Page 33 of Going Rogue
All business again. He wanted to push the issue, but it wasn’t the time. A grim sort of fog fell over him, and he shut down anything that didn’t relate to keeping them alive. Whatever he did or didn’t feel would have to wait.
Bracing his shoulder against the left-side door, he signaled Rogue to move behind him and slung open the right one. When nothing exploded or whistled past his head, he took a deep breath and swept inside with her on his heels.
The building was laid out like a large open bay.
An empty bay.
It smelled of stale air and old paper. Sunlight streamed in from windows near the ceiling. Their beams permeated the gloom of abandonment apparent in the inches-deep layer of dirt coating the cement floor.Nothing moved except the dust motes dancing in the rays of sunlight as they passed through the metal braces supporting the roof. It was also deadly quiet. Until he took a step and the scratch of his boots in the dirt seemed to reverberate off the cinder block walls.
He paused and felt Rogue at his back. She’d moved with him but now they both stood stock still—waiting.
Too quiet.
It made his skin taut with unease. If Dafi had set him up . . . Crane didn’t like where the thought led. He moved further into the warehouse, keeping his ears piqued for any other sounds.
Skirting the streams of light, he led Rogue to the shadows on the left side of the building. As he gripped his knife tighter than necessary, he marched them through thelength of the bay. Determined to root out anyone who might be hiding.
When they reached the corner of the room, Crane turned and checked behind them. Still no movement and no noises other than his own harsh breathing. Rogue seemed to have melted into the darkness at his back as silent as any skilled predator. Speaking of, there weren’t even any animals here. No telltale sounds of rats or other critters.
Where is Dafi?
Rogue tapped his shoulder, and he turned to see her signaling toward another pair of double doors. This set looked almost rust-colored with two large industrial pull handles. Again, no locks. They hadn’t traveled the full length of the building, so Crane knew those to be interior doors. But what exactly lay beyond them?
He felt like a mouse being funneled through a maze. No doubt, some manner of foul-smelling cheese waited at the end.
“I don’t like this,” he growled low and shook his head at Rogue.
“Me either.” She huffed impatiently. “Butwhat choice do we have?”
Oh, they had a choice. They could leave. It might not get them home but at least it wouldn’t get them killed.
She clearly wasn’t on board with the idea because she pressed her shoulder into the left-side door and motioned for him to do the same with the right. The flatbread they’d eaten this morning became a solid stone in his gut. He didn’t think his body could be more on edge. Despite that, he did as she requested.
When their postures mirrored each other, both gripping the door with a free hand, Rogue gave a nod. Though every instinct Crane had warned against it, he pulled when she did. Unwilling to let her face this alone.
The doors creaked so loudly there was zero chance their presence hadn’t been noted. Because of that, he nearly yelled at Rogue to stay put, but the hand signal he sent her did the trick. They flattened themselves against the opened doors and waited. Whoever had lured him here could come to them.
Breathing hard against his rising panic,he kept his eyes trained on Rogue, praying she didn’t go through the doorway. She watched him just as closely, though her expression conveyed impatience.
But it didn’t take long for a voice to pierce the stillness.
CHAPTER 12
Rogue
“Crane, I was hoping you’d come back empty-handed.” A man’s voice floated through the open doors.
A voice she recognized.
Jordan.
She knew it wasn’t the guy’s real name. He had many aliases, and this was merely the one he used for TOP. In her time with military intelligence, she’d known operatives like Jordan and had never trusted them.
You pretend to be someone else too long, you forget who you are.
Crane visibly relaxed; she didn’t share his relief. They might not have walked into an ambush, but she didn’t trust Jordy. Well,maybe Crane didn’t either since he made no move to enter the next room. “Where’s everyone else?” he called out.
Jordan’s voice grew louder; he must’ve moved closer. “Gone home. Like you were supposed to.”
