Page 88 of Fractured Devotion
There’s nothing. No overlap.
Which means this isn’t sanctioned.
They’re doing it on their own.
Rogue.
A muscle ticks in my cheek.
And she hasn’t said a word to me.
I grip the burner tightly.
Alec is smart and methodical. Reyes is careful. And Celeste?
She’s slipping away.
The door creaks as I push out of my car.
The hallway is empty, but I walk with purpose, a controlled pace. No rush. My face is neutral, unreadable. I cut through Diagnostics, then turn right down the main observation corridor. I make just enough movement to show I’m not hiding, but not enough to trigger questions. If someone’s watching me, they’ll see exactly what I want them to see.
I head toward the records wing, but not to intercept Reyes. I already know I won’t catch him there. But I need to lay my own trail. Subtle, believable, and unremarkable.
Halfway down the hallway, I pass Harper.
Her eyes flick to me quickly, too quickly. Then away.
She’s back. After being unreachable for nearly two weeks—something Rourke made a point to mention—she just decided to reappear without fanfare, claiming a communication glitch and a family emergency. It’s plausible. But a little too plausible.
“Morning,” she says, a forced smile curving her lips.
“Morning,” I echo calmly.
She lingers a beat too long, like she’s deciding if she should say something else.
“Need something, Harper?” I ask.
Her smile tightens. “Just wondering how your report on the security upgrade is coming along. Rourke was asking.”
Of course he was. He didn’t hide the suspicion when he mentioned her disappearance. And now she’s back and playing polite, like her absence wasn’t timed suspiciously close to the breach.
“It’s almost ready,” I lie. “I’ll upload it to the shared drive tonight.”
“Good.” She nods, but her tone is clipped, her eyes too focused. “Don’t let him wait too long. He’s been on edge lately.”
Then, she walks off, her heels clicking against the tile. I watch her disappear before I slide into the empty admin lounge.
Inside, I lock the door and lower the blinds.
I pull out my tablet again.
If Alec and Reyes want to play this game, I need leverage. Not just data but pressure points. Weaknesses.
I start digging into Alec’s access record, pulling historical entry logs and correlating them with surveillance footage. Then, I isolate his comms usage.
He’s been using a secondary device.
An unregistered one.
