Page 146 of Shadowed Hearts: Frost
My hands never falter despite the sudden warmth in my chest at the sound of her voice.
Xander chuckles through comms. "If they weren't having a bad enough day already. Nice shot, Frost."
"Moving package to extraction point Charlie," Kade reports as I secure my position, eliminating all evidence of my presence. "Saint, status?"
"Perimeter secure. Three hostiles neutralized at east entrance." Remy's voice carries his usual calm efficiency, death just another task completed.
I sling my equipment case over my shoulder and move toward the edge of the rooftop. The rain makes the metal ladder slick, but my grip never wavers as I descend into the darkness.
"Perimeter security responding to power failure," Damian warns. "Southeast quadrant compromised."
Jax's voice comes through next, engine noise in background. "Primary extraction vehicle ready at point Charlie. Secondary standing by at delta."
My boots hit the pavement silently as I slip between two buildings, moving like a shadow through the rain-soaked alley. Three blocks to extraction point. Every nerve sharpens, identifying possible dangers through ingrained habit.
Cole updates: "Backup systems initiating boot sequence. Exit now, all units."
I hear Vanessa's quiet exhale of relief when Kade confirms, "Package secure, en route to processing. Slate cooperating fully. Mission parameters achieved."
The sound of her relief loosens something tight within my chest.
"Target secured," I say into the comms, voice deliberately neutral.
The operation executed with textbook efficiency. Every variable accounted for. Every threat neutralized.
I love you.
Her words return as I start the motorcycle, the engine's purr vibrating through my hands. Rain streams down my face, mixing with something unfamiliar and warm.
Perfect mission completion. Every variable accounted for, every threat neutralized.
But my chest burns like I've taken a hollow point center mass.
thirty-eight
Vanessa
"The Pashkov network appears to have layered their communication protocols through twelve anonymized servers."
My fingers tap against my tablet. "But the routing code matches what we got from Tatiana's device."
My attention splits between giving this briefing and tracking Asher. He sits at the far end of the table, back straight, eyes locked on the data. Never looking at me.
Don't think about the other night. Focus on the work.
"So messages were bounced through servers in six different countries?" Kade leans forward, his massive frame making the executive chair look undersized.
"Seven actually." I zoom into the map, my voice coming out faster than intended. "Including an unusual relay through Madagascar that wasn't necessary for the communication pathway. It's deliberately inefficient. A signature of someone showing off."
My leg bounces under the table. The fluorescent lights buzz at a frequency only I seem to notice. Words tumble through my brain:servers, encryption, distance, silence, love, rejection.
I force my eyes to stay on Kade, not to drift again to Asher's perfectly composed face, empty of any acknowledgment that I'd confessed my love to him yesterday, or that he'd responded with nothing but silence.
Cole points to a section of code on his screen. "The encryption method looks familiar."
"It should." My voice comes out steadier than I feel. "It's based on Slate's core architecture, but heavily modified. She took his work and had her people customize it for the trafficking operation."
Jax stretches his arms overhead. "So she used him for his encryption methods."
