection. “It was in a custom Faraday sleeve most of the time. Nobody knew I had it, and nobody touched it.”

“Hold up.” Hank’s voice cuts in, low and sharp with concern. “How did you keep it concealed? They would’ve searched you after the grab.”

Gabe’s eyes darken, jaw tight. “Yeah. We saw the facility reports—they strip everyone down.”

I nod, lips twitching. “They did. But not well.”

Hank frowns. “Meaning?”

“It’s a tiny USB.” I lift my foot slightly, wiggling my toes for emphasis. “I kept it between my toes during the search. They stripped us, sure—but they didn’t look there.”

Gabe stares for a beat, then exhales a rough, impressed sound. “You’re fucking brilliant.”

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